Blog Tour: When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn (Review & Giveaway)

When I Am Through With You by Stephanie Kuehn
(standalone)
Published: August 1, 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers
Source: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher for review as part of the blog tour. All opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

Summary from Goodreads:
“This isn’t meant to be a confession. Not in any spiritual sense of the word. Yes, I’m in jail at the moment. I imagine I’ll be here for a long time, considering. But I’m not writing this down for absolution and I’m not seeking forgiveness, not even from myself. Because I’m not sorry for what I did to Rose. I’m just not. Not for any of it.”

Ben Gibson is many things, but he’s not sorry and he’s not a liar. He will tell you exactly about what happened on what started as a simple school camping trip in the mountains. About who lived and who died. About who killed and who had the best of intentions. But he’s going to tell you in his own time. Because after what happened on that mountain, time is the one thing he has plenty of.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | iBooks

I don't have much experience with thrillers or mysteries, but when I read the synopsis for WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH  YOU, I was immensely intrigued and knew I needed to read this novel! I'll admit, this is more of a survival story than a thriller, so it wasn't quite what I expected, but there were still so many wonderful things about this book! 

The characters in this book and their relationships with each other were phenomenally done. That was by far the most fascinating aspect of this story. Here we are with a group of teenagers, all broken and flawed and hoarding their secrets, but just trying to do their best. I was so invested in figuring out the intricacies of this group. Who is lying to whom? Who is sleeping with whom? Who hates whom? That was the most thrilling part for me, unraveling their truths. They were all kind of shitty, but that was most of the fun. 

From the very beginning, Ben, the narrator, tells us he is locked up, that he killed his girlfriend Rose and he doesn't feel bad about it. He tells us that he's not explaining everything because he's seeking to lighten his punishment. He just wants the truth to be out there. Interesting, no? Of course, the main appeal of the novel is to figure out why he killed Rose, but from the beginning, I had a hunch and my hunch was correct, so the ending wasn't as shocking as I would have liked. But, once again, it was amazing to see Ben transform with each page, to see how he reached that point, how he ended up in a cell. 

While this book had plenty of plot, it felt more character driven for me. I just found the plot to be...slow toward the second half. As far as thrillers go, I wasn't particularly thrilled. And I guess that's because this book is more of a survival story than a thriller. That's the only reason this book wasn't a five-star read for me. Because, while the writing was incredible and the characters were enticing, I found myself slogging through certain parts. Plus, it's a dense book, so even though it's only like 300 pages, it felt much longer than that. 

My rating: 

3.5/5

•3 copies of WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU by Stephanie Kuehn will go to 3 winners 

•1 winner will receive a copy of WHEN I AM THROUGH WITH YOU & THE SMALLER EVIL by Stephanie Kuehn

•4 winners total

•US Only

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

August 2nd

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

August 3rd

Book Princess Reviews- Review

Hauntedbybooks13- Review

August 4th

Bookish in Bed- Revew & Fave Quotes

Never Too Many to Read- Guest Post

August 5th

Here's to Happy Endings- Review

Literary Meanderings- Q&A

August 6th

FicGal- Review

A Dream Within a Dream- Review

August 7th

Reading in the Rain- Review & Fave Quotes

The Left-Handed Book Lover- Review

August 8th

Serial Bibliophile- Review

Tales of the Ravenous Reader- Guest Post

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Pinterest | Tumblr

I grew up in Berkeley, California, which is a quirky sort of a place with many wonderful bookstores. When I was fifteen, my very first job was working in one of those bookstores. It’s where I would go after school, and I’d read everything that I could. Back then, some of the books that had the greatest impact on my life were young adult novels, and now, as an adult, I’ve found my own passion in writing for teens.

Other passions of mine include mental health advocacy, social justice, and sports of all kinds. When I’m not writing or reading (or studying for graduate school), I’m usually outside running or playing with my family. I currently live in Northern California with my husband, three kids, and our menagerie of pets. Life is loud, joyous, and filled with animal hair.


