Runes by Ednah Walters Blog Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway!

~EXCERPT~

The ding of the doorbell resounded in the house before I finished my assignment. I grinned. Must be Eirik, my unofficial boyfriend. I jumped up, raced to the door, and yanked it open.

"About time you got he…"

I took a step back, my pulse leaping. In one sweeping glance, I took in the stranger’s shaggy black hair, piercing Pacific-blue eyes under arched eyebrows, black leather jacket, and hip-hugging jeans. Either fate had conjured the poster boy of all my fantasies and deposited him on my doorstep or I was dreaming.

I closed my eyes tight and then opened them again.

He was still there, the only thing missing was a bow or a note with my name pinned to his forehead. Irrationally, I wondered how it would feel to run my fingers through his hair. It was luxurious and so long it brushed the collar of his jacket. His lips moved, and I realized he was speaking.

"What?" I asked. The single word came out in two syllables, and I cringed. Lame, Raine."I asked if you’d seen Eirik Seville," the stranger said impatiently in a deep, commanding voice as though he was used to giving orders, "and you shook your head. Does that mean you didn’t understand what I said, don’t know him, or don’t know where he is?"

"I, uh, the third one." Could I be any lamer? Worse, warmth crept up my face. "I mean, I don’t know where he is," I said in a squeaky voice.

"He said he would be at the house of..." he pulled out a piece of paper from the back of his biker glove, the fingerless kind, and read, "Raine Cooper."

"That’s me. Lorraine Cooper, but everyone calls me Raine. You know, rain with a silent E," I said even though he didn’t ask for an explanation. I tended to blabber when nervous. "Yeah, well, Eirik’s not here."

"When do you expect him? Or should I ask when does he usually get here, Raine with an E?" the guy asked.

I bristled, not liking his mocking tone or the way he spoke slowly as though I was a dimwit. "He doesn’t always come here after school, you know. You could try his house or text him."

Mr. Hot-but-arrogant shrugged. "If I wanted to use modern technology I would, but I’d rather not. Could you do me a favor?"

Use modern technology? Which cave did he crawl from? He spoke with a trace of an accent that had a familiar lilt. British or Aussie? I could never tell the difference.

He sighed. "You’re shaking your head again. Did my question confuse you? Am I talking too fast, too slow, or is it me? I’ve been told my presence tends to, uh, throw people off."

I crossed my arms, lifted my chin, and stared down my nose at him. I was usually the calm one among my friends, the peacemaker, but this guy was seriously pushing my buttons with his arrogance. "No."

His eyebrows rose and met the lock of hair falling over his forehead. "No to what?"

"No, you didn’t confuse me. And no, I won’t do you a favor."

He rolled his eyes, plucked wraparound sunglasses from the breast pocket of his jacket, and slipped them on before turning to leave.

Yeah, good riddance. To copy Cora’s favorite saying, ‘he just lost hotness points’.

 

~GIVEAWAY~

Tour-wide giveaway!

Tour Grand Prize (INTL)
1st prize: A choice of signed copy or e-book of Runes and $25 gift card from Amazon
2 prize: A choice of signed copy or e-book of Runes and $10  gift card from amazon.

Just fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~ABOUT THE BOOK~

Runes by Ednah Walters

Release Date: May 20, 2013

Publisher: Firetrail Publishing

Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Buy It: Amazon | Kindle (US) | Kindle (UK) | Kindle (CA) | B&N | Smashwords

Description from Goodreads:

 Seventeen-year-old Raine Cooper has enough on her plate dealing with her father’s disappearance, her mother’s erratic behavior and the possibility of her boyfriend relocating. The last thing she needs is Torin St. James—a mysterious new neighbor with a wicked smile and uncanny way of reading her.

Raine is drawn to Torin’s dark sexiness against her better judgment, until he saves her life with weird marks and she realizes he is different. But by healing her, Torin changes something inside Raine. Now she can’t stop thinking about him. Half the time, she’s not sure whether to fall into his arms or run.

Scared, she sets out to find out what Torin is. But the closer she gets to the truth the more she uncovers something sinister about Torin. What Torin is goes back to an ancient mythology and Raine is somehow part of it. Not only are she and her friends in danger, she must choose a side, but the wrong choice will cost Raine her life.

