From the Review Pile #2

From the Review Pile is a new meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

"I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!"

 - Stepping Out of the Page

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The book I'm featuring this week is one I'm really excited to read. The story sounds wonderful and the cover art is amazing. See for yourself :


Hear by Jacqueline Abelson

Lots of people can hear, but how many really listen?At the age of 17, Charlotte Goode has issues. Serious issues. Despite countless surgeries, her parent's panic attacks, and a well-meaning oncologist, a rare genetic disorder means Charlotte must live with recurring tumors. Life isn’t supposed to be this way.And just as Charlotte is learning to cope, she gets some devastating news: Tumors are growing on her auditory nerves. But, the necessary surgery will leave her completely deaf.With the operation scheduled in a month, Charlotte prepares herself for a world without sound. A world without the violin she loves, without her best friend’s laugh, and even without her boss’s irksome tone. Charlotte's on a mission to take it all in, while trying to hire a band to play a benefit concert. Will it be The Bond Boys or Lennox? Counting down the days until everything goes silent, The Bond Boys’ lead singer, Ron Cam, sweeps Charlotte off her feet. He’s pure charisma. Then there’s Matthew Lovelace of Lennox , who captures Charlotte’s attention with his music and “that” voice. What will she do?
Time is running out. Charlotte must find a way to leave the hearing world on a high note without missing a beat.

This ebook is only 99 cents! Get your copy here.



I can't wait to read your posts. I will check as many as I can today. Feel free to leave your link in the comments!

ARC Review : Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

Title: Poltergeeks
Author: Sean Cummings
Expected publication: October 2012 by Strange Chemistry Books

ISBN13 : 9781908844095

*e-book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review.*

From Goodreads : 15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life.

Poltergeeks opens up with all hell breaking loose : a woman is thrown out of her house while her furniture and objects are found floating around. From Julie and Marcus' expertise, this can only be the result of a very mischievous poltergeist who was yanked from the other side by someone very powerful. Supernatural activity is going off the charts everywhere, even in school. No one is safe, not even Julie's mother who falls under the spell of Endless Night, a powerful spell that leaves her in a coma. Messages are being sent to Julie via YouTube videos, an immortal named Holly will give her answers but she'll demand something in return, and the spirit of a loved one will offer help and will reveal Julie's destiny. It's now up to Julie, Marcus and Betty, Julie's guardian, to find out who's behind all of this mayhem and put an end to it while fighting to save her mom's life.

Julie may be a witch but she really is your normal teenager. Proof? Well how about her mother grounds her even if, in Julie's eyes,  she's just trying to help. She often takes matters in her own hands and doesn't think about the consequences. For example, she doesn't listen to her mom when the school is in total chaos and tries to take care of it herself. Result : her mom is now laying in a hospital bed. Her best friend, Marcus,  is the one making sure she follows the rules.


Marcus and Julie have been friends for so long that she doesn't know how to react when he admits his feelings towards her. Julie needs to get her feelings straight before goth girl Marla steals him from her. Marcus is the science geek. He  sometimes wants to gather scientific information on  the supernatural and he's also dumbfounded in front of anything abnormal. He's one of the few who knows about Julie and her mother's witchcraft and it doesn't seem to bother him. He's always there to lend a helping hand. He also has a very vulnerable side. At school he often gets teased and thrown in the garbage. He really needs to stand up for himself and not let Julie always do it for him.


When her mother is in the hospital Betty comes in the picture as Julie's guardian and offers a hand but only if Julie asks the right questions. She isn't human; she takes the body of a dying person or animal as her host until she grows tired of it. My favorite is when she occupies the body of a Great Dane. Even in the body of an animal she can be very useful!

Poltergeeks is Sean Cummings' first YA and also the first book in a new series that's off to an incredible start. Even if the story deals with Julie's mom fighting for her life, it's really a light and fun read. No tissues will be needed! I absolutely loved the chemistry between Julie and Marcus. They make an excellent team! The romance is a nice touch added to the plot but it's not the main focus. The magic is fantastic. He did an amazing job describing the supernatural. Everything is carefully thought-out and well-explained. I loved the mix of poltergeists and magic. I was really engrossed in the book from the very beginning. The action starts on page one and ends on the last page with hints of more action coming in the next book. I honestly can't wait to find out more. I think there might be a few family secrets that Julie has yet to unveil. I'm eagerly anticipating the sequel!

Poltergeeks is a great entertaining read that will please the fans of YA paranormal and urban fantasy.

5 out of 5 stars

To learn more, visit the Sean Cummings' website, follow him on Twitter and 'Like' his Facebook page.

10 Fun Facts : Looking for Authors & Book Bloggers!

Happy Saturday everyone! For my friends in the US, Happy Memorial Day weekend!

Since I have time off until September I've decided I need to get my blog back on track. I've got tons of reviews coming up, a giveaway, guest posts...On June 2nd, you'll get to win a book for leaving a comment on my post that day. Everyone leaving a comment will be a winner so make sure to come visit! My posts should now be more frequent than the occasional post every month.

