"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: The End Games
Author: T. Michael Martin
Publisher: HarperCollins, 384 Pages (May 7th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: It happened on Halloween.

The world ended.

And a dangerous Game brought it back to life.

Seventeen-year-old Michael and his five-year-old brother, Patrick, have been battling monsters in The Game for weeks.

In the rural mountains of West Virginia, armed with only their rifle and their love for each other, the brothers follow Instructions from the mysterious Game Master. They spend their days searching for survivors, their nights fighting endless hordes of “Bellows”—creatures that roam the dark, roaring for flesh. And at this Game, Michael and Patrick are very good.

But The Game is changing.

The Bellows are evolving.

The Game Master is leading Michael and Patrick to other survivors—survivors who don’t play by the rules.

And the brothers will never be the same.

T. Michael Martin’s debut novel is a transcendent thriller filled with electrifying action, searing emotional insight, and unexpected romance.

Title: Dirty Little Secret
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books, 288 Pages (July 16th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: From the author of the “real page-turner” (Seventeen) Such a Rush comes an unforgettable new drama that follows friends-turned-lovers as they navigate the passions, heartbreaks, and intrigue of country music fame.

Bailey wasn't always a wild child and the black sheep of her family. She used to play fiddle and tour the music circuit with her sister, Julie, who sang and played guitar. That ended when country music execs swooped in and signed Julie to a solo deal. Never mind that Julie and Bailey were a duet, or that Bailey was their songwriter. The music scouts wanted only Julie, and their parents were content to sit by and let her fulfill her dreams while Bailey’s were hushed away.

Bailey has tried to numb the pain and disappointment over what could have been. And as Julie’s debut album is set to hit the charts, her parents get fed up with Bailey’s antics and ship her off to granddad’s house in Nashville. Playing fiddle in washed-up tribute groups at the mall, Bailey meets Sam, a handsome and oh-so-persuasive guitarist with his own band. He knows Bailey’s fiddle playing is just the thing his band needs to break into the industry. But this life has broken Bailey’s heart once before. She isn't sure she’s ready to let Sam take her there again…

Title: ACID
Author: Emma Pass
Publisher: Corgi Children's Books/Random House Children's Publishing (UK) and out 2014 from Delacorte (US), 431 Pages (April 25th, 2013 in the UK)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: The Book Depository

Synopsis: 2113. In Jenna Strong’s world, ACID – the most brutal, controlling police force in history – rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed – or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID – and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.

Another three titles this week. And all three books are yet again vastly different from one another. I am excited for all three and thankfully I have Dirty Little Secret (squeeee!) to read soon. As for the last book ACID, I know it's not a 2013 release for the US, but since I'll be in the UK in May I hope to snag a copy or two... maybe for a giveaway? How's that sound? Great? Good!

*covers are always subject to change.

Title: Such A Rush
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books, 325 Pages (July 10th, 2012)
From: the Publisher
Format: ARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers. When I was fourteen, I made a decision. If I was doomed to live in a trailer park next to an airport, I could complain about the smell of the jet fuel like my mom, I could drink myself to death over the noise like everybody else, or I could learn to fly.

Heaven Beach, South Carolina, is anything but, if you live at the low-rent end of town. All her life, Leah Jones has been the grown-up in her family, while her mother moves from boyfriend to boyfriend, letting any available money slip out of her hands. At school, they may diss Leah as trash, but she’s the one who negotiates with the landlord when the rent’s not paid. At fourteen, she’s the one who gets a job at the nearby airstrip.

But there’s one way Leah can escape reality. Saving every penny she can, she begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons, to take her up just once. Leaving the trailer park far beneath her and swooping out over the sea is a rush greater than anything she’s ever experienced, and when Mr. Hall offers to give her cut-rate flight lessons, she feels ready to touch the sky.

