2015 BOOKISH WRAP UP

2015 was a roller coaster ride when it comes to my personal life. It wasn't as good as 2014, but I'm happy I got through all the tough times. 

So, this year...

• I completed my Goodreads reading goal which was to read 100 books. I actually started with a "Read 50 books" goal, but I was way ahead and I decided to change it to a hundred. (I read a total of 102 books).
• I wanted to post more here on my blog than the previous year and I did.
• I read a lot of books in a genre I'm not familiar with. (BECAUSE OF SCHOOL XD)
• I still spent a lot on books.
• I started borrowing books from the library.
• I was in a reading slump for almost four months.
• I read a lot of ebooks.
• I wrote more reviews, but never enough.
• I almost completed the Popsugar 2015 Reading Challenge.
• I started filming booktube videos, but it's so embarassing I stopped doing it. hahaha

Bookish New Year Resolutions 2016

• Read 120 books
• Complete the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge
• Buy less than 35 physical books excluding books for school
• Finish series that I've already started
• Explore new genres
• Write at least one book review per week
• Read and review books I've received for review
• Give books I gave up on another chance
• Reread at least 3 books/series 
• Start reading the Bible
• Read Outlander
• Read Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward (I've received this book on my 17th birthday and I still haven't read it... It's bothering me xD)

Happy New Year!!!

Blitz: Next Door To A Star by Krysten Lindsay Hager

NEXT DOOR TO A STAR by Krysten Lindsay Hager

Genre: Young Adult

★ SYNOPSIS ★

Hadley Daniels is tired of feeling invisible.

After Hadley’s best friend moves away and she gets on the bad side of some girls at school, she goes to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Lake Michigan resort town of Grand Haven. Her next door neighbor is none other than teen TV star Simone Hendrickson, who is everything Hadley longs to be—pretty, popular, and famous—and she’s thrilled when Simone treats her like a friend.

Being popular is a lot harder than it looks.

It’s fun and flattering when Simone includes her in her circle, though Hadley is puzzled about why her new friend refuses to discuss her former Hollywood life. Caught up with Simone, Hadley finds herself ignoring her quiet, steadfast friend, Charlotte.

To make things even more complicated, along comes Nick Jenkins…

He’s sweet, good-looking, and Hadley can be herself around him without all the fake drama. However, the mean girls have other ideas and they fill Nick’s head with lies about Hadley, sending him running back to his ex-girlfriend and leaving Hadley heartbroken.

So when her parents decide to relocate to Grand Haven, Hadley hopes things will change when school starts…only to be disappointed once again.

Cliques. Back-stabbing. Love gone bad.

Is this really what it’s like to live…Next Door To A Star?

Book trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnLXsu2c43k

About the author:
Bio: Krysten Lindsay Hager is an obsessive reader and has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and humor essayist, and writes for teens, tweens, and adults. She is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series and the new Star Series and her work has been featured in USA Today and named as Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Teen & Young Adult Values and Virtues Fiction and Amazon’s #1 Hot New Releases in Children’s Books on Values. 

Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors and Best Friends…Forever? as well as in, Next Door to a Star. 

The sequel to Next Door to a Star (Competing with the Star: Star Series: Book 2) will be out March 22nd and the 3rd book in the Landry’s True Colors Series (Landry in Like: Book 3) will be out January 12th.

She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

WEBSITE: http://www.krystenlindsay.com/

GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8298036.Krysten_Lindsay_Hager

INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/krystenlindsay/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/KrystenLindsay

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/KrystenLindsayHagerAuthor

Buy links:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Next-Door-Krysten-Lindsay-Hager-ebook/dp/B0149HTAK0/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/next-door-to-a-star-krysten-lindsay-hager/1122588304?ean=9781680582697

Books-a-million: http://www.booksamillion.com/p/Next-Door-Star/Krysten-Lindsay-Hager/9781680582697?id=6130980443153

itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/next-door-to-a-star/id1038643741?mt=11

Kobo: https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/next-door-to-a-star

Excerpt from Next Door to a Star

“Hadley, did you see the new Celebrity Snooper blog today?” Aunt Faith asked. “Simone is in it with

Lauren Gere.”

“What? She didn’t say anything about that. Werethese super old pictures?”

“Here,” she said. “I’ll pull it up on my phone. It’s Simone and Lauren walking along the boardwalk with some blonde girl and a boy.”

