Fall TV Shows

If you know me, you'll know how much I LOVE TV. It wasn't always like that, surprisingly! I actually never used to watch TV, except for y'know, whatever was on Nick or Disney or whatever, and got into watching TV in grade 9 and completely fell in love. Along with books and movies, TV has moved on up.
I saw THIS post by Through the Looking Glass, and was inspired to share with you all what my TV schedule looks like this fall. It's going to be tough getting around because of school work, university applications, SATs and so on, but I'm sure those 40-minute bus rides will allow me to watch some :)

New Shows I've Started Watching

The Crazy Ones (CBS)

Robin Williams! Sarah Michelle Gellar! Love the both of them and for them to come together in this new comedy tv-series? GENIUS. I'll admit that I was afraid it was going to be a flop, but judging by ratings, and the fact they've been green-lit for a full season makes this one promising for hopefully more than one season. Love it so far, and all the characters are super hilarious.

The Goldbergs (ABC)

I'm not a child of the 80s but I LOVE this TV show. It's hilarious! Clearly, I won't understand every single reference made, but I love how true it stays to the decade and it's a brilliant concept. Hope this one lives on!

Super Fun Night (ABC)

A show created by and starring Rebel Wilson?! This one had to be hilarious. I'm loving it, but ratings aren't too good which makes me a little scared. Oh well, I'm gonna love it whether it lasts long or not!

New Shows That I Want to Start

I think I've gone a little insane with my "I want to watch" list. It's CRAZY long. And for good reason– the new TV shows this fall sound amazing.

Ravenswood (ABC Family)

A spin-off of Pretty Little Liars? I'm so in for the creepy-fest. I'm not a fan of scary movies (or anything scary actually), but this one sounds seriously good!

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)

I'm a HUGE fan of Once Upon a Time, so this spin-off (wow, a lot of spin-offs, huh?) should be good! I'm excited to get started, but I've heard some mixed reviews... I'll just have to see how it goes.

Reign (The CW)

I haven't actually watched anything historical on TV– EVER. This one should be interesting though. It has an interesting premise, and I can't wait to start!

Dracula (NBC)

I can't do an extended essay on Dracula (and Frankenstein, but that's besides the point) and NOT watch this series! It sounds good, another historical TV show, and I've heard great things about it.

The Millers (CBS)

I actually haven't heard much about this one, except that it's funny and seems to be doing well. I'm interested to go check it out! :D

Witches of East End (Lifetime)

This one seems interesting, AND it's based on the book series by Melissa de la Cruz! I haven't actually read the book series, but this one should be different. It's drawing in mixed reviews, but I've heard plenty of good things, and that's what's pushing me to watch this one.

The Blacklist (NBC)

I've heard nothing but amazing things about this one, and I'm excited to get into this one. Seems intense and very drama-heavy, which I'm not too used to, but it seems like a TV show I'll like!

Sleepy Hollow (Fox)

This one already has been picked up for a second season, so I'm curious to see what all the fuss is about!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox)

I've heard good things about this one from a couple of friends, and it seems really funny. I'm gonna seriously need some funny after all the serious above! :D

The Tomorrow People (The CW)

Besides the ridiculously good-looking guy on the front of the poster, this seems like an interesting one. Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze it in!

Shows That I Already Watch and am Continuing

And then of course (as if there's not enough I want to watch) there's all the TV shows I'm continuing this fall. Mainly comedies, and loving every single one of them :) I'm really sad about How I Met Your Mother in particular since this is the last season!

How about you? What TV shows have you delved into this fall? Any of the above you love (or hate)? Let me know in the comments!

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 92

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming reads which I'm DYING to get my hands on!

This week's WoW is:

The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik

Anna Eliot is tired of worrying about what other people think. After all, that was how she lost the only guy she ever really liked, Finn Westbrook.

Now, three years after she broke his heart, the one who got away is back in her life.

All Anna wants is a chance to relive their last kiss again (and again and again). But Finn obviously hasn’t forgotten how she treated him, and he’s made it clear he has no interest in having anything to do with her.

Anna keeps trying to persuade herself that she doesn’t care about Finn either, but even though they’ve both changed since they first met, deep down she knows he’s the guy for her. Now if only she can get him to believe that, too....