To make my blog more fun and to hopefully gain back readers I've lost during my long break, I've decided to bring back my 10 Fun Facts posts. Not familiar with this? The concept is simple! Authors and book bloggers are invited to share with us 10 facts about themselves and/or their books. It's always fun to learn more about some of our favorite bloggers and authors but more importantly, we also get to discover great bloggers and authors that we might have missed in the blogosphere. Each week, I'll feature one author or blogger.

If this is something you would like to do go to the left side bar and click "Contact Me" or send me an email melvautour(at)hotmail(dot)com.

I look forward to your 10 fun facts!!

Review : Scarlett's by A.L. Collins

Title : Scarlett's

Author : A.L. Collins

Paperback 241 pages

Published March 1st 2012 by Createspace 

ISBN13 : 9781475032017      

*Book courtesy of the author in exchange for an honest review*

Barnes & Noble  / Amazon

A.L. Collins' debut Y/A novel Scarlett's takes an inspiring,motivating and sometimes humorous approach to the realities that young adults are confronted with today. Just when everything around Jaime Williams starts to cave in, when it looks like the economy has claimed another victim, she takes a job at the local diner in hopes of finding what is missing in her life. Scarlett's will have you cheering for all that is good in this world. She builds some amazing relationships along the way and Jaime's solace comes in the help and encouragement that she gives to those closest to her. When a friend stumbles upon some writings in an old binder under her bed while helping her move, the world that Jaime once knew is about to change... Karma is a wonderful thing!






Jaime loves her job at a restaurant but when she's on the verge of losing her duplex, she has no choice but move back home. She doesn't want to lose all the great friendships at the restaurant but what can you do when the economy threatens to take your home? She's always been good to others. When a family in need goes to the restaurant, she offers to pay their meals. Now that she's the one needing help, her friend Ashton will step up to offer a hand. While helping her move, Ashton discovers a binder filled with her writing. Impressed, he decides to publish this book for Jaime without her knowing. Her life as she knew it will be about to change. If all goes well Jaime might not have to move after all!


A.L. Collins is back with his second novel but his first YA. Scarlett's is very different from his first fantasy novel Bastion : Prequel to War. This young man proves he's a very versatile and talented author.


Scarlett's is a perfect book for this upcoming summer. It's a light and easy read. More importantly, it's a feel-good story. I love the friendship between Jaime and Ashton and the rest of her co-workers. It makes you realize that good things can come to those who help others. Like the book description says, in the end Karma can be a wonderful thing! Reading this book put a smile on my face. The story is very realistic. The characters are dealing with real life problems which makes it easier for us to relate. I really enjoyed reading about the whole independent publishing process. There's also a surprise romance developing at the end of the book. Trust me, you won't be expecting it!


One my favorite character is without a doubt Meg. She's one of Ashton's friends and she's helping him with the publishing process even though she doesn't know Jaime. She's extremely funny. I love the part where Meg and Jaime go to school to talk about the book. Hilarious! The teacher doesn't seem to think Jaime is really a published author if she's independently published. I love Meg and Jaime's responses to the students and the teacher.  Lots of laughs guaranteed! Meg is also very vulnerable. She knows first hand how kids can be cruel these days. I also like Ashton. Jaime is lucky to have a friend like him who's willing to pay to get her book published. He also took a big chance. What if Jaime didn't want the world to read her book? She lacks confidence but having her book published might just be what she needs in order to pursue her dream.


Scarlett's is amazingly written. This author never ceases to impress me. I really hope there's a sequel. I want to read more about these characters!




Scarlett's is now 99 cents on the Kindle. Great deal for a great book! Click here to get your copy.

5 out of 5 stars!

For more information visit the author's blog, follow him on Twitter and visit his goodreads page.

From the Review Pile #1

From the Review Pile is a new meme hosted by Stepping Out of the Page every Thursday.

The aim of this meme is to showcase books that you've received for review (or any book that you own and really want to read/review) but haven't yet got around to reading, in order to give the book some extra publicity.

"I know that a lot of you have a huge pile of books that you want to read/review, but it understandably takes a while to get around to reading them all - here you can give a book (or two!) some of the publicity that it deserves, even if you haven't read it yet!" - Stepping Out of the Page

This week, I'm showcasing Twined by A.L. Collins.




 Avalin Marsh is used to disappointment. When her mother murdered a woman in the kitchen of her home on her eleventh birthday, Avalin decided that the people in your life were only there to let you down. She built up walls over the years making a mental fortress impervious to disappointment, heartache and sadness. However it also isolated her from others, making her bitter... and lonely.
When her mother was diagnosed with schizophrenia after the murder, Avalin began to see and experience things that she couldn't explain. She thought she could handle these episodes by pushing them back into her mind. Until the day she sees one of her classmates morph into a monster right in front of her eyes. Pushed to the brink of paranoia, Avalin truly believes she's insane. Then a mysterious man named Albert comes into her life. She's wary of his motives yet for some reason finds herself drawn to him even though they've never met. What's even more inexplicable is that Albert knows who Avalin is. She's the daughter of the famous Abigail Marsh. Her mother.

Now the two of them will need to put their differences aside and trust one another. If Avalin can't let her guard down long enough to let Albert in, then there might be dire and far reaching consequences in store for them.

It turns out Avalin Marsh isn't as crazy as she thought.

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I've read two books by this author and I can't wait to start this one.

What do you have in your review pile? Leave the link and I'll check out your post.