“Does it say when that happened?” I asked. I couldn’t believe Simone wouldn’t have mentioned

Lauren had already been here.

Faith found the site on her phone and stared at it. “I’m not sure, but I guess it was pretty recent. Here,

look.”

Simone was on the phone in the picture and the blonde girl with them was Morgan. But what was worse  was that the boy was Nick and Lauren had her hand on his arm. Great, it was probably the same night I called Simone and she was too busy to talk. Maybe I was the one on the other end of the phone in the stupid picture. I had missed my chance to meet Lauren, and Simone never even told me when she was in town. I guess I wasn’t cool enough for her to admit she was friends with me to somebody like Lauren. Who was I kidding? A TV star wanting to hang out with me? We weren’t friends at all. I was somebody she ran to when she needed something. And Nick was probably humoring me until his new celebrity girlfriend called him back. I wanted to throw up all over the table.

Excerpt #2

Charlotte called later and asked if I wanted to go with her to the party tomorrow .I went to put on my fake tan and imagined myself walking into the party looking all tan and gorgeous, and everyone would be wondering who I was and why they hadn’t asked me to hang out with them before. Connor and Lucas would want my phone number, Nick would be begging me to go out with him, Simone would realize I was cool, and Morgan would want to be my friend.

Then reality set in. First, the fake tan squirted out of the bottle all gooey. I rubbed the cold cream all over my arms and legs and put a little on my face. Simone had said you had to wash your hands well or it would stain your palms. I wasn’t sure how to put the tanning stuff on the back of my hands without getting it on my palms and drying, so I decided not to put any on my hands at all. I sat on some paper towels so I wouldn’t get any brown stuff on my bed, but it seemed to dry fast.

I woke up the next morning and I was definitely darker. My face was kind of orange, but my arms and legs had streaks on them. It was like somebody had burned me with a curling iron. Plus, my hands looked like I had white gloves on compared to the rest of me. I couldn’t go to the party all streaky.

People would make fun of me. I thought about putting the tanning stuff on all the lighter places on my body, but then it might look like I had a disease.

I ended up wearing a long sleeved shirt and jeans to the party. Charlotte had on a t-shirt and shorts when she came to pick me up.

“Aren’t you hot wearing all that?” she asked.

“I want to be covered for the mosquitoes,” I said. “Malaria is nothing to mess around with.”

I wasn’t the only one wearing jeans at the party, but I felt like I was dressed for a winter carnival when I saw Morgan and Pilar. Pilar had a deep pink halter top on with tiny jean shorts, and she had put some shimmery stuff all over her arms and legs. Morgan was wearing a blue crocheted tank top, and she would have passed for at least seventeen. She had her curly blonde hair down for a change, and all the guys were sitting around her.

“She’s so fake-looking,” Charlotte said as we watched Morgan and Lucas dance.

Morgan seemed so confident as she moved her hips. I wouldn’t be able to dance so free even if I was alone in my own bedroom. I was glad I had worn jeans because I would have seemed like a skinny kid next to Morgan’s muscular legs.

Facts About Next Door to a Star

The idea for the book came from situations I observed back in my school days. I couldn’t understand why some girls let their “friends” treat them the way they did. Hadley isn’t based on me, but rather on a lot of things I witnessed that made an impression on me.

The Pilar character is a mix of both a mean girl and a victim of a mean girl. In the next book, Competing with the Star, you’ll learn more about Pilar and why she acts the way she does.

The first time I saw the show, “Girl Meets World,” I thought that Lucas (Peyton Meyer) looked exactly like how I pictured Nick Jenkins in my mind.

When I saw my cover, I just gasped because the cover model is the perfect Hadley. Hats off to Ashley Byland of Redbird Designs for getting that so right.

I went to Grand Haven almost every summer as a kid and teen and made several research trips, too. There’s nothing like walking the pier imagining the characters with you. I have tons of pictures—I even have the picture of the alley where Asia and Hadley see their rock star crush, Jack Brogger.

There’s a scene where Nick walks Hadley and her friends home early from a party even though it means he has to leave himself. It’s based on something that happened when I was in high school and a guy left a football game early to walk me and my friend to her brother’s car which was parked far away. I thought it was the sweetest thing and never forgot that.

When I was writing the book, I pictured Grace Kelly as Aunt Faith.

