Friday 6 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (282): Between A Rake And A Hard Place (The Royal Rakes #3) - Connie Mason & Mia Marlowe


Between a Rake and a Hard Place (The Royal Rakes #3)

Publication: 7th January 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Pages: 352
Genre: Historical Romance
Age Appropriate: Adult
When a royal's intended bride is kidnapped, only a rake can set things right...

Wealthy heiress Serena Osborne feels like her father is determined to sacrifice her on the marriage altar. The Duke of Kent is negotiating for a bride, and the wickedly appealing Sir Jonah Sharp is sent to woo the Lady Serena on the Duke's behalf. It only muddies the waters when she succumbs to Jonah's charm. Repeatedly. But Jonah has a secret agenda—to prevent the marriage at any cost. 

When Serena is kidnapped in a desperate attempt to force the royal betrothal, Jonah realizes his new agenda is to secure a bride—for himself.
My Thoughts.
Between A Rake And A Hard Place is the third and final book in The Royal Rakes trilogy by Connie Mason and Mia Marlowe.
I have so thoroughly enjoyed this series the combination writing duo of Connie and Mia have made these books so entertaining and enjoyable that it's a pity that there'll be no more.
Giving us extremely well written characters, I believe that they saved the best for last in giving us Sir Jonah Sharp and Lady Serena Osborne.
Serena is one of two women in the running for the hand of the Duke Of Kent arranged by her Father.
Then she happens to meet Jonah whilst completing a task off her list of things she wants to do before being tied down in marriage to the Duke, it's then she realises what attraction and passion really is, while fighting their feelings for each other.
Jonah of course is being blackmailed to 'ruin' Serena, if he fails he will be set up to take the fall for something that he never did but that will destroy his reputation forever.
If Jonah can somehow prove his innocence and Serena can stand up to her Father and admit her feelings about Jonah they may just both get their Happily Ever After that they both desperately want with each other.
This is definitely one of my favorite historical romance series, I highly recommend this one.
I give this 4/5 stars.


Mia's work has been featured in PEOPLE magazine's Best of 2010 edition. One of her books is on display at the Museum of London Docklands next to Johnny Depp memorabilia. Her books have been tapped for numerous awards including RomCon's Reader's Crown, RT Reviewers Choice and Publishers' Weekly named her Touch of a Rogue one of their 10 Best Romances!



Connie Mason is the best-selling author of more than fifty historical romances and novellas.  Her tales of passion and adventure are set in exotic as well as American locales.  Connie was named Story Teller of the Year in 1990 by Romantic Times and was awarded Career Achievement award in the Western category by Romantic Times in 1994.  Connie makes her home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Prior to her first published work in 1984, Connie was a full time homemaker.  Always an avid reader, writing was one of Connie's dreams. 
In 1995 Connie was featured on a segment of the CBS news show 48 Hours, a television production that devoted an entire program to the romance novel industry.  Connie was also featured in an article published by National Inquirer.
In addition to writing and traveling, Connie enjoys telling anyone who will listen about her three children and nine grandchildren, and sharing memories of her years living abroad in Europe and Asia as the wife of a career serviceman.  In her spare time Connie enjoys reading, dancing, playing bridge and freshwater fishing.



Thursday 5 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (281): The Surprise Holiday Dad (Safe Harbor #12) - Jacqueline Diamond


The Surprise Holiday Dad

I didn't realise at first that a) this was part of a series and that b) this was not the first book, the great thing is, is that it doesn't feel like you have to have read the books before this one, it reads well as a standalone, but because I really enjoyed this book, the settings and characters, I will definitely be hunting down the previous books, especially if they are all as well written and enjoyable as this story was.
I always seem to gravitate towards love stories that feature kids who are meeting a parent for the first time and the interaction between the two, adding in a little back story like this one did and I'm hooked.
After discovering that the Mother of his six year old son Reggie has died, Wade who has never been allowed to ever see his son, makes his way back to his hometown of Safe Harbor to finally meet his son and to be a part of his life, Reggie is being raised by his Mother's sister Adrienne who wants custody of him, but Wade refuses to let that happen, especially now that he has his son in his life.
Having to both compromise, with them both having Reggie's best interests at heart, they both discover that the three of them could become the family that they've all wanted.
If they could just admit their feelings for each other, they they could both end up with the Happily Ever After they deserve
I thoroughly enjoyed this, I read it in a matter of hours, Jacqueline's writing is great and her characters are extremely likeable, making for a great romance.
Highly recommended.
I give this 4/5 stars.


