Aurora Sky By Nikki Jefford Blog Tour with Exerpt

Title: Transfusion (Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter #1)

Author: Nikki Jefford

Release Date/Publisher: December 9th 2012

Genre: YA Paranormal

Purchase: Amazon-Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:

If there is one thing eighteen-year-old Aurora Sky wants, it’s to get off the iceberg she calls home. Being kissed before she graduates wouldn’t hurt either.

Then a near-fatal car wreck changes everything. Government agents step in and save Aurora’s life in exchange for her services as a vampire hunter. In Alaska. Basically she’s a glorified chew toy. All thanks to her rare blood type, which sends a vampire into temporary paralysis right before she has to finish the job… by hand.

Now Aurora’s only friends are groupies of the undead and the only boy she can think about may very well be a vampire. And if he’s a vampire, will she be forced to kill him?

Exerpt:

There was an electronic crackle, and a voice filled the room. “Welcome to initiation, Aurora. This test will last as long as you want”

I wanted out of this insane asylum. I rushed to the door and tried yanking down the silver handle, but it didn’t budge.

I turned. My eyes raced over every square inch of the enclosed room. There was a metal table in the very center. I walked up to it and looked down at the weapons laid on top: a handgun, crossbow, hunting knife, ax, and wooden stake.

The intercom crackled back to life.

“Once the subject has fed on your blood you will need to choose a weapon and finish him off.”

“What? No! I’m not killing anyone. Melcher? Let me out of here.”

“Now!” I screamed.

“Good luck, Aurora.”

I expected something horrible to occur after he signed off, but nothing happened.

I circled the table and kept glancing at the door. Trapped inside a windowless room with weapons that made my skin crawl. Fantastic. There wasn’t even a clock to track the minutes dragging by. If they planned on keeping me locked up for so long they could’ve at least put a chair inside.

I folded my arms over my chest and looked at the two-way mirror.

“What’s the matter with Dracula? Can’t find his cape?” I chuckled, but it sounded nervous.

I walked over to the far corner of the room and leaned my back against the wall.

There was a hollow knock at the door across the room. It pounded three times in succession, producing an eerie, drawn-out echo.

I wanted to crack a joke, but something didn’t feel right. My heart pounded its way up to my throat and I’d barely swallowed when the door flew open. A middle-aged man in flannel was thrown in. The door slammed shut behind him. He nearly fell on the floor, but caught himself. Long greasy hair covered his face as he bent forward. When he righted himself, I saw that his cheeks were sunken, lips bared over yellow teeth. He snarled and spit leaked out the corners of his mouth.

I stood up straight.

About the Author:

Nikki Jefford is a third generation Alaskan who loves fictional bad boys and heroines who kick butt. She is the author of the Spellbound Trilogy and upcoming Aurora Sky: Vampire Hunter series. Nikki married Sebastien, the love of her life, while working as a teaching assistant in France. They now reside in the not-so-tropical San Juan Islands, 70 miles northeast of Forks, Washington.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.nikkijefford.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5424286.Nikki_Jefford
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornikkijefford?ref=ts&fref=ts

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikkiJefford

Review: First Visions by Heather Topham Wood

Title: First Visions (Second Sight #1)

Author: Heather Topham Wood

Release Date/Publisher: May 1st 2012 by Wood

Finished: February 22nd 2012

Pages: 230-eBook-given for review

Series:

1. First Visions
2. New Revelations
3. Dark Premonitions

Synopsis:

Two years ago, 21-year-old Kate Edwards became deathly ill and slipped into a coma. While unconscious, she crept into the mind of a missing boy and awoke with the knowledge of his location. Friends and family were skeptical and wary of her new ability to see into the minds of others. Their fears prompted Kate to keep her psychic powers a secret. Feeling alienated, she dropped out of college and spent most of her days holed up at her mother’s home.