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

EDNAH WALTERS grew up reading Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys and dreaming of one day writing her own stories. She is a stay-at-home mother of five humans and two American short-hair cats (one of which has ADHD) and a husband. When she is not writing, she’s at the gym doing Zumba or doing things with her family, reading, traveling or online chatting with fans.

Ednah is the author of The Guardian Legacy series, a YA fantasy series about children of the fallen angels, who fight demons and protect mankind. AWAKENED, the prequel was released by Pill Hill Press in September 2010 with rave reviews. BETRAYED, book one in the series was released by her new publisher Spencer Hill Press in June 2012 and HUNTED, the third installment, will be released April 2013. She’s working on the next book in the series, FORGOTTEN.

Ednah also writes New Adult paranormal romance. RUNES is the first book in her new series. She is presently working on book 2, IMMORTALS.

Under the pseudonym E. B. Walters, Ednah writes contemporary romance. SLOW BURN, the first contemporary romance with suspense, was released in April 2011. It is the first book in the Fitzgerald family series. Since then she has published four more books in this series. She's presently working on book six. You can visit her online at www.ednahwalters.com or www.ebwalters.com.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.ednahwalters.com/index.html
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4188120.Ednah_Walters
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EdnahWalters

Twitter: https://twitter.com/ednahwalters

♥Jessica(:

Drowning in You by Rebecca Berto Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway!)

 

~REVIEW~

Drowning in You by Rebecca Berto

Release Date: April 5, 2013

Format: eARC

Series: Finding Forever in Us #1

Source: Author for blog tour

Buy It: Amazon Paperback | Amazon Kindle | Smashwords | Kobo

 

Description from Goodreads:

Secretly crushing

Crushed by a tragedy

Charlee May’s been crushing on Dexter Hollingworth since she was fifteen. Five years later, a horrific skiing disaster at Mason’s Ski Lift Resort leaves her millionaire dad critically injured and her mom dead at the hands of Dexter operating the lifts. Charlee is suddenly the sole caretaker for her little brother while their world falls apart.

Dexter couldn’t be more different from Charlee. He’s tattooed, avoids exclusive relationships and his Dad has a fair share of illegal dealings. With Dexter’s reputation, almost everyone believes he planned the Mason’s skiing disaster.

And after all these years he’s still crushing on Charlee May, the girl who’s too good for him.

When this cruel twist of fate ties Charlee’s family and Dexter’s reputation together, Charlee and Dexter wonder if their feelings are reciprocated, while Dexter discovers his dad is trying to steal the May’s millionaire fortune.

But like an addiction, one look, one touch, one taste—they’re hooked no matter the consequences.

Disclaimer: Recommended for mature readers due to sexual content and crude language.

 

Before I get into the actual novel, I want to point out how flipping GORGEOUS that cover is first. Because, um, hello? GORG!

Okay, now the actual BOOK. We're going to play a little game of good news/bad news, okay? My government teacher loves this game bunches, so it should work here. Ready?

We're going to go bad news first because that's how I play.

Bad news: Drowning in You was not as good as I expected it to be. I don't know why, exactly. I think I just expected too much. I wanted it to be sweet and interesting and witty and fun and completely perfectly amazing, and...well, that's a pretty high bar to meet, ya know?

Good news: There are still so many things I DID like about this book. I shall list them, actually. Because listing is fun.

- It's new adult! A genre I am growing to love more and more as I find more awesomeness within its depths.

- DUAL POV! Whenever I start a book and see it is a dual POV, I legit do a happy-dance. I like getting two sides to the story, and being that close to two individual characters. It adds a more REAL quality to the reading experience, to be able to experience the story so thoroughly.

- Darcy. The girl MC's little bro. I am quite fond of that little hooligan.

- It's set in Australia. Is it just me or is that all kinds of cool?

- The ending. But I'll talk about that in a bit.

There were more things, but those are the biggest ones that I'm going to take the time to list. If you want to know more, you should pick up the book and give it a go. Seriously.

Character Rundown:
Charlee: "Charz." I'm going to be honest--I don't like that nickname Dex gave her. But anyway, I liked that Charlee was so nice. I did not like that Charlee was so...wow, I can't think of a better word for this...boring. I just found myself preferring Dexter's chapters way more than "Charz's." Yeah. Not growing on me.

Dexter: Make HIS name into whatever you want and I will love it no matter what. Sweet baby goodness, I adore the name Dexter. And THIS Dexter...he wasn't too bad. A bit irritating in the whole "I'm not good enough for her" cliche, but when he wasn't bemoaning that, he was quite nice and entertaining. Also, my boy. Right here.

Plot. I don't have any complaints on the actual PLOT. It didn't bother me much and it held my interest. I did, however, have points where the writing confused me a bit. It wasn't UNBEARABLE or anything, I just had to go back every now and then to make sure I understood what was happening. That was mostly in the beginning, though. It got significantly less frequent as the story went on.

Romance. Pretty standard. Good girl, misunderstood "bad boy" who thinks he's not good enough. The romantic elements of this story didn't surprise me. Elliot being thrown in there was both fun and bothersome, only because I wasn't fooled for a second that anything would actually come of that. But still. Elliot's a sweetheart. I'd fix his phone any day. ANYWAY, Dexter and Charlee. They did have their swoon-y moments, though. And I liked them. A lot. Especially around the end.

The ending. Sweetness. I'm glad everything turned out the way it did at the end. I mean, after all the events of the book, the ending gave good closure.

Overall, Drowning in You is a book worth reading. IT may not be the perfect book, but it is certainly a good book that I would recommend to someone looking for a new adult story to make them swoon and leave them smiling.

~~~

 

~GIVEAWAY~

 

There's a tour-wide giveaway going on for 5--count 'em, FIVE!--ebook copies of Drowning in You! The giveaway is international and all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win! WOOT!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

~~~

 

~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~

Rebecca Berto is the author or the dark contemporary/literary novella, PRECISE and the upcoming new adult contemporary romance novel, DROWNING IN YOU. She is also a freelance editor.

She writes stories that are a bit sexy, and straddle the line between Literary and Tear Your Heart Out. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her stories, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She’s strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction.

Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their doggy.

 

Author Links:

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

 

♥Jessica(:

Earth Angel by E. Van Lowe Blog Tour (Guest Post & Giveaway!)

Welcome to my stop on the Earth Angel blog tour! To check out the full schedule for this tour, click HERE!

 

~~~

 

Guest Post:

Damned Internet

I’ve noticed something strange lately.  I don’t read as many books as I used to.  I used to love to curl up in bed or on the sofa and devour a good book.  But lately I can’t seem to stay focused.  I know why. It’s that damned internet.  It keeps calling me.  It’s like that old Twilight Zone episode where a guy goes to Las Vegas for the first time and discovers slot machines.  You know the one I’m talking about? He goes back to his room and tries to go to bed but he hears his name being called in a loud whisper.  “Franklin.”  The slot machines are calling.

That’s how I feel.  The internet is calling and I must heed the call: email, Twitter, Facebook, my blog.  I must check them.  I MUST CHECK THEM!

Last evening, I sat in the living room, book in hand and began to read:  “Franklin.”  (I know that’s not my name but it has an ominous ring to it).  A few nights ago I lay in bed, picked up my book and began to read: “Franklin.”   I realize I had just checked my email ten minutes ago so I continued reading… “Franklin!”  But when was the last time I checked my Facebook page?  An entire hour ago.  It’s important that I find out what Barbara Jensen had for lunch, so I stop reading and I check.

I’ve been reading the current book I’m on for nearly a month now.  Yes, it’s interesting.  No, it’s not as long as War And Peace.  But I can’t get through it. Am I alone in this? Do any of you out there have this problem?  That damned internet is destroying my life.  Someone has to shut it down.  It’s dangerous…  Excuse me?  What was that?

“Franklin.”

Time to sign off.  I have to check my Twitter stream.

Aside from being addicted to the internet, I am the author of the books of The Falling Angels Saga; when you’re through updating your Facebook status, I hope you’ll check them out. 

 

~~~

Giveaway:

 

There's a tour-wide giveaway for e-copies of Boyfriend From Hell (Book 1) and Earth Angel (Book 2)! It is INTERNATIONAL, and all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win! WOOT!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

~~~

 

About the Book:

 

Earth Angel by E. Van Lowe

Release Date: December 8, 2011

Publisher: White Whisker Books

Series: Falling Angels #2

Buy It: Amazon | B&N

 

Description from Goodreads:

Just because Megan Barnett recently defeated Satan, has a fantastic new best friend, and has won the love of deliciously
handsome, Guy Matson, doesn’t mean her troubles are over. Far from it. For Megan doesn’t realize it, but in her possession is a powerful weapon, a weapon sought after by both angels and demons and everything in between. They will do ANYTHING to get it.

In E. Van Lowe’s humorous, romantic and thrilling sequel to Boyfriend From Hell, Megan winds up in a gripping life or death battle to save herself, the boy she loves, and all of mankind from unthinkable evil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~~~

 

About the Author:

 

E Van Lowe was born in the Bronx a long time ago, back in the days when children were supposed to be seen and not heard. Fortunately for E, his parents allowed him to speak freely. Unfortunately for his parents and older brother, E had a lot to say. He was speaking quite freely until one day, while his mother was trying to watch her “stories” (which is code for soap operas), she suggested that instead of speaking freely, he write all his important thoughts down. E wrote down many important thoughts, such as: crayons melt when you leave them on the radiator, or toy soldiers melt when you drop them in the muffin batter before mom puts it in the oven. His brother thought he was weird, but E was only ten years old at the time. What did he expect, Shakespeare? E liked writing things down so much, he decided that when he grew up, he was going to become a professional writer.

E has gone on to write for many award winning TV shows including: The Cosby Show, and Even Stevens. He also co-wrote the Academy Award nominated short film, Cadillac Dreams. Never Slow Dance With A Zombie was his first teen novel. Boyfriend From Hell is the first in the Falling Angels Saga. The second novel in the saga, Earth Angel, will be coming out soon. It seems E still has lots of important, and weird, thoughts to share with readers.

Website│Blog│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

 

♥Jessica(:

Stripped by Brooklyn Skye Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway!)

Welcome to my stop on the Stripped blog tour! To see the tour schedule, click HERE!

 

Stripped by Brooklyn Skye

Release Date: May 14, 2013

Format: ebook, 345 pages

Source: YA Bound/Author for blog tour

Buy It: Amazon Kindle | Amazon Hardcopy | B&N 

Description from Goodreads:

“I like you.” His voice is low and soft, which I don’t deserve. I look away, down the rutted parking lot.
“Don’t... waste those words on me.”
He touches my cheek. “You just need someone to show you.”
“No.” I ease back again. “I don’t. So please, Torrin, stop trying to swoop in and save me. I don’t need saving.”

College freshman Quinn Montgomery will do anything to avoid the mistake her sister made—killing herself over a boy. But when she is forced into nude modeling at a local college to support her family after a bankruptcy, she begins to crack, just enough to let Torrin, the university’s top varsity oarsman, see that the real Quinn is not as feisty and unapproachable as she wants everyone to think. But letting someone in comes at a steep cost and, it turns out, Torrin is connected to Quinn’s family in more ways than she could ever imagine.

Stripped is new adult. First and foremost, that was what drew me into this book. That and the cover. Then, I saw that it was about a girl afraid to make the same mistake as her sister, who had committed suicide. I don't know why, but that REALLY intrigued me. So I jumped at the chance to read and review this book. I thought it'd be something I enjoy. A nice, deep read that made me swoon a little bit.

Now that I've read the book, I have to say that I'd pretty much guessed right. Stripped did not disappoint in any of the aspects I was looking forward to, and on top of those, it was also well written and even quite funny at times. The banter in this book was fantastic. :)

Character Rundown:
Quinn: I like the name Quinn, but I have to admit, I don't get spazzy over it unless it's used for a boy. But THAT is a story for another time. Sometimes throughout the book, Quinn would have GREAT moments. Really, she could be a rather fun character to read about. But a majority of the time, Quinn really got on my nerves. She seemed so whiny and self-centered. She focused so much on her own problems and rarely thought about what things could be like for anyone else. Not cool. But she also had a nice character arc and didn't annoy me so much by the end of the book, so WOOT!

Torrin: Oh, Torrin. Such a genuinely nice guy. I heart him. The fact that he was such a great guy makes me annoyed with Quinn that much more--there was obviously more to everything than what she wanted to see. Because, COME ON, Torrin was fantastic. Kind, but not a pushover. There were some moments where I would have understood him walking away from Quinn (like the moments when I wanted to slap her...), but he stuck around and handled them like a champ. Goodness. He is so sweet. Have I mentioned that I heart him?

Plot. This is the one part of the book that wasn't AS great as it could have been, I think. Not because the story was weak or anything (on the contrary, it was very solid and interesting), but because it was predictable. I totally knew the secret waaaay before I was supposed to. so pretty much, I spent a bunch of time cringing at how Quinn WASN'T noticing the truth and waiting for the shoe to drop. So yeah. There's that. But other than that, this story is fabulous and wonderful.

Romance. With a guy as sweet as Torrin, there was no way I could have been disappointed here. There were so many moments where I was smiling like mad. Ahhh, these two. Quinn may get on my nerves, but I have no qualms with Torrin, so they pretty much balance each other out. Which I LOVE. <3

The ending. I felt like it was a little sudden, but I think that was okay. Because it didn't leave off on a cliffhanger or anything. It didn't even leave off at a bad part. It actually left off with me happy. So it is sudden, but good. Very good.

Overall, Stripped is a fantastic new adult debut by Brooklyn Skye. Deep, interesting, and definitely swoon-worthy, this book most definitely did not disappoint.

 

~~~

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
 

Brooklyn Skye is just your average awkward girl who's obsessed with words. She grew up in a small California town where she quickly realized writing was an easy escape from small town life.

Website / Twitter / Goodreads

 

~~~

GIVEAWAY

 

There is a tour-wide giveway for one signed paperback pf Stripped (US only) or one e-book copy with authorgraph (INT)! Just fill out the Rafflecopter below to enter!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

♥Jessica(:

Twisted Summer by Lucy V. Morgan Blog Tour (Book Spotlight & Giveaway!)

 

Twisted Summer by Lucy V. Morgan

Release Date: April 2013

Buy It: Amazon

 

Description from Goodreads:

A dark New Adult romanceYou have to understand that we never meant for it to happen. We knew it was stupid. We knew it was wrong.

Eighteen-year-old Danni Warren has big plans for her last summer before college: a cool job, a concert she wouldn’t miss for the world, and spending time with her beautiful girlfriend, Esme. But after one hell of an argument, Danni’s mother packs her off to stay with her estranged step-uncle, Gabe, in his lodge on the English coast. So begins a weekend of the worst punishment imaginable: no phone signal.

With his sun kissed good looks and sarcastic manner, twenty-nine-year-old Gabe Asher isn’t anything like Danni expected. She wants to hate him—he’s her punishment for standing up to her mother—but between surfing lessons and beach hikes, Gabe and Danni grow close. Maybe too close.

Now Danni’s questioning everything: old family secrets, her future, her strained relationship with Esme. One sun stained afternoon, Gabe and Danni go too far. And then everything else falls apart…

~~~

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lucy writes sharp contemporary fiction, usually with a liberal splatter of filth. She is a Lyrical Press author and a screenwriter.

Her upcoming new adult novel, TWISTED SUMMER, is a gutsy take on forbidden love starring an even gutsier heroine.

Her contemporary series, encompassing CHAIRMAN OF THE WHORED and THE WHORED'S PRAYER, features slick London lawyers with a penchant for sensual violence. It's definitely on the darker side. BEAUTIFUL MESS, her current release, is a snarky, sexy friends-to-lovers romp.

Lucy is currently working on new novels, and is developing a paranormal television series with producers (think The Vampire Diaries meets The 4400).

She is still trying to kick her dirty Pepsi habit.

www.lucyvmorgan.com | twitter.com/lucyvmorgan 

~~~

GIVEAWAY



A tour-wide giveaway, y'all! WOOT!

The prize pack includes A beach bag by pro surf brand Brakeburn, Korres Cherry Lip Gloss, Signed print copy of Twisted Summer, and Luxury chocolate bars from Choccacino Devon.

Fill out the Rafflecopter to enter!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

♥Jessica(:

Love in Bloom Giveaway Hop!

Yay! It's FINALLY time for this hop. I decided, like, two weeks ago what I was going to give away for this, and have been waiting and waiting ever since to make this post and actually, you know, GIVE IT AWAY.

So. Love in Bloom! Romance and lovey stuff. When I realized I was on for this hop, I was reading a bunch of news from one particular author. And I mean super EXCITING boy-POV news. I flailed. And feels. Feels everywhere.

And then I realized that I actually looooooooove the boy in her book. And think lots of other people should read about this magnificent boy. So I decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to give away...

 

Losing It by Cora Carmack

CORA. CARMACK. That is her name. Fun fact: I used to mess up her name biiiig time. It was so pathetic. I'm not even going to get into what I thought her name was. But I've met Garrick since then, and in turn Cora's name is one I remember.

And now I'm giving away a paperback copy of Losing It! Something *I* don't even have. I just have an ecopy (with super attractive original-cover-model Garrick). So YAY!

Read on for details, my friends. Because trust me. You want Garrick and his smexy accent. YOU DO.

Deeetaiiiils!

- This giveaway is, OF COURSE, international. How could this one not be? Pffft.

- One winner will be selected randomly to recieve one paperback copy of the book listed above

- My giveaway policy applies. You should know this. READ IT!

- Enter through the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

All right, now hop on, good people!

♥Jessica(:

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate Blog Tour (Review & Excerpt!)

The Last Academy by Anne Applegate
Release Date: April 30, 2013
Format: ARC, 320 pages
Publisher: Point
Source: Publisher
Buy It: Amazon

Description from Goodreads:
What is this prep school preparing them for?

Camden Fisher arrives at boarding school haunted by a falling-out with her best friend back home. But the manicured grounds of Lethe Academy are like nothing Cam has ever known. There are gorgeous, preppy boys wielding tennis rackets, and circles of girls with secrets to spare. Only . . . something is not quite right. One of Cam's new friends mysteriously disappears, but the teachers don't seem too concerned. Cam wakes up to strangers in her room, who then melt into the night. She is suddenly plagued by odd memories, and senses there might be something dark and terrible brewing. But what? The answer will leave Cam—and readers—stunned and breathless, in this thrilling debut novel.

The Last Academy is more of a YA story than I've read in a while. Personally, I think that made my like the story a little more because it gave the book a different air than the others I've been reading. I've been very much into NA (goodness, have you read Real by Katy Evans yet? AH, fantastic!) and upper YA. So a more on-level YA was a nice change.

Another thing--this book wasn't very romantic. And we all know I'm ALL OVER the romance. But instead of romance, this book had loads of mystery. This was both a good and a bad thing. Good because I found the questions I constantly had to be super fun and actually realy cool. The bad side was that NOTHING was clickling. Nothing. At all. For a majority of this book, zero things were making sense or giving me answers. This went on so long that I started to wonder if this book was the first in a series, even though I hadn't heard anything from anyone indicating that it was.

Now that I've finished the book, I can say that, overall, it was a good read. The ending was my favorite part of the whole book. Everything came together then and made sense, and I really loved the answer to the mystery. I legit never guessed. Not once.

Also, this book is most definitely not the first in a series. Even if it was, I don't think I'd pick up the second. Not becauyse I didn't enjoy this one (because, when all was said and done, I truly DID), but because I see no way this could continue in a way that would interest me. The mystery was revealed in this one! Wrapped up nicely in a way that I adored. So I wouldn't want to mess with that.

But that rant was for literally nothing because I'm pretty sure this is a standalone. So yeah.

Overall, The Last Academy was a pretty quick mystery that was questionable in the beginning, but pulled through in the end. The main character has a backbone and is truly kind, and the supporting characters were fun to watch interactions with. This is one of those books where the ending is worth it all. Because, trust me, it was great.

Man, it was so great.

~~~

EXCERPT

 

Then I was at Nora's door. There was no one milling about in the hallway this time. In fact, it seemed even more dark and deserted than usual. I knocked.

 

"Come in!" Nora yelled. She was sitting out on the patio. Already, Jessie's stuff had a dusty, pharaoh's tomb look to it. I hurried through the room and out to the patio.

 

"What really happened to Jessie?" I asked. "Did she . . ."

 

Nora said in a loud voice, "I don't know. When I woke up, she was gone."

 

"People were talking about an ambulance. They said she killed herself."

 

"Look, I don't know anything about that." Nora enunciated every word. I wanted to shake her or something. Jessie had been my friend, too.

 

"But what about all her stuff?" I demanded. "Are you telling me she just got up in the middle of the night and walked out of your room and . . . disaooeared?"

 

♥Jessica(: