Blog Tour: The Dirt

Title:  Dirt            

Author: Lori Culwell

Publisher: Booktrope Editions

Publish Date:  22 November 2012

Pages: 205

ISBN:  978-1-935961-36-9

Source:  received for blog tour

Genre:  YA, contemporary

Series:  none

Rating: Really liked

Lucy Whitley cannot wait to get out of Palm Desert. It’s not a place for a frizzy-haired science nerd, particularly when her fashion-obsessed older sister Sloane is the head of a clique of pretty girls who rule the school—and practically the whole town. Fortunately, life is about to change forever. Lucy’s dad is getting re-married, and then she can transfer to a boarding school in Connecticut, escaping all the mean girls and the endless whispers about the Whitley family scandal. Everything is going to be perfect—as long as the wedding goes smoothly.

What if your future depended on everything going smoothly with something that you had no control over?  That is what happened to Lucy Whitley.  She wanted to get out of Palm Desert, away from her family that is always in the press and go to Darlington Academy, a boarding school that is focused on the sciences.  First, she has to get everyone ready and the wedding has to happen.  The wedding is between her father and Lisa Sullivan.  This is simple, right?

                                                                    

Lucy’s sisters are not as easy to steer in the right direction.  The oldest is Sloane.  She is the president of a secret organization called “PG.”  She does whatever she wants and doesn’t answer to anyone.  Getting her to do what is asked of her for the wedding is a hard task.  She also picks on Lucy for her being “ordinary.”  Her younger sister is Frankie.  She is the dread-wearing, skate board loving one who wears her converse sneakers underneath her bridesmaid dress.

Everything is going as planned and Lucy has started the countdown until she can start at Darlington, when a surprise happens.  Someone shows up to the wedding that wasn’t expected, her sister Megan.  They haven’t seen or heard from Megan since their mother left with her nine years ago.   Why does she show up now?  What does she want?  Is she really their long-lost sister, Megan?

This book wasn’t one of those books that hooked from the get go.  I find that true with contemporary novels.  I guess it’s because I don’t read them enough.  Like the contemporary books that I have liked in the past, I warmed up to the book and couldn’t put it down.  I liked the dynamics of the relationships between the members of the Whitley family, especially Sloane, Lucy and Megan.  This alone is worth reading the book for.  Would I recommend this book?  Absolutely.

There are two contests running during this blog tour.  You can enter at any stop during the tour.  The first one is US only and it is for 5 (five) paperback copies of The Dirt.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The next contest is international and it is for 12 (twelve) e-book copies of The Dirt.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Opal Book Trailer Reveal

No one is like Daemon Black.

When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Opal is the third book (Shadows is considered #0.5) in the Lux series and is due to be released on 11 December 2012.  The other books are: Shadows, Obsidian  and Onyx.

USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

Waiting on Wednesday #31

“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we cannot wait to read.

I am really anxious to read Destiny, the third book in the Brightest Kind of Darkness series by P. T. Michelle which is due to be released on 31 March 2013.  I have participated in blog tours and cover reveals since the first book and this is a series that I absolutely love.  Here is a recap of the first two books in the series and their beautiful covers and then Destiny.

Nara Collins is an average sixteen-year-old, with one exception: every night she dreams the events of the following day. Due to an incident in her past, Nara avoids using her special gift to change fate…until she dreams a future she can’t ignore.

After Nara prevents a bombing at Blue Ridge High, her ability to see the future starts to fade, while people at school are suddenly being injured at an unusually high rate.

Grappling with her diminishing powers and the need to prevent another disaster, Nara meets Ethan Harris, a mysterious loner who seems to understand her better than anyone. Ethan and Nara forge an irresistible connection, but as their relationship heats up, so do her questions about his dark past.

Buy:

Amazon | Kindle | B&N | iTunes | The Book Depository

Once Nara combines her prophetic ability with Ethan’s power to outsmart Fate at his own deadly cat-and-mouse game, she’s more determined than ever to help Ethan learn the meaning behind the raven sword tattoo that suddenly appeared on his back after their confrontation with Fate.

During her quest to uncover the tattoo’s secrets, Nara enlists the help of some new friends and discovers her own surprising connection to Ethan.

While Nara digs deeper into the mystery, her desire for answers leads her down a dangerous path full of powerful and ruthless enemies. Swept into an age-old battle, Nara quickly learns that keeping one’s enemies close can be a necessary evil, making an intangible enemy she can control far more preferable to the human enemies she can’t.

Buy:

Amazon | Kindle | B&N  | The Book Depository

When destiny is on the line, will love be enough to light the way?

In order to save Ethan, Nara gets pulled deeper into his dark world, where everything she thought she knew about Ethan and herself turns on its head. Ethan and Nara turn up the heat with bone-melting seduction and heart-rending moments, but surprising revelations, lies, treachery, betrayal, and unimaginable evil will challenge their relationship and their future together. As the stakes rise, encompassing more than just her relationship with Ethan, will Nara make the ultimate sacrifice?

I'm excited to read the third book in the series.  If you haven't read the first two books, they are on sale as e-books right now.  Brightest Kind of Darkness (BKoD) is FREE on Kindle and iBooks and is $0.99 on Nook.  Lucid is $3.99 on Kindle and Nook.

There are two extra scenes in this series as well.  They deal with both Nara and Ethan.  The first one is Chapter 22 of BKoD in Ethan's POV.  You can find that one here.

Another extra scene has been titled Unforseen and it shows a glimpse into Nara's past.  It says to read this after you have read BKoD and Lucid.  You can find that scene here.

 I couldn't find any links yet to pre-order.  As soon as I do, I will be sure to post them on the blog.

Top Ten Tuesday #1

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish which asks bloggers to tell what their top tens are.  This week, the question is:

Top Ten Books  I'd Want On A Deserted Island

This is a hard thing for me to decide.  There are so many wonderful books out there.  I have narrowed it down to series instead of actual books.  That was the only way I could do this.  These books are in no particular order.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.  I chose this series because I really like reading about Jace and Clary.   This series would keep me entertained for awhile.

Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkein This series has always been one that I have loved to read.  The  movies just made the books so much better, or vice versa.

The Time Quintet by Madeline L'Engle Ever since I first read A Wrinkle in Time, I was hooked on this series.  It is one that gets your imagination soaring.  If you haven't read this one yet, I recommend it.

Nightshifted by Cassie Alexander I love this book!  I am anxiously awaiting the second book in the series, Moonshifted.  This book reminds me of nursing and what it means to be a nurse.  This would not only be a sentimental book, but it is funny as well.

 

The Lux Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout We all need a little Daemon in our lives.  If I were stuck on an island, I'd be sure to want his witticisms with me.  

 The Goddess Test Series by Aimée Carter I love mythology.  When you mix that with romance, I am hooked. 

The Covenant Series by Jennifer L. Armentrout  This is another series by Armentrout that I would want with me.  Alex, Aiden, Seth...

 The Wolves of Mercy Falls by Maggie Stiefvater This series makes me smile whenever I think of it.  It is one that I can read over and over.  (That's good because if I was on a deserted island, I would have to.)

 The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare Along with The Mortal Instruments, this series is a good read and would keep me occupied.

 

Scriptures This need no explanation.