Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Back to the Books Giveaway Hop


It's time to go back to school (well I've been back for a while now) so it's time for a blog hop!






I recently discovered Richelle Mead and I love Vampire Academy, so Bloodlines is the prefect choice for the giveaway.



It's easy, just follow StuckInBooks.com and fill out the rafflecopter below!



Richelle Mead | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository







Now hop along to the next blog....

Ember by Carol Oates


My Summary:

Candra Ember has lived eighteen years without believing in angels. Then she meets a red-haired stranger in a parking garage. Nothing unusual there, right? Well, unless you count that she fell from that parking garage and lived. Or what about the gorgeous boy she saw right afterwards that she was sure had wings. Maybe the paramedics gave her something, cause that can’t be right. When she wakes up in the hospital she finds out it is right. Now that boy, Sebastian, is protecting her from other angels, or is he the danger? It’s all pretty complicated. That complication is increased when Candra has to make a choice that could mean war or love. It’s nowhere near fair.



My Thoughts:




4 stars- a great read

I enjoyed the world that Carol creates in Ember. There are angels living among us that have been here for generations. Not all angels are the same and not all are good. But it’s impossible to decide who the good ones are and who the bad ones are. It all seems to be a matter of perspective. It’s not a clear cut choice like you see in a lot of angel stories and that added to the mystery of the book.

I enjoyed Candra, the heroine. She was fiery and strong. Sometimes she flaked out a little and I wanted to smack her but she usually redeemed herself. I will admit I was confused about how her step mom treated her. Bri often acted like Candra was younger, sending her to her room. Seriously, she eighteen years old. But then it’s not your normal mother daughter relationship by a long shot.

Now, let me tell you about Sebastian. He is gorgeous, of course. He is strong and wants very much to protect Candra. But he is far from perfect. He is stubborn and hard headed. He has anger issues, yeah that describes it well. Angel wings whipped out and trashing yet another shirt, attacking without thinking. That would be Sebastian. Did I mention that he is gorgeous and very male? Yeah, I guess I did. Anyway, I’m #TeamSebastian for sure.

The only real issue I had was the ending. Candra was asking what just happened and I was doing the same thing. Not that I didn’t like the ending, I really liked the ending. It’s just… well I probably should say any more. You’ll understand cause you really should read this book. It’s a great paranormal romance. Pick it up!





Oh and the good news is that I will be having Draven and Ananchel from Ember on my blog 9-7 for character interviews.  It's gonna be so cool. =)
Plus there will be giveaways for the book and some other great things.  Check back then but in the mean time follow the blog tour that starts tomorrow.

Carol Oats | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Teaser Tuesday 8-30-11

This is a weekly bookish meme is 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!




This weeks teaser comes from Sara Mlynowski's book 


"Maybe I should just go back to sleep...No! Phone ringing. In bed with not my boyfriend. I managed to get myself out of the futon without disturbing him and -- um, where were my pants? Why was I in bed with a guy who was not my boyfriend without any pants? page 2

Yes, that was from page 2! Crazy, huh.  This could be interesting.  Obviously, I just started it.  Will let you know how it goes.

What about you?  What's your teaser? Leave me a comment.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Breathe winners....



If you missed the live chat with Abbi Glines, then you missed the announcement of the winners from the Breathe tour.  Make sure you check out YA Bound for the list of who won what from all the blog post, including StuckInBooks.  The Grand Prize winner was Paige Bradish!  All winners have been contacted.  Congrats to everyone who won.





Saturday, August 27, 2011

Cover reveal

Olympia Heights - The Weight of the World (Book 2)

Book Description:

Most teenagers just think they’re immortal. Six months ago fourteen students at Olympia Heights Senior High found out that they really are. Now summer vacation has begun and everyone has far too much free time on their hands.


Hormones, tempers, and the temptation of godly power get stirred up by a suspicious new gossip blog about their little slice of the Miami Dade County. Soon this blog, called Discordia, has the members of The Pantheon pitted against each other. Impulsive teenagers with ancient abilities make for a lot of collateral damage.