When you read an author's biography, sometimes it appears that everything went smoothly.  Well, I'm here to report that it took ten years of rejection slips (that's starting when I graduated from college--I also collected a few earlier) before I sold my first book.
It was a Regency romance called Lady in Disguise (1982), and it sold in hardcover to Walker and Co. for $2,500.  Not exactly a fortune even thirty years ago!  The good news is that I've reissued it on Amazon.com,BarnesandNoble.com, and on Smashwords, which distributes it widely.
But let's go back and hit the highlights…
I was born in 1949 in Menard, Texas.  My father, the only doctor in town, delivered me and my brother, who's two years older, at home with the assistance of a nurse. 
When I was six, we moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he did his residency in psychiatry, and five years later, we moved to Nashville, Tennessee.  With a psychiatrist for a father and a ceramic sculptor for a mother, I grew up in a very creative environment.
I wrote my first story at age four or five.  By six, I knew I wanted to be a writer.  My early publications included an essay in the old American GirlMagazine and book reviews in our local paper.
After graduating from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts, I spent a year in Europe on a writing fellowship from the Thomas Watson Foundation.  The play I wrote about Lorenzo de' Medici never did get produced, but I had a great time and learned a lot!  I still try to keep my Italian and French (both of which I'd studied for years) reasonably rust-free.
My next move, at age 23, was to Southern California, where my brother lived.  I worked briefly in public relations, then for two newspapers and The Associated Press bureau in Los Angeles.  I covered a variety of news stories as well as theater from 1980-1983.  In 1993-1994, I wrote a nationally distributed TV column for AP.  Along the way, I had the fun of interviewing stars including Michael Caine, Patrick Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, LeVar Burton, Dick Van Dyke, Pearl Bailey, Lily Tomlin, James Garner and many more.
All this time, I was writing plays, scripts and books.  Except for a couple of plays produced locally, they all came back with those painful rejection slips. 
In 1980, I fell in love with a PBS series based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  I read all her books, discovered Regency romances, and got inspired. 
A year later, I sold my first two Regencies (the second was Song for a Lady, also now available as an ebook).  Since then, I've sold one horror novel (Echoes), one fantasy novel (Shadowlight), two hardcover mysteries (The Eyes of a Stranger and Danger Music), a paranormal romance (Touch me in the Dark) and romances in subgenres ranging from romantic suspense to screwball comedy.  My publishers have included William Morrow, St. Martin's, Berkley, Five Star, Walker and Co., and Harlequin.
I've written under the names Jacqueline Diamond, Jackie Hyman, Jackie Diamond Hyman, and (for Berkley's old Second Chance at Love line) Jacqueline Topaz, as well as one book under the name Jacqueline Jade for Silhouette Desire.  Publishers used to want exclusive names for an author; today, they're more likely to recognize the value of cross-publicizing. In reissuing my books, I'm putting them all under the Jacqueilne Diamond name, but using "writing as" where I originally used a different name.
I'm excited to have released my first original novel as an ebook. Out of Her Universe is a parallel worlds science fiction story that is very special to me. It's the first of a planned series.
My husband and I live in Southern California. Our younger son lives and teaches in Tucson, Arizona, while our older son works for Google.  



Wednesday 4 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (280): The Vampire Hunter (In The Company Of Vampires #2) - Michele Hauf


The Vampire Hunter


Michele has been writing romance, action-adventure and fantasy stories for over nineteen years. Her first published novel was DARK RAPTURE.
France, musketeers, vampires and faeries populate her stories. And if she followed the adage 'write what you know', all her stories would have snow in them. Fortunately, she steps beyond her comfort zone and writes about countries she has never visited and of creatures she has never seen.
Michele blogs all over the internet. Check the Blog page to track her.
Michele can also be found on FaceBook and Twitter.
You can write to Michele at: PO Box 23, Anoka, MN 55303
or email: toastfaery@gmail.com

Tuesday 3 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (279): Pregnant By Morning - Kat Cantrell


Pregnant by Morning

My Thoughts.
Pregnant By Morning was a very good, quick and easy read that took no time at all to get through.

Set in Venice, one night at a masquerade party two broken souls meet, Matt devastated by the loss of his wife eighteen months ago and pop singer Eva who's career as a singer was destroyed after a botched operation destroyed her vocal chords, leaving her to never be able to sing ever again.

The attraction in instant, the chemistry is hot and what is meant to be a one night stand ends up being a whole lot longer as Eva moves her stuff in.

But these two are both carrying emotional baggage, and have both run and hidden away from their problems. Over their time together they both help each other to overcome their problems, but when Eva discovers that she is pregnant, that's when the relationship starts to fall apart.

Can these two stubborn people put aside their differences and finally admit their feelings for each other?

A great romance that I very much enjoyed.

I give this 3/5 stars.


Kat read her first Harlequin novel in third grade and has been scribbling in notebooks since she learned to spell. What else would she write but romance? She majored in Literature, officially with the intent to teach, but somehow ended up buried in middle management at Corporate America, Inc.

Kat became a stay-at-home mom and devoted nap time to writing. After many thousands of words, her dream of publication finally came true. When she's not writing about characters on the journey to happily ever after, she can be found at a soccer game, watching Friends or dancing with her kids to Duran Duran and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Kat, her husband and their two boys live in North Texas. She's a proud member of Romance Writers of America®. Kat was the 2011 Harlequin So You Think You Can Write winner and a 2012 RWA® Golden Heart® finalist for best unpublished series contemporary manuscript.



Monday 2 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (278): Hero Worship - Christopher E. Long.


Hero Worship

Publication: 8th January 2014
Publisher: Flux
Pages: 240
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Young Adult
Ever since becoming an IWP—Individual with Powers—Marvin Maywood has dreamed of joining the Core, a group of gifted heroes who save lives and stop crimes. But because he's a homeless teenager who is forbidden to use his amazing powers, wanting and achieving that dream are two very separate things.

But when Marvin saves a family from dangerous hoodlums with his incredible strength and speed, his chance to try out for the Core comes at last. The opportunity seems like a dream come true—until he realizes that the idyllic hero life he imagined is just a mask for the corrupt reality. And when a beloved hero is murdered, Marvin is suspected of being the villain behind the crime.
My Thoughts.
Hero Worship is a standalone superhero/fantasy novel by Christopher E. Long.
This book was such a delight to read, finishing it in half a day, the world building and characters were very well done and made for a quick and easy read.
Reminiscent to me of the movie 'Sky High' in some ways, the hot girl becomes interested in the potentially powerful teenager whilst pushing aside his friends and never realising that you can't take some things at face value no matter how much you want to.
Marvin and his friends Yvonne and Kent are considered 'dirties', individuals with unclean powers (children are tested when they are younger to discover whether they have dirty or clean powers) and so have to hide their abilities just to get by, Marvin is fascinated by The Core, the organization of Superhero's with 'clean' powers who rid the city of all criminals, and who happen to be Marvin's idol's much to the chagrin of his friends.
One night Marvin saves a family from a bunch of youths trying to rob them, and finds the next day that he's been outed by using his powers, and so The Core contact him to let him try-out for a prestigious position in their group, teaming up with the youngest member ever Eliza (aka: Roisin), Marvin discovers that The Core isn't all they make themselves out to be and are in fact corrupt, but when he is set up for the death of one of their popular and esteemed hero's he finds himself a wanted man unless he can somehow prove his innocence, but with not only the superhero's after him but the general population as well, Marvin will find himself hunted down until the truth comes out.
I can see this book being turned into a series, it really does have the potential there, but in saying that it works really well as a standalone novel as well.
For those of you who like superhero and underdog stories you should definitely pick this one up, a very well written story, that will keep you entertained all the way through.
I give this 4/5 Stars.


Christopher’s debut young adult novel,Hero Worship, will be published in early 2014 by Flux. He has worked for Marvel Comics, DC Comics, IDW Publishing, Boom! Studios and Image Comics. Christopher’s magazine writing has appeared in Flaunt MagazineAnthem Magazine, and Lemonade Magazine. His short fiction has appeared in Thuglit, Spinetingler Magazine, and Powder Burn Flash.
He was born in Seattle, Washington, raised in Logan, Utah, and currently lives in Southern California with his wife and son.


Sunday 1 December 2013

(ARC) Book Review (277): Almost Super - Marion Jensen


Almost Super

Publication: 21st January 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 256
Genre: Fantasy
Age Appropriate: Middle-Grade
Buy It: Amazon Barnes & Noble The Book Depository
Savvy meets The Incredibles in this fresh, funny middle-grade debut about two brothers in a family of superheroes who must find a way to be heroic despite receiving powers that are total duds.

Each leap year, on February 29th, at 4:23 p.m., every member of the Bailey family over the age of twelve gets a superpower. No one knows why, and no one questions it. All the Baileys know is that it's their duty to protect the world from those evil, supervillainous Johnsons.

Today, Rafter Bailey and his brother Benny are finally going to get their superpowers. Benny wants to be a speedy, and Rafter hopes he gets super strength so he can save the day just like his grandfather. But when their powers arrive, they are, well, duds. Rafter can light matches on polyester, and Benny can turn his innie belly button into an outie.

Suddenly Rafter and Benny's world is turned upside down. Especially when they realize that Juanita Johnson, the villain in Rafter's algebra class, thinks that her family are the superheroes and the Baileys are the villains.

What if everything Rafter thought he knew about superheroes turns out to be a lie? He may not have an awesome power, but with the help of Benny and an unexpected friend, he could just be almost super.
My Thoughts.
Almost Super by Marian Jensen is an action packed story with an extremely entertaining plot and equally intriguing characters.

February 29......4.23pm

It was meant to be the best day of brothers Rafter and Benny's life, this was the day they were both to come into their superhero powers, instead what they get is far from superhero like in any way.

With their dreams shattered of aiding their family in the fight against their arch-enemies the Johnson family, whom also have super powers and are the villains in the town, Rafter and Benny worry about coming face to face with Juanita Johnson a classmate who also got her powers the same time as the boys and now would be able to defeat them both.

But each family is under the same belief that each other are the villains, can they finally put their differences aside to help defeat an even bigger threat?

I don't get the chance to read a whole lot of middle-grade books and when I do I love it when I find an extremely well written one as this one is.

From the way this ended I'm hopeful that this is the first book in a series, I would love to continue on with this story.

For those who like stories with a whole lot of action and adventure definitely pick this up!

I give this 4/5 Stars.



By day I’m a mild-mannered instructional design manager at American Express. By night, I write books. Superhero books. Books that will make you laugh, cry (because you’re laughing so hard), and throw your fist in the air and shout “Hiiiyiiyiyiyiiiyi!” It’s not as hard to pronounch as you may think.
My first book, Almost Superis set to come out in January, 2014 with Harper Collins.

January 2014 Book Releases I'm Dying To Get My Hands On!


Up From the Grave (Night Huntress #7)


My Sweetest Escape (My Favorite Mistake #2)

The past will always find you.

Jos Archer was the girl with the perfect life; until the night it all came crashing down around her. Now, nine months later, she still hasn't begun to pick up the pieces. Even transferring to a new college and living under the watchful eye of her older sister, Renee, isn't enough to help her feel normal again.

And then she meets Dusty Sharp. For reasons Jos can't begin to fathom, the newly reformed campus bad boy seems determined to draw her out of her shell. And if she's not careful, his knowing green eyes and wicked smile will make her feel things she's no longer sure she deserves.

But even as Dusty coaxes Jos to open up about the past, he's hiding secrets of his own. Secrets about the night her old life fell apart. When the truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together;or tear them apart for good?
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin HQN

Evertrue (Everneath #3)


Uninvited (Uninvited #1)

The Scarlet Letter meets Minority Report in bestselling author Sophie Jordan's chilling new novel about a teenage girl who is ostracized when her genetic test proves she's destined to become a murderer.

When Davy Hamilton's tests come back positive for Homicidal Tendency Syndrome (HTS)-aka the kill gene-she loses everything. Her boyfriend ditches her, her parents are scared of her, and she can forget about her bright future at Juilliard. Davy doesn't feel any different, but genes don't lie. One day she will kill someone.

Only Sean, a fellow HTS carrier, can relate to her new life. Davy wants to trust him; maybe he's not as dangerous as he seems. Or maybe Davy is just as deadly.

