GIVEAWAY! and Review of Angelina's Secret

Angelina's Secret 
Author: Lisa Rogers
Release Date: February 1, 2012
Genre: YA Paranormal
Published by: Spencer Hill Press
Source: I was given an ARC by Spencer Hill Press for an honest review.
Summary from Goodreads:


As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all. 

Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong. 

When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.


My Thoughts:



 Angelina's Secret is a  gripping tale of a girl that desperately needs someone to trust and believe in her.  While I was never on the edge of my seat with suspense I was still really enthralled with this story. I was kept guessing through out the entire book on whether or not I believed she was seeing ghosts(you'll have to read this one to find out for yourself). Even though I knew Angelina was about to end up in a mental hospital I still couldn't help feeling how heartbroken Angelina was when she woke up to discover that not only did no one believe her but that they all thought she was crazy. 

One thing that had me feeling so badly for Angelina was her mother, she enraged and confused me. She never once thought that Angelina could be telling the truth and it seemed to me at times that she was more upset that Angelina was closer to her "imaginary" friend than she was to her. Talk about self absorbed. I'm not sure if Lisa Rogers intended for Angelina's mother to come across that way or if I just found her to be like that. I would love to know what other readers thought of the mom. 

Overall I really enjoyed Angelina's Secret. The romance was minimal which I really liked in this book because that enabled the plot to focus more on Angelina, her friend, and her stay in the mental institution.  I haven't  read another young adult novel like this one and even though I sometimes felt like the writing was a little stiff I was still able to lose myself in the story. If you find yourself looking for something a little different than the YA Paranormal romance that is really prominent right now then I urge you to find a copy of Angelina's Secret. 

I will be giving one lucky reader my ARC of Angelina's Secret! This giveaway will end on February 1st at midnight and is only open to U.S. residents. Thanks everyone and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (1/25/2012) Onyx (Lux #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Summary from Goodreads:

Being connected to Daemon Black sucks… 

Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems. 

Something worse than the Arum has come to town. 

The Department of Defense is here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard. 

But then everything changes… 

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me? 

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…


I haven't reviewed Obsidian yet but O.M.G!!! I really loved it! I haven't written my review yet because I didn't want to just say I LOVED it over and over again so I am letting it swirl around in my brain a little so I can get the words just right. Needless to say though I am DYING for book 2! 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we (bloggers) are anxiously awaiting. So what book are you excited about right now?

Teaser Tuesday Notes to Self (1/23/2012) Notes to Self by Avery Sawyer

I began to watch for signs for Highway 44, which would take us to the ocean. I hadn't been in almost a year, which was weird since it was only an hour away. I liked knowing it was there, though. I couldn't imagine living in a state that didn't reach the ocean. It was a giant reset button.

Teaser from page 124

Miz B hosts Teaser Tuesday every week, check her out for the official rules.  I never seem to be able to stick to the rule about only 2 sentences.

I love reading teasers so let me know where I can view yours in the comments. Have a great day!

New Beginnings Releases Today (Blog Hop)

Sam Hendry is not looking forward to starting at her new school. Things go from bad to worse as the day of truth arrives and all of her fears come true... and then some.

When Sam meets a different group of people who immediately accept her as a friend, she begins to feel more positive.

With her new friends and interests, will Sam finally feel able to face the bully who taunts her, and to summon up the courage to perform on stage?

Join Rebecca Today for her online launch party here! She will be celebrating with a writing contest and giveaways! 

Here is a list of everyone joining in on the blog hop!

Congratulations Rebecca!!!!

Neurotic Thoughts: The Rise of Renegade X by Chelsea Campbell

The Rise of Renegade X
Author: Chelsea Campbell
Release Date: May 11, 2010
Genre: YA Superhero
Published By: EgmontUSA
Source: The Lovely Jessica from ShutUp! I'm Reading
Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Damien Locke has a plan: major in messing with people at the local supervillain university and become a professional evil genius, just like his supervillain mom. But when he discovers the shameful secret she's been hiding all these years, that the one-night stand that spawned him was actually with a superhero, everything gets messed up. His father's too moral for his own good, so when he finds out Damien exists, he actually wants him to come live with him and his goody-goody superhero family. Damien gets shipped off to stay with them in their suburban hellhole, and he has only six weeks to prove he's not a hero in any way, or else he's stuck living with them for the rest of his life, or until he turns eighteen, whichever comes first.

To get out of this mess, Damien has to survive his dad's "flying lessons" that involve throwing him off the tallest building in the city--despite his nearly debilitating fear of heights--thwarting the eccentric teen scientist who insists she's his sidekick, and keeping his supervillain girlfriend from finding out the truth. But when Damien uncovers a dastardly plot to turn all the superheroes into mindless zombie slaves, a plan hatched by his own mom, he discovers he cares about his new family more than he thought. Now he has to choose: go back to his life of villainy and let his family become zombies, or stand up to his mom and become a real hero.


My Thoughts:


Damien Locke, future super villain has grand plans to attend Vilmore, the elite boarding school for up and coming super villains. Unfortunately the X that appears on his thumb the night of his sixteenth birthday turns his life upside down. Now he will have to prove himself a villain or a hero.


My absolute favorite part of The Rise of Renegade X has to be main character Damien. His hysterical sarcasm had me laughing out loud more times than I can count. Truly the characters of this book were amazing. From Damien's mad scientist mother to his shape shifting ex girlfriend they just don't get better than this. 


I also really enjoyed Chelsea's ability to make me feel like I was a part of each of the scenes as if I were standing in Golden City watching the events take place instead of just reading about them. Never have I had so much fun rooting for the "villain" of a story. I am super stoked that Chelsea is working on book 2. 


If you haven't picked up a copy of The Rise of Renegade X I highly recommend that you do, and then get ready for a wild ride and a lot of laughs! 


Get your copy at B&N or Amazon
Visit Chelsea at her site here
Read some more glowing reviews here and here and here