Embrace Blog Tour: Hushed by Kelley York {Guest Post+Giveaway}
Welcome to my stop on the Embrace blog tour hosted by InkSlingerPR!
Today I am spotlighting Kelley York's Hushed. I have a guest post written by Kelley herself and a giveaway for you all!
Hushed
by: Kelley York
Publication Date: Nov. 11, 2013
Publisher: Entangled: Embrace
Genre: Thriller
Age Group: Young Adult
Page Count: 229 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
He’s loved her. Killed for her. Yet he may not be able to save her.
Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids. Since then, he’s never stopped trying to shelter her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when skipping from one toxic relationship to another. Archer is always there, reeled in and tossed out, waiting to be noticed.
Then Evan Bishop breezes into town with a warm smile and calming touch, and Archer can’t deny his attraction to him. Evan is the only person who keeps him around without a single string attached. And the harder Archer falls for Evan, the more he sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.
But Viv has her hooks in deep, and once she finds out Archer’s dark secret, she threatens to expose the truth if she doesn’t get what she wants. And what she wants is for him to end his relationship with Evan...permanently.
Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids. Since then, he’s never stopped trying to shelter her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when skipping from one toxic relationship to another. Archer is always there, reeled in and tossed out, waiting to be noticed.
Then Evan Bishop breezes into town with a warm smile and calming touch, and Archer can’t deny his attraction to him. Evan is the only person who keeps him around without a single string attached. And the harder Archer falls for Evan, the more he sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.
But Viv has her hooks in deep, and once she finds out Archer’s dark secret, she threatens to expose the truth if she doesn’t get what she wants. And what she wants is for him to end his relationship with Evan...permanently.
~Guest Post with Kelley York~
Kelley's Top Ten Books
(In no particular order...)
10. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
I'm a sucker for zombie books, movies, and games. Bonus point when someone can give their zombie story a special spin. Carrie Ryan manages that in this trilogy—The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead-Tossed Waves, and The Dark and Hollow Places—not only because the characters are different in each book and yet connected at the end, but the entire world is eerie, hopeless, desperate, and frightening. I couldn't tell you which one of the three is my favorite.
9. Feed by M.T. Anderson
Let me say, this was not the sort of book I would normally
read. I'm not into futuristic type stuff, and when the first line of the blurb
is "...it started out like an ordinary trip to the moon..." I'm
instantly turned off. But because an agent I admire recommended it, I downloaded
the sample to give it a try and was hooked. Feed
is a dreary, eerily and unsettlingly realistic look at what the future
could hold, and the way humanity is often blind to what we do to our world and
ourselves.
8. Boy Toy by Barry Lyga
Nevermind that Barry Lyga is pretty brilliant with his
writing, this book is one of those books I feel everyone needs to read. The
subject of male rape/molestation is not spoken about as much as it should be,
and for every woman who comes forward about being attacked, just as many boys
remain silent because of the general idea that "boys can't be raped by
women." Boy Toy is a
thought-provoking, at times uncomfortable, and overall a good read.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky
I'm ashamed to admit I put off reading this book for way too
long. It's actually a rather short, quick read, and it's brilliantly written.
Every single character has depth, has their own story, and makes you feel
something for them—either good or bad. Chbosky tackles many issues without
being preachy about it, from depression, suicide, gay issues, domestic
violence, teen pregnancy, and more. Perks
should not be banned in schools, but should instead be required reading.
6. Feed by Mira Grant
Ha! Two books by the same title on my list. For Mira Grant's
post-apocalyptic zombie series, though, the word takes on a very literal
meaning. My main beef with these books are how painfully over-written they are;
150 pages could have easily been trimmed out of each book without cutting
anything important. Everything else, though? I love. The characters, the
semi-political plotlines that are never so overbearing that I feel like I'm
watching the evening news...and the zombies. YAY. Grant is also meticulous
about her details, and while the science of it may or may not be exact, to
someone like me, it sure feels like truth.
