All Books
Synopsis: Fifteen-year-old Ashley Asher has spent half of her life living in fear. Her stepfather has been sexually abusing her for years, but her mother doesn't believe her. After his latest assault lands her in the emergency room, Child Protective Services finally removes Ashley from her home, and sends her to live with the father she barely remembers and his new family. Her new life in Patience, Texas, is much better. She's in therapy to deal with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and is trying to make her way in a new high school. She's getting used to living with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother, and she's made new friends in the summer course taught by her stepmother, Bev. She even joins the track team at the urging of her new African American friend, Z. Z. But Ashley is so traumatized by her past that she sometimes scratches herself until she bleeds and sleeps in her armoire, even though she knows she's safe now. Worse, when her stepfather is finally put on trial for hurting her, she learns that truth and justice don't always go together. Will Ashley adjust to a better life? Will she trust enough to date Josh, the cute guy on her track team who likes her? YA readers will be caught up in the heart-pounding story of a damaged girl trying to heal herself and get on with the rest of her life.
Publication Date: 10/27/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Synopsis: Master storyteller K. M. Grant brings the dramatic saga of young love and religious conflict to a satisfying end in the final book of the Perfect Fire trilogy. As winter falls upon the Occitan, Raimon must find a way to recover the Blue Flame from the hands of the evil White Wolf. But his plan could lead him back to the pyre€”and he might not be so lucky to escape from it again.Meanwhile, Yolanda€”unwillingly married to Sir Hugh des Arcis€”is threatened by her husband's desire for a son. As Sir Hugh sets off on a mission to claim the Occitain for France, she makes her own journey through the blizzard to find Raimon, a journey that could end in disaster. As the flames rise one last time, Raimon and Yolanda's fates, like the fates of the Flame and the Occitan itself, hang by a smoky thread.
Publication Date: 10/12/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Series
Synopsis: Mina is a banshee whose greatest power lies in her siren song. She’s beholden to her boss Joey, a snake-shifter who once saved her life and now employs her as a gang enforcer. She refuses to upset the fragile balance between them by admitting that she longs for him, that his embrace is the only thing she craves more than revenge for her mother’s death…
When Mina learns that Joey may have been involved in her mother’s murder, fury threatens to spill out of her note by vicious note. She and Joey have always trusted each other to stay alive, but now she’s not sure what to believe. The evidence stacked against him—or the one man who haunts her dreams and burns her blood…
Poison Kissed is the third book in Erica Hayes' Shadowfae Chronicles.
Publication Date: 09/28/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: In Marty Martins's novel, The Blizzard, readers are taken on a journey that touches on questions of morals and ethics, and the importance of communication between parents and their children. Melanie Hondel is the all-American high school student. She is popular, pretty, and attracts the attention of more than a few boys. One of them is Chet, who Melanie thinks is handsome enough, but whose determined self-reliance she has always found a bit strange and hardly romantic. When Melanie refuses the advances of a classmate, Tommy, and is beaten by him, she flees into a blizzard, where she falls through the ice. Her cries for help are heard by Chet, who is able to save her. They find refuge in an isolated cabin, where they shed their icy clothing and huddle together for warmth...in a bed. Rescuers arrive the next day, followed closely by Melanie's father, and there is confusion and anger. Mr. Hondel insists that Chet be arrested and refuses to accept his daughter's explanation, thereby leaving everyone convinced that Chet is dangerous. What ensues is an emotional and very important story about parental expectations, the decisions teenagers and young adults must make that impact their self-respect, their confidence, and their relationships with parents and community. This is a novel about coming of age, romantic love, and the importance of trust.
Publication Date: 09/16/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: In Marty Martins's novel, The Blizzard, readers are taken on a journey that touches on questions of morals and ethics, and the importance of communication between parents and their children. Melanie Hondel is the all-American high school student. She is popular, pretty, and attracts the attention of more than a few boys. One of them is Chet, who Melanie thinks is handsome enough, but whose determined self-reliance she has always found a bit strange and hardly romantic. When Melanie refuses the advances of a classmate, Tommy, and is beaten by him, she flees into a blizzard, where she falls through the ice. Her cries for help are heard by Chet, who is able to save her. They find refuge in an isolated cabin, where they shed their icy clothing and huddle together for warmth...in a bed. Rescuers arrive the next day, followed closely by Melanie's father, and there is confusion and anger. Mr. Hondel insists that Chet be arrested and refuses to accept his daughter's explanation, thereby leaving everyone convinced that Chet is dangerous. What ensues is an emotional and very important story about parental expectations, the decisions teenagers and young adults must make that impact their self-respect, their confidence, and their relationships with parents and community. This is a novel about coming of age, romantic love, and the importance of trust.