With her signature wit and expertly authentic teen voice, Claire LaZebnik (the author of fan favorites Epic Fail and The Trouble with Flirting) once again breathes new life into a perennially popular love story. Fans of Polly Shulman, Maureen Johnson, and, of course, Jane Austen will love this irresistibly funny and romantic tale of first loves and second chances.

April 22, 2014 ● Goodreads

AHHHHH it's another Claire LaZebnik novel!! :D I know I'm gonna smile my whole way through this one as well, because I LOVED her last one, The Trouble With Flirting (my review). It's gonna be all kinds of cute and fluffy and swoon!

What are you waiting on?

Relic Blog Tour: Guest Post by Heather Terrell

Heather Terrell

Heather Terrell worked as a commercial litigator in New York City for over ten years, but she has always been obsessed with myth, lore, and the gap between history and the truth. This preoccupation has lead to several loosely factual historical novels (The Chrysalis, The Map Thief, Brigid of Kildare) and the pure-lore Fallen Angel series. Relic is the first installment of the Books of Eva series. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family. 

Visit her at www.heatherterrell.com.

Facebook ● Goodreads

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Who is your favorite character of all time?

That is such a difficult question to answer, because I am a voracious reader of all genres of fiction. I adore historical fiction, fantasy, mystery and suspense, thrillers, literary fiction, epics, you name it. Character from books that I loved when I was very young – such as The Chronicles of Narnia and The Mists of Avalon – and certain books that I have adored as an adult – namely, Possession and The Flanders Panel – have had a huge impact on me. But if I had to select just one heroine, I'd probably have to choose a character that is popular with many, many readers – Elizabeth Bennet of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I find Elizabeth's fierce intelligence and quick wit to be ever-memorable and compelling, as well as her insightful, often humorous, observations about those around her. She's probably my favorite, however, because she proves to be an independent thinker and decision-maker despite the very rigid world in which she lives. I suppose my admiration for this aspect of Elizabeth Bennet influence, in part, my creation of Eva, the main character in RELIC. Like Elizabeth Bennet, Eva lives in highly-stratified society in which females' roles are constrained, and she must resist those restrictions in order to fulfil her destiny.

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Thank you so much Heather for the amazing guest post, and to Meredith Barnes at Soho Press for organizing the Blog Tour. I agree, it is really difficult to pick a favorite character, especially there are so many genres that we come across within fiction. And I love Lizzie too :) You can also download a FREE prequel to Relic, CHRONICLE, here!
I loved Relic, and I'm sure many will too – especially those who love fantasy! Here's a little bit about it:



Goodreads

The truth will test you...

For fans of Game of Thrones and The Hunger Games: high fantasy and dystopia meet in this high-stakes tale of a civilization built on lies and the girl who single-handedly brings it down.

When Eva’s twin brother, Eamon, falls to his death just a few months before he is due to participate in The Testing, no one expects Eva to take his place. She’s a Maiden, slated for embroidery classes, curtseys, and soon a prestigious marriage befitting the daughter of an Aerie ruler. But Eva insists on honoring her brother by becoming a Testor. After all, she wouldn’t be the first Maiden to Test, just the first in 150 years.

Eva knows the Testing is no dance class. Gallant Testors train for their entire lives to search icy wastelands for Relics: artifacts of the corrupt civilization that existed before The Healing drowned the world. Out in the Boundary Lands, Eva must rely on every moment of the lightning-quick training she received from Lukas—her servant, a Boundary native, and her closest friend now that Eamon is gone.

But there are threats in The Testing beyond what Lukas could have prepared her for. And no one could have imagined the danger Eva unleashes when she discovers a Relic that shakes the Aerie to its core.

Unlock content for Independent Study!

I have an exciting message for all who've read THE TESTING by Joelle Charbonneau, and can't wait for the sequel, INDEPENDENT STUDY, coming January 2014!

The "International" Blogger

Hello, my name is Rabiah and I am an international blogger.

*in unison* Hi Rabiah.

When I personally refer to being an "international" blogger, I mean I'm a blogger who does not currently reside in the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia (Obviously, if you're in these locations it would be something a little different :D). Being one certainly does have it's perks, but a lot of the time, there's a ton of disadvantages as well. Observe:

THE PERKS OF BEING AN "INTERNATIONAL" BLOGGER

US releases? Check. Canadian Releases? Check. UK releases? Check. Australian releases? Check.

This is one bit of living in Singapore I find absolutely amazing. The fact that I get to know great releases in the US, which is a majority of what I read, but also books that release in the UK, Canada and Australia. I'm not tied down to one market or publisher, and find about so many amazing reads.

You are unique.

I hopefully can speak for myself when I say that there's not too many book bloggers in Singapore. We definitely have more than a handful, but whenever I mention it to someone (or my mom mentions it to someone rather), they're always curious to know more.

International editions of books.

Don't like the US cover? No problem. We get the UK ones as well!

Book Signings = no long lines.

Yup! You heard me. I've been to two signings in Singapore so far, and I can tell you that there have been very short lines. The turn out isn't very big either, so there's generally a lot more you can ask the author and get to speak to them for a longer time, and such.

THE DOWNSIDES TO BEING AN "INTERNATIONAL" BLOGGER

Authors rarely come here.

I'm always super jealous of my book blogging peeps in the US... you always get to go to these amazing book signings! Even the bookish people in The Philippines have had better luck than we've had. I've only heard of (so far) three people coming here – four technically because Sarah Alderson lives really close by. But that's not too big a turn out and it makes me sad because I know some really big authors have a huge fan following in Singapore, and we don't get to meet them :(

ARCs and Galleys.

Thank the gods for Edelweiss and NetGalley, but there's no way to describe the awesomeness of going to the mailbox and finding something from a publisher there. Due to rights, many publishing companies can't send books overseas to bloggers who live in this area, but many publishers, I'm glad to say, are really opening up, so I'm excited to see where this will go!

Book Conventions

I think other than the Asian writing festival, there's no major book convention in this side of the world. ALA, BEA, TLA... these are like DREAMS for book bloggers on this side. I'm super glad to say I was able to experience ALA this summer, and had a blast. But of course, other than that, we don't have anything here.

These, I would have to say are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of being a blogger overseas from where many large publishers and famous authors are stationed.
Anyway, this school year will be the last time I'll be an "international" blogger. Sad to see it go, but looking forward to book conventions, book signings and so on!

Let me know your thoughts: Fellow international bloggers, do you agree?

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 91

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming reads which I'm DYING to get my hands on!

This week's WoW is:

The Art of Lainey by Paula Stokes

Soccer star Lainey Mitchell is used to getting what she wants, and when her boyfriend Jason breaks up with her for no reason, what she wants is to win him back before the start of their senior year. Lainey and her friend Bianca check the interwebz for tips and tricks, but the online dating advice is all pretty lame. 

Then the girls stumble across a copy of The Art of War. Didn't someone once say that love is a battlefield? Jason isn't going to stand a chance once Lainey and Bee go all Zhou Dynasty on him... 

Old school strategy and subterfuge meet modern-day dramarama in the story of a girl who sets out to win at all costs and ends up discovering what's really worth fighting for.

May 20, 2014 ● Goodreads

The cover caught my eye, and now I can't wait for this one! Revenge, a cute-sounding contemporary that pretty much guarantees laughs... what more could you ask for? Hopefully this one'll come up on Edelweiss or I'll get my hands on a copy... either way I'm determined to read this one :)

What are you waiting on?

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

Release Date: January 2, 2012
Publisher: Poppy
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardback
Source: Won – thank you Sandra @ Waiting For Wentworth!
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

Who would have guessed that four minutes could change everything?

Today should be one of the worst days of seventeen-year-old Hadley Sullivan's life. Having missed her flight, she's stuck at JFK airport and late to her father's second wedding, which is taking place in London and involves a soon-to-be stepmother Hadley's never even met. Then she meets the perfect boy in the airport's cramped waiting area. His name is Oliver, he's British, and he's sitting in her row.

A long night on the plane passes in the blink of an eye, and Hadley and Oliver lose track of each other in the airport chaos upon arrival. Can fate intervene to bring them together once more?

Quirks of timing play out in this romantic and cinematic novel about family connections, second chances, and first loves. Set over a twenty-four-hour-period, Hadley and Oliver's story will make you believe that true love finds you when you're least expecting it.

