News: Cover Reveals, Signing Details, Movie Trailers & More

I absolutely loved Sarah J Maas's debut novel Throne of Glass (read my review here) and have been looking forward to getting my hands on the sequel Crown of Midnight ever since I finished the last page! Unfortunately we still have a little while to wait (the UK release date is the 15th of August) but the cover has now been revealed so I wanted to share it with you:

In case you haven't already seen it here is the blurb for Crown of Midnight:

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series.

What do you think of the cover? I LOVE it and I'm now even more excited to get my hands on the book! This goes so well with the UK cover of Throne of Glass (see left) but I think I love the bright reds even more than I liked the blues of the previous cover.

Here is a bit more information about the series in case you've not started reading it yet (links take you to my reviews)

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight (August 2013)

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

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Fans of Michael Grant will be pleased to know he is visiting the UK next week and will be making a number of public appearances. Unfortunately I won't be able to attend any of the events myself but I've included the details below in case anyone is interested:

Wednesday 24th April - Waterstones Piccadilly
6.30pm
In conversation with journalist Lucy Mangan

Saturday 27th April - signing at Muswell Hill bookshop
4pm- 5pm
72 Fortis Green Rd London, Greater London N10 3HN

Monday 29th April - Waterstones Plymouth (65-69 George Street, PL1 1RJ)
6.30 – 7.30pm
Talk

Thursday 2nd May - Eason O’Connell, Dublin
6pm
Talk and Q & A

Friday 3rd May - Eason Dundrum, Dublin
4pm
public signing

You can find out more about Michael Grant's books on his website

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I've been reading a lot of contemporary romance books recently but I have to admit that I have been absolutely devouring the huge range of New Adult books that are currently being published (read my NA reviews here). I know there is a lot of confusion over what makes a story New Adult rather than Young Adult or Adult so I thought I'd point you in the direction of this USA Today article which I think explains things really well. You can have a read through some of my NA reviews for some recommendations but my favourites include Hopeless by Colleen Hoover, Losing It by Cora Carmack, The Secrets of Ella and Micha by Jessica Sorensen and Easy by Tammara Webber.

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Have you seen the latest trailer for the City of Bones movie? OMG it looks so good & I'm just dying to see it when it comes out!! For once they're releasing a film of a book that I've already read so I don't have any catching up to do (I still haven't managed to read or watch The Host or Beautiful Creatures so I'm falling really far behind LOL!).

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I can't write a news post without including the first teaser trailer for the Catching Fire movie! I loved the Hunger Games film so can't wait for this to hit the big screens (although I really should make sure I read the book before then LOL). I'm sure most of you have already seen this but just in case you haven't here it is:

 

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Last but by no means least did you see the fantastic video posted on the USA Today website revealing the title for the third and final book in Veronica Roth's Divergent series? I'm a huge fan of this series (Hooray for Team Candor UK) so I can't wait to get my hands on the last book! What do you think of the title Allegiant? According to Dictionary.com this is the definition of allegiant:

We already know that Tris is extremely loyal to her friends and the people she cares about but what do you think the title means for the end of the series? Do you think it gives us any clues about what is going to happen next? How do you think the title fits with the rest of the series (Divergent & Insurgent)? I'm a little disappointed that the new title doesn't end in ENT but when you actually say Allegiant out loud I think it fits and if you say all three titles one after the other it flows quite nicely.

Winners: Love Hurts Blog Tour

With the help of Rafflecopter I am excited to announce the winners of the Love Hurts Blog Tour Giveaway, each winning a copy of Easy by Tammara Webber and Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan are:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Congratulations to you all! You should have already received an email from me asking for your addresses so please make sure you look out for it. If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours then a new winners will be chosen. Your prize will be sent out by my contact at Penguin so you'll need to give permission for me to forward your address to them.

I'd like to say a massive thank you to Penguin for allowing me to host this giveaway for them.

Review: Easy - Tammara Webber

Easy is a New York Times bestseller - a must-read in the New Adult genre for everyone who loves Slammed by Colleen Hoover or Breathe by Abbi Glines. Deeply romantic and utterly gripping, Tammara Webber's Easy is not to be missed.

When Jacqueline follows her long-term boyfriend to college, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, ignored by former friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, she is assaulted. Rescued by a stranger in the right place at the right time, she just wants to forget that night. But when her attacker turns stalker she has to make a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Her saviour proves protective and intriguing, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly, knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Visit Tammara Webber's website for more information.

Review:
When Jacqueline follows her high school sweetheart, Kennedy, to the college of his dreams she thinks that they are the perfect couple but just months later he tears her heart out by breaking up with her and she falls into a deep depression. After two weeks of wallowing she knows it is time to start rebuilding her life again, she needs to start having fun and making new friends and she needs to catch up on her classes before she is kicked out of college. After a party one night she is attacked by someone she thought she could trust, saved by a stranger she just wants to forget about everything that happened but when her attacker starts making threats she realises that she has to stand up for herself. As she grows closer to the boy who saved her she begins to re-build her confidence but what kind of future can they have if she discovers the secrets he is keeping from her?

I'd heard a lot of great things about Tammara Webber's debut novel Easy so when I was offered a review copy I jumped at the chance of reading it. I have been loving the recent influx of new adult books and Easy is up there with the best that I have read. The author doesn't shy away from tackling sensitive topics such as attempted rape but she does it with sensitivity. The scenes where Jacqueline was attacked made for difficult reading, you felt her fear, shock and horror right along with her and I think most women will be able to identify how weak she felt because she was unable to fight her attacker off on her own. As horrific as the incident was Jacqueline was lucky that Lucas came along at the right time to save her. Unfortunately a lot of other women don't have a rescuer so one of the things I appreciated most was the way the author included tips on how to avoid getting into that situation. Yes, a lot of the things mentioned are pretty obvious when you think about it but I'd be willing to bet that most of us have put ourselves into a dangerous situation at some point in our lives (I know I did as a teen and probably even have as an adult), even if we were lucky enough not to have anything happen to us. Using common sense doesn't guarantee your safety but it does make it less likely you'll find yourself in Jacqueline's situation. I think it's important to raise the issue that rape isn't just something that happens amongst strangers, it could be the boy next door, your best friend's boyfriend or even the boy you are dating. Of course not all men are potential rapists but that doesn't mean women and girls don't need to be careful and aware of their surroundings. I also think that self defence classes are something that should be compulsory for teenagers - I wish I'd taken a class like the one Jacqueline joined. In fact, if I could find one locally I'd join it now!

As much as Jacqueline's attack was an important part of the story I don't want to make it sound like this was a depressing read because it really wasn't. It was about Jacqueline's journey to find herself, she had built her dreams around those of her boyfriend and when he dumped her she had to remember what she really wanted from her life. Jacqueline had her moments of depression but overall she was a strong woman and she refused to let her attacker intimidate her even after he started a campaign against her. The attacker was one of the most vile characters I've come across in a long time so I was pleased to see him get what he deserved. Another thing I loved was the fact that Jacqueline's best friend Erin was so supportive, she never once questioned that Jacqueline was telling the truth about her attack and she stood up for her friend even though it cost her. An important message to take from the book is that if you are attacked it isn't your fault, there is no such thing as "asking for it" and there is NEVER an excuse for anyone (male or female) to attack someone else. One of my favourite lines in the book was "I could blame the alcohol . . . but no. Alcohol removed inhibitions. It doesn't trigger criminal violence where there was none before." I think that was one of the most sensible things that Jacqueline said!

I can't write this review without telling you how much I loved Lucas, he was incredibly sweet and protective but at the same time he didn't want to smother Jacqueline - he wanted to empower her so that she was able to protect herself and I think that was what I appreciated most about him. Yes, he would do anything to save her pain but he wanted to make sure she was safe even when he wasn't around. The back story with Lucas just about broke my heart, he had been through so much and deserved to find happiness as much as Jacqueline did. I had guessed part of his secret fairly early on but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story in the slightest even though I was practically begging him to open up and tell her the truth.

In case you haven't already gathered Easy is a book that I would highly recommend to any fan of the new adult genre. Tammara Webber has a great writing style that will suck you in from the beginning and this isn't your standard romance. These characters are three dimensional and so real to me I felt like I was losing friends when I finished the book. I can't wait to get started on Tammara's Between the Lines series - I'm pretty sure I've found myself another favourite author!

Source: Received from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Other Reviews:
Big Book Little Book
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Love Hurts Blog Tour: UK Giveaway of Easy by Tammara Webber & Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan

I'm thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour to celebrate the release of both Easy by Tammara Webber and Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan that are being published in the UK in January by Penguim. I've already read Easy which I loved (watch out for my review which will be posted later today) and I can't wait to get started on Reason to Breathe so I'm very excited to be hosting a fabulous giveaway so that 3 of my blog readers will be able to win a copies of both books!

Before we get to the giveaway I want to give you a little more information about the books:

Easy is a New York Times bestseller - a must-read in the New Adult genre for everyone who loves Slammed by Colleen Hoover or Breathe by Abbi Glines. Deeply romantic and utterly gripping, Tammara Webber's Easy is not to be missed.

When Jacqueline follows her long-term boyfriend to college, the last thing she expects is a breakup. After two weeks in shock she wakes up to her new reality: she's single, ignored by former friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, she is assaulted. Rescued by a stranger in the right place at the right time, she just wants to forget that night. But when her attacker turns stalker she has to make a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Her savior proves protective and intriguing, but he's hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly, knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

Visit Tammara Webber's website for more information.

Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan is a US bestselling phenomenon.

An utterly addictive and heartbreaking novel that will leave readers breathless and desperate for more. All fans of Jodi Picoult and new adult author fiction such Colleen Hoover's Slammed, Tammara Webber's Easy and Abbi Glines' Vincent Boys will love Rebecca Donovan's incredible writing. A must-read.

A passionate love. A brutal betrayal. Unwavering hope.

In a town where most people worry about what to be seen in and who to be seen with, Emma Thomas would rather not be seen at all. She's more concerned with feigning perfection, pulling down her sleeves to conceal the bruises. Emma doesn't want anyone to know how far from perfect her life truly is.

When Emma unexpectedly finds love, it challenges her to recognize her own worth - but at the risk of revealing the terrible secret she's desperate to hide.

Visit Rebecca Donovan's website for more information.

Giveaway Details:

Thanks to the lovely folks at Penguin I have a fabulous giveaway for my UK blog readers.

• Three lucky winners will win paperback copies of both Easy by Tammara Webber and Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan.
• The winner's prize will be sent out directly by my contact at Penguin so the winner must give me permission to pass their address on.
• To enter please use the rafflecopter below to confirm that you are a UK resident, there are optional extra entries for following or tweeting about the giveaway but these are not required to enter.
• Duplicate and invalid entries will be deleted and the winners will be chosen at random from all remaining entries.
• The giveaway will close at Midnight GMT on the 12th of January 2013 and the winner will be contacted soon afterwards. You will have 48 hours to reply to me with your address or a new winner will be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to follow the rest of the Love Hurts Blog Tour, you can easily find all of the tour stops by clicking the links on this cool interactive banner: