Blog Tour and Giveaway: First & Then by Emma Mills - Favorite Male Character

Hey lovelies! Welcome to the blog tour for First & Then by Emma Mills! As you may know, I absolutely adored this book! Today, I'm featuring Emma Mills herself, who has prepared for us her top ten swooniest YA protagonists! Check out the post, and enter the giveaway for a copy of First & Then!

Emma's Top Ten Swoonist YA Protagonists!

- Matthew—The Next Together, Lauren James

In Lauren James’s fantastic debut, you get not ONE adorable, smart, loyal, funny Matthew but FOUR different incarnations of adorable, smart, loyal, funny Matthew. 

- Levi – Fangirl, Rainbow Rowell

I love Levi. Love love love love love love.

- Seb – The Year of Secret Assignments, Jaclyn Moriarty

I’m wild about epistolary novels, and I love this cutie at the other end of Lydia’s correspondence in The Year of Secret Assignments.

- Cedric Diggory – Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling

I know Cedric Diggory is not technically a “protagonist” of the HP world, but my teenage heart still flutters for him and his Hufflepuff kindness.  

- Etienne St. Clair – Anna and the French Kiss, Stephanie Perkins

I appreciate that this handsome and charming French/American/Englishman is not without his own shortcomings—it humanizes him, and that, to me, adds to the appeal. 

- Kaz Brekker – Six of Crows, Leigh Bardugo

Undeniably, Kaz has been through some stuff. Major Stuff. Really Substantial Stuff. But he is smart, quick, ruthless, relentless—a diabolical fave. 

- Augustus Waters – The Fault in Our Stars, John Green

Augustus seems like a typical too-good-to-be-true, charming YA love interest, but really he’s wonderfully complex, and the development and change he undergoes throughout the novel are really something. 

- Peeta – The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

PEETA THOUGH. 

- Richard Gansey – The Raven Cycle, Maggie Stiefvater 

ALSO GANSEY.  

- Ezra Lynley—First & Then, Emma Mills

Can I throw in my own guy? I’m wild about seemingly-cold-but-actually-super-awkward Mr. Darcy types. 

Alyssa's Top Ten Swooniest YA Protagonists!

- Brigan -- Fire, Kristin Cashore

Brigan is my favorite YA male ever. Everything about him appeals to me. If you haven't read this book, read it just to meet Brigan!

- Titus -- The Elemental series, Sherry Thomas

Prince, Master of the Domain, always has a plan B, C, all the way through Z, need I say more?

- North -- Brightly Woven, Alexandra Bracken

Ahh, North. The perfect combination of intelligent, slightly awkwardly adorable, protective and fierce. 

- Jackson -- The Game series, Eve Silver

Jackson is one of those brooding jerk types that aren't actually jerks. He's a good guy!

- Khalid -- The Wrath and the Dawn, Renee Ahdieh

The illustrious King of Kings. Tortured and haunted by his wrongdoings, but someone who deserves so much better. He's one of my favorite male protagonists.

- Raif -- Exquisite Captive, Heather Demetrios

Raif is such a fun guy! He's a tough guy, but he's easy to swoon over. *fans self*

- Melek -- Of Metal and Wishes, Sarah Fine

Melek is a hard-working, quiet guy. He's also very intelligent and selfless. His role in Of Dreams and Rust is perfect!

- Gharain -- Lark Rising, Sandra Waugh

Gharain is a Guardian, a protector, but he never tries to hold Lark back. He's a quiet, clever, fierce warrior who would do anything for his lady.

- Duval -- Grave Mercy, Robin LaFevers

Gavriel Duval. Quick-minded, witty, clever, scheming, intelligent, loyal, mistrusting. This is one guy you don't want to mess with, on any fronts.

- Sol -- The Dark Light, Sara Walsh

This book is so under-appreciated! Sol is one of my favorites. He's a quiet big guy, and a prince (yaasss, men of power). He's another protector type, and he butts heads with Mia a lot, but they are the perfect couple!

About First & Then:

First & Then by Emma Mills

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

Publication Date: October 13, 2015

Summary (from Goodreads):

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

The Giveaway: 

Win a copy of First & Then! USA only (apologies, non-USA lovelies). 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Click on the banner to expand, and see the other blogs/superlatives!