By the time she’s a high school senior, Leah has become a good enough pilot that Mr. Hall offers her a job flying a banner plane. It seems like a dream come true . . . but turns out to be just as fleeting as any dream. Mr. Hall dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons: golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson. And they're determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business—until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers—and the consequences could be deadly.

Review: 4 Stars - Jennifer Echols has done it again with her latest title, Such a Rush. If you are looking for a wonderfully written contemporary title, look no further than anything written by this fantastically talented author.

Leah comes from, well… pretty much nothing. She lives with her always absent mother in a horribly run down trailer park on the wrong side of town. The only plus when they moved there was the small airport across the field. She wants to do something with her life, something that she can do to make it on her own, to be able to support herself and to have a way to take better care of herself. Leah gets a job at the airport office and for lack of a better word, loves it. It gives her time away from the run down trailer and gives her more than just a means to an end. It’s a real start for her and she plans to use this job to go after her real dream – the dream of being a pilot.

With money saved and a plan to ask Mr. Hall who has a hanger at the airfield she sets out to take her first flying lesson. The only problem, she only has the money for one lesson. A deal is made with Mr. Hall and takes her under his wing… no pun intended there.

Leah’s life hasn’t been easy and she makes the most of it. She’s had tough decisions to make and makes some wrong choices along the way but for someone who’s lacking any parental influence other than Mr. Hall she’s done pretty well for herself. Leah is one touch cookie on the outside, with some gooey bits deep inside that of course remain hidden.

And then we have Mr. Hall’s sons who have always been in her life from afar, when they are suddenly thrust into it front and center. Alec and Grayson might be twins, but they are extremely different from one another and they always have been. It’s been a rough road for these two with some let’s just say confusing times ahead.

Grayson and Alec have some serious choices ahead of them and Grayson believes he knows what’s better for his twin. He brings Leah along for the ride and what a bumpy one it is.

I rather enjoyed the dynamic between these three. I might not have agreed with how they all went about things throughout the story, but I think that’s what you do or try to do for someone you love when you feel like you’re against a wall and when you want more than anything  to make a better life for yourself.

Without a doubt I have loved the few books I’ve read by Echols in the past and I will always continue to look forward to anything she writes in the future. Such a Rush is a must read contemporary title with characters that’ll stay close to your heart long after reading and will leave you ready to hear more of their stories. I without a doubt recommend all of Echols titles for contemporary lovers anywhere or those out there who are looking to pick their first one up.

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Auracle
Author: Gina Rosati
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press, 304 Pages (August, 7th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: 16 year old Anna Rogan has a secret she's only shared with her best friend, Rei; she can astrally project out of her body, allowing her spirit to explore the world and the far reaches of the universe.

When there's a fatal accident and her classmate Taylor takes over Anna's body, what was an exhilarating distraction from her repressive home life threatens to become a permanent state. Faced with a future trapped in another dimension, Anna turns to Rei for help. Now the two of them must find a way to get Anna back into her body and stop Taylor from accusing an innocent friend of murder. Together Anna and Rei form a plan but it doesn't take into account the deeper feelings that are beginning to grow between them.

Title: Such a Rush
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books, 320 Pages (July 10th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: A sexy and poignant romantic tale of a young daredevil pilot caught between two brothers.

High school senior Leah Jones loves nothing more than flying. While she’s in the air, it’s easy to forget life with her absentee mother at the low-rent end of a South Carolina beach town. When her flight instructor, Mr. Hall, hires her to fly for his banner advertising business, she sees it as her ticket out of the trailer park. And when he dies suddenly, she’s afraid her flying career is gone forever.   

But Mr. Hall’s teenage sons, golden boy Alec and adrenaline junkie Grayson, are determined to keep the banner planes flying. Though Leah has crushed on Grayson for years, she’s leery of getting involved in what now seems like a doomed business — until Grayson betrays her by digging up her most damning secret. Holding it over her head, he forces her to fly for secret reasons of his own, reasons involving Alec. Now Leah finds herself drawn into a battle between brothers — and the consequences could be deadly.