Oh, and in case you’re wondering, my last name is pronounced keen. I know! I don’t get it either.

Sunday Post #29

• I hope everyone had a great memorial day! Luckily the restaurant I work at shut down so I had the day off to swim with my friend, watch some TV, and do a little bit of painting. I've been feeling crafty lately, so I've been painting canvases (even though I am not a good artist at all). 
• Aside from that, I've basically just spent my life working. I'm actually typing this up at work right now hah! So far, my money-saving endeavors are going well, but it has only been a couple weeks. Stay tuned to see if I actually manage to save anything this summer. 
• ALSO, I finally filmed a couple videos to get back into BookTube, which is super exciting! I haven't finished editing the first one yet, but I WILL. Hopefully by next week's Sunday Post I'll be able to start giving y'all updates on my booktube and bookstagram posts. 

Reviews: 
- Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Memes: 
- Top Ten Anticipated Reads In The Second Half Of 2017

Features/Misc: 
- Spring Favorites
- YA Look Book #2: Once and for All by Sarah Dessen

Reviews: 
- Geekerella by Ashley Poston
- Noteworthy by Riley Redgate

Memes: 
- Top Ten Contemporary Books I've Recently Added To My TBR
- Sunday Post #30

Features/Misc: 
- Just Write #3
- Sarah Dessen Feature

 - First and foremost, I have a twitter giveaway going on, so you should check it out! It's open internationally, as long as the book depository ships to you! You can enter to win one of the following books: 


- The YA Book Traveler shared some really incredible ideas for a book-themed wedding, and is giving us the opportunity to win Once and for All by Sarah Dessen! (US only)
- Pure Imagination is hosting a June Releases giveaway, where you can win any June release of your choice! Open internationally, as long as the book depository ships to you. 

Flashback Friday #6: Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry (with giveaway)

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Left-Handed Book Lover's Flashback Friday. I'm not sure if this feature has been done on other blogs. I haven't seen it, but if it has been, let me know so I can give some credit!

FF is a feature here where I talk about books I read a while ago but still want to give major love to. This feature is designed to give some exposure to books that may have been forgotten about or that some people haven't heard of, even though they're really great! And I've decided to add a giveaway to the Flashback Friday series because what better way to get people reading a book than actually giving a copy out?

This week's FF goes to...

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry

(Pushing the Limits #1)

Published: June 1, 2012 by Harlequin Teen

Genre: YA Contemporary

Summary from Goodreads: 
So wrong for each other...and yet so right.

No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal. But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again..

WHEN DID I READ THIS?

I read this as an eARC over a month before it was released. I knew that was a little early to read it, but I just knew this book was going to be perfect for me, so I was too pumped to wait to read it. I read the whole thing in a day. I've also really been wanting to re-read it lately.

 WHY DID I PICK THIS BOOK?

I've been obsessed with this book since the second I finished it. I've been shoving it into my in-real-life friends' hands ever since. I know it's a bit more on the popular side, but I don't want people to forget about this book or this incredible author!!

THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK:

1. NOAH - lkdngoerkngopedf I love Noah so much. He's one of those misunderstood bad boys with a heart of gold. I love him so much. He treats Echo incredibly well, and is so dedicated to the people he cares about. He'd sacrifice his own happiness if it meant helping out a loved one.

2. Hate-to-love relationship - Idk about you, but that is one of my favorite types of romances.

3. Secrets - Aside from the sizzlin' romance, my favorite part of this novel was that McGarry just kep revealing secret after secret. There's always so much more to uncover, and rather than being melodramatic or frustrating, all these secrets help the book be more unpredictable and addicting!

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

GIVEAWAY 

The winner will receive a paperback copy of Pushing the Limits from the Book Depository. This giveaway is open internationally, as long as the book depository ships to you. Entries from giveaway accounts will not be accepted. Believe me, I will check. 

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Live and Let Psi Book Blitz: Giveaway & Interview with D.R. Rosensteel

Hi everyone! I'm really thrilled that Entangled TEEN allowed me the opportunity to participate in the book blitz for D.R. Rosensteel's Live and Let Psi. This is the second book in a lesser-known series that I believe deserves much more attention than it gets. Here's the schedule, so you can follow along with the rest of the tour!!

Live and Let Psi by D.R. Rosensteel

(Psi Fighter Academy #2)

Published: July 11, 2016 by Entangled TEEN

Genre: YA superhero/romance

Pages: 340

Summary: 
Rinnie Noelle would rather kick some creepy villain butt than go on a date. As a Psi Fighter trained in the Mental Arts, she can’t be distracted by emotion. Her nemesis, Nicolaitan, is manipulating students from her school, using them as puppets to carry out his new plan to find the infamous Morgan Girl, and he doesn’t care who becomes collateral damage in the process. People’s lives are depending on Rinnie’s ultimate focus.

But Mason Draudimon keeps slicing into her soul sharper than a Thought Saber, and her feelings for him knock her off her game with the strength of a psionic War Hammer. Mason insists on helping Rinnie take down Nicolaitan for his own reasons—to avenge his mother—and the closer they get to the truth, the more dangerous the dance between mind and heart, life and death, logic and love.

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo

You can find an excerpt on the Entangled website!

INTERVIEW

Welcome, D.R. I'm so excited to have you on The Left-Handed Book Lover today!

Thanks, it’s a pleasure to be here!

First thing's first: Are you right- or left-handed? 

Depends. I use a sword in my right hand and a shield in my left.

Now, word on the street is that before writing this series, you were a research consultant. I'm not exactly sure what that entails, but it sounds a lot different than writing a YA novel. What was it like to transition from technical papers to YA adventure stories? Did you face any major challenges?

The transition from writing boring, technically-abundant facts and figures to exciting, action-filled battle scenes and snappy dialogue was invigorating, revitalizing, inspiring, and all those other synonyms for “WOW, this is a blast!” The major challenge was learning a different form of writing. A well-written technical paper has tight sentences with clear, concise wording. That’s necessary for writing YA adventure, but I also had to learn how to put a story together, how to create characters that people could relate to, and how to write dialogue that doesn’t suck.

Bullying is a major element of your series. What do you hope the teens reading will take away from this?

My message to kids who feel different is simple. Stick together. We have the rest of the world outnumbered. Bullies are cowards. They don’t like it when their victims stand together. My message to bullies is also simple. You have a choice. Use your powers for good, not evil. Stand up for people who can’t stand up for themselves.

Can you tell us a little bit about what the Psi Fighters and Mental Arts are?

The Psi Fighters are a secret society of protectors. They wear high-tech masks and armor to keep their identities secret and their bodies unharmed (usually). Over the years, the Psi Fighters have taken on covert missions against dictators, evil organizations, and crime lords. They operate from a training complex hidden hundreds of feet beneath the city in a section of the abandoned mines which, according to official records, doesn’t exist. It requires years of intense training in the Mental Arts before a Psi Fighter is awarded a mission. Rinnie Noelle is the youngest Psi Fighter ever to achieve a black belt and take on a mission.