Publication Date: 09/16/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
Think vampires are romantic, sexy, and powerful? Think again. Vampires are dead. And unless they want to end up staked, they have to give up fanging people, admit their addiction, join a support group, and reform themselves.
Nina Harrison, fanged at fifteen and still living with her mother, hates the Reformed Vampire Support Group meetings every Tuesday night. Even if she does appreciate Dave, who was in a punk band when he was alive, nothing exciting ever happens. That is, until one of group members is mysteriously destroyed by a silver bullet. With Nina (determined to prove that vamps aren't useless or weak) and Dave (secretly in love with Nina) at the helm, the misfit vampires soon band together to track down the hunter, save a werewolf, and keep the world safe from the likes of themselves.
The perfect anecdote to slick vampire novels, this murder-mystery comedy of errors will thrill fans of Evil Genius.
Publication Date: 09/06/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: The Christmas season in mid-19th century Bavaria is brought to life in the THE GLASS MINSTREL, a new, original historical novel from acclaimed author Hayden Thorne. Two fathers, Abelard Bauer and Andreas Schifffer, are brought together through the tragic deaths of their eldest sons. Bauer, a brilliant toymaker, fashions glass Christmas ornaments and his latest creation is a minstrel with a secret molded into its features. When Schiffer sees Bauer's minstrel ornament in the toy shop, he realizes that Bauer is struggling to keep his son's memory alive through his craft. At first he tries to fault him for this, but then recognizes that he, too, is seeking solace and healing by reading his son's diary, a journal that reveals, in both painful as well as beautiful detail, the true nature of his relationship with the artisan's son. In addition to the story of the two fathers, a third character is central to the plot: fifteen-year-old Jakob Diederich. The young man is burdened with his own secret; he develops an obsession with a traveling Englishman who stays at the inn where Jakob works. The lives of all three men intersect during the holiday as Schiffer tries to focus on his family in the present; Bauer struggles to reconcile his past and Jakob copes with an uncertain future. The lyrical prose and rich period detail will keep the reader engrossed from the very first page in this tale of redemption, hope, and haunting, but timeless, themes.
Publication Date: 09/01/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Synopsis: Book #1 (Lust) in Jess C Scott's SINS07 "seven deadly sins" series--a teenage version of Dirty Dancing meets Punk'd.
Summary: 17-year-old Suzie Q, smart kid and closet dance enthusiast, travels with a classmate to a world-class city for an internship program. She finds herself undeniably attracted to the suave hip-hop instructor, Jo.Zee, who recruits her into a dance fitness DVD he is producing. When Suzie sees (or thinks she sees) the real Jo.Zee, she must decide if she will trust him...or her instincts.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / YA with adult crossover appeal / 65,000 words.
* SINS07 is a series featuring lighthearted tales that explore each of the seven sins in order, beginning with lust.
* Score: 4.50 / 5 - A Reviewer Top Pick at Night Owl Reviews!
Praise/Reviews:
"Loved the playful voice, and going through Suzie Q's journey. Laced with humor, it tickled me throughout. A fun, satisfying read--liked the twist at the end! Keep the series coming."
-- Jason Ancona, author of C.Y.A
"The voice is very relatable...I was hooked, and Chester won [my] affections!"
-- Vanessa Di Gregorio, former intern @ The Rights Factory
"[The dance portions were] so vividly described that
it was as good as watching a movie."
-- Review @ My Love Affair With Books, August 2010
"[1: The Intern] turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. The Intern gets 2 thumbs up from me. And thank you very much for writing it."
-- Kimberly S., via email, September 2010
"I'm glad the author's going the light-hearted route with this. We need more comedy in YA."
-- Jennifer Hoffine, blog tour comment, September 2010
Excerpt:
There's even a freakin' roof garden at the top level. It gives an alluring, brilliant view of the city nightscape. Roxeth is a grand city, awesome by day but even more spectacular at night.
"This is so beautiful." I'd like to turn a little to face Jo.Zee, another "view" for my eyes, that wouldn't be too much of a bad thing. I'm lingering, breathing deeply, just because he smells so good. He isn't stinky in the turnoff kind of way--it's a sweet, natural, hint-of-a-sweat boy smell. I think I'd like this even more than if he were fresh out of the shower.
"I love rooftops," Jo.Zee says, taking in the city skyline. "It's nice dancing high above the crowd. Takes you to new heights."
I ask if he's ever danced on top of a building before.
"Many times...but never with somebody else."
Author Bio:
Jess's literary work has appeared in a diverse range of publications, such as Word Riot, ITCH Magazine, and The Battered Suitcase. She is currently working on the SINS07 series, as well as The Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy.
As a writer, Jess focuses on substance over short-term success with current fads and marketing hype. Visit her website for free samples and more! jessINK.com
=====
* If you enjoyed The Intern, be sure to check out Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships (co-authored by Jess C Scott and NYC teacher, Matt Posner).
Summary: 17-year-old Suzie Q, smart kid and closet dance enthusiast, travels with a classmate to a world-class city for an internship program. She finds herself undeniably attracted to the suave hip-hop instructor, Jo.Zee, who recruits her into a dance fitness DVD he is producing. When Suzie sees (or thinks she sees) the real Jo.Zee, she must decide if she will trust him...or her instincts.
Genre: Contemporary Fiction / YA with adult crossover appeal / 65,000 words.
* SINS07 is a series featuring lighthearted tales that explore each of the seven sins in order, beginning with lust.
* Score: 4.50 / 5 - A Reviewer Top Pick at Night Owl Reviews!
Praise/Reviews:
"Loved the playful voice, and going through Suzie Q's journey. Laced with humor, it tickled me throughout. A fun, satisfying read--liked the twist at the end! Keep the series coming."
-- Jason Ancona, author of C.Y.A
"The voice is very relatable...I was hooked, and Chester won [my] affections!"
-- Vanessa Di Gregorio, former intern @ The Rights Factory
"[The dance portions were] so vividly described that
it was as good as watching a movie."
-- Review @ My Love Affair With Books, August 2010
"[1: The Intern] turned out to be one of the best books I've ever read. The Intern gets 2 thumbs up from me. And thank you very much for writing it."
-- Kimberly S., via email, September 2010
"I'm glad the author's going the light-hearted route with this. We need more comedy in YA."
-- Jennifer Hoffine, blog tour comment, September 2010
Excerpt:
There's even a freakin' roof garden at the top level. It gives an alluring, brilliant view of the city nightscape. Roxeth is a grand city, awesome by day but even more spectacular at night.
"This is so beautiful." I'd like to turn a little to face Jo.Zee, another "view" for my eyes, that wouldn't be too much of a bad thing. I'm lingering, breathing deeply, just because he smells so good. He isn't stinky in the turnoff kind of way--it's a sweet, natural, hint-of-a-sweat boy smell. I think I'd like this even more than if he were fresh out of the shower.
"I love rooftops," Jo.Zee says, taking in the city skyline. "It's nice dancing high above the crowd. Takes you to new heights."
I ask if he's ever danced on top of a building before.
"Many times...but never with somebody else."
Author Bio:
Jess's literary work has appeared in a diverse range of publications, such as Word Riot, ITCH Magazine, and The Battered Suitcase. She is currently working on the SINS07 series, as well as The Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy.
As a writer, Jess focuses on substance over short-term success with current fads and marketing hype. Visit her website for free samples and more! jessINK.com
=====
* If you enjoyed The Intern, be sure to check out Teen Guide to Sex and Relationships (co-authored by Jess C Scott and NYC teacher, Matt Posner).
Publication Date: 08/17/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: When fifteen-year-old Lorraine Meriwether moves to Ocean Beach, California, to live with her dad for the summer, extreme loneliness is the worst she must deal with. Then a way-too-old American-Eagle-model guy, Harold Godwin, decides he can't stay away from her, which leads to a series of events that expose his real fangs, his real mind control powers, and his real age. While the sun is up, she cultivates a normal life of walking dogs, making new friends, and just being beachy. After the sun goes down, Lorraine explores her own super powers while Harold weaves magical stories of being captive in the medieval army of England's enemy, Duke William of Normandy. As both lives collide, Lorraine is forced to choose between them. No matter how much we wish it, life is not lived in the in between of eventide.
Publication Date: 07/21/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis:
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.
Young, fanged, and fabulous, Melissa de la Cruz's vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth installment of the Blue Bloods series.
With the stunning revelation surrounding Bliss's true identity comes the growing threat of the sinister Silver Bloods. Once left to live the glamorous life in New York City, the Blue Bloods now find themselves in an epic battle for survival. Not to worry, love is still in the air for the young vampires of the Upper East Side. Or is it? Jack and Schuyler are over. Oliver's brokenhearted. And only the cunning Mimi seems to be happily engaged.
Young, fanged, and fabulous, Melissa de la Cruz's vampires unite in this highly anticipated fourth installment of the Blue Bloods series.
Publication Date: 07/20/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Synopsis: Arielle, November, Jericho, and their friends have been through so much: the hazing ritual that left Joshua dead; November finding out that she was pregnant with Josh’s baby. But senior year is going well, and when the fire alarm goes off in English class, everyone assumes that someone is trying to get out of another quiz. But the alarm was pulled for a very different and potentially deadly reason. There’s only a matter of seconds to stop a tragedy, and all eyes are searching for someone—anyone—to step up and do something….
Publication Date: 07/06/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: The Doctor said I should be dead.My heart beat furiously. I looked up at the flashes of lightning in the sky. Yes, I should be dead.
Why wasn't I?
Seventeen year old Lisa Brown's life is falling apart. First, her mother and father divorce, then their house forecloses and now, her mother has decided to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital.If that weren't enough, she must leave sunny south Florida to attend a boarding school full of geniuses in cold, Lynn, Massachusetts. The city where the locals chant "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin; you never come out the way you went in."And, they aren't kidding.
Lisa must live in a tiny shack with two strange teenagers, a dog named Pig who growls when you look at him and a cat named Rat. "Mind the cat," everyone says. What the heck is wrong with this place?Lisa thinks she's landed in her own house of horrors with the anti-social Alex and his facetious sister Ally.
But, the real drama begins the day she is struck by lightning...
Watch the book trailer!youtu.be/yRdrGVinWdQ
Subscribe: christinaleighpritchard.com/
Why wasn't I?
Seventeen year old Lisa Brown's life is falling apart. First, her mother and father divorce, then their house forecloses and now, her mother has decided to commit herself to a psychiatric hospital.If that weren't enough, she must leave sunny south Florida to attend a boarding school full of geniuses in cold, Lynn, Massachusetts. The city where the locals chant "Lynn, Lynn, city of sin; you never come out the way you went in."And, they aren't kidding.
Lisa must live in a tiny shack with two strange teenagers, a dog named Pig who growls when you look at him and a cat named Rat. "Mind the cat," everyone says. What the heck is wrong with this place?Lisa thinks she's landed in her own house of horrors with the anti-social Alex and his facetious sister Ally.
But, the real drama begins the day she is struck by lightning...
Watch the book trailer!youtu.be/yRdrGVinWdQ
Subscribe: christinaleighpritchard.com/
Publication Date: 04/13/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Synopsis: This is the story of a fictional author who has a really different idea for a new book. Now, this author is pretty well off, but he has an idea of how to change things in his life. He feels that his life is good, so he writes a book about this idea. This fictional author goes online to a blog site where people complain about their own lives. The author invites eleven people to a private chat room to introduce his idea to them. They meet three nights a week to talk about the topics that are of interest to them: family, work, and friends. These are the topics that the bloggers would like to have an effect on. Will their active blogging on these topics have a profound effect upon their lives? Changing the Little Things, which is written primarily in blog format, contains twelve unfinished stories that are relevant to most people today. In these stories, the author points out how to find the little things in life and how to affect them to cause great change.
Publication Date: 04/12/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis:
The extraordinary true crime story of a family, a brutal shooting, and the year that would change their lives forever.
When Cylin Busby was nine years old, she was obsessed with Izod clothing, the Muppets, and a box turtle she kept in a shoebox. Then everything changed overnight. Her police officer father, John, was driving to his shift when someone leveled a shotgun at his window. The blasts that followed left John's jaw on the passenger seat of his car-literally. While clinging to life, he managed to write down the name of the only person he thought could have pulled the trigger. The suspect? A local ex-con with rumored mob connections. The motive? Officer Busby was scheduled to testify against the suspect's family in an upcoming trial. Overnight, the Busbys went from being the "family next door" to one under 24-hour armed guard, with police escorts to school, and no contact with friends. Worse, the shooter was still on the loose, and it seemed only a matter of time before he'd come after John-or someone else in the family-again. With few choices left to them, the Busby family went into hiding, severing all ties to the only life they had known.
Publication Date: 04/01/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Mystery
Synopsis: Kendra, fifteen, hasn't felt safe since she began to recall devastating memories of childhood sexual abuse, especially because she still can't remember the most important detail-- her abuser's identity. Frightened, Kendra believes someone is always watching and following her, leaving menacing messages only she understands. If she lets her guard down even for a minute, it could cost Kendra her life. To relieve the pressure, Kendra cuts; aside from her brilliantly expressive artwork, it's her only way of coping. Since her own mother is too self-absorbed to hear her cries for help, Kendra finds support in others instead: from her therapist and her art teacher, from Sandy, the close family friend who encourages her artwork, and from Meghan, the classmate who's becoming a friend and maybe more. But the truth about Kendra's abuse is just waiting to explode, with startling unforeseen consequences. Scars is the unforgettable story of one girl's frightening path to the truth.
Publication Date: 03/24/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Fiction
Synopsis: A thoughtful, funny, and layered teen novel by National Book Award Finalist Deb Caletti.
Publication Date: 03/16/10
Age Level: Mature Young Adult
Genre: Romance