Title: The City's Son (The Skyscraper Throne, #1)
Author: Tom Pollock
Publisher: Flux, 480 Pages (September 8th, 2012)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Running from her traitorous best friend and her estranged father, graffiti artist Beth Bradley is looking for sanctuary. What she finds is Urchin, the ragged and cocky crown prince of London's mystical underworld. Urchin opens Beth's eyes to the city she's never truly seen-where vast spiders crawl telephone wires seeking voices to steal, railwraiths escape their tethers, and statues conceal an ancient priesthood robed in bronze.

But it all teeters on the brink of destruction. Amid rumors that Urchin's goddess mother will soon return from her 15-year exile, Reach, a malign god of urban decay, wants the young prince dead. Helping Urchin raise an alleyway army to reclaim his skyscraper throne, Beth soon forgets her old life. But when her best friend is captured, Beth must choose between this wondrous existence and the life she left behind.

And for today's WoW I have another three books that I'm really excited to read. And for two of them, I MIGHT have already. Thankfully I have both Aracle and Such a Rush here, so keep an eye out for those reviews soon. The City's Son was a brand new find... well new when I was working on this post awhile ago. The cover caught my eye and I'm always looking for a book that's set in England, which makes this one perfect! So, what are your thoughts?

*covers are always subject to change.

"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Love Story
Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV Books, 243 Pages (July 19th 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, The Book Depository

Synopsis: Erin Blackwell is headed to college in New York City to study creative writing and earn a living as a romance novelist. Her grandmother has other plans: she approves of the college, but she wants Erin to major in business and then come back home to Kentucky to run the family’s famous racehorse farm. There is no way Erin will agree. Studying in New York and writing her way into a career is her escape from the farm and the family tragedy that happened there. So Erin’s grandmother decides Erin really will live life as a starving artist. She takes Erin’s future job running the farm, her inheritance, even her college tuition, and gives them all to Hunter Allen.

Hunter has lived on the farm for years. He’s Erin’s age, he’s the stable boy, and he’s the romantic dream of every girl in her high school. But he was involved in the family tragedy. Erin has always given him a wide berth. And he’s a slick opportunist. She’s furious that he fooled her grandmother into giving him Erin’s birthright and sending him to Erin’s college.

At least she’s free of him in her creative writing class. So she pens a story that has haunted her lately, in which the horse farm heiress at the very first Kentucky Derby starts a forbidden affair with the lowly stable boy. Unfortunately for her, the day she’s sharing this story with her New York classmates, Hunter walks in. He’s switching to her class. And after reading about himself in Erin’s story, he writes his own sexy assignments that lure Erin into dangerous fantasies about what could have been between them, and what might be.

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Publisher: Dutton, 382 Pages (September 29th 2011)
Preorder here: Amazon, Borders, The Book Depository

Synopsis: For budding costume designer Lola Nolan, the more outrageous, the outfit—more sparkly, more fun, more wild—the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins move back into the house next door.


When the family returns and Cricket—a gifted inventor and engineer—steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door.

Two books about crushes and love and boys and I'm sure kissing... yep, MUST READS if you ask me. Added plus - A boy named Cricket. Love it!


*covers are always subject to change.
*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.

Title: Shrinking Violet
Author: Danielle Joseph
Publisher: MTV Books, 320 Pages (May 5th, 2009)
From: The Book Depository

Synopsis: High school senior Teresa Adams is so painfully shy that she
dreads speaking to anyone in the hallways or getting called on in class.

But in the privacy of her bedroom with her iPod in hand, she rocks out - doing mock broadcasts for Miami's hottest FM radio station, which happens to be owned by her stepfather. When a slot opens up at The SLAM, Tere surprises herself by blossoming behind the mike into confident, sexy Sweet T - and to everyone's shock, she's a hit!