The Mental Arts are the source of a Psi Fighter’s power. Unfortunately, they are also the source of a Walpurgis Knight’s power. They can be used to hurt or heal. Kung fu, aikido, jujitsu, yoga, acupuncture, shiatsu, reiki, all have their origins in the Mental Arts. Sad to say, so do black magic and voodoo. The real power of all these arts comes from the mind. As the Kilodan says, “The ability to break inanimate objects is irrelevant. It requires nothing more than a bit of brawn. Breaking an opponent who is physically superior to you requires quite another talent.” Masters of the Mental Arts make weapons from their thoughts and emotions. Each Psi Weapon is unique. Some disrupt the opponent’s perception. Others affect their memory or distort their reasoning. All tug at emotion in one form or another. The Psi Fighters have invented a technology to help them form Psi Weapons. They call it the Amplifier. It looks like a fountain pen or some other ordinary, everyday object. Easy to carry, easy to hide, completely undetectable. For a long time, only Psi Fighters who had mastered the Mental Arts could turn their thoughts into physical weapons. But with the invention of the Amplifier, the fledgling black belt has the ability as well. The technology behind it is very intricate, from the silver and gold encephalographic electrodes to the resonating core, which amplifies the Psi Fighter’s thoughts. Pure Emotions form Psi Weapons that are used for good. Dark Emotions are the choice of the Walpurgis Knights, the Psi Fighters’ fiercest enemy. Psi Fighters don’t do Dark Emotions.

Once this series is finished, do you think you'll be working on more YA fiction? 

The manuscript for the third book in the Psi Fighter series, titled The Psi Who Loved Me, is scheduled to be completed by October 1. The book will be released in early 2017. That’s the final book in the trilogy, but I have three more Psi Fighter stories in the works.

I’m also working on a totally new series tentatively titled “Geek Wars.” It’s a modern-day sci-fi thriller romance series for teens, where the main characters are absolutely brilliant with science, but totally clueless when it comes to boy-girl relationships. A top-secret government agency called ORDER asks three brainiac brothers to team up with three girl geniuses to help fight a war of the minds. A group of equally intelligent teens known as HAVOC has stolen sensitive US government information to invent a machine capable of destroying a city. Plenty of action, romance, and comic relief. Imagine The Big Bang Theory characters with James Bond missions.



LIGHTNING ROUND!!
Salsa or guacamole? Guac. I just like the sound of it.

Pet dragon or pet unicorn? Unicorn. Better magic.

Gif: soft 'g' or hard 'g'? Potato, potawto

What was the last book you read? Touching Fate by Brenda Drake

Do you have any pets? Yes, I have a tank full of minnows.

What are your plans for world domination? 

Once the Psi Fighter Academy series is on the Big Screen, the villains of the world will turn themselves in willingly for a chance to star in one of the films. After they play the part of a Psi Fighter, they’ll understand why Good will always conquer Evil. Then they’ll fill their social media with messages to the other bad guys who haven’t seen the movies, and evil will finally go the way of the dodo bird.

That's all I've got! Thanks for stopping by. I look forward to more Psi Fighter awesomeness!

Thanks for having me!

D.R. is such a funny, entertaining guy, and that definitely shines through in his books. I'm currently read the first book in the series Psi Another Day and it's a lot of fun. Quick, witty, and fun! 

Live and Let Psi Gift Basket Giveaway, featuring: a signed copy of Psi Another Day, a Psi Fighter tshirt, a Psi Fighter hoodie, a Psi Fighter backpack, and a Psi Fighter Amplifier, a device that allows Psi Fighters trained in the Mental Arts to create weapons out of their thoughts!

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Sunday Post #14

• Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing wonderfully! This week has been a pretty dang good one (though a slow reading week).
• On Monday I went swimming with my best friends and got a little sunburn, which doesn't sound like a good thing, but that's my first step to becoming not-a-pasty-white-ghost-look-alike, so I'm actually fairly happy about it. 
• Thursday, I went with another friend to see Me Before You and HOLY COW. Not only did I think it was just a wonderful movie, but I sobbed like a lil baby. I know there is a bit of controversy floating around about this book/movie, but I really liked it, and I plan to buy and read the book this summer. 
• The final highlight of my week is that I've gotten super into BookTube. I've been watching bookish videos into the wee hours of the night. I really want to start my own BookTube channel, but I'm still working out all the details. 

