PHANTOM by Laura DeLuca Book Blast!

Phantom by Laura DeLuca

The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

Excerpt

The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.

                                               “Let the music touch your soul.

                                                 Let the darkness make you whole.

                                                 Do not fear what is unknown.

                                                 Your true path has now been shown.

                                                 Listen to the words I sing.

                                                 Embrace the peace that night will bring.”

     As he continued to sing in his deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat faster.  She truly felt the arms of night wrapping her in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom glide along her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for more.

     She was gawking so obviously, it was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe, and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her cheeks flush to the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t embarrassment but excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning in so many directions.

      When the song was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as Rebecca did.

      “That was amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.

      “Lord Justyn,” he corrected as he stepped down from the stage.

      A few others complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and words of encouragement.

     But not everyone in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his dark garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King might have been excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being limited for many years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared at him as he passed them by.  Jay sneered and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was quick, and caught it in his hand without missing a beat.

    “I think you dropped something,” he said.

    His speaking voice was no less melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch it.

     “Hey vampire,” Tom called when Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the competition?”

     Justyn smiled, a cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”

     Miss King didn’t notice the short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them to start off the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead to trouble. The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt.  The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do whatever it took to avoid.

Purchase

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Author Laura DeLuca

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.

Blog * Facebook * Twitter 
Goodreads * Pinterest

BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/22/13
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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THE GODDESS INHERITANCE by Aimee Carter

The Goddess Inheritance
Aimee Carter

Rating: A
Release Date: 02/26/13
Synopsis:
Love or life.
Henry or their child.
The end of her family or the end of the world.
Kate must choose.

During nine months of captivity, Kate Winters has survived a jealous goddess, a vengeful Titan and a pregnancy she never asked for. Now the Queen of the Gods wants her unborn child, and Kate can't stop her--until Cronus offers a deal.

In exchange for her loyalty and devotion, the King of the Titans will spare humanity and let Kate keep her child. Yet even if Kate agrees, he'll destroy Henry, her mother and the rest of the council. And if she refuses, Cronus will tear the world apart until every last god and mortal is dead.

With the fate of everyone she loves resting on her shoulders, Kate must do the impossible: find a way to defeat the most powerful being in existence, even if it costs her everything.

Even if it costs her eternity.

My thoughts on the book:
The Goddess Inheritance was a fantastic conclusion to an amazing trilogy! Carter does not disappoint with this final installment. The plot is nonstop suspense, the characters evolve, and the pacing is perfect. It seems like Carter left the ending a little open in case she wants to return to the story some time, but this novel wrapped up all of the issues that were raised in the trilogy. This was an emotional ending, and like the other two books in the series, this novel hooked me on the first page. This is one trilogy you do not want to miss!

I really loved how Kate grew as a character in this book. She went off being a brat sometimes, but she grew and learned from her mistakes. Everyone does stupid things, but I hate when characters don't learn from their mistakes. Kate evolved into a strong and determined goddess by the end of this novel, and she finally learned to accept herself, Henry's love, and her new role in the mythological role. Henry also turned into a more expressive person. He was finally happy, and he went to great lengths to fight for his family. The other secondary characters also changed, and even the ones I didn't previously like grew on me.

The plot was extremely intense, and quite a few things were revealed. I spent the entire book on pins and needles, wondering if Kate would get Milo (not a fan of the name), her child, back from Cronus and Calliope. Carter didn't go into too much detail with the fight scenes, but a sense of urgency definitely accompanied them. The stakes were high in this last installment, and not every character had a happy ending. Some parts were extremely emotional, and I may have teared up a little bit. In an effort not to spoil the book, I'm not going to go into any more detail than that.

The Goddess Inheritance is a must-read, if you've read the other Goddess Test books, and the entire trilogy is a must-read if you haven't. Carter's take on Hades and Persephone is a unique and wonderful take on a classic myth. Lovers of mythology and paranormal romance will adore this series. 

Want to pre-order The Goddess Inheritance?