This is yet another book that had been waiting for me on my shelf for a long, LONG time. The extremely long title and the cute – predictable, but cute – premise had caught my attention from even before it was published, and I'd been longing for it long after, even after I won it. It was only when it came to my attention that it was nominated on this year's Red Dot Book Awards List, that I finally decided to pick up this book.
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight. While I could guess what was going to happen with the romance, not taking into account the actual plot details, I still found this satisfying to my reading appetite, that has not been fed for days now. I fell in love with both characters, with the idea of fate, and a whirlwind romance in the span of twenty-four hours. I'm a sucker for fluff in contemporaries, and this book has a great deal of swoon-worthy moments that had me smiling from the start to the end.

I loved the chemistry between both characters. I knew it was going to be a bit cheesy, but I'm a sucker for the whole package: the first moment they meet, the journey together, the goodbye, and so on. I was just gripped by the romance that Hadley and Oliver fall into. This book literally falls into a majority of their conversation on their plane ride to London, and even still it was captivating for me to not let go until I'd finished this book. Serendipity at it's finest, for sure!
Hadley's character annoyed me from time to time. I found myself hating her, but of course, how could I hate a character for having feelings? I know, if put into the same situation I would feel the same way, so I'm in no place to judge. It's just that her mood sometimes ticked me off, but I grew to like her later on in the book, when she finally meets her father, and things start to wrap up and settle down. Oliver, on the other hand, I liked from the get-go. His character was sweet, charming, and really brought the book to life. He really gave the book a light-hearted tone, ironically whilst having the slightly darker plot twist later on, which made me love the book even more.

❝Out the window, the outlines of parking lots and housing developments are growing distant as everything starts to blend together. Hadley watches the world shift and blur into new shapes, the streetlamps with their yellow-orange glow, the long ribbons of highway. She sits up straighter, her forehead cool against the Plexiglas as she strains to keep sight of it all. What she fears isn't flying so much as being set adrift. But for now, they're still low enough to see the lit windows of the buildings below. For now, Oliver is beside her, keeping the clouds at bay.❞

–p. 55 (Hardcover copy)

I enjoyed how the book wasn't all set in the present. It would have been really long and dragged on for ages, and wouldn't be half as interesting as it actually is if it had all been set strictly within that twenty-four hour period. I love how we get little glimpses into Hadley's past, her thoughts on her father, and essentially the events that lead up to her flying off to London. I thought that this, despite the use of third person narrative, really allows the audience to connect with the main character, and further allows us to treat it as if it were a first-person narrative so we could understand and empathize with what her character has gone through and undergoes throughout the course of the novel.

Having an interesting title that certainly speaks for itself, The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight was dazzling, delectable, and above all, heart-warming. I'm hooked onto Jennifer E. Smith's writing– it's gorgeous and will have everyone swooning to the nth degree. I'm definitely looking forward to getting a start on her latest, This Is What Happy Looks Like, because if it's anything like this one, I'm sure I'm going to fall in love all over again.

If you like this, try...

• My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick ● Goodreads
• Getting Over Garrett Delaney by Abby McDonald ● Goodreads
• Welcome, Caller, This is Chloe by Shelley Coriell ● Goodreads

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For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund

Release Date: June 12, 2012
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Series: For Darkness Shows the Stars, Book 1
Rated: YA 14+
Format: Hardcover
Source: Won – thank you Alessandra @ Out of the Blue!
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

It's been several generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction, decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed most technology.

Elliot North has always known her place in this world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.

But Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him forever.

Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.

I've had this book sitting on my shelf for quite a long time– I've always wanted to get to it, because HELLO, gorgeous cover! But I never quite got the time to sit down and read it.  There was always another book that needed to be read, and now with my reading pile having grown in epic proportions, I don't think that I would have ever gotten to read it this year (or even the next year), except one one thing popped up: I got the chance to read an eGalley of the sequel. Of course, this is the perfect motivation to read this book and so I sat down and read it.
Holy Moly. I loved it. I knew it was a retelling of a Jane Austen novel, and even though I haven't actually read Persuasion, it had a distinctive Austen style to it. I felt like this was a dystopian which featured a lot of elements from Austen's time: the way they dressed, the way they talked, the mannerisms, etc. It's just so classically written that it really did feel like a historical novel. Except, you know, the fact that there's a whole lot of technology, and the fact that it's set in a post-apocalyptic setting.

