Cover Reveal: The Avery Shaw Experiment & Dare Me Forever

Today, I'm happy to be part of the cover reveal for Kelly Oram's The Avery Shaw Experiment. Kelly's one of my favorite authors, so I'm beyond excited for this one! Plus, I'm just LOVING the cover! I'm also part of the cover reveal for Dare Me Forever by Paige Edward, which sounds equally amazing. So without a further ado...

The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram 

Title: The Avery Shaw Experiment

Author: Kelly Oram
Publisher: Bluefields
Format: ebook
Genre: YA contemporary romance
Release Date: May 2013

Summary:

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Teaser One - Avery

Grayson finally noticed Aiden and I on the couch. “What are you two dorks doing?”

“Learning about steroids,” I said cheerfully. “You should probably know that using them can cause acne, testicular atrophy, decreased sperm count, prostate enlargement and gynecomastia.”

Grayson looked rightfully appalled. “Gyneco-what-ia?”

“Enlarged breasts in men,” Aiden translated. “So you should lay off the juice before you have to start borrowing Avery’s bras.”

I gasped at the mention of my underwear and whacked Aiden’s shoulder hard.

Behind me, Grayson laughed. I knew he was about to deliver a comeback, but I refused to look at him. Seconds later his breath was warm on my neck. He whispered just low enough that his mother couldn’t hear what he said. “I like my bras colorful and lacey, Aves. Not sure your collection would do it for me.”

Total mortification. Grayson may be as close as family to me, but he was still one of the hottest, most popular guys in our whole school. Him discussing my bras in that low sexy voice that could stop a girl’s heart on the spot made my lungs constrict. Plus, he was right of course. My bras were all of the plain white cotton variety.

Teaser Two - Grayson

I started to leave the room but she stopped me at the door. “Grayson?” Her tone tugged at something inside me. “You really want to take me with you tonight?”

She sounded so small and unsure of herself. It was how she always sounded at school and around strangers, but never when she was at home with us. I think my brother had really broken her. I was seriously going to have to beat him sometime.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to. I know I really freaked out on you earlier, but I promise I’ll be fine. Aiden’s right.” She swallowed back a lump in her throat. “I’ll manage without him somehow.”

“Aiden’s a tool. You can learn how to manage tomorrow. Tonight’s New Years Eve and for once in your life you’re going to spend it without Aiden or The Discovery Channel.

I knew I was making progress when she cracked a smile and asked, “What about Whootylicious in 7 B?”

I thought of the luscious booty I’d originally planned on seeing tonight and sighed. “That will be an unfortunate loss, but, like you, I will just have to deal.”

I winked and then decided I’d give her ten minutes before I came back and physically dragged her out of bed.

Other books by Kelly Oram

About Kelly Oram...

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Website † Twitter † Facebook † GoodReads 

Win all four books by Kelly Oram in ebook format. This giveaway is open international, as long as you have a way to open the file.

Must be 13 or older to enter.

Enter via Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Dare Me Forever by Paige Edward

It’s the beginning of her new life . . .

Twenty-three year old Amy Miller has been responsible for her little brother ever since their dad dropped dead and their mom took off seven years ago. Now that her brother is eighteen, Amy's ready to fulfill her dream of opening her own Stationary Store. She's ready to start a new life.

But the past has a way of sneaking up on you . . .

Then an old friend comes back to town--Amy's high school boyfriend, Brad Smith, to be exact. The same guy who dropped her a week before prom, leaving her a sobbing mess in a sequined Jovani dress. The same gorgeous man who now wants Amy back and won't take no for an answer.

And the future has a way of getting complicated . . .

But when Amy meets Cliff Anderson, an irresistible Brit and powerful businessman tied to Brad's company, their instant attraction and chemistry awakens a passion in her she never knew existed. Brad won’t let go of her so easily, though, intent on seducing her yet again. Suddenly Amy is torn between her incredible first love and the most distracting man she has ever known.

*Ages 17 plus, due to sexual situations and mature content*

Dare Me Forever will be released April 2013, but you can add it to your Goodreads shelf today. 

About the Author:

I'm a romance reader and writer with my first book DARE ME FOREVER (April, 2013). I love sweet, steamy, happy endings! And complicated men. I live in Southern California with my husband and children.

Author links:

Website * Twitter * Facebook

GIVEAWAY: 

Paige is offering 3 copies of Dare Me Foever as a give-away for the cover reveal. Open to US/Can. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Waiting on Wednesday (134)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Here are my picks for the week....

V is for Virgin by Kelly Oram

When Val Jensen gets dumped for her decision to stay a virgin until marriage, the nasty breakup goes viral on YouTube, making her the latest internet sensation.

After days of ridicule from her peers, Val starts a school-wide campaign to rally support for her cause. She meant to make a statement, but she never dreamed the entire nation would get caught up in the controversy.

As if becoming nationally recognized as “Virgin Val” isn’t enough, Val’s already hectic life starts to spin wildly out of control when bad boy Kyle Hamilton, lead singer for the hit rock band Tralse, decides to take her abstinence as a personal challenge.

How can a girl stay true to herself when this year’s Sexiest Man Alive is doing everything in his power to win her over?

If you're a regular reader of this blog you'll probably know, I love Kelly Oram's books. There always interesting and well written. So when I found out Kelly had another one coming out in addition to Serial Hottie this year, I was beyond excited! Especially when I saw the cover and summary for it! Basically, I need this book now. :)

V is for Virgin will be released December 2012.

The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

“I found out two things today. One, I think I’m dying. And two, my brother is a perv.”
So begins the diary of 14-year-old Jenna SamuelsPrius and crashes instead.

Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her. Beatified. Literally. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that Casey didn’t survive the accident at all. He’s an “A-word.” (She can’t bring herself to utter the truth.) Soon they discover that Jenna isn’t just dying: she’s being poisoned. And Casey has been sent back to help solve the mystery that not only holds the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious depression and father’s disappearance.

This is one of the titles being released by the new teen line by Soho Press. It sounds like so much fun, and even though, the MC is on the younger side, I still really want to read it.

The Sweet Dead Life will be released May 2013!

What books are you "waiting on" this Wednesday? Any of the ones I featured above? Let me know below, and feel free to link to your WOWs.

Review: Serial Hottie by Kelly Oram

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Ellie’s sweet sixteen is a summer of firsts. First car. First kiss. First boyfriend. First serial-killing stalker?

Hockey-obsessed tomboy Eleanor Westley has never been the object of a guy’s affection before. So when the hottest boy she’s ever seen moves in across the street and starts treating her like she’s the center of his universe, naturally she’s going to be a little skeptical. But everything starts to make sense when girls who look just like Ellie start dying all around the city. Obviously the new guy is the killer, and of course he only likes her because he wants to slice her into tiny pieces. Right?

The more Ellie gets to know Seth the more she’s convinced he’s a psychopathic killer. The problem is he’s the sweetest psychopathic killer she’s ever met. Not to mention he’s brutally hot. No matter how hard she tries, she can’t help but fall for him. Will Ellie find true love, or will her summer of firsts turn out to be a summer of lasts.

Review:

Ever since reading Kelly Oram's debut YA Being Jamie Baker back in 2010, I've been dying to read more by her. Therefore, when Kelly emailed me about reviewing Serial Hottie, I jumped at the chance. It sounded amazing, and I was really hoping I would love it just as much as Being Jamie Baker- if not more! While I didn't enjoy it as much as Kelly's first, Serial Hottie was still a fun and fast paced read, one that I really enjoyed!

Serial Hottie introduces the character of Eleanor Westley, a girl who's preparing to have the worst summer of her life. Not only have her best friends (the Js as she calls them) left her for the summer to go to hockey camp, but they've left her be stuck with her shopping obsessed, overly girly sister as her only companion. However, everything changes when the Westley's get a new neighbors. One of those neighbors is Seth who turns out to be a super hottie as well as super obsessed with Ellie. Ellie can't deny it, Seth is pretty adorable and swoon worthy, but there's just something creepy about him. So when girls, girls who look just like her, around the Detroit area start being killed, Ellie begins to worry: is the boy from next door Detroit's latest mass serial killer? Only time and more pages can tell in this suspenseful and intriguing read bound to have anyone reading late into the night.

Ellie was not the typical YA protagonist. She was a tomboy who was obsessed with hockey and video games. She could stand her own in a fight. And she had a snarky, tell it like it is attitude. Basically, this girl had major spunk, and because of this, I found her to be such a fun MC to read about it! It was always interesting to see her get into trouble. Plus her comments usually caused a laugh or two. But mostly, I just found her to be such a refreshing change. One of the things I loved most about her character, though, was seeing her friendships and relationships with the other characters. My favorite was her one with her sister Angela. Angela was the total opposite of Ellie, and at the beginning, they couldn't relate or get along for beans. However, by the end, they end up being quite the duo, making it another refreshing aspect of Serial Hottie. Seth was someone I was always a little leery about it. He had good intentions and he did really like Ellie but he just came off just a little too creepy for my tastes...