Catch book 1, Olympia Heights - The Pantheon here.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Descended by Blood by Angeline Kace

Happy Book Birthday Descended by Blood

 Source:  Receive eBook from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.



My summary:

Although Brooke hasn’t spent a lot of time in one place, she has lived in Virginia for two years. For the first time, she has a BFF and a potential boyfriend. That boyfriend is Jaren the boy she has had a crush on for the whole two years she’s lived there. Her life could be perfect except that a strange man is following her and then tries to kidnap her. Her self-defense gets a little over the top and Brooke kills the man. Why doesn’t her mom want her calling the police? How did she defend herself from a man with fangs? With little to no choices, Brooke leaves to protect those she loves and find out more about who she really is. Someone wants her or wants her dead. Not a good feeling.


My Thoughts:




5 stars – a must read

I want to start with the cover. I love this cover and it suits the book so well. Brooke is this strong beautiful girl who hasn’t quite found herself yet. The picture on the front is the Brooke more at the end, a determined, confident girl with just a little edginess to her. I loved how Brooke grew in this book. She started out not always standing up for what she wanted to but when she figures out who she is things change.  Her strength of character and body come out clearly.  I love that about her.  She's not perfect, but needs to grow into herself.

She has excellent taste in a BFF’s.  Kaitlynn is fabulous.  Talk about friendship.  I could tell you about this wonderful scene where Kaitlynn probably wishes she wasn't with Brooke but I don't want to ruin it for you.  The point is that Kaitlynn risks for her friend.

I love Brooke's choice of Jaren to crush on. It’s sweet how the relationship between Jaren and Brooke develops. The beginning of the book really focuses on that and it drew me right in. I had read ¼ of it without putting it down. I finished the book the next day. (I had work the next day or I would have been up all night finishing it.)

Things I really liked about this book:

  • The different spin Angeline puts on things.
  • Not love at first sight – well maybe it's lust at first sight
  • Brooke struggling to accept what and who she is
  • Brooke needing to learn to control what she is with some surprises
  • Kaitlynn as the BFF
  • Lots of cool magical powers
  • Great world building with a few twists on the normal lore
  • Gorgeous teacher for Brooke
  • Love triangle (Yep I liked this. Went from team A to team B to conflicted)
  • Mirko's confidence - I can still see him dancing on the... oh I shouldn't tell you that
  • Loved the jealousy from Jaren - poor boy shouldn't have... oh I can't say

Things that I didn’t like about this book:

Oh, wait there weren't any. 

 This is a great paranormal romance read. Check it out.

Coming soon - character interview with Mirko (and I'll be admitting to being #TeamMirko)

Check out the trailer

 


Thursday, August 25, 2011

Follow Friday 8-26-11


Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by ParaJunkee & Alison Can Read – helping bloggers get out there and meet new bloggers!

Be sure to clink on the picture to add your Follow Friday to the linky.

Q. In books like the Sookie Stackhouse (True Blood) series the paranormal creature in question "comes out of the closet" and makes itself known to the world. Which mythical creature do you wish would come out of the closet, for real?

This is a fun question.  I think I would like the shifters to be real.  Seems like a lot of my favorites books have wolves in them.  I'm thinking Nightshade and Wolfsbane, City of Fallen Angels, Forever, oh and I may be trying my hand at a shifter book too. =)

What about you!  Leave me a comment or link with your ideas. 

New Cover for Breathe

I'm so excited to let you know that Breathe by Abbi Glines has a new cover.  I wasn't really a fan of the last cover and I like this one a lot better.


And this is just in time for me to tell you about the winners from the blog tour!

All winners will be announced tonight on the life chat with Abbi on YA Bound's blog.  The chat starts at 6PM EDT.  I'll be there helping Trish with the chat, so come by and say hi to all of us and find out who wins!