THORNHILL by Kathleen Peacock cover reveal!!

I am SO EXCITED to share the cover for this book with you guys! I can't wait to read this novel. I LOVED Hemlock, and am counting the days until Thornhill is released. Isn't this cover gorgeous?! What do you think of it? Did you read Hemlock already? Did you like it?

Thornhill
By: Kathleen Peacock
Hemlock book #2
Release Date: 09/09/13
Synopsis:
Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.

The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.

Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

TANGLED THREADS by Jennifer Estep

Tangled Threads
Jennifer Estep

Rating: B-
Synopsis:
I’d rather face a dozen lethal assassins any night than deal with something as tricky, convoluted, and fragile as my feelings.

But here I am. Gin Blanco, the semi-retired assassin known as the Spider. Hovering outside sexy businessman Owen Grayson’s front door like a nervous teenage girl. One thing I like about Owen: he doesn’t shy away from my past—or my present. And right now I have a bull’s-eye on my forehead. 

Cold-blooded Fire elemental Mab Monroe has hired one of the smartest assassins in the business to trap me. Elektra LaFleur is skilled and efficient, with deadly electrical elemental magic as potent as my own Ice and Stone powers. Which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance one of us won’t survive this battle. I intend to kill LaFleur—or die trying—because Mab wants the assassin to take out my baby sister, Detective Bria Coolidge, too. 

The only problem is, Bria has no idea I’m her long-lost sibling . . . or that I’m the murderer she’s been chasing through Ashland for weeks. And what Bria doesn’t know just might get us both dead. . .

My thoughts on the book:
While I enjoyed the character development, relationship growth, and plot of Tangled Threads, some of the writing choices got on my nerves. I saw some readers mention that the recapping of everyone's family history, powers, etc. got annoying, and I completely agree with that. It was obnoxious to read about everyone's powers, how they were connected to Gin, and how she got to know everyone. It was also obnoxious to have every single book recapped for me. Considering I'm reading this entire series all at once, I can remember one day ago, thanks. Even if it'd been years in between, I could have figured it out. Also, the same damn dream over and over again got old. Instead of describing the entire freaking thing EVERY STINKING TIME, Estep could just have Gin say, "I had the same dream again last night. The one where my family died," something like that. We'd all know what it was. I kind of feel like maybe Estep doesn't think her readers are the brightest since she insists on spelling everything out. Or maybe that's just her style. I never paid much attention to it until other readers brought it up, so I'm not sure, haha. Anyway, moving on...

I really love how Gin is changing as a character. She's allowing herself to open up and do good things again. Her self-esteem is still in the toilet, but isn't everyone's? She actually seems to regret her actions, if not because she has real remorse, then because it makes people judge her. Through this, I know that she thinks her actions are wrong, but she didn't have a choice. I feel like, given her past, this is what she was made to do. Either way, it keeps becoming clearer and clearer that she's a decent person, although her morals are different from conventional society's.

I enjoyed getting to know more about Owen in this novel too. I am completely in love with him, and if it was possible (and Gin wouldn't kill me for it), I'd pull him out of the book for myself. As it stands, I'll support his relationship with Gin because he's really perfect for her. Also the black hair and violet eyes sounds amazingly beautiful. Yea, he's my new fictional character crush, for sure. Finn wasn't present as much as I would have liked, but Bria was! I liked getting to know more about her as well. I also enjoyed finally hearing her side of what happened the night Gin's house fell. 

The plot, as usual, was intense and kept me on the edge of my seat. Even though the reminders got annoying, the pacing was still pretty spot on. I flew through the pages of this book like I have all the novels in this series. I still felt a sense of urgency, even though I knew the series couldn't continue without Gin. Like always, I was so engrossed in the story that I didn't think of that and was concerned for Gin's safety. Estep has definitely created a captivating world and intriguing plots.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to everyone. It's not my favorite in the series, but it's still highly enjoyable. 

Order Tangled Threads

Follow Friday #31

This is a meme hosted every Friday by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read, where book bloggers answer a question each week and check out how others answered it. It's a cool way for bloggers and viewers to connect and learn more about each other!

If you can't follow via GFC, then please follow via NetworkedBlogs or e-mail! :)Please state in the post if you're a new follower or old follower. If you don't tell me that you are following, then I don't know that you are. Therefore, I'll not follow you back. I would like to follow each and every one of you back, so it is important that you clearly state that you are following me and not just stopping by. When someone says, "just saying hi!" or "just hopping through!" then I have no idea if you are following or not. That means that I may or may not return the visit, depending on how much time I have. The people who state they are following me will definitely get a visit and follow back. Also be sure to leave a link back to your blog, otherwise I won't know where to go to follow you! Thank you.


Q: Happy Mardi Gras! If they were throwing the HOTTEST books off of a Mardi Gras float — what would you do to have them throw to you…?

A: Nothing. I'd rather go to the store and buy the books than be forced to degrade myself. Just my feelings on the whole Americanized bastardization of French culture. To each his or her own, though. I don't judge, but that kind of behavior is not for me. 

Pitch Dark Days Tour in Cary, NC

If you guys get a chance to go out to the Pitch Dark Days Tour with Tahereh Mafi, Cynthia Hand, Veronica Rossi, and Brodi Ashton, you do not want to miss it. The authors are extremely entertaining during their Q&A, and they are all super nice and down to earth... not to mention some of the best authors in the YA genre. Some of the highlights of the evening are as follows:

Tahereh Mafi actually broke the mic when she was talking about how her mom reacted to Destroy Me because she IS Beyonce and had been lip syncing the entire time.

Brodi Ashton and Nikki (from the Everneath series) have been in couples' counseling for awhile.

Cynthia Hand took tons of pictures of a laundry room in Stanford's dorms during the research for Boundless.

Brodi had a really hard time with the world-building in Everbound. She kept creating a place like Earth instead of a fantastical place for the Everneath. Finally, she drew the map that you'll find in the front of the book on a paper plate and created the Everneath.

Cynthia Hand actually visited Jackson Hole high school twice. The first time she went, she wasn't a published author yet, so no one knew who she was. Therefore, the principal had to coerce the kids to talk to her.

When Veronica Rossi started the Never Sky series, her husband had to inform her that Perry could only tear up once per book. Now writing for Perry comes as easily to her as writing for Aria.

Brodi Ashton created a character for Everneath that didn't make it into the final cut. She was so determined to make her editor like this character that she gave the girl a mohawk and a nose-piercing... it still didn't work, and considering I already forgot the character's name, it's probably for the best... sorry Brodi!

Cynthia Hand had a disagreement with her editor about how Boundless should start, and it resulted in the novella Radiant.

Tahereh Mafi feels that the best part about being an author is being able to live the pantless lifestyle.

Everneath in five words or less, according to Brodi Ashton: "Girl follows boy. Gets screwed."

The first book Tahereh Mafi ever wrote was about a girl with magical purple eyelashes.

Oh, and my personal favorite moment of the evening... Tahereh Mafi recognized me from Twitter!

Here are some pics of the evening:

Waiting on Wednesday #26

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly post hosted at Breaking the Spine. Here is the upcoming release that I'm not-so-patiently waiting for! 

Dance of the Red Death

By: Bethany Wiggins

Release Date: 04/23/13

Synopsis:

Bethany Griffin continues the journey of Araby Worth in Dance of the Red Death—the sequel to her teen novel Masque of the Red Death.

In Dance of the Red Death, Araby’s world is in shambles—betrayal, death, disease, and evil forces surround her. She has no one to trust. But she finds herself and discovers that she will fight for the people she loves, and for her city.

Her revenge will take place at the menacing masked ball, though it could destroy her and everyone she loves…or it could turn her into a hero.

With a nod to Edgar Allan Poe, Bethany Griffin concludes her tragic and mysterious Red Death series with a heroine that young adult readers will never forget.