People ask me who Charlotte’s grandpa was based on and honestly I imagine a comic book strip character when I write his scenes—he looks like Ralph from Crankshaft. Oddly, I got to meet the creator of Crankshaft last spring at a writing event. I hadn’t signed the contract for Next Door to a Star at that point though, but we did talk about Ralph because I liked the storyline he did with Ralph and his wife’s dementia.

The idea for Hadley’s rock star crush came from my decades long crush on George Michael. I used the last name “Brogger” for him because that was a nickname my grandpa’s coworkers gave him.

Simone and Hadley do movie marathons of Josh Haven, but who was my Josh Haven? Well, when I was in grade school it was…Charlie Sheen. Yup, my cousin Anne and I did a movie marathon of Charlie Sheen films. Her mom even rented, “Heidi,” for us and we fast-forwarded through every scene Charlie wasn’t in. You might be thinking about the “Two and a Half Men” show right now, but let me just say, “Wall Street.” Google it, see Charlie’s beauty, and then ask yourself why my uncle would think that was an appropriate movie for a 10 year old to watch.

Release Blitz: Love & Decay: Revolution Episode II by Rachel Higginson

Today is the release day of Rachel Higginson's Love and Decay: Revolution, Episode 2. This is a serial novella, and completely standalone in the Love & Decay universe. I am so excited to share this with you!! Be sure to enter Rachel's giveaway as well and grab your copy today!

About Love and Decay: Revolution: Episode Two:

It’s not easy being a badass Zombie killer. But somebody’s got to do it. Page Parker is unsatisfied with her post-apocalyptic life in the relative safety of the research station. She knows there’s something bigger out there for her. There’s something… more. When “more” just happens to show up on her doorstep one night, she finally has the opportunity to find the purpose she’s been looking for. And the revenge. But first she must convince her overprotective family that leaving their home and fighting an evil bigger than Zombies is the right thing to do. Except they don’t want to listen.   Until the fight follows them home. Until it destroys every semblance of peace and illusion of security they’ve worked so hard for. They’re not safe anymore. And until they kill Matthias Allen, Zombies are the least of their problems.   Love and Decay: Revolution is a Dystopian Romance Novella Series about Zombies, the end of the world and finding someone to share it with. Every episode is approximately 20,000 words long and released every two weeks. Look for Love and Decay: Revolution, Episode Three coming January 8th, 2016.   

By now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble   Read Episode 1: Amazon | BN

About the author:

Rachel Higginson is the author of The Five Stages of Falling in Love, Every Wrong Reason, The Star-Crossed Series, Love & Decay Novella Series and much more! She was born and raised in Nebraska, and spent her college years traveling the world. She fell in love with Eastern Europe, Paris, Indian Food and the beautiful beaches of Sri Lanka, but came back home to marry her high school sweetheart. Now she spends her days writing stories and raising four amazing kids.    

  


Links: Author Page | Instagram | Twitter | Website   
  
Enter Rachel’s giveaway! a Rafflecopter giveaway   

BUY LINK: CLICK HERE 

Release Blitz: The Forbidden Rocker Series by Sarah Robinson

 

NEW TITLES. NEW COVERS. NEW EDITING. SAME WONDERFUL STORY!

Sarah Robinson released her first rockstar romance back in 2013, but since then, she's published a total of 3 all about sexy rockstar Logan Clay. Now two years later, it was time for a brand new cover, series title, and makeover! All 3 novels are LIVE and only 99 cents for this weekend only! Or they are FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

---

Introducing the newly branded FORBIDDEN ROCKERS series!

---

The first book in the series is a prequel called LOGAN'S STORY, all about Logan Clay's rise to fame before he found himself, or love.

PURCHASE LOGAN'S STORY:  Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA (Currently available on Amazon only for 99 cents, or free through Kindle Unlimited!) Add to Goodreads HERE! And read the synopsis below:

Logan Clay has the talent, and he’s put in the time. All he needs is that one big break, just one chance to prove he has what it takes to be a rockstar. But his musical dreams are further away than ever…

And then she walks in to his life, offering him everything he’s ever wanted – fame, fortune, and music. There’s no question that he’s going to take the chance, or that he wants to take her at the same time.

But everything is not what it seems. Will it be too late when he realizes his one big break was actually a deal with the devil in a short skirt and neon colored hair?

---

The second book is HER FORBIDDEN ROCKSTAR, where Logan finally finds love with Caroline and has to figure out how to keep it.

