Book Blast: The Ugly Step Sister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson

The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back by Sariah Wilson 

Everyone knows how all those fairy tales go. The princess gets beautiful, nabs her prince, falls instantly in love, lives happily ever after and leaves her evil stepsisters in the dust.

But what happens when you’re the ugly stepsister and your obnoxiously perfect—read pretty, smart, and, worst of all, sickeningly nice—stepsister is dating the charming, tall, devastatingly handsome guy you’ve had a thing for since you were nine years old?

Quirky, artistic and snarky Mattie Lowe does not lead a charmed life. Her mother is constantly belittling her on Skype. Mercedes, the school mean girl, has made it her personal mission to torment Mattie. But worst of all? Her stepsister Ella is the most beautiful, popular girl in school and is dating Mattie’s secret longtime crush, Jake Kingston.

Tired of being left out and done with waiting for her own stupid fairy godmother to show up, Mattie decides to change her life. She’ll start by running for senior class president against wildly popular Jake.

Ella can keep her Prince Annoying. Mattie’s going to rule the school.

And no one, not even a cute and suddenly flirty Jake, is going to stop her.



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Praise

“My top pick of 2012 YA… This book is just. plain. fun.”

~Jordan McCollum, author of Saints & Spies and I, Spy
“Sariah Wilson’s new book, The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back, is hilarious…What follows is a story of fun and romance with some good non-preachy life lessons thrown in.  The voice in the main character, Mattie, makes the whole thing.  I thought it was definitely a book I’d recommend to anyone with teenagers or who just want to read a good teen romance.”
~Julie Coulter Bellon, author of All Fall Down and All’s Fair
“Sariah [Wilson] has written one of the funniest stories I’ve read in such a long, long time. I literally couldn’t put it down. Yes, my poor Kindle’s battery died and I was attached to a short power cord, contorted in a very uncomfortable position while I read to the end…. Sariah Wilson captured the back-biting, insecure, hormone-driven, clique-riddled high school atmosphere so perfectly you’d think she never grew up. I dare you not to laugh as you read this witty and oh, so, romantic story.”
~Debra Erfert of Windows into Writing
“Sariah Wilson writes like the best of/most popular YA teen fiction/teen romance authors – Sarah Dessen, Jennifer Echols, Susanne Collins, Cassandra Clare.  She sucks you in and never lets you go.  I finished the ~194 novel in one night because I just couldn’t go to sleep without knowing the ending!  I hope that Sariah comes out with more novels, I know I’ll be re-reading this one all the time!  She’s extremely talented and needs to be talked about.  I highly recommend The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back! to anyone (over the age of 12) who wants a YA novel that’s a real modern-day fairy tale.”

~Hilary at Novel d’Tales
“This was such an entertaining story! I shouldn’t have started reading it so late in the evening, because I didn’t want to put it down to go to sleep…This is a book I can see myself reading several times. It’s a fast, clean read with great characters, and I highly recommend it.”
~Andrea of Literary Time Out
The book is wonderful.  It’s quirky and fun.  The story makes you laugh and you fall in love with the characters right from the beginning…This is a well-written book.  It is one that will make you smile and sigh as you remember your first love.  And it has a moral…be yourself, believe in yourself and maybe, just maybe, your fairytale will come true.  Pick up this book.”
~Ana of The Book Hookup

Author Sariah Wilson

Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. The Ugly Stepsister Strikes Back is her fourth happily ever after novel. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).

Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 3/5/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Book Blast: Phantom by Laura DeLuca

Phantom by Laura DeLuca

The “Phantom” was a musical phenomenon that Rebecca had always found enchanting. She had no idea that her life was about to mirror the play that was her obsession. When her high school drama club chooses “Phantom” as their annual production, Rebecca finds herself in the middle of an unlikely love triangle and the target of a sadistic stalker who uses the lines from the play as their calling card.

Rebecca lands the lead role of Christine, the opera diva, and like her character, she is torn between her two co-stars—Tom the surfer and basketball star who plays the lovable hero, and Justyn, the strangely appealing Goth who is more than realistic in the role of the tortured artist.

Almost immediately after casting, strange things start to happen both on and off the stage. Curtains fall. Mirrors are shattered. People are hurt in true phantom style. They all seem like accidents until Rebecca receives notes and phone calls that hint at something more sinister. Is Justyn bringing to life the twisted character of the phantom? Or in real life are the roles of the hero and the villain reversed? Rebecca doesn’t know who to trust, but she knows she’s running out of time as she gets closer and closer to opening night. Only when the mask is stripped away, will the twenty first century phantom finally be revealed.

