A Tale of Two Centuries by Rachel Harris - Cover Reveal, Excerpt, and Giveaway!

A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES Summary & Cover Reveal!
Alessandra D’Angeli is in need of an adventure. Tired of her sixteenth-century life in Italy and homesick for her time-traveling cousin, Cat, who visited her for a magical week and dazzled her with tales of the future, Alessandra is lost. Until the stars hear her plea.

One mystical spell later, Alessandra appears on Cat’s Beverly Hills doorstep five hundred years in the future. Surrounded by confusing gadgets, scary transportation, and scandalous clothing, Less is hesitant to live the life of a twenty-first century teen…until she meets the infuriating—and infuriatingly handsome—surfer Austin Michaels. Austin challenges everything she believes in…and introduces her to a world filled with possibility.

With the clock ticking, Less knows she must live every moment of her modern life while she still can. But how will she return to the drab life of her past when the future is what holds everything she’s come to love?
 
Excerpt
“That’s some sexy accent you have there.” Austin says in a hushed voice—but not that hushed. A few people around us snicker at my evident discomfort, which of course only serves to spur Austin on more. “Italian, right? Mmm. Say something else—how do you say blush in Italian?”

When I ignore him, he says, “You sure do have that rosy glow going on. Normally I have to work harder to inspire something like that. Like what you see, Princess?”

“D-don’t call me that,” I stammer, blushing all the more from his brazen question and the swift resurgence of energy in my veins. “And I do not blush.”

That earns me a wink. “Sure you don’t.”

Austin looks to the front of the room and I follow his gaze. The teacher has her back turned, drawing what appears to be a map of sorts on the white board. My eyes flick to the large clock mounted on the wall. Class is nearly over, and I have managed to follow exactly nothing of the lecture.

Alas, my experience thus far as a modern day student has not been exemplary.

Though I do not wish Austin to know the effect he has on me, I cannot keep my eyes from snapping back. And when I do, I find him practically in my seat. His long torso is stretched across the aisle, and his face is ever so close to mine. Warm breath fans across my cheeks and I catch the scent of mint.

This must be what rage feels like.

Austin says, “It’s too bad that wasn’t a blush. I thought it was kinda hot.” A shocked puff of air and saucer-like eyes are my only response—having learned from Cat’s list of words the double meaning of the word hot—and the left side of Austin’s mouth lifts in a smile of victory. He settles back in his own seat and reinserts his ear buds. The pen tapping begins again, only this time louder and with more force.

I raise my chin and stare straight ahead, vowing to keep my eyes from straying to the ill-mannered jerk beside me for the rest of class. I count the seconds in time with his taps.

I do believe I hate Austin Michaels.
About Rachel Harris
As a teen, Rachel Harris threw raging parties that shook her parents’ walls and created embarrassing fodder for future YA novels. As an adult, she reads and writes obsessively, rehashes said embarrassing fodder, and dreams up characters who become her own grown up version of imaginary friends.

When she's not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, you can find her homeschooling her two beautiful princesses, hanging out with her amazing husband, or taking a hot bubble bath…next to a pile of chocolate. A Tale of Two Centuries is her second novel.
Last, but certainly not least...
A GIVEAWAY!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


No Strings Attached Giveaway Hop

Ahhh, it's time again for one of my favorite giveaways...

Thanks to Kathy at I Am A Reader, Not A Writer, I'm participating in the easiest giveaway ever. EVER!!!

All that YOU have to do is enter this giveaway via Rafflecopter. Of course, you MUST be 13 years of age or older. Also, you MUST live somewhere. I mean, you need to have an address for The Book Depository (or Books-A-Million if a US winner) to deliver to!!!

On March 12, I will click for Rafflecopter to randomly choose a winner. An email will then be sent. The winner will have 48 hours to respond to said email. I will order the winner's choice of book. BAM! Delivered! We're all a little happier!

There are a couple of things to note if you are the winner...
You will have to reply to the winning email within 48 hours or you will miss out and I'll pick another winner.
You will have to pick a book ($20 USD or less) if you are the winner.

This is just sooooo hard, huh? Whew!

So, to my friends (or people I've never chatted with before), enter below and good luck! Also, don't forget to click on the "Read More" so you can visit the lovely bloggers who are also participating in this amazingly fun and easy hop!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Remember to click read more so you can see all of the blogs participating in the easiest giveaways EVER!

Wait For You Cover Reveal (Available Now!)


What do early readers have to say about WAIT FOR YOU?

J. Lynn creates a wonderful cast of characters that will make you laugh, swoon, and cry. Cam stole my heart.” – Cora Carmack, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of LOSING IT

“For the love of all that is Cameron without a shirt on! Wait for You will have you laughing out loud, fanning yourself and anxiously waiting to know what will happen next.” – Molly McAdams, NYTimes and USA TODAY Bestselling Author of FROM ASHES and TAKING CHANCES

I don't think I have ever read a NA Contemporary novel with as much depth as this one. It really moved me and by the end I was just speechless over how inspirational and uplifting it was as well as being sexy and cute and funny and emotional.” - K Books

Wait For You is uniquely different from anything else J. Lynn's written but it might possibly be her best work yet.” – Jenuine Cupcakes

For all of you in love with Aiden and Daemon, PREPARE YOURSELVES! Your heart will have to expand a little more for Cam.” Total Bookaholic

For the love of all things CAM, this book deserves more than 5 stars.” – Mundie Moms

I cannot even begin to explain how much I adored this perfectly crafted contemporary.” – Shortie Says

Excited? Ready to see the cover for WAIT FOR YOU?

Synopsis
Some things are worth waiting for…
Traveling thousands of miles from home to enter college is the only way nineteen-year-old Avery Morgansten can escape what happened at the Halloween party five years ago—an event that forever changed her life. All she needs to do is make it to her classes on time, make sure the bracelet on her left wrist stays in place, not draw any attention to herself, and maybe—please God—make a few friends, because surely that would be a nice change of pace. The one thing she didn’t need and never planned on was capturing the attention of the one guy who could shatter the precarious future she’s building for herself.
Some things are worth experiencing…
Cameron Hamilton is six feet and three inches of swoon-worthy hotness, complete with a pair of striking blue eyes and a remarkable ability to make her want things she believed were irrevocably stolen from her. She knows she needs to stay away from him, but Cam is freaking everywhere, with his charm, his witty banter, and that damn dimple that’s just so… so lickable. Getting involved with him is dangerous, but when ignoring the simmering tension that sparks whenever they are around each other becomes impossible, he brings out a side of her she never knew existed.
Some things should never be kept quiet…
But when Avery starts receiving threatening emails and phone calls forcing her to face a past she wants silenced, she’s has no other choice but to acknowledge that someone is refusing to allow her to let go of that night when everything changed. When the devastating truth comes out, will she resurface this time with one less scar? And can Cam be there to help her or will he be dragged down with her?
And some things are worth fighting for…

WAIT FOR YOU is available now!

J. Lynn, also known as Jennifer L. Armentrout, is the USA TODAY Bestselling author of the adult romance Gamble Brothers’ series, the young adult Lux Series and award winning Covenant Series. She pretty much writes everything—contemporary, paranormal, and fantasy. All of her books have one thing in common no matter the name or genre: kissing… and stuff. When she’s not busy writing, which is never, she’s usually hanging out with dog Loki, watching reruns of The Walking Dead, or procrastinating on the Internet. You can find out more about Jennifer by visiting the following websites:




YA Paranormal Giveaway Hop (Ends 2/27/13)

This YA Paranormal Hop is hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and YA Between the Lines! Thank y'all for getting this together!

Are you a fan of Angels/Nephilim? Werewolves? Ghosts? Vampires? Aliens? Zombies? Fey? Dragons? Witches/Wizards? Demons? Mermaids?
SO many to choose from, right?

I loooooove YA Paranormal reads! This giveaway is very exciting for me!

For this giveaway, I am letting the winner choose any YA Paranormal book. This is an International giveaway!

I just need for you to...
  • Be at least 13 years of age.
  • Live somewhere that The Book Depository can ship. (If you live in the US, I will ship from Amazon or Books-A-Million for much faster shipping!)
  • Enter the Rafflecopter entries once. (No duplicates! Play nicely!)
  • Answer my email to you within 48 hours if you're the winner. If not, a new winner will be selected.


Click to visit the other blogs on the Hop! There are 166 blogs signed up!

Hysteria Review & Giveaway!

Title: HYSTERIA
Author: Megan Miranda
Source: Purchased
Challenge: Standalone Reading Challenge
Goodreads Summary & Cover:
Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.
 

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.

Thoughts:
Wow!

Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. Yes. It was self-defense. Yes. Kind of.

She feels that she is being haunted by him in her house. She can still feel him there -- see the blood stain, even though it's been cleaned. Her parents treat her differently. Her mother is on pins and needles around her. Her parents enroll her in the boarding school, in another state, that her father attended. Mallory is sad to leave her best friend, but also jumps at the chance to get away from her parents and the feeling of Brian being around her.

After arriving to her boarding school, she meets creepy Jason -- the headmaster's son. He knows what happened with Mallory. He's just all around guy you really want to slap because you know he's creep, but other girls swoon all over because they're oblivious to his level of creepiness.

We also meet her roommate, who moves out the next day...after she finds out about Mallory. She fits right in with the clique girls who ignore and make life harder for Mallory.

We also meet swoony Reid! Reid is the son of Mallory's dad's best friend. Got that?  :) The last time Mallory saw him was at his father's funeral. There was some awkwardness then. But 3 years later, Reid is there for her and is trying to be her friend.

Just when Mallory thought she had left Brian's ghost behind, she starts having the same issues at school with his memory and what she thinks is his ghost. There are noises that scare her and bruises on her shoulder. Also, she keeps spotting Brian's mother's car. So, being the genius that she is, she grabs a knife one day while she and Reid are at a diner and hides it in her room. Oh, Mallory!!!

So, remember creepy Jason that I mentioned? He ends up murdered. In Mallory's room. Her parents show up and her mom stays in a hotel with her while the police do their investigating. We have a nice moment between Mallory and her mom. Mallory's best friend showed up...only to disappear. Dun, dun, duuuuuun!

I was on my toes through this whole book! One minute, you're questioning Mallory's sanity and the next, you're wondering who is screwing with her! Megan had some great research (that she even talked about at her signing) and a great story. You must read this book!

Rating:

GIVEAWAY!!!
I am lucky enough to live close to Megan and was able to attend her book launch event at a B&N. YAY! I was very excited to meet her and buy a copy of Hysteria. I had just recently read Fracture since I knew I was going to her launch. It was great, too!

For one of my lucky readers, I have a signed copy of HYSTERIA to give away. Just make sure you're 13+ and live in the US or Canada. Just enter with the Rafflecopter!
a Rafflecopter giveaway