YA CRUSH TOURNEY--REMIX & RETURN!

It's back, it's back! One of the most fun events, and the main way I first met so many YA loving bloggers and authors, is back! It's been remixed and looks better than ever! Why? MORE books! And what's SUPER-DY DUPER (yes, that's a word) cool is they've included an INDIE category this year so our awesome boys have a chance to see the light of the tourney! Check out the super cool banner!

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And LOOK! That's my cover as the "N". Not gonna lie, I may have teared up a little when I saw that. It was a lovely surprise after a particularly trying week. 

If you've never seen the #YACrushTourney head over to check out the details on their blog, because NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN!! (And my favorite boys are eligible.) You can nominate them--along with your other Indie Favorites--over at Stuck In Books.

Make sure you follow their instructions to a "T" or your fav may be disqualified. Happy nominating!

Review: Tremble by Jus Accardo

Tremble is third in the Denazen series there may be some SPOILERS 

ahead! Read at your own risk as it releases on MAY 14th  :)

Dez Cross has problems. She’s almost eighteen and on the verge of losing her mind thanks to the drug Denazen used to enhance her abilities. People close to her have turned their back on the underground and are now fighting for the wrong side. And then there’s Kale... Things couldn’t get any worse.
Until of course, they do. Denazen is about to start a new trial—this one called Domination—and it works. But that means out with the old and in with the new. The order has been given to terminate all remnants of the second trial—including Dez. The good news is that there’s a survivor from the original trial. A woman who’s blood may hold the cure for the second generation of Supremacy kid’s defect. But the underground Sixes aren’t the only ones who know about her….
Cross is willing to throw everything he has to keep Dez from getting the cure—including the one thing that might tear her apart from the inside out

I will confess. It took me a while to read the first books in this series. I'd pretty much reached my max on series with no end in sight and cliffhanger endings. I was contemplating author-cide. Add to that, I'd read a couple of books where the person's touch could kill, and all I could do was roll my eyes that there was another one. I must now LOUDLY apologize to all who told me to go ahead and read it because this series is different. I'm not going to rehash Touch, and Toxic, but will expect you to be smarter than I was and go ahead and read the first two.

Tremble picks up slightly after the end of Toxic. Denazen has gone FAR underground with no signs of them or Kale. Meanwhile, Dez has to pretend to be the same girl she was before Kale was taken, at least in the eyes of the "normal" world. Though fully healed from the events that occurred at the end of Toxic, Dez is still "serum sick" and in one of the first few scenes we're shown that her symptoms are escalating. We also learn there might be a cure if they can find one of the subjects from the original subject batch.

It doesn't take long for Kale to make his appearance in the book, but when he does...UGH! It's more awful than I would have expected. I won't tell you why because it's a HUGE spoiler and I'd rather have you mad at Jus than me. :)

Shocked by their meeting Dez is even more determined to rescue Kale, however Ginger has other plans. Thanks to their inside informant. Ginger knows Denazen is going to terminate all the Supremacy kids and there are still more "out in the wild". Ginger sends them out to try and bring the other kids in before Denazen wipes them out.

Dez runs into Kale again on one of these missions and [insert spoilery thing here]. She's once again overwrought by their meeting, but gains a surprising ally working from inside Denazen. When Dez and Kale meet again for the third time, the fun REALLY starts, by which I mean all the good spoilery stuff that I won't mention.

I was really pleased with this third book in the Touch series. Inroads are gained, and lost, and gained to finding a cure for the Supremacy kids. New friends are made, people die--shocking I know--one character's twist had my jaw dropping, and you even learn some things about the history of Denazen. A fast-paced, frustrating, yet satisfying thrill-ride of a book, Tremble has me ready for book 4.

Go grab it so it can grab you back.

About the Author:

JUS ACCARDO spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing. Jus is the bestselling author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction. A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch was released in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is currently working on the next book in the Denazen series
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Signing News!

Hey y'all! Just wanted to let you  know I will be doing a signing at Hastings in Bryan, Texas on May 11th from 1pm to 3pm with my fabulous friend Quinn Loftis. Her Grey Wolves series is super fun (I can't hear the song Meet Virginia without thinking of book 2) and the first book, Prince of Wolves, is FREE to download. So spread the word my lovelies, and come see us if you're in the area!

**Update**
I will have print copies of both the One and the Dark available at the signing, BUT if you've already purchased print copies PLEASE bring them. We still want to meet you and sign them! Here's the deets in big pretty colors!

On a Personal Note...

FIFTEEN years ago today this is what I was doing:

Yep! That's me on my wedding day, and yes we had a Renaissance wedding. And today I celebrate 15 years with the most amazing, and talented man. This is us now.

All bundled up because we're having freakishly chilly weather in ATX. Here are some of the reasons why I'm still crazy in love with this man after all this time:

He never complains or nags about my less than stellar housekeeping (laundry is a curse from hades)
He is musically talented; I always said I'd marry a guy who could play an instrument. It was kind of a deal breaker if he didn't :)

He supports me unconditionally on this crazy writing/author journey
He's not embarrassed by public displays of affection
He's my best friend in the whole entire world.
He loves our boys
He's ridiculously quick witted and makes me laugh
He doesn't pick at me (much) for my strange nonsensical quirks (like hating tomatoes but loving caprese salad)
He listens to me
He knows me and loves me anyway; nothing better than that
He LOVES Jesus
He geeks out over Doctor Who with me
He makes sure that as an introvert I get time to myself to recharge.
He encourages my dreams

He sings duets with me on road trips--even ones from GLEE

Happy Anniversary, baby. Here's to 15 more (at least).

Review: The Summer I Became a Nerd by Leah Rae Miller

On the outside, seventeen-year-old Madelyne Summers looks like your typical blond cheerleader—perky, popular, and dating the star quarterback. But inside, Maddie spends more time agonizing over what will happen in the next issue of her favorite comic book than planning pep rallies with her squad. That she’s a nerd hiding in a popular girl's body isn’t just unknown, it's anti-known. And she needs to keep it that way.

Summer is the only time Maddie lets her real self out to play, but when she slips up and the adorkable guy behind the local comic shop’s counter uncovers her secret, she’s busted. Before she can shake a pom-pom, Maddie’s whisked into Logan’s world of comic conventions, live-action role-playing, and first-person-shooter video games. And she loves it. But the more she denies who she really is, the deeper her lies become…and the more she risks losing Logan forever

Following a traumatic school event in which Maelyne reveals herself to be nerd, she comes up with a plan to never be embarrassed or hurt like that again. From that moment on, she shoves nerdy Maddie down during the school year she's "popular Maddie". She's on the cheer squad. She claims to love the same pop music as those around her, even though she secretly can't stand it. She even dates the quarterback of the football team because that's what popular Maddie should do. But that's not who Maddie really is, and her secret identity may get outed by super cutie Logan when he sees through her disguise at the comic book store.

Logan is an UBER nerd, and he doesn't really care who knows it. He's comfortable with himself and his nerdiness and with the exception of being a soccer player he's a card-carrying, nerdy to the max type nerd. We're talking live-action, role playing (aka LARPing) nerdiness. But he's sweet, and thoughtful, and tries to help Maddie be comfortable with herself and with being open about the things she really likes. Because up until now, the only times she's been herself are during the summer breaks.

I really enjoyed this read. I loved both these MC's (and Logan's best friend, Dan. I REALLY loved Dan. Everybody needs a friend like him.) and enjoyed watching their relationship develop. As is to be expected, Maddie has a hard time coming to terms with revealing who she really is and makes some mistakes with Logan along the way, where his "evil" ex is waiting for the opportunity to swoop in and take him back. Fortunately,  Dan (and Logan's mom) were there to help make things right. **Sidenote: I was really happy to see a book where both sets of parents were active and involved in their children's lives**  The story ends with an epic battle of good vs. evil. No, really. It does.

This was a lovely story of being true to yourself, even in the midst of possible criticism and teasing. I recommend this highly. Go ahead. Let your nerd flag fly!