The first in a two-book series, Uninvited tackles intriguing questions about free will, identity, and human nature. Steeped in New York Times bestselling author Sophie Jordan's trademark mix of gripping action and breathless romance, this suspenseful tale is perfect for fans of James Patterson, Michelle Hodkin, and Lisa McMann.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by HarperTeen

Come to Me Quietly (Closer to You #1)


(I Can't Say How Much I Hate This Cover, It's Awful!)

Secret (Elemental #4)


Cruel Beauty


Dark Wolf (Dark #25)


Loving Cara (Love Under the Big Sky #1)


Flame (Sky Chasers #3)

In the thrilling conclusion to the Sky Chasers series Waverly, Kieran, and Seth struggle to survive on-board the New Horizon—and take down their enemies before it's too late.

Waverly and the other members of the Empyrean have scattered, and their home ship has been destroyed. Their mission to rescue their parents didn't go as planned, and now they're at an even greater disadvantage: trapped with their enemies on the New Horizon, trying to find a way to survive. Kieran has been pulled under Anne Mather’s wing, but is she really trying to make peace, or just using Kieran to build her own power? Meanwhile, Waverly is taken in by a mysterious old man who wants to help her bring Anne Mather down—but the more Waverly cooperates with him, the more dangerous her position is, and the more at odds with Kieran she becomes.

Seth's situation is even worse. After setting out from the Empyrean on his own, with only a vague strategy to guide him, he is a fugitive aboard the New Horizon. He's doing what he can to challenge the power of Anne Mather, but he's badly hurt, and getting sicker.

Will Seth ever see Waverly again? Will his health hold out long enough to help her topple their enemies? And will Waverly find a way to unite with her friends before they all fall? Nothing is sure and every moment is a risk in this explosive finale of the Sky Chasers series.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by St. Martin's Griffin

Hope Flames (Hope #1)

Veterinarian Emma Burnett won't let anything or anyone sidetrack her from her job as new owner of the vet clinic in Hope. She let a man distract her once, with disastrous results. But when Luke McCormack brings in his injured police dog, Emma can hardly ignore him. Despite Emma's best efforts to keep things strictly doctor and owner of the patient, Luke's one hot distraction.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Berkley

The Unseemly Education of Anne Merchant(The V Trilogy #1)


Minders

A high concept, cinematic read with a surprising twist,MINDERS asks the question: who is really watching who?

Q: If the boy you love commits a crime, would you turn him in?

Sadie Ames is a type-A teenager from the wealthy suburbs. She's been accepted to the prestigious Mind Corps Fellowship program, where she'll spend six weeks as an observer inside the head of Ford, a troubled boy with a passion for the crumbling architecture of the inner city. There's just one problem: Sadie's fallen in love with him.

Q: What if the crime is murder?

Ford Winters is haunted by the murder of his older brother, James. As Sadie falls deeper into his world, dazzled by the shimmering pinpricks of color that form images in his mind, she begins to think she knows him. Then Ford does something unthinkable.

Q: What if you saw it happen from inside his mind?

Back in her own body, Sadie is faced with the ultimate dilemma. With Ford's life in her hands, she must decide what is right and what is wrong. And how well she can really ever know someone, even someone she loves.
Expected publication: January 30th 2014 by Razorbill

Darkest Fear (Birthright #1)

Vivi’s animal instincts are her legacy—and maybe her downfall—in this start to a romantic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of The Nine Lives of Chloe King.

Vivi has known the truth about her family—and herself—since she was thirteen. But that doesn’t mean she’s accepted it. Being Haguari isn’t something she feels she’ll ever accept. How can she feel like anything but a freak knowing that it’s in her genes to turn into a jaguar?

Now eighteen, Vivi’s ready to break away from the traditions of her heritage. But all of that changes with the shocking, devastating deaths of her parents and the mysteries left behind. Vivi discovers family she never even knew she had, and a life open with possibility. New friends, new loyalties, and even romance all lay ahead—but so do dangers unlike anything Vivi ever could have imagined.
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Simon Pulse

Romancing the Duke (Castles Ever After #1)

In the first in Tessa Dare's captivating Castles Ever After series, a mysterious fortress is the setting for an unlikely love . . .

Growing up as the daughter of famed author Sir Henry Goodnight, Isolde spun romantic tales of knights and maidens. But now Izzy has nothing—aside from a stone heap inherited from her godfather. Gostley Castle is rundown, reportedly haunted, and already inhabited—by a darkly sensual recluse who claims to be the Duke of Rothbury. And he's not budging.

Ransom Vane intends to find the castle's rumored treasure. After a life marked by hardship and betrayal, he deserves it—far more than any sheltered English miss. Except Izzy is no gullible girl; she's intelligent, tenacious, and tempting beyond reason. With her wits and his brawn, they could find the priceless relics. All he needs to do is resist the urge to care for her.

A simple task . . . and quite impossible, when Izzy is fast becoming the prize he craves most of all . . .
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Avon

Wulfe Untamed (Feral Warriors #8)


Bitter Spirits (Roaring Twenties #1)

First in a new romance series: It’s the roaring twenties, and San Francisco is a hotbed of illegal boozing, raw lust, and black magic. The fog-covered Bay Area can be an intoxicating scene, particularly when you specialize in spirits…

There’s a big curse in little Chinatown...and it’s not prohibition.

Aida Palmer performs a spirit medium show onstage at Chinatown’s illustrious Gris-Gris speakeasy. However, her ability to summon (and expel) the dead is more than just an act.

Winter Magnusson is a notorious bootlegger who’s more comfortable with guns than ghosts—unfortunately for him, he’s the recent target of a malevolent hex that renders him a magnet for hauntings. After Aida’s supernatural assistance is enlisted to banish the ghosts, her spirit-chilled aura heats up as the charming bootlegger casts a different sort of spell on her...

On the hunt for the curseworker responsible for the hex, Aida and Winter become drunk on passion. And the closer they become, the more they realize they have ghosts of their own to exorcise…
Expected publication: January 7th 2014 by Berkley

Anything to Have You

Nothing should come between best friends, not even boys. ESPECIALLY not boys.

Natalie and Brooke have had each other's backs forever. Natalie is the quiet one, college bound and happy to stay home and watch old movies. Brooke is the movie—the life of every party, the girl everyone wants to be.

Then it happens—one crazy night that Natalie can't remember and Brooke's boyfriend, Aiden, can't forget. Suddenly there's a question mark in Natalie and Brooke's friendship that tests everything they thought they knew about each other and has both girls discovering what true friendship really means.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Harlequin Teen

And We Stay

When high school senior Paul Wagoner walks into his school library with a stolen gun, he threatens his girlfriend Emily Beam, then takes his own life. In the wake of the tragedy, an angry and guilt-ridden Emily is shipped off to boarding school in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she encounters a ghostly presence who shares her name. The spirit of Emily Dickinson and two quirky girls offer helping hands, but it is up to Emily to heal her own damaged self.

This inventive story, told in verse and in prose, paints the aftermath of tragedy as a landscape where there is good behind the bad, hope inside the despair, and springtime under the snow.
Expected publication: January 28th 2014 by Delacorte Press

Aspen

One quiet night in Boulder, Colorado, Aspen Yellow-Sunrise Taylor made a mistake.

In the next instant, her life changed forever.

Aspen doesn't want to remember when Katelyn Ryan, a sleek-haired popular soccer player, crossed the yellow line in her car and smashed into Aspen's. But forgetting is pretty hard- because Katelyn may have died - but she didn't leave. Her ghost is following Aspen around, and heading into senior year, it's kind of a problem. Especially when Katelyn's gorgeous former boyfriend Ben appears to be the only person at school with a clue as to how Aspen feels.

Popularity, college, Homecoming Court, hot guys - none of these things ever mattered to Aspen. She's been busy trying to rein in her giant mass of blonde curls, keep her stoner mother Ninny away from Toaster, her mom's awful bongo drumming boyfriend, and prevent her best friends Kim and Cass from killing - or kissing - one another. But with Ben sitting next to her in Physics looking all too gorgeous, Katelyn's spirit dogging her steps, and her obsessive snow-globe collecting therapist begging her to remember all the things she wants to forget, Aspen is thrust into a vivid, challenging world she can't control … and doesn't want to.

A darkly funny, emotionally gripping story of opening up, letting go, and moving on, ASPEN is about the best-worst accident of your life ... and what comes next.
Expected publication: January 2014 by In This Together Media