Thousand Words by Jennifer Brown ~ Review

Available today! 

Source:  Received from publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Book Description:

Ashleigh's boyfriend, Kaleb, is about to leave for college, and Ashleigh is worried that he'll forget about her while he's away. So at a legendary end-of-summer pool party, Ashleigh's friends suggest she text him a picture of herself -- sans swimsuit -- to take with him. Before she can talk herself out of it, Ashleigh strides off to the bathroom, snaps a photo in the full-length mirror, and hits "send."

But when Kaleb and Ashleigh go through a bad breakup, Kaleb takes revenge by forwarding the text to his baseball team. Soon the photo has gone viral, attracting the attention of the school board, the local police, and the media. As her friends and family try to distance themselves from the scandal, Ashleigh feels completely alone -- until she meets Mack while serving her court-ordered community service. Not only does Mack offer a fresh chance at friendship, but he's the one person in town who received the text of Ashleigh's photo -- and didn't look.

Acclaimed author Jennifer Brown brings readers a gripping novel about honesty and betrayal, redemption and friendship, attraction and integrity, as Ashleigh finds that while a picture may be worth a thousand words . . . it doesn't always tell the whole story.

 My Thoughts:

 

4 stars - This story, this picture is so much more than a thousand words

This is not my normal read, not even close.  I wanted to read this book because I teach middle school students a unit on Internet Safety and it includes sexting.  I wish I could have them read this book.  That would be enough to convince them to never do it.  It would be enough to convince them it's possible to pick up the pieces after everything has fallen apart.  This story, this picture is so much more than a thousand words.

I liked Ashleigh.  She was your typical good student/athlete kind of girl.  Great boyfriend and great friends with no real issues.  The only problem was that her boyfriend was leaving for college and she was afraid of losing him.  Her choice to take and then send him a nude picture to keep his interest dramatically effected her life.  It effected Kaleb's life so much too.  You see, he was eighteen when he decided to pass that picture on in a fit of rage.  Now he's facing adult charges of child pornography.  Neither of these two meant to cause the problems that they did, they didn't think.  That's what I really want my students to understand.  The moment you hit send, you lose all control over what you sent.  Anything can and does happen to it once it hits cyberspace.  I explain this.  I show videos of people this happened to.  We look at real life case studies.  We make presentations about them.  But it just doesn't seem to hit home.  How do I know it doesn't hit home?  All you have to do is visit You tube to know they are not listening to me.  I think they would listen to Ashleigh.

This book is split between before and after the incident.  We see the events unfolding in one chapter and the consequences  in the next.  Knitting both sides together, this book is a powerful story of just how painful this kind of mistake can be.  It can show just how much you might have to pay for a moments mistake.  But it also shows how it's possible to survive such an event and move on with your life.

I shall not speak of Kaleb.  He made me so angry that I struggled to have sympathy for him, though I know he got much more than he deserved.   I will, however, speak of Ashleigh and Mack.  Ashleigh is strong but not enough to survive this when even her friends abandon her.  What I loved was that the quiet boy from community service had so much to teach her.  She learned without him speaking a lot.  He was her strength and stood by her.  His life and his pain was bitter but he stood by Ashleigh.  This isn't a new love interest for her, no this is a great friend.  Mack helps her discover the strength that was in her all along.  He is the friend she needs to over come the pain that others thoughtless dump on her for a moments mistake.  I loved Mack.

This is must read for any teen.  I wish I had the power to assign it as required reading at every middle school and high school in the nation, in the world.  I would.  Teens need to understand this.  This story does a powerful job of teaching.

If you are a teen, or know one, then pick this one up and check it out.

 

Jennifer Brown | Goodreads | Twitter | Amazon | B&N

The Do Over by A.L. Zaun ~ Excerpt & Giveaway

Now available

Title:  The Do Over

Author: A.L. Zaun

Release date: May 20, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group:  Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Book Description:

Life doesn’t look like it’s supposed to for Dani Ruiz, a hopeless romantic. After a painful and sudden break-up with Rick Marin—who she thought was the One—Dani hides away from reality, retreating to a world of fiction, preferring book boyfriends over the hassles of a relationship.

After almost two years of watching Dani in a holding pattern, her friends stage an intervention and force her back into the real world of dating.

Unexpectedly, Dani meets Liam Lucas, a down-to-earth firefighter. He might be the person to show her she’s still worth something. Dani’s hesitant to trust her heart with another man, but their instant and electric chemistry is something she can’t deny.

As Dani starts to believe that she’s found her real-life book boyfriend, Rick decides that he’ll go to any lengths to get her back. Seeing Rick as a changed man makes Dani question everything.

Can Dani trust her patched-up heart with Liam?

Or has Rick transformed into the man she’s always wanted?

Told from various points of views, The Do Over is a story of second chances and new beginnings.

 Book Trailer:

 

Excerpt:

“What about my kiss?” She pouted with a hand on her hip. 

My eyes were trained on her lips. They were begging for my attention, and I wanted to give it to them.

“Baby…” I took a deep breath. “If I kiss you now, I won’t be able to stop.” 
I wanted her. There was no doubt about it. She drove me insane and turned me on. There was nothing more that I wanted than to be with her. From the moment I saw her until probably the day I took my last breath, my desire would burn for her.

She moved toward me with an exotic look in her eyes, almost like a tiger about to catch her prey. “I want my hello kiss.” 

My girl liked playing with fire. Good thing that was my specialty. 

“I warned you,” I said, keeping my eyes focused on hers. 

I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest. I had to clear my head. I could just kiss her hello. I could do this. Although I couldn’t stop thinking about the other night, feeling her squirming under my touch, I reminded myself that she deserved our first time to be special. 

Licking her lips, she smiled and let out a sexy laugh. 

I was a goner.

Amazon | B&N

About the author:

A.L. Zaun graduated from Florida International University with a degree in English Literature a long time ago.  A degree she didn’t use at all in her professional endeavors.  She loves to read, write and take pictures.  She walks around with her camera, and most importantly she has her e-reader available at all times.  Healthcare Management by day, Mommy in the evening and most nights, you can find her sitting in front of her laptop with a bottle of Diet Pepsi, bringing the voices in her head to life on the pages of her debut novel, The Do Over. 

A.L. Zaun | Twitter | Facebook

Giveaway

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Cover reveal ~ Smash into you by Shelly Crane

 

Title: Smash Into You

Author: Shelly Crane

Expected release date: Summer 2013

Genre: Contemporary

Age Group: Young Adult

Cover Designed by: Okay Creations

Cover reveal organized by: AToMR Tours

  

Jude has spent the whole twenty three years of his life running. From what, he wasn't quite sure. His mother tried to keep him safe; a low profile, a constant move on the horizon, a week's pay always stashed away. She tried to instill in him that he was special somehow, though would never elaborate. He never felt different. He was so completely normal and vanilla that he wondered if it had all been in her head. But then she was murdered and all he saw was a running silhouette of a man as his mother said three final words to him. Three words that changed his whole being. Never stop running… Now he's semi-settled into a big town. The college is huge and easy to blend into. It's been three months since he had to move because 'Biloxi', as he calls the man who killed his mother, found him once more. Then Marley, an eighteen year old girl who is as infuriating as she is blissfully ignorant of her gorgeousness, smashes into his car with hers. Then smashes into his life as he realizes that whatever it is he has that Biloxi wants, she has it, too. And now, they're after them both.    


About the Author Shelly is a New York Times & USA Today Bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay at home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. They currently reside in everywhere USA as they happily travel all over with her husband's job. She loves to spend time with her family, binge on candy corn, go out to eat at new restaurants, buy paperbacks at little bookstores, site see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music everywhere and also LOVES to read. Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.

Shelly Crane | Facebook | Twitter

 

Special Teaser ~ This Love by Nazarea Andrews

Available June 25th

She wants a summer job and a ride to a wedding.
He wants an assistant and a distraction from the mess life had become.
They didn't know they needed each other.

Avery Emili needs two grand. Two grand and a plane ticket--her sister is counting on her to get to Jamaica for a wedding. But the semester is over, and tutoring college freshman and high school students has dried up until the fall.
Atticus Grimes needs help--the messy split with his wife left the twenty-eight year old professor scrambling to keep things together as the semester winds down. Now he's got a research grant he has to actually do research for and all he wants to do is drown himself in a tall bottle of bourbon.
When Avery sees his ad for an assistant, all she's thinking is a summer job. But as they spend time together, in the office and out, both of them begin to realize something is there. Something that can't happen--he's a professor and she's a student. And both of them have histories, pasts that won’t let go. Can two broken people pulled apart by expectations find a way to be whole?