Now another child has been abducted. Police detective Jared Corbett seeks out Kate for her help in solving the case. Reluctantly, Kate agrees and they must work together to bring 8-year-old Cori Preston home to her family. Although attracted to one another, Jared has a girlfriend with ties to the abduction case and Kate is sarcastic and guarded since her coma. With visions she can’t control and an uncontrollable attraction to the detective, she wonders if she can leave the past behind and finally stop hiding from the world. Otherwise, Cori may be lost forever.

What I thought:

This book was a good start to the series. It had psychic powers, a kidnapping and mystery, and of course romance. I really liked the paranormal aspect of it too. How she could see visions of people missing or needing help was great, but the fact that they were limited and not all powerful was a nice change too. I would have liked to see the psychic powers play a bigger part though, or be used a bit more than they were.

I felt bad for Kate and all she had to go through with the press and that after she got her powers. The rest of the time she’s good with comebacks and she really does want to help others, and even if she wasn’t a strong kick-ass girl she was still cool. One thing that bugged me about her though was the fact that numerous times she apologized for her “strangeness”. I understand that she’s been a shut-in for a while and not good around people, but I wanted her to not be saying sorry for how she acts.

The other characters, her mom Darlene and Jared the detective have their own POV’s throughout the book, though it mostly focuses on Kate. I was surprised that her mom would have her own section and I really liked it actually. I also liked how close Kate and her mom were, it was cute and fun to read that they were like best friends.

Since this is New Adult  there is of course more talk about sex and a few make-out scenes but nothing else that you should be worried about. I did like this book, and I’m hoping to be able to read the others in the series at some point!

About the Author:

Heather Topham Wood’s obsession with novels began in childhood while growing up in a shore town in New Jersey. Writing since her teens, she recently returned to penning novels after a successful career as a freelance writer. In 2012, she published the first two novels in her Second Sight series: First Visions and New Revelations.

Heather graduated from the College of New Jersey in 2005 and holds a bachelor’s degree in English. Her freelance work has appeared in publications such as USA Today, Livestrong.com, Outlook by the Bay and Step in Style magazine. She resides in Trenton, New Jersey with her husband and two sons. Besides writing, Heather is a pop culture fanatic and has an obsession with supernatural novels and TV shows.

Author Links:
Website: http://www.authorheather.com/
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/275908.Heather_Topham_Wood
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherTophamWood
Twitter: https://twitter.com/woodtop255

Review: Back to You by Priscilla Glenn

Title: Back to You 

Author: Priscilla Glenn

Release Date: October 20th 2012

Published by: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Read: December 29th 2012

Pages: 328-Paperback-given for review

Synopsis:

When Lauren Monroe first laid eyes on Michael Delaney back in high school, she had every reason to stay away from him; within minutes of their first encounter, his volatile actions confirmed his notorious reputation. But Lauren saw something in him that caused her to question his bad-boy persona, and against her better judgment, she took a chance. She had no way of knowing that the unlikely friendship they formed would become so important to her. Or that it would end so painfully. Eight years later, when Lauren begins her new job at Learn and Grow Day Care, Michael is the last person she expects to see. Refusing to revisit the hurt and confusion of their past, Lauren vows to keep her distance from him. But staying away from Michael proves to be more difficult than she thought, despite her lingering grief and her instincts for self-preservation. As Lauren and Michael recall the friendship that changed them forever and the events that tore them apart, will they finally be able to heal? Or will the ghosts of Michael’s past prove to be too much to overcome?

What I thought:

A big thank you to the author for giving me a copy of this to review!

Quite honestly, I loved this book. Not only was the story great but the characters were awesome. I got attached to them fast, especially Lauren. She’s a very kind person, who’s always smiling, smart and trying her best to help others. She does have moments where she doubts herself but that doesn’t stop her. She’s the kind of person that I’d love to hang out with too.

Mike (Del) was a perfect love interest. In the high school scenes he’s that typical bad boy always getting in trouble at school, but somehow Lauren breaks through his shell and he’s softer towards her, and they become best friends. In the present he’s got many regrets from the past, especially because of what happens between them, but he tries really hard to do best for his daughter (which is an adorable kid by the way).  His childhood was hard and he went through so much, so I was really rooting for him when he meets Lauren again, and hoping things would work out between them.

The way the book was written too was nice. The chapters and sections are through the eyes of both Lauren and Michael, of which I really appreciated being able to see different sides of how things happened. We even get to see some back story as you read further, and it’s not just shoved at you right away which was good. I find that learning as you go is much better than an information overload at the beginning.

I just got swept right into the story and the lives of the characters, not to mention that the cover in person is cute. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting a sweet contemporary romance!

Review: Easy by Tammara Webber

Title: Easy

Author: Tammara Webber

Release Date: May 25th 2012

Published by: CreateSpace (this is for the Paperback version, the eBook publisher was left blank)

Read: August 11th 2012

Pages: 316-eBook

Add to Goodreads

Description:

A girl who believes trust can be misplaced, promises are made to be broken, and loyalty is an illusion. A boy who believes truth is relative, lies can mask unbearable pain, and guilt is eternal. Will what they find in each other validate their conclusions, or disprove them all?

When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup two months into sophomore year. After two weeks in shock, she wakes up to her new reality: she’s single, attending a state university instead of a music conservatory, ignored by her former circle of friends, and failing a class for the first time in her life.

Leaving a party alone, Jacqueline is assaulted by her ex’s frat brother. Rescued by a stranger who seems to be in the right place at the right time, she wants nothing more than to forget the attack and that night–but her savior, Lucas, sits on the back row of her econ class, sketching in a notebook and staring at her. Her friends nominate him to be the perfect rebound.

When her attacker turns stalker, Jacqueline has a choice: crumple in defeat or learn to fight back. Lucas remains protective, but he’s hiding secrets of his own. Suddenly appearances are everything, and knowing who to trust is anything but easy.

(Mature Young Adult/ New Adult)

What I thought:

Jacqueline’s life kind of sucks right now. She followed her high school sweetheart to college instead of doing what she wanted, and then he breaks up with her so he can sleep with other women. She’s only been with him and known his life for the last few years, so she becomes lost. Her friends were mostly his and left her side, her only companion is her roommate Erin.

Then at a party, she almost gets raped (hence the mature warning on this book). She gets saved luckily, by a guy called Lucas. He seems to know her and she has no idea why. She didn’t even notice until later that she has him in her one economics class, which she skipped weeks of after the breakup. And she has to make up the time and the midterm, or she’ll fail. She’s the kind of perfect student that never fails. Her professor gets her in contact with Landon, whom over email helps her get back on track, while flirting a tad. But she has no idea what he looks like.

Her friend Erin and another girl decide that he needs to be her rebound, since he’s gorgeous and looks like the bad-boy type. While trying to lure him in like they suggest, she notices that she’s starting to really like him even though she hardly knows a thing about him.

Buck, her attacker, tries to come onto her again, even cornering her at one point. Jacqueline didn’t tell anyone else about the attack at first, fearing no one would believe her. She has to learn to be strong as an independent woman which she’s never done before, all while working out her feelings for Lucas and if it’s just a rebound or more.

I ate this book up and couldn’t put it down, there was just something about the characters that drew me in. Erin for instance was awesome, especially when she comments on kicking junk in a self-defense class, one of the funniest parts! The romantic scenes were steamy up to a point (not over the top which was nice), and the determination from Jacqueline in defending herself and not being taken advantage of again were definitely important in her growth.

One of the most important parts of the book, was the author’s message that it’s not your fault if something like rape or being attacked happens to you. She keeps mentioning that it’s important to tell someone, and report it, even having a blurb in her acknowledgements page at the end of the book. I think this is very important, and I’m glad the author included that in her book.

Recommended for a more mature young adult audience, and fans of contemporary.