Event Recap & Giveaway: Brigid Kemmerer’s Spark Launch Party

Hi Guys! Hope you are all having a fantastic weekend. Not to brag but so far mine has been way past excellent! I was lucky enough to attend Brigid Kemmerer’s Spark Launch party at the Barnes and Noble in Ellicot City, MD today (Brigid told me she would have candy… that’s when I knew I had to go).

After picking up 2 copies of Spark at the register, I settled down in the café area with a delicious Caramel Frappuccino since I was a bit early. Soon enough the announcement I had been waiting for came over the loud speakers. Showtime!

I grabbed a seat in the back row not wanting to block anyone’s view with my height and was lucky enough to meet some awesome bloggers in the process! Alexa Abee, from Writing the Universe and Nadah from Reading, Writing, & Coffee arrived sporting these awesome t-shirts!



I’m only jealous I didn’t think of the idea myself! They were surprisingly stylish! Brigid freaked when she saw them. It was clear she was very touched and blown away by their support. Later, during the discussion, we learned that they actually made her cry! Aww… Alexa and Nadah – You two are awesome!


Brigid proceeded to tell us a bit about Spark and her writing process. I guess, not having ever written a book myself, I didn’t realize how much research went into it! She talked about how she exchanged several emails a week with her local fire chief regarding the book. It was obvious from her discussion the extent of work that went into writing Spark!

Sometimes during the discussion, it was as if I was at a comedy club with the hilarious banter between Brigid and her husband, Michael. Those two were a trip and definitely kept us entertained. She also read an excerpt from Spark involving a house fire! It made me want to pick the book up as soon as I got home. I think Carnival of Souls would have been a bit jealous though…

Then came the prizes! That’s right, you heard me, PRIZES! Brigid had several gift cards to give away to some lucky attendees. Unfortunately I didn’t win anything, but how cool is that!?

And lastly, was the signing. I picked up a copy for myself and one to give away to you guys! You can enter to win using the rafflecopter form below. Overall it was a fantastic time! Hope she will do the same when book three, Spirit, releases.

Special thanks to Brigid for having us at the party and to Amber from The Musings of ALMYBNENR for letting me know about this great event!

Giveaway

PRIZE: A signed paperback copy of Spark (Elemental, #2) by Brigid Kemmerer

SPARK (ELEMENTAL, #2)
BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Sometimes he can even control it. And sometimes he can’t. Like the fire that killed his parents.

Gabriel has always had his brothers to rely on, especially his twin, Nick. But when an arsonist starts wreaking havoc on their town, all the signs point to Gabriel. Only he’s not doing it.

More than Gabriel’s pride is at stake -- this could cost him his family, maybe his life. And no one seems to hear him. Except a shy sophomore named Layne, a brainiac who dresses in turtlenecks and jeans and keeps him totally off balance. Layne understands family problems, and she understands secrets. She has a few of her own.

Gabriel can’t let her guess about his brothers, about his abilities, about the danger that’s right at his heels. But there are some risks he can’t help taking.

RULES: 
- Entrants must be 13 years of age or older!
- This giveaway is open to US followers only.
- The winner will be randomly selected via Rafflecopter and will have 48 hours to respond to my email. If I do not receive a response in that time period another winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

YA Kindle Deals Under $5: 9/12/12

Here you'll find some of the best Kindle deals available. Some books are well known and some are hidden gems that I've found!

Here are my featured deals for the week:

All of the titles below have 4+ star ratings or are from popular series on Amazon.com.

FREE!

In My Mailbox (18)

In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. This is where you will find the most recent books I have received for review, purchased, etc. All links will take you to the goodreads page!

For Review

The Lost Prince (Call of the Forgotten, #1) by Julie Kagawa

Purchased 

UnWholly (Unwind, #2) by Neal Shusterman The Magicians (The Magicians, #1) by Lev Grossman Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

Iron’s Prophecy (The Iron Fey, #4.5) by Julie Kagawa

I’ve been trying to be somewhat conservative with my book buying habits as of late… Of course that didn’t stop me from hitting up Barnes and Noble while I was away this past week. Oops. What did you guys get in your mailbox this week!?

Review: Pushing the Limits

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Format: ARC
Source: Received at BEA
Buy It From Amazon |  Goodreads
★★★★★

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.

Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again.

I did not expect to love Pushing the Limits as much as I did! Guys, this book is seriously incredible. It is a must read for contemporary fans… Actually, I would say it’s must read for everyone! I’m not a big fan of the contemporary genre, but this book just blew me away. Trust me, this is worth it.

There is a fantastic story to be found here. Well really, there are two fascinating stories: Noah is on a quest to be with his brothers again and Echo is trying to find some sort of peace in her life after the loss of her brother, Aires, and what we will call “the incident.” She has difficultly remembering the night of “the incident,” and this book is all about her path to that memory. It was easy to see just how fragile Echo’s mind was after her episodes, aka when she remembered bits of that memory . Like Echo, I found myself consistently asking: Can she handle the truth? Will she crack? What is the truth!? McGarry writes in such detail that it is hard not to question if she has experienced much of this story herself.

The voices of Echo and Noah were completely different and easy to identify. I felt that I was actually reading from a male point of view, which can be hard at times when there is a female author. The romantic scenes were to die for. Noah’s character is not so noble at first glance, but trust me, he warms up on you FAST. Echo was real: She was flawed, she was insecure, and yet she had this inner strength that truly amazed me. Even though her world came crashing down at times, she still persevered. She was quite inspirational. Noah and Echo really complemented each other and made for a great read with dual point of views.

Despite being a bit slow at the start, Pushing the Limits, has earned its place on my favorites shelf. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone and everyone who will read it.

For more info on P.A.B.D please click the banner above!