Check out all the blogs on the tour here.

Read my review of Breathe here.

Check out the character interview with Jax here.  I just love him!

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Once a Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

Source:  Library

My Summary:

Tamsin’s family are all witches.  Everyone of them has a talent, except her.  She was born to be a beacon to her family, but her talent never appeared.  She is an outsider in her own family.  Going to a normal boarding school, she tries to avoid the feelings of not belonging.  As she works in the family bookstore one day, a young professor comes in seeking something.  Tired of not fitting in her family, Tamsin allows the man to believe she is her very talented sister.  As she tries to find what he seeks, she discovers that nothing is as she thought and Tamsin faces a terrible choice.  Turning to the adorable Gabriel for help, Tamsin journeys to save the family she wasn’t sure she wanted to be part of.

My Thoughts:



3 stars – a good read

When I started this book, I raced through the first one hundred pages very quickly.  I enjoyed the world that Carolyn created for Tamsin.  She doesn’t fit.  It’s a perfect YA dilemma with a paranormal twist.  I loved the characters Tamsin and Gabriel.  Gabriel is so cute.  He likes Tamsin and it seems pretty obvious to everyone but Tamsin.  The story develops well and I wasn’t sure where it was going, which I like.  Are you sensing the “but” coming? Yeah, well the problem with this book is the jumps in the plot.  Things just stop and move on.  I would be flipping back a page and then forward trying to figure out if I was missing a page.  Wait, what happened in between?  I wanted more of the relationship between Tasmin and Gabriel.  I wanted their dance to finish.  I wanted conversation between them when they collapsed into bed exhausted with not so much a kiss.  And in a couple of places, I was so confused trying to read between the lines of what had just happened.  I don’t like that. 

I am interested in the story and will read Always a Witch but I think Once a Witch could have been so much better.  And if Gabriel and Tamsin’s relationship doesn’t have a bigger role in the story, I’m not going to be happy.

This is a good paranormal or urban fantasy book, but not the best.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Teaser Tuesday 8-23-11

This is a weekly bookish meme is 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!



This weeks teaser comes from  

"The girl tugged nervously on his arm, trying to move him away with her, but the boy was steadfast, and even as his lips moved in conversation with the girl, he never once took his eyes off Candra....She wasn't sure about anything anymore,not when he was staring at her in that way, as if she was the sun and it was the last day he would ever watch a sunrise." Location 84 of 5205 on my Kindle

It's only two sentences, really.  I did cheat a little and took them about a paragraph apart but I wanted to complete the thought.  Just started this book so I don't really have an opinion yet but I'm for sure interested in this boy Candra notices as the paramedics are helping her after a fall. =)

What about you?  What do you think?  What's your teaser?  Leave me a comment with a link.

Monday, August 22, 2011

Winner...

The winner of a signed ARC of
by Rachel Vincent is

donnas
 
The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

The Goblin Wood by Hilari Bell Review

Source: Library

This is an older book that I picked up because the third book in the series is due out this fall, The Goblin War.

My Summary:

When Makenna is eleven, her mother is killed before her hiding eyes for being a sorceress. Though her mother is really just a hedgewitch, the Priests of the church are looking for absolute power. Makenna seeks her revenge on the village of human who had been healed and cared for by her mother only to turn against her at the Priests request. But the Goblins in the woods won’t leave her alone as she retreats. They steal everything she has and she must find a way to survive with them. Meanwhile, Tobin is growing up and becoming a knight for the Hierarch. Both Tobin and his younger brother, Jeriah, fight to protect the human settlements from the barbarians to the south but the fight goes badly. Every winter the barbarians increase their numbers regardless of how many are killed. Then Jeriah makes a critical error forcing Tobin to take his place or see him killed. Trying to find some way to get out of the mess his brother has made, Tobin agrees to go to the Goblin woods looking for the now older sorceress, Makenna. It is a battle of wits that neither side may win as no one truly understands all of the secrets that are hiding.

My Thoughts:




4 Stars – A great read

The Goblin Woods is a classic fantasy tale. There is great world building including an interesting “cast” system among magical creatures. Some magic is considered good and some bad. I enjoyed the goblin society with payment required in trade for any service or knowledge given. What I really liked was that the world wasn’t so complicated that it weighed down the story. I often get overwhelmed with fantasy books that take so much explication that I can’t enjoy the story.

The characters were interesting and complicated. Makenna has a rough start but she manages to get through it with some of her humanity in tack. Tobin was been dealt a raw deal but his sense of right and wrong is still there. One of the best parts of the story is the way the author shows both points of view of a very complex issue. What seems clear to one side is muddled by the other. Who is really right and who is wrong? Can solutions only be found when complete understanding is to be had? It was quite interesting.
I would recommend this for the younger side of YA fantasy book lovers.


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Follow Friday 8/19/11


Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by ParaJunkee & Alison Can Read – helping bloggers get out there and meet new bloggers!

Be sure to clink on the picture to add your Follow Friday to the linky.

Guess what?  This week, I'm one of the featured blogger for Follow Friday!  Check out Alison Can Read to find out more about me!


Question: If you could write yourself a part in a book, what book would it be and what role would you play in that book?

An interesting thought, writing myself into a book.   Not sure that I'll the hereon type.  Maybe I could be the brilliant tutor who trained the new shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare's books.  I am a teacher after all, that's where I'm comfortable.  Okay, yes, I like this.  I will be Clary's new teacher in City of Lost Souls.  I can teach her the ruins and how to use them.  This would be a perfect job for me!

What about you?

Winner!!!!!

The winner of Wolf Storm 
by Dee Garretson is 

Lora1967

Congrats! 
 
The winner has been emailed and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. 
 
Thanks to everyone who entered.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready Review & GIVEAWAY

My Summary:

Before the shift, no one could see them. Any children born after the shift can see them, ghosts that is. Aura is a post shifter and she hates it. Ghosts are always talking to her, wanting her help. She does what she can to avoid them, that is until her up and coming rock star boyfriend joins them. Now she does everything she can to make it easier for him to be with her. She loves him. He loves her. They can talk. They can see each other. But they can’t touch. And he can’t seem to move on, to find peace. Is it Aura that keeps him here? His anger about what happened is putting him at risk. Aura is torn between never wanting to lose Logan and the very real danger of him becoming something worse. No one seems to understand except Zachary. Zachary is the gorgeous new student from Scotland. Aura is charmed by the accent and comforted by the boy. But she can’t have Zachary, not with the love she still feels for Logan. Logan holds her heart while Zachary can hold her hand. What will Aura do?

My Thoughts:




4 stars – a great read

Note of caution: This is a YA book but the language is strong using my list favorite word a lot.

So I decided to read this book because of all the competition between Zachary and Jace in the YA Crush Tourney. Anyone who could come so close to beating the fabulous Jace couldn’t be all bad, so I decided to check out the book. I will say that after reading book one, I’m not as charmed as I was with Jace. But it’s hardly fair to Zachary to compare so no more of that.

The world that Jeri builds is fabulous. I love the idea of some kind of shift that changes things for those born after it. It certainly empowers the young. The idea is unique and Jeri does a great job of setting up the world.

I loved the characters. Logan is a perfect up and coming rock star. He is completely devoted to his music and Aura. As he tries to balance his life, he makes a stupid mistake that he pays for with his life. It rips his family and Aura apart. Aura is a strong girl that struggles to morn her boyfriend when she can still see him. Those around her want her to let him go but she can’t do it. No one seems to understand her except for Zachary, who understands more than she realizes. Oh Zachary. What a sweetheart with a great punch. He doesn’t take anyone talking bad about Aura and I loved that. Several unseen fights have him defending her to the jerks who are talking about her involvement with Logan’s death. Can’t wait to see how things progress between those two in book two.

This is a great paranormal romance and I recommend it to anyone who loves this genre. Why only four stars then? Well, I did have an issues. Nothing big, but I was frustrated with the ending. Time had been chunking by with details where needed until the trial. Then the time just flew by moving two or three months with just a summary of events. I thought that the summary didn’t show the level of emotions coming from Aura. I wish we had experienced some of it with her instead of her telling us about it. When the end came, I was like really? I think that if we had experienced Aura’s frustration during that time, the ending would have been more powerful instead of kinda like an afterthought.

Don’t let that stop you from picking up this wonderful book though. Zachary is worth it.








 Now the Giveaway part





I actually like this cover better.  It's on the paperback edition of Shade.  So I think I'll give it away.  It's open international cause I haven't done one of those in a while.  Must be a follower.  You know the drill.








Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Teaser Tuesday 8-16-11

This is a weekly bookish meme is 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!




This weeks teaser comes from


"You've done it! Curse you, wench, may your children be devoured by ducks, you've gone and done it! Ahhh!" Page 26

So I love the duck curse!  I thought about Will from Clockwork Angel with that one.  No Will in this book, but I just got to page 49 and met Tobin.  It could be good, I'll let you know.

What's your teaser?  Leave me a comment or a link.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Blood Bound by Rachel Vincent Review & GIVEAWAY

Source: ARC from author in exchange for a fair and honest review


Please note that this book is Adult Fiction, not YA.


My Summary:

Olivia Warren prefers you don’t know her full name. She goes by Liv because names are powerful. Someone can track you with your full name. Someone can track you with a sample of your blood. That’s what Liv does but she works independently of the two syndicates in town, at least she tries to. Then she is forced by a childhood oath to discover the plot against an old friend’s family and to work with her former boyfriend. Can she resist the love she still has for Cam to fulfill the demands of a blood binding that she didn’t understand when she made it? What’s Cam’s motivation? He doesn’t have a binding to help? Is there anyone that can act of their own free will or anyone who can be trusted? Not so much.

My Thoughts:




5 stars – a must read (Adults only)

Honestly, I don’t read adult fiction. The language is usually enough to have me closing the book. But I love Rachel Vincent’s YA books, so I decided to give this one a try. Certainly, this book is adult fiction. It has adult language and sexual content. It also has a very compelling paranormal story that drew me in immediately. The world Rachel creates is fascinating. A percentage of the population has skills that allow them to control different paranormal elements. Liv is a tracker, specifically a blood tracker. With a sample of someone’s blood, the fresher the better, she can find them anywhere. Other skills include binders, who can bind a contract so that if you try and not fulfill it you have pain that will eventually kill you if you don’t complete the agreement. This is a unique world that I haven’t seen in other books. Those that have these skills are in high demand to one of the two local syndicates. The problem with signing up is that you may be forced to hurt those you love and have no choice but to do it. And of course the syndicates don’t take no for an answer when they ask you to sign up. You wear you loyalty on your arm in the form of a tattoo. It’s a very unique and compelling world that has the potential of many great stories.

The characters in this book are incredible. Four childhood friends and Cam make up the main group, though we don’t actually meet them all. Liv is a strong female lead who tries to protect those she loves in a very real and painful way. She hides behind a tough exterior but is deeply affected by the suffering around her. Cam is a strong man who knows what he wants and he wants Liv. The lengths to which he is willing to go to get her back are impressive. He is a man in love but he isn’t emotional or weak. Cam will chew you up and spit you out if you get in his way, don’t mess with him. I became very attached to both of them.

The plot is action packed and full of unexpected twists and turns. I spent a lot of time trying to anticipate the story but even the small things I figured out turned into complete shocks. This story is intricately woven into a heart pounding roller coaster ride that you just have to experience.

This is a must read for anyone who loves adult paranormal romance.




Pick this one up September 1st

Rachel Vincent | Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository 

Gonna share the love by giving away my ARC copy of this book.



Thursday, August 11, 2011

Follow Friday 8-12-11


Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by ParaJunkee & Alison Can Read – helping bloggers get out there and meet new bloggers!

Be sure to clink on the picture to add your Follow Friday to the linky.

Q. How has your reading habits changed since you were a teen? or If you are still a teen what new genres are you in love with currently? 

Did I really read as a teen?  Not like I do now.  I read the stuff I was forced to read, well kinda.  Honestly, I was a math and science girl in High School.  Makes sense that I'm a math teacher.  I read more with my kids when they were young then I ever did in High School.  So where did the reading passion come from?  It has to do with being a teacher.  I picked up the books my students were reading to strike up conversations with them.  Then Twilight came along and I had to read it.  It was pretty much all over after that.  Once I had discovered the YA reading world, there was no going back.  I don't really venture into the adult fiction world too much.  Why should I, when there are so many fabulous YA books I haven't read yet?


What about you?  What's changed with your reading habits?  Leave me a comment/link.


Have a good weekend.

Introducing Jax from Breathe

 (Spoilery questions and answers are in yellow.  If you want to read them, highlight the text)

Welcome, Jax Stone, to StuckInBooks.  I’m so glad you take some time away from touring to talk with me.  I’ll try and keep the screaming fans back for our little chat.  

You’ve been a star for many years, but you did play baseball growing up.  Can you tell us about that experience?  

I like to believe if my parents hadn’t given in and bought me my first guitar that I’d be pitching for the Yankees right about now. I use to live for baseball season. My brother Jason would hide from me after school every day so I couldn’t haul him outside to play catcher.  




You and your brother, Jason, seem close.  Tell us about your relationship with him? Has it been hard for him living in your shadow?  


Luckily the need for spotlight was only in my genes. Jason would have turned into an introvert if it hadn’t been for me forcing him to get out and do things with me. He hates attention and most of the time lies when people ask him if he is related to me. Our resemblance and last name cause that to happen often. We are very close. Once fame landed in my lap he was the only real friend I had. 


I think some high school students wouldn’t mind missing it like you did, but what’s the alternative?  Tell us about your education.


 I realize missing out on the high school experience sounds great to those having to get up and go everyday but in reality it sucks.  A tour bus with one or both of my parents harping on me to finish my assignments wasn’t an exciting reality. I never met a teacher it was all done via internet. No classmates, baseball games, prom, getting away from your parents for eight hours and spending it with friends. I’d loved to have experienced just a little of all that. With the world tour last year I needed to take a break from school. I did finish high school but I’ve put my college education on hold until Sadie graduates. Then I am going to see if I can’t experience a taste of college life with my girl. 




Is there any current music, beside your own of course, that you like?   


Anything by Kings of Leon, The Black Keys, Counting Crows. This question could get out of hand. Let’s stop with those three. They get the most action on my iPod. 






I’ve noticed your fans can get a little out of hand.  What’s the strangest request you have ever had from a fan?  


Strangely enough, I had a guy ask me to kiss his girlfriend. Apparently the dude had forgot her birthday the week before and he was looking for a way to make it up to her. For the record, I kissed her cheek. 


Sadie discovers the real Jax.  How do you keep from letting all your fame go to your head?


Jason was my anchor to the real world. Having a brother who kept me real and told me what was up when the rest of the world wanted to agree with anything I said stopped me from letting it all go to my head. Jason is quiet and reserved but he doesn’t hold back on the punches. Having him in my life has made all the difference. 


You took Sadie on a couple of dates but there were always the fans to worry about.  If you could plan any date for her and not have to worry about fans, what would you plan?


We’ve been on some elaborate dates and she loves them. But I’d really love to just be able to take her to a Guns ‘N Roses concert the way regular fans do. Stand out in the crowd with her on my shoulders,  singing along to the top of our lungs.




If you could read a book with Sadie, what would you choose and why?  


A book huh? Reading for enjoyment hasn’t been something I’ve had time for over the years. If Sadie is going to be reading this to me then I’d up for anything. 