❝"Hello." His voice was the same. It rang through Elliot's body like a thunderclap announcing a storm.
"Hello," said Elliot, for parroting him was all she could trust herself to say, there in her old, worn clothes, with her braids all mussed; there, in the same room with the same furniture and the same fire and her hand floating in the air between them, curling out into space like a misguided Vine, yearning desperately for him to reach across the distance and touch her again.
Hello, Kai.❞

–p. 44 (Hardcover copy)

If you know me, you know I LOVE romance. This is why it was super frustrating for me, with the two most stubborn characters ever in a novel where they have so much history and so much left unsaid. 
Elliot (cool name by the way) embodied the typical Austenian heroine. She's headstrong, unlike her sister Tatiana, and goes against her father's rules for the good of the people. I adored her, and despite the book had a third person narrative, it was still quite easy to empathize with her. 
Kai – holy bleeping bleeps of bleeps – was hot. I literally was swooning half the time reading about him. Granted, he was pretty much a meanie for most of the book, but a very, VERY hot meanie. Again, going with the very brooding male lead, but he totally works. Swoon factor? Check. Mysterious demeanour? Check. The story cannot do without him? Check.

I loved the additions of letters in between (most of) the chapters. I liked how it jumped around from 12 years back to 4 years back, and so on. It was great to see the friendship blooming between the two of these characters, and maybe grow into something a little more, and it definitely helped to not only define the character's pasts, but also set the scene for the world.
The one thing that really confused me was the world that the story was set in. I felt that there was a lack of world building which really had me wondering who was what and what on earth these characters were. However, you'll really have to pay attention to the letters, which luckily I did, when reading the book because they really define the roles that the Posts and the Luddites have in this world.

I'm a little sad that the sequel isn't more of Kai and Elliot, but this series has me captivated and I'm sure what is to come is going to be brilliant. For Darkness Shows the Stars was absolutely beautiful, and Peterfreund's writing had me spellbound from start to finish. 

If you like this, try...

• Cinder by Marissa Meyer ● Goodreads
• These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner ● Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday – Week 90

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine. It's to spotlight on upcoming books which I'm DYING to get my hands on.
Oh my gosh, can you believe it's already my 90th WoW post?? I would have actually been able to reach this if I'd done this for every Wednesday of blogging, but oh well. Super close to 100, EEP!

This week's WoW is:

The One by Kiera Cass

The Selection changed the lives of thirty-five girls forever. And now, the time has come for one winner to be chosen.

America never dreamed she would find herself anywhere close to the crown—or to Prince Maxon's heart. But as the competition approaches its end and the threats outside the palace walls grow more vicious, America realizes just how much she stands to lose—and how hard she'll have to fight for the future she wants.

From the very first page of The Selection, this #1 New York Times bestselling series has captured readers' hearts and swept them away on a captivating journey... Now, in The One, Kiera Cass delivers a satisfying and unforgettable conclusion that will keep readers sighing over this electrifying fairy-tale long after the final page is turned.

May 6, 2014 ● Goodreads

I'm honestly freaking out this moment typing up the post. I don't think I've ever wanted a book so badly. If you didn't know, I'm a HUGEHUGEHUGE fan of The Selection series and when I found out that the cover had been released I flipped out BIG TIME. It's even more beautiful than I imagined! Honestly, if you haven't read these books, um, GO READ THEM NOW.

What are you waiting on?

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski

Release Date: September 24, 2013
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley
Source: Edelweiss
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website

What happens when you put a suicidal eighteen-year-old philosophy student, his ex-girlfriend, his best friend, and his newborn baby in a truck and send them to Grandma's house? This debut novel by Emil Ostrovski will appeal to fans of John Green, Chris Crutcher, and Jay Asher.

On the morning of his eighteenth birthday, philosophy student and high school senior Jack Polovsky is somewhat seriously thinking of suicide when his cell phone rings. Jack's ex-girlfriend, Jess, has given birth, and Jack is the father. Jack hasn't spoken with Jess in about nine months—and she wants him to see the baby before he is adopted. The new teenage father kidnaps the baby, names him Socrates, stocks up on baby supplies at Wal-Mart, and hits the road with his best friend, Tommy, and the ex-girlfriend. As they head to Grandma's house (eluding the police at every turn), Jack tells baby Socrates about Homer, Troy, Aristotle, the real Socrates, and the Greek myths—because all stories spring from those stories, really. Even this one. Funny, heart-wrenching, and wholly original, this debut novel by Emil Ostrovski explores the nature of family, love, friendship, fate, fatherhood, and myth.