5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
What list is complete without a John Green book? It was hard
to decide between this one and Will
Grayson, Will Grayson, but I'll let this win out. I don't even know if I
have to say more than that.
4. Teeth by Hannah Moskowitz
I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm a total Hannah fan.
She's an interesting person all on her own, and I continue to love the stories
she puts out. It was hard to choose just one, but I went with Teeth because of its originality. I
mean, fish boys!! All her books tend to be quick reads and yet emotionally heavy
and draining at the same time, which is a perfect combination for me. I will
say, if this is your first Hannah book, I might direct you to something easier
like Gone, Gone, Gone to get a taste
for her unique writing style before you tackle the fun, dark strangeness that
is Teeth.
3. Forever by Maggie Stiefvater
One of the only werewolf books I absolutely loved was the Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. I chose
the third book in the series because it was just brilliant. I loved how
everything wrapped up, and I fell more in love with the characters than I
already was. I cringed for awhile there, thinking we'd be served up a nice big
love triangle, and was pleasantly surprised when that didn't happen. The main
love interests face their battles, yes, but they don't revolve around other
guys/girls poking their nose in and trying to steal someone away.
2. Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
I finished this book, entirely unsure what to make of it.
The prose was beautiful and a little much for me at times, but what I loved was
the way you were never quite sure if the narrator was telling the truth. If she
was exaggerating the events. You're never sure if this is a contemporary story
with an unreliable storyteller, or something darker, tinted with paranormal
aspects. A beautiful read, either way.
1. Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion
Don't let the trailers for the movie fool you: Warm Bodies is not a romantic comedy.
Does it have romance? Yeah, a bit. Does it have comedy? Ehh, here and there,
thought the humor is macabre most of the time. While I enjoyed the movie for
what it was, it didn't hold a candle to the book. Marion's writing is superb;
it's succinct and to the point, yet beautiful and poignant all at once. Some of
my favorite book quotes are found in these pages, and the story is more about
humanity and what makes us truly human than anything else.
About Kelley York:
Once upon a time, Kelley York was born in central California. And it's there she still resides with her lovely wife, step-daughter, and an abundance of cats, while fantasizing about moving to England or Ireland. She has a fascination with bells and animals, is a lover of video games, Doctor Who, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she’s a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or at least write about them.
Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you wondering and crying. Character development takes center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and the workings of their mind are limitless.
Her first book, HUSHED, was released by Entangled Publishing in December 2011. Her second and third books, HOLLOWED and SUICIDE WATCH, were released in 2012, and her next Entangled book, MADE OF STARS, is slated for October 1st, 2013. Visit Kelley via her:
About Embrace:
EMBRACE…endless possibilities. A new adult imprint from Entangled, launching November 11th! You can follow them and get more information about future titles @EPEmbrace or their facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmbraceImprint
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Check out the rest of the tour schedule and great new Embrace titles HERE.
8 comments
There are a lot of books on that list that I really need to read! Warm Bodies and Fault In Our Stars especially! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteMe too! I really want to read Forest of Hands and Teeth!
DeleteI've only read one of the books on Kelley's list, Forever. But her book, Hushed, is amazing. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think that's the only one I've read too. I've been wanting to read her book! Hopefully I'll get a chance soon!
DeleteI still need to read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and The Fault in Our Stars. I had a really hard time getting into Forever. The tone was just too depressing for me. Thanks for sharing Jess!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read either of those either. And the Wolves of Mercy Falls series was really depressing. I didn't care for it much personally.
DeleteWhat a great list! I read the Shiver Series by Maggie Stiefvater, and really enjoyed it! I still need to read, The Fault in Our Stars. I have it on my kindle, but it's a matter of having the time to read a book that's not a part of my review pile. This is a great list. I'm always interested in author's favorite books. Great post Jess!
ReplyDeleteLindy@ A Bookish Escape
Yay! I'm glad you liked them Lindy! Sadly, I didn't care much for them. I guess I didn't like how it ended. It was a bit depressing for me. And I definitely understand the having books on your list and not having time to read them!
DeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.