Swoon Thursday (#139): Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin!

He was going to kiss her again. She could see it in the slight five-degree tilt of his head, in the way he drew closer. 

What did it matter? The sun was shining and not everything was a lie.

In less than forty-eight hours she was never going to see him again.

Couldn't she just have this? A Feeling that wasn't sadness or anger or guilt or weight? A good-bye that wasn't all tears and silence and screaming?

He leaned into her. She let him.

This kiss was much like the last, with the world moving around them and his lips telling a story to hers. It tasted like one of the Greeks' epic poems: Warring. Heroic. Vast. Full of so many loves and births and deaths. 

- ARC, pages 329-330

Author Blog | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

All That Glows | All That Burns | The Walled City | Wolf by Wolf

I LOVED this book! Alternate historical fiction novel, and a truly good one!

Waiting on Wednesday (#143): Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

This week, I'm featuring:

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Book Two of the Red Queen series

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Summary (from Goodreads):

The thrilling second book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen trilogy follows Mare Barrow on her mission to defeat the traitorous Maven.

Mare Barrow’s blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. 

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. 

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat. 

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever? 

The electrifying next installment in the Red Queen series escalates the struggle between the growing rebel army and the blood-segregated world they’ve always known—and pits Mare against the darkness of her own heart. 

Author Website | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

I liked Red Queen! I'm interested in the direction this series is going for sure.

Blog Tour Review and Giveaway: Brazen by Christina Farley

Welcome to the blog tour for Brazen by Christina Farley! This novel is the final book in the Gilded series. If you have not read Gilded or Silvern, be sure to check out these books! I have a review of Brazen to share, as well as an AMAZING giveaway. Good luck!

Brazen by Christina Farley

Book Three of the Gilded series

Publisher: Skyscape

Publication Date: September 29, 2015

Rating: 4 stars

Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Sworn to an ancient god of darkness, Jae Hwa fights to gain her freedom and restore the balance of Korea… but first she must gain back the trust of her loved ones.

Jae Hwa Lee spent her sixteenth year in Seoul, trying to destroy the evil immortals who had been torturing her family for centuries. The last thing she expected was to be forced to become their assassin. Trapped in the darkest part of the Spirit World as a servant to the Korean god Kud, fighting to keep her humanity, and unable to contact her loved ones, Jae Hwa is slowly losing hope. Kud, god of darkness, will do anything to keep her as a pawn in his quest for power over all of Korea, her entire family thinks she’s dead, and Jae’s true love, Marc, believes she is lost to him forever.

When Kud sends Jae to find and steal the powerful Black Turtle orb, Jae sees an opportunity to break free and defeat Kud once and for all…but first she needs to regain Marc’s trust and work with him to vanquish the darkness that threatens to overwhelm Korea. There’s much to lose as Jae struggles to save the land she’s come to call home. 

What I Liked:

This was a really great conclusion novel, I'm pleased. I was super nervous before starting this book, because I didn't remember a lot of little AND big details from Silvern. As it would turn out, this was not an issue! I love that Farley wrote Brazen in such a way that you didn't have to remember everything from Gilded and/or Silvern. This conclusion novel was action-packed, heartbreaking, and satisfying to the end. 

Jae Hwa has become a servant of Kud, after signing a contract to serve him, in order to save Marc and those she loves. Jae's humanity is slipping away with every day that she is enslaved by Kud, following his orders. He wants her to retrieve the Black Turtle orb, the last orb needed for Kud to take over Korea - and the world. To stop him, Jae will need to strike back - but she can't do it by herself.

I'm going to try and keep this review as short and as vague as possible, given that it is a conclusion novel. I really enjoyed it! Probably my favorite of the series. I love that you don't need to reread the first two books in order to have a clear understanding of what is happening in the beginning of this book. Thank goodness for that, because I remembered little from the first two books, unfortunately.