The plot in this was full of suspense, as mentioned above. The sub plot containing the serial killer always contained so many twists and turns, and even at the last few chapters, I was still having a hard time guessing who it would end up being...there were so many possibilities. As I said before I had a hard time liking Seth, and that ended up bringing the novel down a few notches in my eyes. For most of the book, I found his obsession with Ellie to be a little weird, and honestly, there were some points were I was hoping she would end up with someone different. However, by the end, I ended up liking him a bit more, but still, he was just an odd guy.

Oram's writing was really good, though! I thought she did a great job of crafting the plot as well as the characters. I also especially enjoyed how she included Ellie's family in the book...you don't often see parents or siblings in YA too much, let alone the MCs actually getting along with them, so that was fun to see!

In all, Serial Hottie was a fun and fast paced book, one I definitely recommend you check out!  As for me, I'm now eagerly awaiting Kelly's next book V is for Virgin, which comes out this December!

Grade: B+

Serial Hottie (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads) is now out! AND it's only $3.99 for an eBook...how can you go wrong with that kind of price? :)

Source: Author- thanks Kelly!

Being Jamie Baker by Kelly Oram

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

An accident that should end in tragedy instead gives seventeen-year-old Jamie Baker a slew of uncontrollable superhuman abilities. To keep her secret safe Jamie socially exiles herself, earning the title of Rocklin High's resident ice queen. But during a supercharged encounter with star quarterback Ryan Miller she literally kisses anonymity goodbye. Now the annoyingly irresistible Ryan will stop at nothing to melt the heart of the ice queen and find out what makes her so special. Unfortunately, Ryan is not the only person on to her secret. Will Jamie learn to contain her unstable powers before being discovered by the media or turned into a government lab rat? More importantly, can she throw Ryan Miller off her trail before falling in love with him?

Review:

Have you ever had one of those moments were you just looked at a book and just knew you would love it? Well, that's the feeling I had when I first saw Being Jamie Baker, a book about a girl who ends up with some superhero powers while loosing almost everything else worthwhile in her life. And yeah, I know I talk about having those kind of moments a lot, but for Being Jamie Baker I just knew 100% I was going to do adore it. And guess what? I was 150% correct. Because Being Jamie Baker is a superb book, one that was even BETTER than I expected, left with me with a bunch of emotions, and had one of the best teen romances I've ever read about.


Jamie Baker is the not only the ice queen loner of her school but the person most talked about, a girl who everyone is afraid of but yet in awe of. And that's just how Jamie likes it, because ever since the fatal accident that changed her life forever and made her into a superhero being, she's decided that it's best to have that kind of surface for people to see. Since with her nearly uncontrollable powers, the thing she needs least now, in her opinion, is to get close to anyone, especially Ryan Miller, the most popular and nice guy around. Though that all changes after one extraordinary kiss that leaves Ryan and her breathless, and the former of the two deciding to stop at nothing to make the old Jamie Baker come out again. And to tell the truth, Jamie likes him, a lot actually, but she can't let him in, right? I really liked Jamie, even though she was one character that I wanted to shake on the shoulders sometimes because of her ways of living, or not living actually, post-accident. But really all that did was make me root for her even more, especially in cases that involved the swoon-worthy Ryan Miller. Ryan Miller was another character that made this book superb, not only because of who sweet his romance was with Jamie but how he would stop at nothing to help her recover from the accident.

One of my favorite parts of this book was learning more about Jamie's incredible super powers. Because not only were they fun to learn more about but they left for many suspenseful moments were you truly wondered if Jamie and Ryan were going to make it through all this chaos alive. Adding to this, Kelly did a fantastic job of creating the plot and characters in a way that they fully stood on their own, and her smooth writing was even better.
In all, Being Jamie Baker is a fantastic superhero type book that is sure to appease to fans of Meg Cabot, Simone Elkeles, and Sarah Cross.


Grade: A

Being Jamie Baker is now out!

Source: Author. Thanks, Kelly!

Book Trailer: