Author Archives:
Get to Know Leigh Michael Even More
Leigh Michael is a debut author… so you probably don’t know much about her. Let’s change that! Take a look at the 10 facts below. To learn even more, be sure to check out The Wormhole from October 8, Read Write Reviews from October 18, and Reader Girls from October 22. Enjoy!
1. I’m a Capricorn, and so is my character, Annabelle.
2. My heritage is mostly Italian and Scottish.
3. I use a different color pen everyday at work.
4. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and burning wood. Together and separately.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is my favorite Harry Potter installment.
6. My husband and I just recently jumped on board the CrossFit craze.
7. Lots of authors listen to music when they write, but it doesn’t work for me. I get writer’s block from the beat and lyrics.
8. I choose to write about the underwater world because my sister-in-law is a marine biologist.
9. During March Madness, I always pick Villanova to go to the final four (even when it’s not our best year).
10. I’ve run 3 marathons.
Do you have anything in common with Leigh? Sound off below in the comments 
Also, be sure to stop by Leigh Michael Books on October 31st for a Trick or Treat surprise!
Series summary:
Annabelle Walsh thought she had it all. She was the star of her swim team, had a loving family, a great boyfriend, and to top it off, she’d be starting at UCLA in the fall. One day, she’d be referred to as Dr. Annabelle Walsh.
She was living every girl’s dream – until her life was turned upside down. All starting with finding out that she’s not just a human, but also a water spirit. Half-human, half-sprite to be exact. Although not just any sprite, Annabelle is prophesied to be the only one who can save both the sprites and mankind.
With a mix of current events, anecdotes from Greek mythology, tidbits of folklore, and Leigh’s own imagination, we join Annabelle in her journey to restore order beneath the sea. Each step of the way her mind, body, and soul are pushed to the limit begging the question, how much can one half-human, half-sprite take?
Purchase information:
Sprite (Annabelle’s Story Part One) can be purchased at:
Amazon
Kin (Annabelle’s Story Part Two) can be purchased at:
Amazon
Author Bio:
Leigh Michael is an author of YA fiction. She’s worked within the advertising world for nearly a decade before writing her debut series, Annabelle’s Story. Leigh lives in Washington, DC with her husband and goldendoodle. Please learn more about Leigh and her works at http://www.LeighMichaelBooks.com.
Contact info:
Twiathlon! Will YOU be going?
Cinema tickets for the Twiathlon (where you get to watch ALL of the Twilight saga back-to-back including the eagerly awaited Breaking Dawn Part 2 which will be shown at midnight on the 15th November 2012) have gone on sale today. Who’s excited? Who’s going? I’ve already booked my tickets for the Twiathlon. I know, I know I could watch it in the comfort of my own home saving me some pennies and just go see Breaking Dawn Part 2 but eeek I just love the atmosphere at the cinema and the fact you’re watching it with fellow Twihards! My sister and I went last year. It was so much fun and are so psyched to be going again this year. We’re even dressing up for it. Yup! Though I can’t reveal what we’ll be wearing as these outfits will also be making an appearance at Eternal Twilight 8 (A UK twilight convention which, oh my god, is a week on Friday)! Let’s just say, I think the cinema staff may think we’re crazy when they see us!
If you’d like to book tickets for the Twiathlon, click on one of the links below:
If anyone else knows of any other cinemas that are showing it, please feel free to comment.
Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
“Everything that happened this past summer, and every summer before it, has all led up to this. To now. Every year Isabel spends a perfect summer at her family friends’ house. There’s the swimming pool at night, the private stretch of sandy beach …and the two boys. Unavailable, aloof Conrad – who she’s been in love with forever – and friendly, relaxed Jeremiah, the only one who’s ever really paid her any attention. But this year something is different. They seem to have noticed her for the first time. It’s going to be an amazing summer – and one she’ll never forget…”
With the winter closing in on us and the summer leaving us behind, what better way than to snuggle up after a hard day at work/school/college than with a good summer read completely making you forget all about the cold chill in the air, and instead sweeping you away into a hot summer filled with romance and all the joys of first loves. The Summer I Turned Pretty is the perfect choice for this.