Reviews: 
The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle

Memes:
Top Ten (5) Reasons I Love Book Blogging

Features: 
Flashback Friday #5: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
(NOW WITH A GIVEAWAY)

Misc:
Clearing My Shelves Giveaway #2
Twenty One Pilots Book Tag

Reviews: 
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Memes: 
Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the Second Half of the Year
Sunday Post #15

Features: 
Would You Rather #3

Misc: 
What I've Learned From Bookstagram

 So, I ordered a bunch of books this week from ThriftBooks.com, which is a new website I discovered for buying cheap books. Seriously, I bought 6 books for $22. Seriously, I recommend giving it a perusal. Anyway, they haven't come in yet, so all I got this week was:

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

I'm really excited to continue this story. This is definitely going to be my next read!

I also received for review:

Little Black Dresses, Little White Lies by Laura Stampler - Thanks to Simon Pulse for this eARC! This book will be released on July 19, 2016.

I have been really bad about reading other blogs this week, so I don't have any posts to go here :( I need to catch up on what other people are saying! If there are any posts you think I need to see this week, link 'em up in the comments!

Here are some highlights from my bookstagram account. You can follow me here if you want to keep up with everything I'm posting. 

Day 4 of the #swoonyfictionjune #JuneBookChallenge is favorite villain. I picked Vaughn from The Chemical Gardens trikogy. He's a scientist doing dangerous experiments, so he's kinda reminiscent of older Gothic villains like Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Jekyll. He's creepy and remorseless, and when you factor in that he also has money and power, he's nearly unstoppable. Who are your favorite villains and why?

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 4, 2016 at 7:36pm PDT

I've always been so fascinated by the Grimm fairy tales and the Grimm brothers in general. I did a mini report on them for my German class last year, and they have just done so much for literature. I'm still working my way through this massive book, but all the stories are so fun and interesting. What's your favorite fairy tale? My favorite Disney fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast, probably because Belle is a bookworm.

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 9, 2016 at 1:03pm PDT

Morgan Matson quickly became one of my favorite authors the second I picked up one of her books. She writes phenomenal friendships, summer adventures, and smooches! I haven't read Second Chance Summer yet, though I want to within the next couple months. My favorite book by her is the first one I read, which is Since You've Been Gone. I hope y'all are having a good week! Comment and tell me some of your favorite authors, because I'd love to know!

A photo posted by The Left-Handed Book Lover (@leftyreads) on Jun 10, 2016 at 11:13am PDT

What has your week in books and blogging looked like?

Flashback Friday #5: Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen

Hello everyone! Welcome to The Left-Handed Book Lover's Flashback Friday. I'm not sure if this feature has been done on other blogs. I haven't seen it, but if it has been, let me know so I can give some credit!

FF is a feature here where I talk about books I read a while ago but still want to give major love to. This feature is designed to give some exposure to books that may have been forgotten about or that some people haven't heard of, even though they're really great!

This week's FF goes to...

Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Published: February 14, 2012 by Walker Childrens
Genre: YA historical fiction/re-telling

Summary from Goodreads: 
Will Scarlet is good at two things: stealing from the rich and keeping secrets - skills that are in high demand in Robin Hood's band of thieves, who protect the people of Nottingham from the evil sheriff. Scarlet's biggest secret of all is one only Robin and his men know...that she is posing as a thief; that the slip of a boy who is fast with sharp knives is really a girl.

The terrible events in her past that led Scarlet to hide her real identity are in danger of being exposed when the thief taker Lord Gisbourne arrives in town to rid Nottingham of the Hood and his men once and for all. As Gisbourne closes in a put innocent lives at risk, Scarlet must decide how much the people of Nottingham mean to her, especially John Little, a flirtatious fellow outlaw, and Robin, whose quick smiles have the rare power to unsettle her. There is real honor among these thieves and so much more - making this a fight worth dying for.

WHEN DID I READ THIS

 I got an eARC of this novel, but I don't think I read this until a little bit after it was published. I was actually really reluctant to request this book, and even more reluctant to start reading it. I wasn't sure if this was my cup of coffee or not. Then, once I picked it up, I put it down after reading a few pages. After I pushed through those first few pages, I FELL IN LOVE and became addicted. I stayed up all night reading it. 

WHY DID I PICK THIS BOOK

People seemed to really love this book when it was released, but I haven't seen anyone talk about it in a while. I know that Gaughen decided to add books to the series, and I haven't read any of them yet, but I realllly want to. Anyway, this is a Robin Hood re-telling with a twist, and Robin Hood's tale does not receive a lot of attention in YA lit (as far as I know) in comparison to Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. The best part is, you don't really have to know much about Robin Hood to get this book--trust me, when I read this, I didn't know ANYTHING about Robin Hood. The narration is a little off-putting at first, but once you adjust, it's actually a ton of fun! 

THREE REASONS YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK

1. Kickassery - Trust me. Scarlet, the protagonist who most people believe is a boy, can not only take men down in hand-to-hand combat, but, if I remember correctly, she is also really good at throwing knives (which, fun fact, is one of my life goals). 
2. Robin Hood swoons - He's PERFECT! He's really hard on himself, but he's such a good guy, and he is willing to do anything for the people he cares about. 
3. Slow-burn romance - I literally just wanted to push Rob and Scarlet's heads together like dolls to make them kiss. Their relationship is so authentic and their feelings for each other jump off the freaking page throughout every interaction, even though they refuse to admit it for the longest time. It's torture, I tell ya. The best kind of torture. 

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

AUTHOR INFO

A. C. GAUGHEN is the author of Scarlet, Lady Thief and Lion Heart. She serves on the board for the non-profit Boston GLOW, creating opportunities to encourage and engage teen girls in the Greater Boston area. She has a Masters in Creative Writing from St. Andrews University in Scotland and a Masters in Education from Harvard University.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

GIVEAWAY

Yes, yes, yes. I've decided to add a giveaway to the Flashback Friday series because what better way to get people reading a book than actually giving a copy out?

This giveaway is open internationally, as long as the book depository ships to you! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clearing My Shelves Giveaway #2

So, at the end of last year, my dad moved into a new apartment. One in which my bedroom is smaller and therefore has less room for books. I figured it was time for me to go through all my books and clear a little room. Some of these books I got from giveaways, but a lot of the books I'm giving away are books I was sent for review when I was running my old blog, but I never read because I accepted everything back then even if they didn't necessarily appeal to my tastes. All of these sound like they're going to be good books...just not for me! I feel like all these books can find a better home more suited for them.

The first giveaway really didn't go over so well, so I figured maybe I'd just take a picture of all the books I want to get rid of and let the winner choose which ones he/she wants. Maybe that will work out better? This giveaway is open for U.S. only. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Clearing My Shelves Giveaway #1

So, at the end of last year, my dad moved into a new apartment. One in which my bedroom is smaller and therefore has less room for books. I figured it was time for me to go through all my books and clear a little room. A lot of the books I'm giving away are books I was sent for review when I was running my old blog, but I never read because I accepted everything back then even if they didn't necessarily appeal to my tastes. All of these sound like they're going to be good books...just not for me! I feel like all these books can find a better home more suited for them. 

The first giveaway is for the Shifters Evolutions series by Ami Rebecca Blackwelder. Unfortunately, this giveaway is open to US only. Enter with the rafflecopter below. If you could review the books, that would be awesome, but you don't have to!

The summary for the first book: 

Set in Alaska in 2020, Uri Petrov and Dr. Samantha Croon find their lives intertwined when the shifters first land on Earth. Both motivated by love for their families, each is taken down a different path that will change the course of their lives forever and eventually the fate of the world.

Meanwhile, the military has divided into fractions...those who believe in the alien invasion and those who refuse to accept it, leaving Captain Raul at opposing ends with other heads of military.

With the shifters invading the forests of Kenai Lake, they explore their new world of refuge, and must discover how to shift in animal form while uncovering what it truly means to be human.


With underlining themes of how prejudice breaks human connections and animal/wildlife conservation, this novel which has received rave reviews will leave the reader flipping through the pages.

There are six books in the series, but I only have the first 5. Here are the Goodreads links: 

The Invasion of 2020
The SCM of 2030
The Shifters of 2040
The Hybrids of 2050
The Hunted of 2060


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YA Author Rendezvous Blitz: Bethany Wicker on Supporting Characters

Let us introduce YA Author Rendezvous – a group of independent Young Adult, Middle Grade and Children’s Book authors who have banded together to bring their stories to as wide an audience as possible. Visit them online and find some great reads!

Website / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Facebook

Today we’re featuring YA Author Rendezvous author, Bethany Wicker!

Favorite YAAR Supporting Characters

Everyone gets to know and fall in love with the MC, or Main Character. I, however, tend to fall for supporting characters. In our group YAAR, short for Young Adult Author Rendezvous, there are several great characters to choose from, but I’d like to talk about a few of my favorites.

We’ll start with Unexpected Alpha, by Bethany Wicker (yours truly.) I’m in love with Marie, the best friend of the MC. She provides comedic relief. I may be biased because she’s based off my best friend in real life, Mariah, but her bubbliness is hard to hate. She also becomes a badass werewolf when necessary.

Next up, The Institute Series by Kayla Howarth. I’m SO IN LOVE WITH DREW! Sorry, went a little fan girl. He betrays Allira in the beginning, but fights so hard to make things right throughout the series that Kayla made it had to not fall for him. Who doesn’t love a bad guy who tries to make things right in the end?

Then, there’s Joshua’s Island by Patrick Hodges. Who doesn’t love Kelsey? Sure, she gets her own novel in Ethan’s Secret, but before that she was a supporting character. She was so hardcore, stood up to the bullies, and stood for what’s right. She helps Joshua in so many ways to develop the courage he needs to stand up for himself.

The Awaken Series, by Michelle Bryan has several intriguing characters: Finn, Po, Tater, and my favorite, Jax. He’s SO ATTRACTIVE, hold on, need to shift away from fan girl mode. He comes to Tara’s aid when you least expect it and continues to help her on her journey. His snide comments are a bonus and there’s no instant love between them, which always ruins a good story.

Dawn of the Rebellion, by Michelle Lynn is up next with Drew. Yes, another Drew. I swear it isn’t the name! Drew’s originally Gabby’s boyfriend, but when she’s taken, Dawn and Drew set out to rescue her. Their relationship blossoms slowly and you see his true character come to life, and it’s very desirable. I’m not going to spoil anything but I cried at the end… read and see why.

Lastly, there’s Rise of the Shadow Seekers, by Korey Ward. My favorite of the trio is Nelson. I loved him from the moment he was introduced. He defended Alex from the bullies, but his looks scream otherwise. He’s broad and intimidating, but doesn’t use it for his own gain. Instead, he helps Alex in his quest and quickly becomes one of his first friends. A friend that anyone would want.
There are plenty characters out there that I didn’t have enough room to give credit to, but check them out in the YAAR library and be on the lookout for those enchanting supporting characters.

Author Bio:

Bethany Wicker resides in Louisiana and is a pediatric nurse who loves to read and write any chance she gets. Her sun conure, Apollo, green cheek conure, Rocket, and her two dogs, Jasper and Drake, usually keep her company while she writes, throwing in ideas of their own. She has a loving husband, Lucien, and an amazing family who support her passion for writing. Her inspiration comes from her friend Mariah and the support from her fellow authors from YA Author Rendezvous. She loves young adult fiction of all sorts and thanks God for giving her the strength to finish novels of her own. She is obsessed with Disney, Cherry Coke, and White Chocolate Mochas, especially from Starbucks. She also loves food and is always excited to try new things.

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