PURCHASE HER FORBIDDEN ROCKSTAR: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA (currently only available on Amazon for 99 cents, or free on Kindle Unlimited)! Add to Goodreads HERE! And read the synopsis below:

He’s trapped. She’s the key.

Logan Clay has never met a woman who wasn’t only after the perks his rockstar life could provide, and there are a lot of perks.

Until he meets Caroline Sanders.

Not only does she want for nothing, she doesn’t want anything to do with him, period. He sure as hell wants her, but convincing her to take a chance on him requires risking everything he’s ever worked for.

Including his music.

It’s a chance at a love he never thought he’d have. And a chance at freedom he’s not sure he deserves.

If only she’d say yes.

---

The third book is ROCKER CHRISTMAS, a sweet holiday story about building a life together and meeting the family.

PURCHASE ROCKER CHRISTMAS:

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA (Currently only available on Amazon for 99 cents, or free on Kindle Unlimited)! Add to Goodreads HERE! And read the synopsis below:

Famous rockstar Logan Clay is head over heels in love.

After everything he went through to be with Caroline, he knows exactly what we wants from his life. Bringing her home for the holidays to meet his family and old band members is the first step to that future together.

Except that Caroline isn’t as sure as he is… about anything.

Caroline has to impress her boyfriend’s parents, stop her best friend from fighting with the biker band member, and figure out her own future all in time for the holidays.

Christmas with a rockstar brings a whole new kind of caroling.

---

There will be more books in this series eventually following the other band members of Haven, so stay tuned! All 3 novels will go live DECEMBER 11th, 2015 (or sooner!)! Subscribe to her newsletter so you never miss out!

Add the whole series on Goodreads here!

Huge thank you to the beautiful and talented Author Violet Duke on designing these gorgeous covers! Check out her website, or find her on Facebook!

---

MEET THE AUTHOR

Aside from being a Top 10 Barnes & Noble and Amazon Bestseller, Sarah Robinson is a native of the Washington, DC area and has both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in criminal psychology. She is newly married to a local police officer, Justin, who is just as much of an animal rescue enthusiasts as she is. Together, they own a zoo of rescues including everything from mammals to reptiles to marsupials, as well as volunteering and fostering for multiple animal shelters.

 Tweets by @BooksBy_Sarah

Click on any of the links below to follow Sarah on social media! She loves talking to readers! Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Tsu Instagram | Pinterest | Google Plus Goodreads | Tumblr | Newsletter

Join Sarah's fan club and reader groups! Facebook Fan Club | Goodreads Reader Group  Kavanagh Legends Readers Group | Fight Club Readers Group

Review: After (After #1) by Anna Todd

Genre: New Adult (One Direction fan fiction)
Publication date: October 21st, 2014
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 582
Rating: 3.5/5

Summary:
Tessa is a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. 

But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin. With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. 

But he’s also rude—to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessashould hate Hardin. And she does—until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before. 

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn't the one for her and disappear again and again. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper. 

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? 

Unless…could this be love?

Now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

There was the time before Tessa met Hardin, and then there’s everything AFTER ... Life will never be the same.

Review:

I first heard about this book when it first came out last year, but when I found out that it was a one direction fanfiction from wattpad, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. So, even though a lot of people loved it, I still didn't want to spend my money on it. 

Now, a year later, I found it at the library and I thought I'd just give it a chance. Before reading, I had no high expectations and I told myself, I'll just read it for fun and distraction. 

Now, my thoughts...

Tessa is an innocent girl who just moved to her college dorm. She's eighteen, she's on her freshman year of college as an English major, she has a nice, gentlemanlike boyfriend at home and she's smart. 

I really connected with her character because I am on my freshman year in college as a literature student too and I don't like being around people like Hardin, Steph, Nate, etc. Tessa makes a ton of bad decisions, but I can't blame her. She's innocent, naive and she tries to fit in.

There are other characters I really loved reading about and those are Nate (Niall), Landon (Liam), Zed (Zayn), Tristan, Steph and Jace. Tristan and Steph are such a cute couple and I would like to read their story. I don't know if Anna Todd wrote a book about them, but if not, I hope she will one day. I liked Nate since the very first time I read him, but sometimes he acts like a jerk. Zed, I don't know if he's just acting friendly or if he really is nice. Landon is like the BEST guy friend ever and I'm glad he has a girlfriend and is not even thinking about dating Tessa because I do NOT ship them. Landon is too good for her. Lastly, Jace. He's such a mysterious guy for some reason and I really felt like he's a dangerous guy and I want to know more about him. 

