Category Archives: New Adult

Cover Reveal: Waterproof

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Dying of thirst is the new reality.

Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.

Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart. A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?

In this life, it pays to be waterproof.

Disclaimer: Waterproof is a new adult dystopian with sex, violence, and language that may not be suitable for a younger audience.

Teaser

Vivienne yelled out and I whipped my head around to see what happened. The last man standing held an impressive hunting knife in his hand, while Vivienne had a fresh cut on her arm. Still, she held steady, sword gripped tightly in front of her, legs in a fighting stance.

Something stirred inside of me at the sight. Time slowed when I watched her wield the sword like an ancient warrior. It was hard to imagine that just a few years ago we were in high school worrying about football games and which party to go to on the weekend. Now we stayed in abandoned houses, scrounged for water, and spent most of our lives running. If things had been different, Vivienne and I would be graduating college this year. I had plans to go into medicine, and she wanted to be a vet. Funny how those dreams seemed so far away now.

A loud thump echoed through the now darkened night. She almost fell to the ground with the amount of momentum needed to decapitate the man. He dropped to his knees like a sinner begging for mercy, head rolling further down the hill. My stomach fluttered with admiration and annoyance.

“I didn’t need your help,” I said to her, getting up on my feet and trying not to wince at my injuries.

“Sure,” she huffed. Ripping her bandana off her face she tore it in two. “Here, wrap that up.” She nodded toward the tear in my sleeve and I stubbornly yanked the cloth out of her hand.

“I had everything under control,” I said between clenched teeth. It was the only way to mask the pain. “How did you know where to find me?”

“I followed the girly shrieks,” she said without missing a beat. I looked down at her in time to see a smirk pull at the corner of her mouth. “Let me do it.”

Once again, I allowed Vivienne to rescue me. It killed every part of that male ego inside, but I knew she’d let me do the same for her. In fact, I had. We always saved each other.

“Ow,” I said when she tightened the bandana a little too rough around my arm.

“Stop being a baby.”

“Stop showing off your man strength.”

She pulled even tighter but let a small laugh escape. I sucked in a breath at that sound, realizing how close I’d come to never hearing it again.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked, turning me around and patting her hands along my body. I froze, trying to ignore how comforting her touch felt. We’d been friends for years, and she was the only person in this world I trusted. Why had I risked so much for this run?

I stepped away from her, not liking where my thoughts were headed. “I’m fine,” I mumbled. “Stop mothering me.”

“I wouldn’t have to if you’d listen to me.” She stopped in front of my face and stared me down. I stood a little over six feet tall and she was just a few inches shorter. Together with that glare, almost any man would cower under her. “Was it worth it?”

“Huh?”

“The water. How much did you get?”

I hung my head in embarrassment. “I had eight, but they shot through one. So six, I guess.”

“Six bottles?” She looked impressed.

“No, six liters.” Silence.

“You just made me kill three men for six liters of water?”

I shuffled my feet. “You only killed two.”

She reached out so quickly, I couldn’t defend myself. Both hands pushed against my chest and I stumbled back, falling to the ground.

“I could make it three,” she hissed. “I should kill you for your stupidity alone.”

About Amber Garr

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Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of Waterproof, The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels, and the upcoming Death Warden Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.

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Blog Tour: Waterproof by Amber Garr

Waterproof Tour Button SMALL

I first fell in love with Amber Garr’s work through another blog tour of her YA trilogy, The Syrenka Series, so that when I saw she’s got an NA book coming out (we are all about NA these days, it seems), I had to jump onto the bandwagon!  So here we are… Enjoy this post & don’t forget to visit the other stops & enter the giveaway 🙂

The Book

 
A new adult dystopian by Amber Garr.
“Fantastic storyline and characters”
“Riveting”
“Hooked from the beginning”
“Intense and intriguing”
“Another stay up all night read by Amber Garr”
Buy Now at Amazon or Smashwords
Dying of thirst is the new reality.
Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart.A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?
In this life, it pays to be waterproof.
 The Author
Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of Waterproof,  The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels, and the upcoming Death Warden Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.
Stalk Amber Online:
Review (4 stars)

The concept of Waterproof really piqued my interest.  What would we do without water?  Living in Australia with water restrictions and especially now that we are coming up to the hot summer months, we really do have to be strict with our water usages: limit our shower time, only water the garden at certain appointed times during the week (limitation guided by councils), etc.  Hence, this is an issue that is always on the forefront of Australian concerns.

The opening of the book was explosive and I immediately found the 2 MC, Zach & Viviene, to be endearing.  Viviene is magnificently bad-ass –a sword wielding one, and is absolutely protective of Zach.  (can’t get any hotter than that!)  Zach isn’t completely helpless but the way he admired Viviene’s ‘bad-ness’ and the way he interacted with her warms my heart.  The relationship between them was like a beacon of light, pure & innocent, in a darkly sinister world and it was a great foil / contrast in such a hopeless situation.