Even Gavin, the only guy in school who she dares to talk to, raves about the mysterious DJ's awesome taste in music. But when The SLAM announces a songwriting contest -- and a prom date with Sweet T is the grand prize - Sweet T's dream could turn into Tere's worst nightmare...

Review: 3.5 Stars - Shrinking Violet was a cute read. I was a shy person growing up, still am in many aspects of my life, so Tere was very likeable and I could really relate to what she faced on a day to day basis. She’s painfully shy to the point that she has only one friend and sticks to herself as much as she can. She tries to make herself invisible in the classroom for fear of being called on by a teacher.

Her mother has newly re-married. Her step father is the owner of one of the more popular radio stations in Miami. She wants nothing more then to be a radio DJ and is given the chance at an internship at SLAM 92.7. Having done her own mock radio shows in the comfort of her own bedroom perfecting her radio personality ‘Sweet T’, she more then jumps on the chance at the internship.

She’s given the chance to co-host a show each night at the station. Using the name ‘Sweet T’ no one knows who she is. The various characters at the station are all funky personalities of their own. With the help of these quirky characters she’s able to come further out of her shell. Even with how shy she was she worked through each night much to the help of the staff at the station. With her love of music, dream to be a DJ and the help from some new found friends she does more then find a voice. She finds the strength to take a chance and to stand out without being actually seen.

Gavin is the cute boy from school who she gets partnered with and turns out has more then music in common with her. He likes her because when she has something to say it’s usually more then worth listening to.

Srinking Violet is a great story about understanding what you want and finding a way to make it through even if you have to struggle. To let people in because they just might be able to help you along the way and learning that it’s okay to have a voice.

The storyline and characters were entertaining and likeable. The plot lines were all tied up nicely… from the crazy mother, body image, confidence and extreme shyness - were all portrayed nicely and covered many different ways how to deal with these and various other issues we face from time to time throughout life.

I enjoyed Danielle Joseph’s writing style and will be on the look out for further books from this author. If you’re a lover of music and are shy yourself, or just like a quirky and fun… yet light read be sure to check it out!

FTC Disclaimer: I DID pay for this book and have NOT been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this review.

Title: Going Too Far

Author: Jennifer Echols
Publisher: MTV, 256 Pages (March 17, 2009)
From: Purchased from Amazon

Synopsis: HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO? All Meg has ever wanted is to get away. Away from high school. Away from her backwater town. Away from her parents who seem determined to keep her imprisoned in their dead-end lives. But one crazy evening involving a dare and forbidden railroad tracks, she goes way too far...and almost doesn't make it back.

John made a choice to stay. To enforce the rules. To serve and protect. He has nothing but contempt for what he sees as childish rebellion, and he wants to teach Meg a lesson she won't soon forget. But Meg pushes him to the limit by questioning everything he learned at the police academy. And when he pushes back, demanding to know why she won't be tied down, they will drive each other to the edge -- and over....


Review: 4.5 stars - What brought me to this book at first was the cover, then after reading the description I knew it was a must read. Jennifer Echols did an amazing job writing this story. It was a very refreshing read which I enjoyed and was hooked from the first page. I’ve never read anything by this author before and am glad to have found one of her books. The twists and turns were written amazingly! I didn’t even see half of them coming, and that to me, adds even more to a great story.

The characters were likable and relatable on many levels. Each of us having been through various things in life, either happening to yourself or someone close to you makes this a book a good pick for just about anyone. It was serious, humorous, heartfelt, heartbreaking and loving. Meg had such a hard shell that I was sure no one could crack into it, and found myself often thinking why she was like this. Little did I know what was about to happen. Officer After, or John was a character written with so many layer that between the two of them – Meg and John, it took most of the book and a bridge to remove them all to see who they really were.

For me the end of the book had me wanting to know what would happen next, but as I’ve said before and I’m sure I’ll say it again… isn’t that part of what makes a book good? Wanting more at the end? For those who have yet to read this, enjoy!