The Paradox of Vertical Flight was both a highly entertaining book as well as very philosophical in the most teenage-way possible. I was drawn in by the title of the book and became intrigued by the blurb. A baby named Socrates HAD to be apart of an amazing story, and I'm certainly glad I was right. It really makes you think about life, and in that way, I feel the blurb is absolutely right. This book was very John Green in essence: that crazy story that you'll remember for a while after reading it. Memorable characters and a plot that screams originality. 

Jack was a really great main character. You don't get many guys as main characters in YA literature, so it's always fabulous to have a strong leading male character that takes you on a trip as amazing as this one. I loved his musings and references, and of course, the little side conversations he has with Socrates. The fact that you could relate to him though, is something I feel that will draw in many readers, because his character just appeals to many personalities and emotions, which will earn the trust of his audience.
Of course, no book is complete without the sassy best friend. Tommy was somewhat the equivalent to that, only two times better. Hilarity ensues and in the end you get a bromance that'll make you smile and laugh. Jess was surprisingly a good character. I thought I would end up hating her, but nope, she's totally added to the humour in this book with her snark and sarcasm. 

Just like the title suggests, The Paradox of Vertical Flight was a fun read, a crazy-ass road trip, and a unique story. I couldn't put this one away, because it was just so awesome to dive into. With a mix of Greek myths and ancient philosophers, a tiny spoon of romance (the tiniest helping you can imagine), and a screaming baby, this is one of those road trips that you wish you could go on, as well as a read you definitely don't want to miss.

If you like this, try...

• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green ● Goodreads
• Saving June by Hannah Harrington ● Goodreads
• Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole ● Goodreads

Cover Reveal: Born of Deception by Teri Brown + Giveaway

Sorry this is being posted slightly late, but nonetheless, I'm super excited to share the cover with you for BORN OF DECEPTION, the sequel to Born of Illusion!

Goodreads ● June 10, 2014

Budding illusionist Anna Van Housen is on top of the world: after scoring a spot on a prestigious European vaudeville tour, she has moved to London to chase her dream and to join an underground society for people like her with psychic abilities. Along with her handsome beau, Cole Archer, Anna is prepared to take the city by storm.

But when Anna arrives in London, she finds the group in turmoil. Sensitives are disappearing and, without a suspect, the group’s members are turning on one another. Could the kidnapper be someone within the society itself—or has the nefarious Dr. Boyle followed them to London?

As Cole and Anna begin to unravel the case and secrets about the society are revealed, they find themselves at odds, their plans for romance in London having vanished. Her life in danger and her relationship fizzling, can Anna find a way to track down the killer before he makes her his next victim—or will she have to pay the ultimate price for her powers?

Set in Jazz-Age London, this alluring sequel to Born of Illusion comes alive with sparkling romance, deadly intrigue, and daring magic.

Isn't the cover absolutely gorgeous? I still need to get to this series, and I'm definitely looking forward to starting it :)

I'm not sure who to tell you about here because I'm actually two people rolled into one. As a responsible mother of teens, I show one persona to the world. That person is driven, conservative and level headed. But the other part of me just never grew up. She is rebellious, impulsive and curious.

It's hard being both these people. They're often at odds.

The mother part of me knows I should put a cap on how many animals we take in. The teen part of me wants to save them all. We have five cats and two dogs. Who do you think is winning?

Even now. The mother part wants to make a meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and a tossed salad. The teen part wants to order a pizza, work on my website and check my Facebook.

Luckily, though my two halves don't always agree, both of us live happily in Portland, Oregon, with a husband and too many animals. And we both love to write and write and write.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/teribrownwrites

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teri.foremanbrown

Website: http://www.teribrownbooks.com/

And now... there's a giveaway!

This giveaway is open to the US only, and those 13 years or older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Why I haven't been posting much...

Hi everyone!

I haven't exactly been posting in a while, and it's because of SATs, Extended Essays, Internal Assessments and a whole boatload of work for school. It's KILLED me – I'm telling ya, KILLED ME – not being able to post and leaving you all hanging.

But now... it's nearly half term holidays and while I do have some school work and need to study for the November SATs, I'm still gonna have some free time to post. I'm so glad that there's a break really soon, so that I can back to doing the thing I love :)

Thank you all for understanding and being super patient! I LOVE YOU ALL!!

Anyway, 'till later,

Rabiah