The science part of the book, I thought, could be a bit over the top (and at times, it just went over my head) that I was really sceptical about it.  Although, Amber is the scientist here whilst if I see / hear science, I’d run the opposite direction, so I suppose, it’s got its potential for possibility.

I find that things are never what it seems when it comes to Amber Garr’s books.  With Waterproof, every time I thought we’re heading in the right direction, we were off track and again and again until it ended with a cliffhanger!  I can’t wait for the next instalment for this dark tale.

Guest Post
As you probably already know, I work as a scientist in my other life. Over the years, my research has often focused on the conservation and restoration of aquatic species. And a lot of that time, their issues have stemmed from contaminated water or excess pollution in the environment.
For several years, I’ve wanted to write a book about what would happen to the world when humans began fighting over drinking water. And I say began, but really, it has already begun. Do you know you have to purchase water rights in some states out west when you buy property?
Have you ever experienced water restrictions in your neighborhood? Or did you know that several countries are already considered water-stressed?
It’s happening, and just to show you how scary it is, here are some facts to
consider:
1)     1 billion people currently don’t have access to clean drinking water.
2)     3.4 million people die from water related diseases each year.
3)     By 2025, two-thirds of the world’s population will live in a water-stressed county.
4)     An American taking a 5 minute shower uses more water than the average person living in a developing country uses in an entire day.
5)     Over 260 river basins are shared by two or more countries without adequate legal or
institutional arrangements regarding water utilization.
6)     By 2020, California will face a water shortage as great as the amount they consume today.

Worried yet? I know I am. So anyway…back to Waterproof.  What will happen when the water disappears?  How will society react?  What unique science may evolve out of this type of tragedy?  All questions I’ve asked myself for years and then had a chance to answer (or hint at) in this book.

I also wanted to highlight the idea of friendship and romance rising up out of the chaos. At a time when the survivors have to fight for every second of their life, I thought it would be nice for them to find some type of comfort in their closest friends. No time for love triangles or petty games when you’re being hunted!  So as you read this book and start thinking more about the water shortages (as I did!), check out these sites to see what little things you can do so that some day we aren’t deserters running for our lives!

*Sources: www.water.org; www.worldwatercouncil.org; www.fao.org

Release Day: Waterproof by Amber Garr

It’s September 24th and that means that Waterproof has finally arrived!
Buy Now at Amazon or Smashwords
Dying of thirst is the new reality.Five years after the last drop of clean water disappeared, global societies collapsed and nuclear war shattered all hope of recovery. In a place now only a skeleton of its former self, survivors fight to avoid capture by the government. Forced to work in factories that produce the only drinking water available, those who go in, never come out.Zach and Vivienne have lived as deserters since they were teenagers. Fighting amongst their own and scrounging for the necessities of life, they’ve learned to rely on each other in every way. Yet when tragedy strikes and the true objectives of the government facility are revealed, their world is ripped apart.A fate once thought to hold their demise may be the sole answer to their survival. Who can they trust? Who can they believe?

In this life, it pays to be waterproof.
 
Amber Garr spends her days as a scientist and nights writing about other worlds. Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry kids. Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell. Amber is a multiple Royal Palm Literary Award winner, author of Waterproof,  The Syrenka Series, The Leila Marx Novels, and the upcoming Death Warden Series. When not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.


Stalk Amber Online:

