{Cover Reveal} What Remains by Nicole R. Taylor

What Remains

by Nicole R. Taylor

Publication Date: October 15, 2013

Genres: Adult, Post-Apocalyptic

Goodreads | Amazon | Smashwords

I’d never known true darkness until the lights went out.

I had never known what it was to be hungry.
Everyone I ever knew was dead. If they weren’t, then they wished they were.
I know I did.

Prue Ashford has been surviving alone in the Australian bush for the last three years. After an unknown virus wiped out most of the human population, she escaped the chaos and hid. Every town and city was locked down into quarantine, but that only led to the inevitable. Death.

Living off the land, avoiding other survivors turned bad, she’s led a lonely life, surviving on the edge of a very narrow cliff. The moment she begins to lose hope is when she meets the handsome and enigmatic Shaw. He’s the first human being she’s seen in three years that hasn’t tried to kill her and she doesn’t dare to hope. She’d given up finding anyone alive that still had goodness inside of them.

Her only option if she wants to live is to trust Shaw and he takes her to the isolated community he calls home. Being among people again is it’s own challenge and Prue finds herself tested on every front. Making friends was never easy for her and making them after an apocalypse is even harder.

Hannah, the town’s apprentice doctor, becomes the closest thing Prue has to a best friend and Nan fast becomes her surrogate mother. Shaw brings feelings to the surface that she would rather forget and Eva, the mayor’s daughter, seems hell bent on making her life a living hell.

In the end, Prue must make a decision. Stay in the town at the end of the world and learn how to love again, or go back into the wasteland of human civilisation and go it alone.

What Remains is a gritty story of human survival. When society crumbles and chaos reigns, people become desperate. They turn to violence and resort to extreme measures to go on living. Parts of this story may be confronting for some people. It contains violent situations staged by desperate people, the extremes that people go to to show their love and a dose of bad language. It’s recommended for readers 18 and up.

About The Author

Nicole R. Taylor is a Paranormal, Urban Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author from country Victoria, Australia. Previously, she has written for various small street press music and entertainment publications as a gig and album reviewer before publishing her first Urban Fantasy novel in early 2013. When she isn't writing, Nicole likes to spend time curled up with a good book and her 3-year-old rescue cat, Burger. She gets itchy feet more often than not and has lived in three countries and travelled to three times as many.

Author Links:

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Waiting on: Archetype by M.D. Waters

Archetype

by M.D. Waters

Expected Publication: February 6, 2014 by Dutton Adult

Introducing a breathtakingly inventive futuristic suspense novel about one woman who rebels against everything she is told to believe.

Emma wakes in a hospital, with no memory of what came before. Her husband, Declan, a powerful, seductive man, provides her with new memories, but her dreams contradict his stories, showing her a past life she can’t believe possible: memories of war, of a camp where girls are trained to be wives, of love for another man. Something inside her tells her not to speak of this, but she does not know why. She only knows she is at war with herself.

Suppressing those dreams during daylight hours, Emma lets Declan mold her into a happily married woman and begins to fall in love with him. But the day Noah stands before her, the line between her reality and dreams shatters.

In a future where women are a rare commodity, Emma fights for freedom but is held captive by the love of two men—one her husband, the other her worst enemy. If only she could remember which is which. . . .

The first novel in a two-part series, Archetype heralds the arrival of a truly memorable character—and the talented author who created her.

Why I Can't Wait To Read This:

Wow - that description is great! The idea that women are trained to be wives, memory-wiped, and then sold to a random man sounds so insane! But yes, I still wanna read about it...and it's already been garnering some good reviews from ARCs.

What do you think?

And if you haven't done so already, feel free to join in and link-up your own Waiting on Wednesday post at Breaking The Spine.

{Entangled Ever After} One Thousand And One Nights by Ruth Browne

Amazon | Goodreads | B&N

Sheri spends her days fighting zombies and her nights chained to a wall, earning her every breath by telling stories to her captor Aleksy—stories that make them both forget the ruined world. Sheri could put up with the conditions—at least she knows her sister is safe in the community Aleksy leads—until she realizes she’s falling for him...even though he wants her dead.

When Aleksy allowed Sheri and her sister into his compound, he didn’t know about the zombie bite on her back. It's only a matter of time before she turns into one of the rising dead and threatens their existence, but Aleksy has a secret need for Sheri and her stories. For everyone’s safety, he chains her to his bedroom wall, hoping for just one more day. But how long will the community allow Aleksy to ignore his own rule: always kill the infected. Always.

Guest Post:

Fairytales, Zombies and Romantic BDSM

Hello, hello. I'm the author of One Thousand and One Nights, soon to be published by the Ever After line of Entangled. I live in South Africa, which is a country, and I write and review fiction while studying law.