Jae's life is miserable, as is evident from most of this book. Being a servant (read: slave) of Kud is form of torture, especially since Jae has become a traitor to her people. Everyone thinks that she is dead, or betrayed them, when neither is the case. Jae is trying to save everyone, but it's difficult to do that when Kud can control where you go and what you do. Still, I liked Jae's resilience, even when things were overwhelmingly hard for her. Like in the previous books, Jae proves her kickbutt ninja skills time after time, which is pretty cool!

The story is centered around finding the Black Turtle orb, which only Jae can do. Kud must let her retrieve it, and Jae needs help to do so. But she can't go up to Marc and the Guardians and ask, can she? Especially with Kud breathing down her neck. Still, Jae gets help from unexpected places. Obtaining the Black Turtle is not easy, and Jae faces many trials before coming anywhere near accomplishing her goal. The story is very fast-paced and exciting, so it's not hard to blow through this book in one sitting.

There is little romance in this book, and it's mostly concentrated in the second half of the book. But again, LITTLE romance. The previous two books had more demonstrative romance. But no love triangle. Marc thinks that Jae has betrayed him and the Guardians, but as the story goes on, Marc learns things that he and the Guardians must consider.

This is a conclusion novel that definitely did its job. As always, the world-building and setting of the book is beautiful and well-written. A good portion of this book takes place in China, which was awesome. I enjoyed this book a lot! I think many readers will.

What I Did Not Like:

Hmmm. There isn't anything that is sticking out in my mind... still, this book is getting four stars from me. There could have been more romance, less weirdness with Kud, his shenanigans. The ending could have been more expanded, instead of ending it with the ending of the final battle scene. My "complaints" are very minimal!

Would I Recommend It:

You must read this book if you've read either Gilded, or both Gilded and Silvern. It is totally worth the read. And if you haven't read the series - modern-day fantasy set in Korea/China! Diversity, kickbutt action, smart heroine, sweet romance. Win!

Rating:

4 stars. I enjoyed this book so much! As I said before, this is probably my favorite of the series. It doesn't hurt that the cover is of my favorite color! The covers of all of these books in the series are so beautiful. And with a great story to match!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

Was this review helpful? Please let me know in the comments section!

Check out the first two books! 

    

(Click on the covers for my reviews!)

About the Author:

CHRISTINA FARLEY is the author of the Gilded series, a YA contemporary fantasy series set in Korea. GILDED was nominated for Korea's 2014 Morning Calm, Ohio's 2015 Buckeye award, and the Tome’s It List. As a child, she loved to explore, which later inspired her to jump on a plane and travel the world. Christina's adventures sparked her to write stories, infusing the real world with fantasy. Currently she writes from home in Clermont, FL with her husband and two sons—that is until the travel itch whisks her off to a new unknown.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest

The Giveaway: 

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To celebrate the release of BRAZEN, Christina is giving away a Kindle Fire (US only) and a $50 Amazon gift card (international). The letter for this stop is I (like "igloo"). Collect all the letters from the blog tour to earn more points!

Cover Reveal: His to Take by Katee Robert

COVER REVEAL! 

I am very excited to help reveal the cover of Katee Robert's next Brazen story, His to Take!

If you haven't read any of Katee's Out of Uniform series, or any of her books in general, fix this immediately!

Ready for the cover of His to Take? Here it is!

His to Take by Katee Robert

Book 3.5 of the Out of Uniform series

Publisher: Brazen

Publication Date: December 7, 2015

Official Summary:

Erin Robinson is having an epically bad year. Her blossoming career on Broadway tanked, forcing her to crawl back to home to Wellington. The icing on her failure cake? Her former on-again, off-again fling is in town, and the sexy Marine is taking up way too much space. 

Warren Davis always knew Erin was special, which is exactly why he can’t have her. A girl like her deserves something permanent—something neither of them wants. But now that they’re both back in town and she’s right there in front of him, a challenge in her eyes he’s never been able to resist, he’s questioning everything. 

That challenge quickly escalates into an epic game of Truth or Dare. Erin’s sure she’s got him on lock, but as the night progresses, Warren’s dares intensify, drowning her in lust. But with the past still breathing down their necks, there’s no way either of them can win...

Goodreads | Amazon | Kobo

About the Author:

New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Katee Robert learned to tell her stories at her grandpa’s knee. She found romance novels at age twelve and it changed her life. When not writing sexy contemporary and speculative fiction romance novels, she spends her time playing imaginary games with her wee ones, driving her husband batty with what-if questions, and planning for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. 

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Release Day Blitz and Giveaway: Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Welcome to the release day promo for Rae Carson's Walk on Earth a Stranger! YA has a distinct lack of Western historical fiction, but this book is definitely an interesting Western that I think people should give a try. Find out more about this book, and enter the fabulous giveaway!

About the Book:

Walk on Earth a Stranger by Rae Carson

Book One of The Gold Seer Trilogy

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Official Summary:

The first book in a new trilogy from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Rae Carson. A young woman with the magical ability to sense the presence of gold must flee her home, taking her on a sweeping and dangerous journey across Gold Rush–era America.

Lee Westfall has a secret. She can sense the presence of gold in the world around her. Veins deep beneath the earth, pebbles in the river, nuggets dug up from the forest floor. The buzz of gold means warmth and life and home—until everything is ripped away by a man who wants to control her. Left with nothing, Lee disguises herself as a boy and takes to the trail across the country. Gold was discovered in California, and where else could such a magical girl find herself, find safety? Rae Carson, author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy, dazzles with this new fantasy that subverts both our own history and familiar fantasy tropes.

Walk on Earth a Stranger, the first book in this new trilogy, introduces—as only Rae Carson can—a strong heroine, a perilous road, a fantastical twist, and a slow-burning romance. Includes a map and author’s note on historical research. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About the Author:

Rae Carson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the acclaimed Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. Her next book, Walk On Earth A Stranger, will be available September 22, 2015. She lives in Arizona with her husband.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

The Giveaway:

1 winner will receive a set of the 3 GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS series (in paperback format). US Only. Ends on September 30th at Midnight EST!

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Blog Tour Interview with Sandra Waugh, Author of Silver Eve (and GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the Silver Eve blog tour! I am so excited to be a part of the promotion for this AMAZING novel. Check out an interview I had with Sandra, and enter to win awesome prizes!

Lark Rising review | Silver Eve review

Meet Sandra Waugh!

Alyssa:  Hi Sandra!  Thank you so much for joining me today on my blog! And congratulations on another publication – I absolutely LOVED Lark Rising! So excited for Silver Eve to be out it the world. :)

Sandra: Hi Alyssa!  Thank you for inviting me into your lovely world of books!  I am so touched that you loved Lark and truly hope you enjoy Evie’s tale.  (That’s always the scary part: that the second book will have quite the different effect.)

Alyssa:  And I totally did! Evie's story was lovely. :) So let’s get to it, lady!  How was writing Silver Eve different from writing Lark Rising?  Especially being more of a companion novel with different protagonists?

Sandra:  I basically followed the principle of ‘freedom within the form’.  I had the frame of purpose set out in Book 1 (world out of balance, Guardians awakened to reclaim amulets) but I could wander—new heroine, new romance, new territories to travel and new abilities to explore.  That was a lot of fun.  I always knew that this story was going to be much darker than Lark—so was prepared. I think the challenge was revisiting characters from Lark and having to write them through a different eye, so to speak.

Alyssa:  If this series were to make it to the little or big screen, which actor and actress would you choose to play Evie and Laurent?

Sandra: I wouldn’t presume—as a reader I love having the freedom to imagine what/who the characters would look like. Some big screen choices have ruined some favorite books for me.

But… since these actors can no longer play the roles I imagine Evie and Laurent most closely resemble:  

Robin Wright, The Princess Bride

Bruce Robinson, The Story of Adele H

Alyssa: I loved The Princess Bride! What’s the one song that really represents this book?

Sandra:  It would have to be Tom Odell’s Heal.

Take my mind

And take my pain

Like an empty bottle takes the rain

And heal, heal, heal, heal

And take my past

And take my sense

Like an empty sail takes the wind

And heal, heal, heal, heal

And tell me some things last…

Take a heart

And take a hand

Like an ocean takes the dirty sand

And heal, heal, hell, heal

Take my mind

And take my pain

Like an empty bottle takes the rain

And heal, heal, heal, heal

And tell me some things last…

Alyssa:  Can you tell us anything about the protagonists of Book 3?

Sandra:  The girl has been a slave in the mines of Tyre for ten years—a world where, if you’re lucky, you’d be dead after day one.  She’s fairly feral, and not someone likely to believe there are any other protagonists in her story. But certainly she’ll have help from some familiar faces!

Alyssa:  I AM INTRIGUED. Do you have any other projects at work, besides the Guardians of Tarnec series? Or anything about book three? ;)

Sandra:  I’ve been working on a MG with a friend of mine, revising a YA contemporary fantasy, and plotting/pantsing two other fantasy WIPs. We’ll see what happens… :)

Alyssa:  Ooo, collaboration! I'm excited. And that’s all from me!  Thank you so much for stopping by my blog, Sandra! And happy (early) publication to you and Silver Eve!

Sandra:  Thank you so much, Alyssa! xo

About the Author:

Sandra grew up in an old house full of crowded bookshelves, in walking distance of an old library that allowed her to drag home a sack of six books at a time. It goes without saying, then, that she fell in love with the old house in Litchfield County, CT, because of its many bookshelves, and she lives there now with her husband, two sons, and a dog who snores. Loudly.

LARK RISING is her first novel and the first in the GUARDIANS OF TARNEC series. SILVER EVE follows in 2015.

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | Pinterest

About Silver Eve:

Silver Eve by Sandra Waugh

Book Two of the Guardians of Tarnec series

Publisher: Random House Children's Books

Publication Date: September 22, 2015

Official Summary: 

A Healer without home or purpose, seventeen-year-old Evie Carew has found the perfect place to disappear: Rood Marsh. She can easily fade into its vast wilderness of towering reeds; leave behind the growing violence that is claiming her innocent world. Leave behind the tragedy that broke her heart and sent her far from her grandmother, cousin Lark and all she once loved.

But Evie is not alone in the marsh. A seer, a Rider, and Breeders of Chaos all hunt her—for though opposed in objective, her seekers share knowledge she does not: Evie is one of the four Guardians of Tarnec, one who can help save the world from the coming destruction if she can reclaim the stolen amulet of Death. But whether she meets true love or a brutal end on such a journey is a matter of who finds her first.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

About Lark Rising:

Lark Rising by Sandra Waugh

Book One of the Guardians of Tarnec series

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 23, 2014

Official Summary: 

Lark has foreseen two things—she will fall for a young man with sage green eyes, and he will kill her.

Sixteen-year-old Lark Carew is happiest close to home, tending her garden and gathering herbs for medicines. But when her Sight warns her that monsters called Troths will soon invade her village, Lark is summoned on a journey to seek help from the legendary Riders of Tarnec. Little does she suspect that one of the Riders, Gharain, is the very man who has haunted her visions. Or that the people of Tarnec have called her there for another reason: Lark is the Guardian of Life, the first of four Guardians who must awaken their powers to recover four stolen amulets. Together, the amulets—Life, Death, Dark, and Light—keep the world in Balance. To take back the Life amulet, Lark will have to discover her true inner strength and give in to a love that she swears will be her downfall. 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository

The Giveaway:

1 winner will receive a signed hardcover each of LARK RISING and SILVER EVE, 2 bookmarks, and shell amulet necklace.US Only.

1 winner will a signed hardcover each of LARK RISING and SILVER EVE, 2 bookmarks, and orb amulet necklace.US Only.

1 winner will a signed paperback of LARK RISING signed ARC of SILVER EVE, 2 bookmarks, 2 temporary tattoos (lark and vine), "Rain" perfume oil. US Only.

 

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Follow the rest of the tour!

Week One

Sept. 14th | Such a Novel Idea - Interview

Sept. 15th | Kindle and Me - Excerpt

Sept. 16th | Two Chicks on Books - Interview

Sept. 17th | History from a Woman’s Perspective - Review

Sept. 18th | Book Swoon - Review

Week Two

Sept. 21st | The Eater of Books - Interview

Sept. 22nd | Paranormal Book Club - Guest Post

Sept. 23rd | Taking It One Book at a Time - Review

Sept. 24th | Fire and Ice - Excerpt

Sept. 25th | Please Feed the Bookworm - Review