Jenuine Cupcakes

 *tap tap* Is this thing on? I have an announcement to make. *clears throat* It's that time of year again! Where we take all those book boys we *hearts* so much and toss them into a virtual ring of... what?...mud? jello? frosting? and let them duke it out to see who comes out on top in the... *crowd goes wild*  (OK, mainly book nerd girls (like me) but still) *winks* The advocates have been chosen... *points to self* And the Crush I get to represent is... *does happy dance* Patch from the "Hush Hush" series by Becca Fitzpatrick *OMP! OMP! (OhMyPatch!)*   "All this time I've hated myself for it. I thought I'd given it up for nothing. But if I hadn't fallen, I wouldn't have met you." Patch (Hush Hush)  Show your love for our favorite fallen angel aka Mr. Hotsauce with wings and VOTE FOR PATCH on July 18th Use the twitter hashtag #TeamPatch #YACrushTourney...

Punching Fear In The Face \m/ I took a flying leap yesterday and punched fear in the face, otherwise known as skydiving. Anyone who knows me knows that I have a fear of heights. I don't "do" Ferris wheels, ski lifts, or climb trees and even the occasional escalator will cause me to freak out. But after reading "Divergent" by Veronica Roth last year, I decided that life is too short to allow fear to keep me from trying new things.   I've always wanted to skydive but have been afraid. Thanks to my Mom, who paid for me to go as an early birthday present, I had the chance to overcome that fear yesterday.  Here's my experience in pictures and song titles because that's how I think - either in book characters or song lyrics. So here ya go - ENJOY!... I'm here. Got my DAUNTLESS shirt on and am channeling Tris becasue there's no way Four would be doing this. ;) I've also just signed my life away or at least promised ...

SHADE Trilogy by Jeri Smith-Ready 5 STARS! "For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." This is the summary on the back of SHADE (Book 1) (via Goodreads) Aura can see ghosts. Born after the Shift, a little-understood event that enabled younger generations to communicate with the dead, Aura is relentlessly pursued by these violet-hued spirits. They need help to pass out of this world and into the next. And some are so angry they are on the verge of becoming Shades, dark vortexes of energy. But Aura just wants the ghosts to leave her alone so she can spend time with her boyfriend, Logan.  When Aura is paired with a new foreign-exchange student to research the Shift for a class project, she is determined to ignore her partner’s sexy Scottish accent and discover the cause of the Shift so she can reverse it . Then Logan dies a most untimely death. Forced to reconsider her relationship with the living and the dead, Aura...

Waiting on Wednesday  "Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. STORMDANCER (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff Publication: September 18, 2012 By: St. Martin's Press  Look at the pretty covers! *stares* U.S. Cover U.K. Cover     From Goodreads:     A DYING LAND The Shima Imperium verges on the brink of environmental collapse; an island nation once rich in tradition and myth, now decimated by clockwork industrialization and the machine-worshipers of the Lotus Guild. The skies are red as blood, the land is choked with toxic pollution, and the great spirit animals that once roamed its wilds have departed forever. AN IMPOSSIBLE QUEST The hunters of Shima's imperial court are charged by their Shōgun to capture a thunder tiger – a legendary creature, half-eagle, half-ti...

Author: Anna Carey Publication: July 3, 2012 By: Harper Collins LOVED.IT.SO.HARD! *looks for TEAM CALEB T* "As if love were a choice."   With it's fast paced action, unexpected twists and star crossed lovers, "Once" , the riveting sequel to "Eve", had me on the edge of my seat with my heart in my throat the entire time! *gasps*   Eve has made it to Califia, the safe haven for women determined to hold onto their freedom outside the walls of the Sand City, but freedom always has a price and for her, it was leaving an injured Caleb behind.  Her time here hasn't been what she expected and despite her best efforts, Eve eventually finds herself within the Palace walls.  Once there, she finally comes face to face with the King and learns his real intentions for her.  Nothing is what it seems and Eve is dealt one shocking blow after another including the discovery that Caleb is alive and has made it into the Sand City too. Desperate t...

Irony Irony = Having your 11th grade English teacher a) try to convince you that Mythology will be part of your future *rolls eyes*, b) fail you because you don't "get" said Mythology and c) say this to you with regards to your 16 yr old writing skills: "Well, it really doesn't matter because you will never write anything worth reading anyway. Anything worthy of public consumption that is." (Wow..."NEVER?" kinda harsh.) Only to come home to THIS today...   An ARC of a book you've been eagerly awaiting! *squeals & does weird happy dance* And find THIS as you thumb through the blurbs/quotes...Oh, wait... "Jen, YA Books Central" is ME! *SCREAMS* I HAVE BEEN BLURBED! (Of course all of the cameras in your house are set to: "how to ruin a moment")   But then *thinks to self* Hmm, pretty sure THIS qualifies as legit "public consumption", never...

COVER REVEAL: TRIANGLES by Kimberly Ann Miller Cover design by: Vic Caswell of Sketcher Girl Studios       Publisher: Spencer Hill Press ISBN: 978-1-937053-36-9 Release Date: June 18, 2013 Formats: Paper, e-book     A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?  In the Bermuda Triangle--a lot. Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who's practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser's suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she's full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visit...

Waiting on Wednesday  is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. TOXIC (Denazen #2) by Jus Accardo Publication: September 11, 2012 By: Entangled Teen       From Goodreads:    Sequel to TOUCH. When a Six saved Kale’s life the night of Sumrun, she warned there would be consequences. A trade-off. Something taken for the life they gained. But Dez never imagined she’d lose the one thing she’d give anything to keep… And as if it’s not enough Dez finds her immunity to Kale fading, the Six brought in to help Kale learn to control his killer touch starts drooling on him the moment they meet. Worse than that? Jade can touch Kale. But bimbo Barbie is the least of Dez's problems. After Dez and Kale got away at Sumrun, her father lost not only his most powerful weapon but an important piece of the Supremacy project. Forced by Denazen to remedy the si...

Author: Kristina McBride  Publication: June 26, 2012 By: Egmont 4 STARS!  Pretty cover. Thank you Netgalley and Egmont. *gets tissues* Kristina McBride writes a gut-wrenching story of young love, tragic loss and forgiveness as a group of life long friends attempt to navigate their way through grief after an accident that leaves them all wondering if one moment really is all it takes to change a life forever. After a night of partying, Maggie, Joey and the rest of their friends head into a holiday weekend to kick off what they expect will be a fun filled summer before beginning their Senior Year of High School. The day begins like any other but ends with Joey's death and Maggie's memory loss.  As the days go by, secrets will be revealed and lies uncovered that will have them all questioning if they really know each other at all?  Maggie, Joey, Adam, Shannon, Tanna and Pete have been friends since kindergarten. They do everything together, always have each o...

Author: Tracey Garvis Graves Publication: June 7, 2012 By: Penguin 4 STARS! Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that's going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring a sixteen-year-old T.J.. T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year. Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan's summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives' twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they're stranded on an uninhabited island. At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the...

Author: Tammara Webber Publication: May 25, 2012 E-Book 4 STARS!    When Jacqueline follows her longtime boyfriend to the college of his choice, the last thing she expects is a breakup. 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, stalked by her ex’s frat brother, and failing a class for the first time in her life. Her econ professor gives her an email address for Landon, the class tutor, who shows her that she’s still the same intelligent girl she’s always been. As Jacqueline becomes interested in more from her tutor than a better grade, his teasing responses make the feeling seem mutual. There’s just one problem—their only interactions are through email. Meanwhile, a guy in her econ class proves his worth the first night she meets him. Nothing like her popular ex or her brainy tutor, Lucas sits on the back row, sketching in a n...

Author: J.M. Hill Publication: April 25, 2012 By: Amazon Digital  4 Stars! Grace Burke doesn’t need a thing. She enjoys her quiet life in Fall Rivers, Colorado—running a bookstore and coffee shop with her cousin, Kate. The two have a successful business, a small circle of friends, and each other. What more could she want? When the Anderson brothers move into the house across the street, it doesn’t take long for her to realize exactly what she’s been missing. At first sight, the youngest brother, Michael, captures Grace’s heart, and her quiet life is disrupted. Then it turns upside down. Grace isn’t the only one with eyes for Michael. Nina Sandler, one of Michael’s clients, threatens to come between them. When Nina can’t get Michael’s attention, she focuses on Grace—in a very dangerous way. But love is never easy and if the best things in life are worth fighting for, then Grace must find the courage to fight. Not just for love and happiness but for her very...