Waterproof Excerpt 1

Ten more steps.
My legs ached with every jarring move, growing heavier the closer I got to my destination. The weight of my bounty pulled against me like a prisoner’s chain. If I dropped it, I would be safe. The idea taunted me as I ran through the abandoned junk yard, dodging large pieces of scrap metal and sliding over the rusty hoods of skeletal cars.
“Drop them or I’ll shoot you dead,” a gruff voice yelled behind me.
I didn’t dare turn back.  Something whizzed past my ear and slammed into the side of an old van blocking the path in front of me. A reddish dust full of steel splinters exploded in my face as the unmistakable sound of tearing metal pierced the dusk air. I’d gravely misjudged this group of deserters.
Heart hammering in my chest, I slid to a stop before crashing into the bullet hole meant for my head. Two bottles slipped from my arms and rolled underneath the van before I could stop them. Shit. There wasn’t enough time but I couldn’t go back with only those left in my hands.
I braved a look behind at my pursuers. The three men tearing after me had nothing but revenge in their eyes. If the two sawed-off shotguns didn’t represent their intentions, then the man firing the military rifle at my head made it very clear.
Another bullet slammed into the van just as I ducked down to retrieve the bottles. Footsteps pounded against the broken pavement and dead leaves, sounding more like an army than a handful of survivors like me. I reached as far as my shoulder would allow, ignoring the pain searing through my tired muscles. My fingertips brushed the plastic container just before it rolled further under the van.
“Where’d he go?” one of the men called out. He sounded close.
Dropping to my stomach, I nestled the remaining bottles under my left arm, while trying to retrieve the others with my right. After squeezing half my body underneath the van, I finally grabbed the first, then the second. Another shot ricocheted off the ground in front of me. They were trying to flush out my position and if they found me now, I was dead.
Scooping up the prized possessions I’d risked my life for, I prepared to run. Trapped between two vehicles, only one option presented itself – I’d have to get to the old cargo containers. This particular group of deserters set up their camp inside a metal scrap yard. Smart and resourceful. The dilapidated containers had been pushed to the sides, creating a barrier and providing some semblance of safety.  Although I’d slipped through them easily on my way in, my arms were now full of water bottles that slowed me down.
Water. Wars were fought and lost over it. People died. Billions of humans perished in the days leading up to the end. And now I risked my life for a mere eight liters because we’d used the last natural drop of clean water on the planet five years ago.
Metal cracked above my head.  Dust fell into my eyes and tiny pellets showered over my back like a swarm of bees.
“I’ve got him!”
I looked up in fear, only to see that I still had a clear path to my escape. Shotgun man had his sights somewhere else. Now was my chance.
Sucking in a deep breath, I scrambled to my feet and ran as hard as I could toward the narrow crevice between the containers. Forcing myself not to turn and look where they were, I ignored the shouting and distinct sound of shells hitting the ground.
Five more steps.

Waterproof Excerpt 2

Vivienne yelled out and I whipped my head around to see what happened. The last man standing held an impressive hunting knife in his hand, while Vivienne had a fresh cut on her arm. Still, she held steady, sword gripped tightly in front of her, legs in a fighting stance.
Something stirred inside of me at the sight.  Time slowed when I watched her wield the sword like an ancient warrior. It was hard to imagine that just a few years ago we were in high school worrying about football games and which party to go to on the weekend. Now we stayed in abandoned houses, scrounged for water, and spent most of our lives running. If things had been different, Vivienne and I would be graduating college this year. I had plans to go into medicine, and she wanted to be a vet. Funny how those dreams seemed so far away now.
A loud thump echoed through the now darkened night. She almost fell to the ground with the amount of momentum needed to decapitate the man. He dropped to his knees like a sinner begging for mercy, head rolling further down the hill. My stomach fluttered with admiration and
annoyance.
“I didn’t need your help,” I said to her, getting up on my feet and trying not to wince at my injuries.
“Sure,” she huffed. Ripping her bandana off her face she tore it in two. “Here, wrap that up.” She nodded toward the tear in my sleeve and I stubbornly yanked the cloth out of her hand.
“I had everything under control,” I said between clenched teeth. It was the only way to mask the pain. “How did you know where to find me?”
“I followed the girly shrieks,” she said without missing a beat. I looked down at her in time to see a smirk pull at the corner of her mouth. “Let me do it.”
Once again, I allowed Vivienne to rescue me.  It killed every part of that male ego inside, but I knew she’d let me do the same for her. In fact, I had. We always saved each other.
“Ow,” I said when she tightened the bandana a little too rough around my arm.
“Stop being a baby.”
“Stop showing off your man strength.”
She pulled even tighter but let a small laugh escape. I sucked in a breath at that sound, realizing how close I’d come to never hearing it again.
“Are you hurt anywhere else?” she asked, turning me around and patting her hands along my body. I froze, trying to ignore how comforting her touch felt. We’d been friends for years, and she was the only person in this world I trusted. Why had I risked so much for this run?
I stepped away from her, not liking where my thoughts were headed. “I’m fine,” I mumbled. “Stop mothering me.”
“I wouldn’t have to if you’d listen to me.”  She stopped in front of my face and stared me down. I stood a little over six feet tall and she was just a few inches shorter. Together with that glare, almost any man would cower under her. “Was it worth it?”
“Huh?”
“The water. How much did you get?”
I hung my head in embarrassment. “I had eight, but they shot through one. So six, I guess.”
“Six bottles?” She looked impressed.
“No, six liters.” Silence.
“You just made me kill three men for six liters of water?”
I shuffled my feet. “You only killed two.”
She reached out so quickly, I couldn’t defend myself. Both hands pushed against my chest and I stumbled back, falling to the ground.
“I could make it three,” she hissed. “I should kill you for your stupidity alone.”

Review: King Hall

king hallKing Hall by Scarlett Dawn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: eARC courtesy of Harlequin Australia via NetGalley

My first reaction after I finished the book was:

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Was. So. Very. Extremely. Frustratingly. UPSET.

Why?!??! I really needed that disclaimer that this book ends with the Mother of a Cliffhanger. Bah! How in the world am I supposed to survive waiting for the next book?! I don’t even know when that will be!

Before I began reading, I was actually in a bit of a rut and wasn’t in the mood to read (Sorry, what?!? I know, the weirdest feeling ever). However, the humorous beginning lured me right in and though I was worried that this world might be a little bit complicated at that time of the morning, I was totally sucked in by first the humour, Lily as MC, the idea of lifemates (I’m a sucker for that type of romance), and then broken hearted. Within a few chapters, King Hall has had me chuckling, snorting [eye-roll moments], and crying (well, quite teary at any rate). I was raving about it a couple of hours later at lunch to my colleague who probably thought I was a little bit nuts since we haven’t seen each other in a while but all I could talk about was this book I’m reading. Errm, I love you too  xx

King Hall is the name of a college for Mysticals (ie. non-humans / “Commoners”). There are 4 types of Mysticals: Shifters, Vampires, Elementals, and Mages. Whilst showing a united front to Commoners, Mysticals do not like to mix and each group has their own ruler. Lily is not supposed to be one. In fact, she’s not supposed to even exist. However, she and 3 other Mysticals are the next in line to ruling each groups. Whilst relationships between rulers are usually quite reserved and sometimes, strained, due to the segregation, a tragedy brought these 4 together and forged a beautiful friendship. Of course, due to their Mystical natures, they are all beautiful physically and ‘friendly’ –so there’s that very interesting aspect of their friendship.

The friendship between Lily, Ezra, Jack, and Pearl was amazing to behold. It was an unfortunate tragedy which truly brought them together but they stayed strong together, trusted each other and truly accepted each other as different as they are. This was one of the best bits of the book. Of course, the quirky, snappy, sarcastic comments were most entertaining. And any sparks between characters helps the total enjoyment of the story. There was always something happening and it keeps me swiping through to the end [Note: only available in ebooks so there is no turning to be done, only swiping ;)].

I’m a little confused with the world building though as I feel there are some things that weren’t explained properly (or if it was, I completely missed it). For example, each Mystical have different powers but what exactly are their nature? I don’t understand how vampires are walking around in daytime and have body heat though I love the significance of hair colour – just imagine what a colourful the world it is.

King Hall was un-put-down-able for me. I had to keep on reading just one more chapter till I suddenly reached the end. I hope book 2 will come soon with lots of answers to questions I had from this book though I wouldn’t mind (in fact, I would totally love it) if there is a prequel of some sort about Lily & Dominic. psst, Dawn, I may just forgive you for this cliffhanger ending, if I can have this prequel to tide me over whilst waiting for book 2 This book will be one of those I’d recommend waiting for the next book, unfortunately. Can’t you just tell how very upset I am…. 

Thank you, Harlequin Australia for providing copy of ebook in exchange of honest review

View all my reviews

Blog Tour: Derailed -A Review

Derailed

Derailed - ARIDerailed (Clayton Falls 1) by Alysa Rose Ivy

When you’re lost sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, Molly finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart Ben, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, what she finds is a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.

Review (3.5*)

Contemporary romance is really not my cup of tea. I would usually go out of my way to avoid it.  Noting that it’s been tagged at Goodreads as New Adult though, I have to confess to some level of curiosity.  Plus I’ve enjoyed other works by Alyssa Rose Ivy, I thought I’d be in safe hands.  And… I was right, I read this as a single sitting and was mostly pleased with the book.

What I really enjoyed was the mystery behind Molly’s sadness which was revealed in stages.  I like Molly’s up front (not necessarily blunt but honest) approach but what I loved most in this novel is the bittersweet waiting by Ben.  He’s such a sweetie!  I loved that he’s learned from past mistakes and figured out exactly what it is he wants and go for it.

Molly came back to town to deal with her grief and figured out what to do next with her life.  Instead, she found one who has waited for her 5 long years to come back.  I supposed, after 5 years waiting, you really don’t want to wait any longer but it all went a bit fast for me especially from Molly’s perspective.  It’s the only point of disbelief that I’d have to push to the back of my mind and seeing that it’s a pretty short novel, there’s only so much you can do.

New Adult probably fits as a ‘classification’ of this book (I’m using the term classification lightly here) as I definitely would not call it young adult due to the sexual content and yet, due to the stage of lives the characters are in, the ‘New Adult’ label does seem to apply.  An enjoyable First ‘New Adult’ for me, thank you, Alyssa 🙂

Amazon | Barnes and Nobles

About Author

alyssa rose ivyAlyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Alyssa Rose Ivy | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway – INT

Alyssa is generously giving away 1 Print set of Derailed and Veer (book 2) and 5 digital editions of Derailed.  Do stop by the Rafflecopter to enter for a chance to win one of the above!