This was such a joy to read. It made me sigh dreamily, giving me the warm fuzzies as not only was I sucked into Belly’s story, but it also had me thinking back to *that* summer when I met *that* guy and experienced love for the first time. I loved that each time Belly remembers what happens during a previous summer spent at the beach house, we’re taken back there in the next chapter to discover what happens.
There is a quote from the book that I absolutely love and I thought I would share it:
“It was a summer I’d never, ever forget. It was the summer everything began. It was the summer I turned pretty. Because for the first time, I felt it. Pretty, I mean. Every summer up to this one, I believed it’d be different. And that summer, it finally was. I was.”
I could really empathise with her feelings as that’s exactly how I felt, too, during *that* summer.
Not only is this book about romance, but it is also about family coming together, supporting each other when it really matters. There’s a moment in this story when, all of a sudden, things take a turn. You just don’t see it creeping up on you but then you realise there had been signs all along and it all just clicks into place. I can’t wait to read the sequel It’s Not Summer Without You to find out what happens next. Would definitely recommend to anyone who likes a sweet teen romance.
I rate this book 4/5!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here
Thank you to Penguin for sending us this fab book!
Introducing: Down To You by M. Leighton
I don’t know where the lovely and talented Michelle Leighton has found the time to write several amazing books through out this past year -I swear, she’s like this literary Superwoman or something!- but the time has come round once again for her to reveal the hot cover for her newest book, “Down To You” to be released on 2nd October. We at Secret Lives were so excited by this that we just HAD to share it with you too (if you haven’t seen it already, that is). Below, accompanying the cover, is also the blurb and an excerpt from the character, Cash! Read, drool (have a bucket near by) and enjoy!
“The scorching tale of one girl, two brothers and a love triangle…that’s not.
Olivia Townsend is nothing special. She’s just a girl working her way through college so she can return home to help her father run his business. She’s determined not to be the second woman in his life to abandon him, even if it means putting her own life on hold. To Olivia, it’s clear what she must do. Plain and simple. Black and white.
But clear becomes complicated when she meets Cash and Nash Davenport. They’re brothers. Twins.
Cash is everything she’s always wanted in a guy. He’s a dangerous, sexy bad boy who wants her in his bed at any cost. He turns her insides to mush and, with just one kiss, makes her forget why he’s no good for her.Nash is everything she’s ever needed in a guy. He’s successful, responsible and intensely passionate. But he’s taken. Very taken, by none other than Marissa, Liv’s rich, beautiful cousin. That doesn’t stop Olivia from melting every time he looks at her, though. With just one touch, he makes her forget why they can never be together.
Black and white turns to shades of gray when Olivia discovers the boys are hiding something, something that should make her run as far and as fast as she can. But it’s too late to run. Olivia’s already involved. And in love. With both of them.
Both brothers make her heart tremble. Both brothers set her body on fire.
She wants them both.
And they want her.
How will she ever choose between them?”
Meet Cash (Cash’s POV)
Damn, she’s beautiful!
Between this girl’s black hair, her bright probably-green eyes, her banging little body and the way she seems a tiny bit shy, I’m wishing we were alone in this room together.
Her smile doesn’t leave her lips as she runs her hands around my waist, untucking my shirt. When it’s free, she starts to pull it up.
But then she pauses. For a split second, I see her hesitate. She’s trying not to show that she’s unsure of herself, of what she’s doing.
I stare down into those liquid eyes. I don’t want her to stop. I want to feel her hands on my skin. So I taunt her, hoping to feed the feline that I’d be willing to bet is buried somewhere down deep.
“Oh, come on. Is that all you got?” I whisper.
Her eyes bore into mine and I hold my breath, waiting to see which side will win. In fascination, I watch as the balance of power shifts and the change is reflected in her eyes. They get a little brighter, a little feistier. I’ve never actually seen someone muster courage. Determination. Something in this girl refuses to give in, to back down. She’s rising to the challenge. And it’s hot as hell.
She keeps her eyes on mine as she starts to pull up my shirt. She leans in closer and I get a whiff of her perfume. It’s sweet and a little musky. Sexy. Just like her.
She has to plaster her body to mine and stretch up on her tiptoes to get my shirt over my head. I can feel her breasts pushing against my chest. I could make the task easier for her. But I don’t. I like the feel of her rubbing against me. There’s no way I’m ruining that.
Once she has my shirt off, she backs up and looks me over. She’s shy about it. That much is obvious. It’s like she wants to look, but she’s a little embarrassed to, which actually makes it more of a turn on for some reason. I’m sure every other eye in the room is watching me, watching us, but hers are the only ones I can feel. They’re like tongues of fire, licking my skin. They’re searing and tangible. Or at least they feel that way to me.
I take a deep breath and her eyes drop to my stomach. Then they flicker down a little further. She stares longer than she should, but not nearly as long as I want her to. I start to get hard.
Her eyes widen and her lips fall open just enough for her tongue to sneak out and wet them. I have to grit my teeth to keep from pulling her to me and kissing that lush little mouth of hers.
Then light pours into the room. It’s just enough to break the spell.
**Free Book! One Day Only** Star Bright by Christina OW.
“Someone won’t be winning parent of the year anytime soon either.” The edge of his lips rose in half a smile. He looked at her and then at his sleeping daughter, he loved seeing them like that, they looked perfect.
Maria stared at him, a smile automatically dominating her face. “Your parenting skills are contagious.”
Maria’s fear and hate for men is solidified by Ricky’s abuse and his obsession to kill her. In an effort to save her son, she runs away and crosses paths with Dave, a man going through his own tribulations with his wife. He is determined to protect her, and to show her that not all men are evil and that true love does exists. And he in turn, finds a woman worthy to be a mother to his daughter, and his wife.
But their dream of having a loving family is short lived when a ghost from Maria’s past comes back to take it all away from her in the most brutal and torturous way.
But Maria isn’t alone anymore and most importantly, her father finally shows up to do what he was supposed to five years ago. Protect his daughter.
You can collect for free book on amazon for Kindle HERE today July 12th, US only I’m afraid.
You can also read more about Christina OW on All You Can Read Club
Lauren x
McSwain & Beck interview the star of Lightmasters: Number 13, JESSICA T. WYRD
Read this fabulously unique interview with the character Jessica T. Wyrd from M.G. wells’ “Lightmasters: Number 13”!
McSwain & Beck interview the star of Lightmasters: Number 13, JESSICA T. WYRD.
The best 50 Shades Fan ever!!!!
Totally had to share this!
Has your mother or grandmother read 50 Shades of Grey or asked to borrow it? What was your reply?
Lauren x
Fab Giveaway over at Books: A True Story!
To celebrate one year blogging Jessica is hosting a fabulous giveaway where you can win 2 personalised signed books! Head over there now to win!
Lauren x
Star Fire Tour and Giveaway! Part 3 of The Forest Of Adventures Trilogy by Katie M John
Our good friend Katie is about to release Star Fire. The 3rd book of the Forest of Adventures trilogy. If you have followed us for a while you we will know she is one of our favourite authors!
Don’t know who Katie M John is yet?
Writer of the Amazon Best-selling YA series, The Knight Trilogy, Katie is married to a handsome giant and mummy to a mud-puddle fairy. She likes to write whilst drinking tea and eating jaffa cakes. Most of the time she lives in a fairytale world but other than that she is completely and utterly normal.
Star Fire
Giveaway
Official Website
Katie’s Twitter
Our Twitter
Katie’s Blog
Amazon Page
Facebook Page
Amazon Page
Goodreads Page
Breaking Dawn Part 2 Trailer! – S
Hello Everybody!
Lionsgate/Summit have announced that a new teaser trailer for Breakung Dawn part 2 will be released tomorrow in celebration of Edward Cullen’s 111th birthday! Judging by the new stills that have been released, hopefully there will be some more Renesmee! Look out for a post on the trailer TOMMORROW!