Now, let's move on to the love interest. Hardin. OMG. In the beginning, he was actually quite fine and I was intrigued by him. However, when he and Tessa starts to 'date' and fight and makeup and then fight over and over and OVER again, he is just an asshole. He doesn't treat women right and I hate him for it. 

I do not ship 'Hessa', but if you do ship them, that's fine. I'm not hating on this book or any o the characters because I still did enjoy the story. It was a nice escape and was very entertaining. 

I do think that this fanfiction is a little bit like Fifty Shades Of Grey (a twilight fanfiction) because:

1. Anastasia Steele and Tessa are both innocent and are both virgins.
2. Even though they know how Christian and Hardin are (meaning they do not date), they still go for it.
3. Christian and Hardin don't do relationship, they are control freaks, they get jealous easily and so on.
4. Anastasia Steele and Tessa forgive Christian and Hardin even after all the BS they did.
5. Anastasia Steele and Tessa choose the 'bad guy' instead of the 'good guy'. 

And the list can go on... BUT Anna Todd's writing is way better than E.L. James, I got to say.... xD

I do not have a problem with the similarities because I knew from the beginning that I am not expecting anything mind blowing by reading this book. I was only reading it for distraction, to escape and it did a pretty good job on doing that. 

Am I going to read the rest of the books?

Well, I already started the second book, but if it's the same problems happening again and again and again just like in the first one, I'm going to give it up. 

One more thing, I know this is a ONE DIRECTION fanfiction, but while I was reading, I couldn't imagine Harry as Hardin and the other characters as Zayn, Louis, Niall and Liam. I don't know why.

About the author:

ANNA TODD is a first-time writer spending her days in the Austin area with her husband, with whom she beat half the statistics by getting married one month after graduating high school. Between her husband's three deployments to Iraq, she worked odd jobs from a makeup counter to the IRS processing counter. Anna was always an avid reader and boy band and romance lover, so now that she’s found a way to combine the three she’s enjoying living a real-life dream come true.

Blitz: Wasted by Mya O'Malley

Summary:
Do you believe that some souls are destined to be together, even through hardship and deceit?

After 9-11, Declan’s heart is torn between wanting to stay with Morgan and needing to fight for his beloved country. Knowing that the future may be uncertain, he kisses his fiancée goodbye and focuses on his mission until that dark day from which he will never fully recover. Injured in Afghanistan, Declan has lost more than part of his leg; he’s lost part of himself, now plagued in grief and guilt. How could he possibly ask Morgan to take care of him for the rest of his life, being nothing but a burden to her? Which would be more heartbreaking, feigning his own death or bringing her unhappiness every day? If only he could eradicate her from his mind and be at peace with his decision.

Morgan prays day and night for Declan’s safe return, but when his letters stop coming, Morgan knows in her heart that she has lost him forever. Morgan has a hard time believing in fate and destiny after her fiancé is taken from her. With Declan gone, Morgan’s hope for true love is destroyed, but eventually she finds comfort in the arms of another, even though Morgan’s new love knows that her heart belongs to Declan.

Will Morgan eventually be able to move on, or will Declan haunt her dreams forever?

Trailer

Author Bio

Mya O'Malley was born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, where she currently lives with her husband, daughter and three step-daughters. The family also consists of a boxer, Destiny and a ragdoll cat named Colby. Mya earned an undergraduate degree in special education and a graduate degree in reading and literacy. She works as a special education teacher and enjoys making a difference in the lives of her students.

Mya's passion is writing; she has been creating stories and poetry since she was a child. Mya spends her free time reading just about anything she can get her hands on. She is a romantic at heart and loves to create stories with unforgettable characters. Mya likes to travel; she has visited several Caribbean Islands, Mexico and Costa Rica. Mya is currently working on her eighth novel.

Buying Links

• Amazon
• Barnes and Noble
• Smashwords
• Kobo books
• iTunes

Social Media

• Amazon Author Page
• Mya O'Malley-Website
• Author's Blog
• Facebook
• Goodreads
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• Tumblr

Excerpt

Her face was the only thing that had kept him sane during his deployment. At this moment, however, thoughts of Morgan had been pushed to the side for reasons of pure survival. Declan wiped the mud from his eye with a swift movement of his hand, just quick enough so that he could see again. Booming thunder went off near and far.