1001 Nights adapts and retells the story of Scheherazade, the mythical Persian queen who escaped beheading at the hands of her jilted, homicidal husband Shahryar (in Persian, “king”) by telling him bedtime stories. In his original form, Shahryar inspires about as much empathy as Ted Bundy. Surrounded by man-eating corpses, protecting his own tiny island of the living, Aleksy (in Greek/Polish, “defender of mankind”) was my attempt to salvage the King from his misogynistic past. He hates and fears his Scheherazade, Sheri, because she's tainted by a zombie-bite, but still human. The feeling of just subsisting from day to day translates well to an updated version: Aleksy tries to keep going in a world that's betrayed him, and Sheri lives with the constant fear of death and undeath.

I first called it One Thousand and One Corpses, but the publisher wanted more romance, less out-and-out horror. I also gave it a subtitle, Sheri and the King, which probably tells you more about my upbringing on Broadway musicals than you wanted to know. I balance that out with a zombie obsession that gave me chills all the way through Max Brooks' World War Z. In fact, I'd pay to watch a zombie musical, preferably written and directed by Richard O'Brien. It'd take about twenty years for a decent production to find its way to Cape Town, South Africa, but I'll fund the Kickstarter campaign and wait.

Doing research for this story was a pleasure. I read the tales of Sinbad, explored the different translations and took a closer look at some traditional fairytales. These stories and their Disney reboots cause me equal amounts of delight and righteous anger. Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, The Little Mermaid: if there's any message there, it's that women should be hetero, beautiful and probably silent. Even better, asleep. One of my favourites is Beauty and the Beast, which tells the story of a spoilt daydreamer, imprisoned and blackmailed until she falls in love with her abuser. I'm writing the BDSM version right now. It's empowering. At least a Belle who reads the Marquis de Sade and dreams about whippings wants everything she gets.

Sure, I'm a feminist. I believe in “the radical notion that women are people”, in the words of Cheris Kramarae. I had some interesting discussions with my editors on this point, especially as regards Sheri and her boundless enthusiasm for sex. I adore the erotica written by Remittance Girl, who takes a similar approach to liberated female sexuality as Greta Christina, a fantastic atheist blogger and sex writer. I wanted my story to reflect these concerns of mine, and I'd welcome any comments on this subject.

Fairytales, zombies, (romantic) BDSM and feminism are themes that run through 1001 Nights. But the story's also just playful pop fiction that I wrote for fun. I hope you enjoy the reading as much as I enjoyed the writing.  

Author Links:

  

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

Amazon | Goodreads

A haunted house, a buried mystery, and a very angry ghost make this one unforgettable thriller.

Jade loves the house she's just moved into with her family. She doesn't even mind being the new girl at the high school: It's a fresh start, and there's that one guy with the dreamy blue eyes. . . . But then things begin happening. Strange, otherworldly things. Jade's little brother claims to see a glimmering girl in his room. Jade's jewelry gets moved around, as if by an invisible hand. Kids at school whisper behind her back like they know something she doesn't.

Soon, Jade must face an impossible fact: that her perfect house is haunted. Haunted by a ghost who's seeking not just vengeance, but the truth. The ghost of a girl who ruled Jade's school — until her untimely death last year. It's up to Jade to put the pieces together before her own life is at stake. As Jade investigates the mystery, she discovers that her new friends in town have more than a few deep, dark secrets. But is one of them a murderer?

It's been a long time since I've actually read a ghost story, which is surprising, because as a kid I had a bit of an addiction to ghost stories - Goosebumps, The Dollhouse Murders, and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark were some of my favorites. Something about them was just spine-tingling, and they were a lot of fun to read in the dark of night. Kim Harrington's The Dead and Buried was, for me, a great reminder of what made ghost stories so enjoyable to me as a child, while still staying relevant for me now that I'm older.

Not only was there a spooky atmosphere with a psychotic mean-girl haunting the new home of our protagonist, Jade, but there was also a cute romance, a sweet friendship, and an intriguing who-dunnit mystery interwoven throughout the story. I had fun trying to find out who murdered Kayla Sloane (Jade's unwanted ghost) and also discovering that I was correct with my deductions! In my opinion, a good mystery is neither extremely obvious or insanely difficult, but something that can be solved when taking the time to actually examine the clues, which is what I enjoyed about this book.

Another thing I liked was that Jade collected gemstones and knew the meanings behind each one (like emeralds, which are lucky for love, and onyx, which can defend against negativity). It was my first time reading about a character with a hobby like that, and it was fun to learn about the properties about the various stones - I even started to research them a bit more online afterwards, and when a book gets me interested in researching something I've read about, it's a definite win.

I do have to say, however, that I wished the ending had gone on just a bit further. Everything wrapped up well enough, but I felt that it was just a bit too abrupt. Jade's resolution with her stepmother, Marie, was also a bit too corny for me. Thus, I have to give this book 4 stars rather than 5. But it was still a fun read, and is a perfect choice for an October/Halloween read!

R.I.P. VIII

Okay, so maybe this challenge started in September, but I've really been in the mood to participate in a Halloween-ish reading challenge this month, and I wasn't having any luck finding anything until I stumbled across R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VIII, or R.I.P. VIII, an event hosted by Carl @ Stainless Steel Droppings. I new I couldn't pass up the chance to join in, especially since the challenges can easily be completed in one month, so I'm okay joining in halfway through. Here's where I'll be tracking my progress:

"Read four books, any length, that you feel fit (the very broad definitions) of R.I.P. literature. It could be King or Conan Doyle, Penny or Poe, Chandler or Collins, Lovecraft or Leroux…or anyone in between."

Goal: Read 4 Spooky Novels

1) The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington

2) Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn

3) Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

4)

"I am a big fan of short stories and my desire for them is perhaps no greater than in Autumn. I see Poe and Lovecraft in my future for sure, and some Angela Carter. You can read short stories any time during the challenge."

Goal: Read 3 Creepy Short Stories

1)

2)

3)

"This is for those of us that like to watch suitably scary, eerie, mysterious gothic fare during this time of year. It may be something on the small screen or large. It might be a television show, like Dark Shadows or Midsomer Murders, or your favorite film."

Goal: Watch 5 Scary Movies

1) House At The End Of The Street (2012)

2) The Conjuring (2013)

3) House On Haunted Hill (1959)

4)

5)

And if any of you know if there are any other reading challenges going on this month that are Halloween-related, please let me know so I can check them out - the Halloween season is one of my favorite times of the year!


***Edit: My new job really has been taking up a lot of my time, and since I have to get up insanely early for work because I take the bus, by the time I get home I just want to sleep. Sadly, I'm going to leave this challenge as unfinished, since I'd rather focus on my 2013 challenges rather than a seasonal one - I'm too far along on those to quit now!

New Blog Design! New Job!

Woohoo! Love YA Books has a new look thanks to Stephanie @ Hopeless Romantics! If you like what you see, please do check out her portfolio - she's done some great work on some fantastic blogs, and maybe you can get a blog make-over like I did! Thank you so much Stephanie for all of your hard work, and for providing this layout free of charge! There are still a few tweaks I have to make, such as updating my rating system to match the new look, but so far I'm really happy with the outcome. 

Also, for those of you that are curious as to what I've been up to, I've finally gotten a new job. I've been having a tough time finding a job now that I've moved back to El Paso, Texas after almost a year in The-Middle-of-Nowhere, Nevada. But now (with the help of a job fair) I have a great job as an administrative assistant for a local real estate company! If you don't see me post as often, it's probably because I'm busy with work, but I'll make sure that new posts still come out on a regular basis. It's nice not being unemployed! 

Thanks to each and every one of you for visiting and/or following my blog - you are all greatly appreciated. Looks like 2013 might be ending on a high note, despite starting off grim thanks to a family crisis. Yay!

Semi-Charmed Autumn 2013 Book Challenge

It's that time again! Time for another Semi-Charmed Book Challenge, hosted by Megan @ Semi-Charmed Kind of Life in honor of the Autumn season. I love her challenges, since they're pretty much bookish scavenger hunts, in which you have to find and read books that fit the given categories (which change with each challenge). If you're interested in signing up, you can check out the rules HERE. The challenge runs from October 1, 2013 to December 31, 2013. Here are the categories for this particular Autumn reading challenge, along with my goal books, which are subject to change:

5 points: Read a book that does not have "the," "a" or "an" in the title.

Attempting Elizabeth by Jessica Grey

10 points: Read a book that has been featured in Oprah's Book Club.

The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
10 points: Read a book that takes place in the state you currently live in.

Howling At The Moon by Karen MacInerney (Texas)
15 points: Read an epistolary novel (written in letters/emails/diary entries)

The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot

15 points: Read a book first published in 2013.

Another Little Piece by Kate Karyus Quinn
15 points: Read a book with something spooky in the title.

The Dead and Buried by Kim Harrington
20 points: Read a book with "air," "water," "earth" or "fire" in the title.

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein

20 points: Read a book on which a television series has been based.

The Awakening & The Struggle by L.J. Smith (The Vampire Diaries)
25 points: Read a novel that has someone’s first & last name in the title.

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

30 points: Read two books by the same author.

Angelfall by Susan Ee
World After by Susan Ee

35 points: Read a fiction and nonfiction book about the same topic.
My first option is Jack the Ripper:
The Complete History of Jack the Ripper by Philip Sugden (Non-Fiction)
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson (Fiction)
My second option is Tourette Syndrome:
The World's Strongest Librarian by Josh Hanagarne (Non-Fiction)
Icy Sparks by Gywn Hyman Rubio (Fiction)


Current Score: 135 Points 

I'll be crossing out each book as I finish reading them, and linking them to any reviews I may write. If you'd like to join in, feel free to do so - these challenges are always a lot of fun! Let me know if you do so I can check out what books you come up with for each category!