Excerpt


The orchestra tuned for its virtuoso, and Justyn stood
ready. But no one else was ready for the magical performance he began. Beside
her, Carmen was rambling on about something mundane. Rebecca elbowed her to
silence so she could listen to the perfectly thrilling tenor. As she listened
to the song unfold, the world around her started to slip away. Gone was the
high school auditorium. Gone were the rowdy teenagers. The Gothic stranger on
the stage had become the embodiment of Erik, and Rebecca watched him in all his
dark glory, belting out his tormented love through the words of his song. And
she was as breathless with wonder as Christine herself must have been when the
masked stranger serenaded her in the candlelit labyrinth of the opera house. In
that moment, Justyn wasn’t just portraying the phantom. Justyn was the phantom.
                                              
“Let the music touch your soul.
                                                
Let the darkness make you whole.
                                                 Do not fear what is
unknown.
                                                
Your true path has now been shown.
                                                
Listen to the words I sing.
                                                 Embrace the peace that night will
bring.”
     As he continued
to sing in his deep but somehow angelic voice, Rebecca found that she couldn’t
tear her eyes away from him. With every line, her heart began to beat
faster.  She truly felt the arms of night
wrapping her in a warm embrace. She could almost feel the hands of the phantom
glide along her body as the words poured forth. The music caressed her. It
possessed her—mind, body and soul. Each word left her longing, yearning for
more.
     She was gawking
so obviously, it was hardly surprising when Justyn felt her eyes on him and
steadily met her gaze. She realized her mouth was hanging open in stunned awe,
and she quickly snapped it shut. His lips moved into just a small hint of a
smile. He never took his eyes off her while he sang the final verse, making her
cheeks flush to the point that she felt almost feverish. But it wasn’t
embarrassment but excitement, arousal even, which was sending her mind spinning
in so many directions.
      When the song
was over, and Rebecca had recovered just a hint of her composure, she couldn’t
help but burst into a healthy round of applause. A few scattered people joined
in, including Debbie and Carmen after she nudged them in the ribs. But only
Miss King seemed to truly appreciate the brilliance of his talent as much as
Rebecca did.
      “That was
amazing, Justyn!” the teacher gushed.
      “Lord Justyn,”
he corrected as he stepped down from the stage.
      A few others
complimented him as well, but he took in all in stride. In fact, his serious
expression never faltered as he stepped down from the stage. He seemed almost
bored, like it was all he could do to hold back a yawn, despite the smiles and
words of encouragement.
     But not everyone
in the crowd was pleased as Justyn glided down the aisle, so ethereal in his
dark garments that he still resonated the spirit of the Opera Ghost. Miss King
might have been excited about the newest male addition to her cast after being
limited for many years, but Tom and his group of boisterous companions glared
at him as he passed them by.  Jay sneered
and tossed a balled up piece of paper in Justyn’s direction, but the Goth was
quick, and caught it in his hand without missing a beat.
    “I think you
dropped something,” he said.
    His speaking voice
was no less melodic than his singing voice, but something about his tone made
Rebecca shiver. He tossed the paper back at Jay, who was nowhere near as
coordinated as Justyn. He practically fell off his seat in his efforts to catch
it.
     “Hey vampire,”
Tom called when Justyn went to walk away. “Are you sure you can handle the
competition?”
     Justyn smiled, a
cool, sarcastic half-smile, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you?”
     Miss King didn’t
notice the short confrontation, and Justyn vanished from the auditorium as
quickly and mysteriously as he had appeared. Only Rebecca had noticed the very
real tension between the two boys. She wondered if it was a bad omen for them
to start off the production with hard feelings and envy. That could only lead
to trouble. The kind of trouble that could end with someone getting hurt.  The kind of trouble that Rebecca would do
whatever it took to avoid.


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Author Laura DeLuca

Laura “Luna” DeLuca lives at the beautiful Jersey shore with her husband and four children. She loves writing in the young adult genre because it keeps her young at heart. In addition to writing fiction, Laura is also the sole author of a popular review blog called New Age Mama. She is an active member of her local pagan community, and has been studying Wicca for close to eight years.





BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 2/22/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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