Swearing under his breath, Declan closed one eye and squinted the other shut as he spied his target. Breathe. One, two, three… he could do this. The first time he’d had to shoot another man he had faltered, hesitated only the briefest of seconds, during which time the man escaped his line of sight and shot a fellow soldier in the leg, causing serious injury.

This time, Declan concentrated, aimed his M4 rifle, and fired. The distinct thud of a man dropping to the ground confirmed the target had been hit. Swiping at the sweat in his eyes from the sweltering mid-day heat, Declan gulped and struggled to his knees. Lining up his rifle again, his neck and shoulders ached with fatigue. He bit down and gritted his teeth, tasting dirt while fighting off the pain.

It seemed as if hours had gone by, when in fact, it had probably only been minutes when finally the haunting sound of gunfire ceased. Not one to trust silence in any setting, Declan mentally counted upward until he reached near fifty.

“All clear,” his buddy, Sean, called out. “All clear.”

Declan, always cautious, still maintained his position until he heard his fellow soldiers from his platoon begin to speak. Peeking up from his ravine, Declan rose slowly to his feet as the rifle was pressed to his side.

Surveying the damage, it appeared that several of their enemies were lying still on the ground. The man he had shot lay still, appearing lifeless. Another man lay several feet away. It seemed the enemies had taken off, deserting the boundaries of the mountainous terrain of Afghanistan. His platoon mates fell silent, all business as they quickly gathered their belongings to head back to base.

Declan clutched his rifle, drawing closer to his victim. Curiosity had gotten the best of him. Fully aware of his previous actions, Declan stepped even closer. He had never killed a man before — injured, yes, but never killed. This man did not appear to be alive.

His heart sped up as sweat caused his fatigues to cling to his body. For God’s sake, the man looked to have been only in his early twenties at best. What have I done? What are we doing here? Waves of nausea rose and Declan swallowed hard.

“Hey! Step back!” Sean called out. “Move out! I repeat, move out!”

Hearing his friend call out to him, Declan turned toward the sound of his voice, realizing his mistake seconds too late. He should have known better; he should have. But no amount of training can prepare you for taking another man’s life.

Glancing swiftly at Sean through tear-stained eyes, he saw the movement in his peripheral vision. Sean raced to the open dirt road. They were sitting ducks, in plain sight. The man that Declan had presumed dead, the one he had shot, raised his own rifle and fired at Sean, who dropped instantly to ground.

“No! No!” Declan spun his head back to the imminent threat, a moment too late. The force of the explosion knocked him to the ground in an instant. Morgan’s face was the last thing that registered in his mind as another shot fired, leaving his world black.

                                                     ****


Clouds scattered overhead, cries of gulls bringing back another time, a different memory, sitting here with Declan by her side. Morgan squeezed her jaw, fighting back the pain.

Months later, there was still no word from Declan. On the Internet, she had searched out his name relentlessly but there was no mention of Declan, no death certificates and his name couldn’t be found on any list of casualties of the war. It was as if he had simply disappeared, but that wasn’t possible and she feared the worst.  He was gone and there was no closure for Morgan, as his only living relatives were his mom and some family living on the west coast, whom Declan hadn’t seen in years. Even she and Declan’s old friend, Stephen seemed to be losing touch.

She could sit on this beach and watch the water forever; it was a place Declan had cherished, a place she felt close to him. Never again would her life be the same without Declan Blake. How was she going to make it without him?

The world was quiet and without joy for Morgan. Even Morgan’s mother nagged her to speak with a therapist. She didn’t see the purpose of smiling or laughing when it was all forced. Constant thoughts of Declan plagued her day and night.

Morgan nearly jumped when her cell rang. First instincts were to let the call go to voicemail, but she knew the person calling would only persist. That’s how it had been lately; she would ignore phone calls only to find tons of messages waiting.

It was Elle, calling for the second time that day. “Hi, Elle.”

“Where have you been? I’ve been trying to call you for hours,” Elle exclaimed.

“I don’t know, I’m just hanging out.”

“Down by the river again?” Elle inquired.

“Yup,” Morgan responded as she moved her foot around in the sand.

“Figured as much.”

Elle’s voice sounded odd, almost as if she were hearing her close by. Morgan turned to see her friend walking toward her on the grassy path leading to the small beach.

Rising to her feet, Morgan felt tears escape. Elle was by her side, arms wrapped around her within moments. Morgan released Elle and took a small step back.

“Oh, Elle, what am I going to do?” she sobbed.

“You’re going to live, dammit. Declan would want you to be happy.”

“How? How can I forget about him, just move on?” It wasn’t possible, she had tried, and it just wasn’t working. Even when she was at work, she was just going through the motions; she did her job, but her heart wasn’t the same.

“I think it’s time for you to see someone to talk about all of this. You’ve waited long enough.”

She was right and so was her mother, believe it or not. “I will, Elle. I will because I don’t know what else to do.”

“Morgan, you’re the strongest person I know. You have so much happiness and love to share. I have full confidence in you. You’re going to make it and come out stronger in the end.” Elle spoke through her own tears.

“Thanks, Elle. I love you.” Morgan felt better knowing there was someone on her side rooting for her.

Soundtrack - Spotify- Song Playlist for Wasted Time:

  3 eCopies of Wasted Time by Mya O'Malley

BLOG TOUR: Wind Catcher by Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

Welcome to the Brink of Dawn Tour

Authors Jeff Altabef and Erynn Altabef

My review:
This book was 'ok' for me. In the beginning, I was actually quite into the story, but I couldn't relate to the main character Jules and I couldn't find myself really liking her character even after reading the whole thing.
It got a little frustrating and confusing for me when Jules says she doesn't want to stay with her grandfather in the beginning and then suddenly she likes him and then hates him again. I just didn't really get that part.
Other than that, I really liked Troy. He was an interesting character to read. One thing I'm not quite sure though, I don't think there should be a future romantic relationship between him and Jules. I just can't imagine it and I don't ship them together.
 There were some scenes I wanted to read more about and some I wanted to end right away. Sometimes, it seems like this was just a contemporary book. I wish the paranormal aspect was more present because this just didn't bring me to really imagine the world the characters in this book live in.
Overall, this book was not bad, but it wasn't really something that blew me away. I know a lot of people enjoyed it considering its high rating on Goodreads and if you're intrigued by the synopsis, go ahead and read this book, you might enjoy it more than I did.
I gave this book a 3/5 stars.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**

About the Book

Evolved Publishing presents the first thrilling installment in "Chosen" by award-winning author Jeff Altabef, and his daughter Erynn Altabef. This fantasy adventure series is steeped in American Indian culture and so much more.

SUMMARY

Juliet Wildfire Stone hears voices and sees visions, but she can't make out what they mean. Her eccentric grandfather tells her stories about the Great Wind Spirit and Coyote, but he might as well be speaking another language. None of it makes any sense.

When she stumbles upon a series of murders, she can't help but worry her grandfather might be involved. To discover the truth, Juliet must choose between her new life at an elite private school and her Native American heritage. Once she uncovers an ancient secret society formed over two hundred years ago to keep her safe, she starts to wonder whether there's some truth to those old stories her grandfather has been telling her.

All she wants is to be an average sixteen-year-old girl, but she has never been average-could never be average.

Betrayed by those she loves, she must decide whether to run or risk everything by fulfilling her destiny as the Chosen.

"Wind Catcher is a suspenseful, wonderfully written story that will capture your attention and hold it prisoner. A book that you won't want to escape from. Brava!" - Stephen Fisher, Readers' Favorite Book Reviews

About the Authors:
Jeff Altabef is an award winning author who lives in New York with his wife, two daughters, and Charlie the dog. He spends time volunteering at the writing center in the local community college. After years of being accused of "telling stories," he thought he would make it official. He writes in both the thriller and young adult genres. Fourteenth Colony, a political thriller, was his debut novel. Evolved Publishing has published Jeff’s second thriller, Shatter Point, which won the Pinnacle Book Achievement Award for Fall 2014 in the category of Best Thriller.

Jeff's first young adult novel, Wind Catcher: A Chosen Novel will be published in March by Evolved Publishing. He's extremely excited that his daughter, Erynn Altabef, is his co-author on the Chosen Series. As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those that like telling stories.

As an avid Knicks fan, Jeff is prone to long periods of melancholy during hoops season. Jeff has a column on The Examiner focused on writing and a blog designed to encourage writing by those who like telling stories.

About the Prizes We've got great prizes for this tour including signed paperbacks AND a 6 month subscription to Kindle Unlimited! You can enter multiple times & every day if you want! Rafflecoter embed code: a Rafflecopter giveaway //widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js