Sadie talks about your eyes a lot.  (Looks into those steel blue eyes and get’s lost.  Shakes head.) Anyway, I think she likes your eyes best.  Do you have something about her looks that you like best? 


Her smile. When I first spotted her wiping something off my floor and she glanced up at me with that tiny puckered frown, I was pretty sure I’d do just about do anything to get her to smile. Then she finally flashed me a saucy grin before dissing me then turning and walking off. I knew I was in trouble. She’s got these full lips and when she smiles they tilt up at the corners and my heart goes a little crazy. 




What actor could play you in a movie about your life? (Can’t be you!)   


Sadie says I look like Chace Crawford. He’s a cool guy and all but I like to pretend my stellar abs would be best portrayed by Taylor Lautner. Just kidding... sort of. 


Hmm Chace Crawford, huh.  I could agree with that.



Random facts:
M&M or Skittles? Skittles 
Coffee or tea? (I don’t know why I’m asking this one – I know the answer) Ms. Mary’s ice cold sweet tea. 
Jeans or tux? Ha! Jeans
Blonds or brunettes? (I know another dumb question) Blonds of course. Unless Sadie colors her hair then my feelings may change. 
Steak or burger ? burger smothered in cheese and  topped with bacon. 
Cake or pie? Cake 
Peanut butter crunch or crunch berries? Peanut butter hands down. 


 
How about a couple of spoilery questions.  If you haven't read the book, stop here.  Otherwise, highlight the text so you can read it.



Jax, when you left Sadie, how did you keep going?  She went to pieces and it took a while to even pretend to deal with life again.  What was it like for you?
It was the hardest thing I've ever done. Honestly if I'd known how she would react I wouldn't have left. Screw the media. I'd have figured out another way. But I was angry with the way Sadie was being portrayed all over the media so I acted fast hoping to stop the talk. I'm not a Mama's boy, by any means, but I cried on my mother's shoulder for the first time in over thirteen years after I walked away from Sadie. I managed to make my concerts and scheduled appearances but when I wasn't working I locked myself up in my hotel room. Singing to her even when she wasn't there to hear  helped me cope enough to get by but nothing ever took the sharp pain in my chest away. 

You sang to Sadie in the hospital, which I think is so awesome.  But it was so long before she gave any sign that she was going to come back to you.  How did you keep singing?
If I hadn't kept singing, I would have lost my mind. Thinking that she might not open her eyes again and look at me wasn't a thought I could entertain. The one time I stopped long enough to think about what it would mean if she never woke up again my brother Jason had stopped by to check on Sadie and me. I remember my finger tips being numb from the endless playing and my vision being blurry. I paused and glanced up at him. I could see the fear in his eyes. Seeing the fear in my brother's eyes that I was fighting so hard to keep from entering my thoughts caused me to snap. I grabbed a bottle of water that someone had sat down beside me earlier and pelted it at his head. I screamed some things at him I am not proud of and he stood there and let me yell at him. He finally walked over and sat down beside me and began singing the lyrics to the song I had been playing when he walked in. Slowly, I calmed down and I started playing again while he sang in his off key voice.  Hearing the words I'd written just for her reminded me there was hope. I had to have hope.




Thanks, Jax, for spending some time at StuckInBooks today!  Good luck with touring and with Sadie. =)  

I think I love Jax even more after this interview!

Check out this great interview with both Jax and Sadie




Remember that by committing on every post in the blog tour, you are entered for the GRAND PRIZE. 


Please visit the tour schedule for links to every blog on the tour to comment and enter for the GRAND PRIZE.  You must comment on every blog to be entered to win the grand prize.

 


GRAND PRIZE: Barnes & Noble gift card, Breathe water bottle, beach bag, beach towel and a cooler!






 




On August 25th, 5:00 EST the contest will be closed and at 8:00 PM EST in a live chat the winner will be announced! Good luck to all!