From the author:

Today we have a little bit from one of my favorite scenes—and it’s from Atticus’ POV. So without further ado—here IT IS.

Something flickers in her eyes, and she looks away, playing with the straw to her tea. It’s so dejected, I pause and step over to her, tilting her chin up. Her breath catches. I have to force myself to let her go again.

“Or,” I murmur, “you could come with me.”

She inhales sharply, her chest rising under her thin shirt.

“That’s a bad idea,” she murmurs.

My fingers curve, catching in her hair. Its silky soft, and I can smell her shampoo, clean and floral.

My thumb rests on her pulse point, the frantic beat jumping under my hand.

“What are you doing?” she asks, breathlessly.

What do you think?? I’m so excited to share this book with y’all! Don’t forget to add it your shelf on Goodreads.

Teaser Tuesday ~ 5/21/13

This is a weekly bookish meme hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading.

To participate you:

* Grab your current read

* Open to a random page

* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!

(Make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)

* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

 The Love Game by Emma Hart

I pull my lips from her mouth and ghost them along her jaw, stroking her thigh at the same time.  She tilts her head back and I kiss down her neck, my tongue flicking out at the tender spot where her neck meets her shoulder.  She moans, and I carry on exploring the top of her body with my mouth, kissing along the tops of her boobs.

My tongue tracing inside the cup of her bra, her skin hot and soft.
(Kindle location 1545)

 Review posts for this tomorrow.  Loved parts of it.  3 stars overall.

What you think of my teaser?  Have a teaser for me?  Leave me a comment.

Indie Crush Nominations

To read all the rules and definitions for every category, go here!

YA only (No NA, No Middle Grade, No Adult, NO EXCEPTIONS)

Indie:  The indie category includes any crush in a self-published novel or any crush from a small publisher like Entangled, Spencer Hill, Inkspell, etc.  If the book is published by traditional New York Publisher, then it does not fit in this category.  Furthermore, if a book started out as a self-pubbed book, but then got picked up by a major publisher, it NO LONGER qualifies for this category.  Here is the definition from the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group: "The term 'indie' traditionally refers to the independent art--music, film, literature or anything that fits under the broad banner of culture--created outside of the mainstream and without corporate financing.  Although many independent book publishing companies are incorporated, they are independent of the major conglomerates that dominate the book publishing industry.  Independent book publishers include small presses, mid-size independent publishers, university presses, e-book publishers, and self-published authors."

PLEASE note the format to use when submitting nominations.
INDIE nominations ONLY

**Previous winners of the tournament are ineligible to participate.

**You can nominate 6 crushes from each category on the specified blogs.  We will take the top 6 from each category.  If a crush makes it into the top 6 of more than 1 category, he will be placed in the category in which he received the most votes.

**After the nominations are complete, we will have a wild card vote.  The 7th-9th places in each category will be taken, and we will have a vote off on YA Sisterhood to determine the final 4 spots in the tournament.  This will leave us with a 28 seed tournament with the 1st crush in each category getting a bye in the first round. 

**This year we’re limiting it to 1 character per author in the tournament.  You can still nominate more than 1 character from an author.  However, once nominations are finalized, if more than 1 character is nominated from an author, we will only take the character with the highest votes.  We realize that this might upset some of you because you love many characters, some of which are written by the same author. But the goal of this tournament has always been to introduce new books and new characters to readers, so we want to share the love. So you’ll have to decide which team you’re on, and make your votes count.  

**This year, advocate sign-ups will be after nominations, May 28th - June 1st. (more on advocates will come later)

**Keep it clean. Keep it respectful. We have no problem banning you from the tourney. We’ve had MAJOR drama issues in the past, and even though we swore we weren’t going to do another tourney, we’re back because we love books and we love authors and we love you.  But PLEASE… this time… let’s leave the hate and drama at the door.

DISCLAIMER: We reserve the right to add or adjust any rules as needed during the tournament.

Wings of Arian by Devri Walls ~ $.99 today!

It's only $.99

 

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.

My review

Amazon | B&N