Showing posts with label Strange Chemistry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strange Chemistry. Show all posts

Thursday, February 28, 2013

BLOG TOUR #64 & 2 AWESOME #GIVEAWAYS - THE HOLDERS by @JULIANNA_SCOTT


Today I would like to welcome you all to the world of The Holders.....a protected society of humans with skills beyond the normal, most looking to lead a normal existence, one being hunted above the rest.

Author Julianna Scott has shared an excerpt from The Holders which I hope will spark some intrigue in grabbing a copy and enjoying what I found was a book with action, attitude, aspiring romance, a great cast and of course.....A TWIST! Check out my review HERE

PLUS...!......Julianna Scott also thrown in two awesome giveaways!  That's right TWO!  One just for our followers - a swag pack with book and other items...... and a tour wide Grand Prize - an American Girl Doll outfitted like Becca - our lead from The Holders.  WOW!  The Rafflecopter links for each competition are at the end of this post.

THE HOLDERS - (Synopsis)
17-year-old Becca spent her whole life protecting her brother from, well, everything. The abandonment of their father, the so called 'experts' who insist that voices in his head are unnatural and must be dealt with, and the constant threat of being taken away to some hospital and studied like an animal.
When two representatives appear claiming to have the answers to Ryland's perceived problem, Becca doesn't buy it for one second. That is until they seem to know things about Ryland and about Becca and Ryland's family, that forces Becca to concede that there may be more to these people than meets the eye.
Though still highly skeptical, Becca agrees to do what's best for Ryland. What they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together the information of their family's heritage, their estranged Father, and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for.
She meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, Becca and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but destiny gets in the way, and they are all in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind forever.
THE HOLDERS is a modern day fantasy about incredible powers and extraordinary people.


So....Who Is Julianna Scott?

JULIANNA SCOTT


Julianna was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and spent the majority of her educational career convinced she would be a musician. However, after receiving her music degree from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, she realized that she'd been born in the wrong era for her dreams of singing jazz to adoring fans clad in zoot-suits and flapper dresses to come true, and began to wonder if her true calling might be elsewhere.

While Julianna had always excelled in writing throughout school, she'd never considered it a career possibility until about three years ago, when she'd gotten her first story idea and decided to go for it. She grabbed her laptop, started typing away, and has never looked back.


Now to Enjoy the Excerpt:


“Still, I’m sorry for what happened to you.” I looked away, feeling the anger bubble up in me again. “I never would have let them…” I trailed off, not knowing if I was talking more to him or myself. What I did know was if I had anything to say about it, no one would ever hurt him like that again.



“I know.” There was so much tenderness in his voice that I had to look up, only to be met by the most wonderfully soft expression in his eyes. “The day we came to get Ryland – the way you fought for him – it was the most amazing thing I’d ever seen. When I told you that I wish I’d had someone like you watching out for me, I meant it.” I felt myself start to blush and looked away. “And as far as what my parents did,” he continued with a shrug, “oddly enough, I’m grateful. No, really,” he insisted with a smile, seeing my face. “It was terrible yes, but if it hadn’t happened the way it did, I would never have found my way here. I would never have learned who I really am. It was a long road, but it led me here, and for that I can be nothing but grateful.”



I looked at him in awe. He truly was the most amazing person I’d ever met. To have gone through something so horrible at so young an age. I knew all too well how scared and lost he must have been – I’d seen it in Ryland’s eyes countless times before. But Ryland had had me; for Alex there’d been no one. Before I even realized what I was doing, I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around his neck, and hugged him.



“I’m sorry,” I said softly, my cheek resting against the warmth of his neck.



He stiffened, and for an embarrassing moment I thought he was going to push me away. However, after what felt like two years – though couldn’t have been more than two seconds – I felt his arms slide around my waist and his head sink into my shoulder. I breathed in the scent coming off of his hair, which was sweet and musky with the tiniest bit of cologne, too light to have been purposefully applied, and was more likely left from soap. The headiness of it was invigorating, making my skin tingle and my pulse begin to pound.



I pulled back – though probably not a far as I should have – and looked up at him. “I’m sorry for earlier,” I said, feeling like a total ass for whining about Jocelyn to someone who’d had it so much worse than I ever had.



Immediately his eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t,” he said, shaking his head. Then, without seeming conscious of the action, his hand came up and slowly brushed the stray hairs away from my face, softly grazing my cheek. My heart lurched and sputtered, and I prayed he couldn’t feel my hands shake against his shoulders. Holding my eyes with a look that made my stomach tight, he continued, “Don’t ever apologize for saying how you feel.”



AUTHOR / BOOK LINKS 



Julianna Scott Author Page: http://www.juliannascott.com

The Holders Series Page: http://www.theholdersseries.com







**** THE GIVEAWAYS****
a Rafflecopter giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 A HUGE Thank you to Julianna for including Novels On The Run in the Blog Tour.  Julianna provided me a copy of The Holders - I've read it and yep......I love it!!

ENJOY!
MARISSA   

March 1:

BOOK REVIEW: THE HOLDERS by @Julianna_Scott




THE HOLDERS
by
JULIANNA SCOTT

Published by Strange Chemistry
Acquired from Author for honest review. Also participated in blog tour. 
   
17-year-old Becca spent her whole life protecting her brother from, well, everything. The abandonment of their father, the so called 'experts' who insist that voices in his head are unnatural and must be dealt with, and the constant threat of being taken away to some hospital and studied like an animal.
When two representatives appear claiming to have the answers to Ryland's perceived problem, Becca doesn't buy it for one second. That is until they seem to know things about Ryland and about Becca and Ryland's family, that forces Becca to concede that there may be more to these people than meets the eye.
Though still highly skeptical, Becca agrees to do what's best for Ryland. What they find at St. Brigid's is a world beyond their imagination. Little by little they piece together the information of their family's heritage, their estranged Father, and the legend of the Holder race that decrees Ryland is the one they've been waiting for.
She meets Alex, a Holder who is fiercely loyal to their race, and for some reason, Becca and Ryland. There's an attraction between Becca and Alex that can't be denied, but destiny gets in the way, and they are all in for a surprise that will change what they thought they knew about themselves and their kind forever.
THE HOLDERS is a modern day fantasy about incredible powers and extraordinary people.

MARISSA'S REVIEW:
The Holders.......well it certainly held my attention!  This novel from Julianna Scott is well written, keeps you captivated throughout and has a great cast.

Focused on the YA Paranormal Romance genre - it hit it's target superbly and won't disappoint. 

Our girl protag is Becca - she's one smart cookie having graduated high school at 15! She's also the self designated defender of her younger brother Ryland. You see Ryland appears to be a little sought after - many psych's and health professionals have knocked on their door over the years wanting to take him away because he's "special". Becca won't allow it. At 17 she takes on a more adult role than her mother at times.

Becca definitely becomes a force to be reckoned with as the storyline progresses - with many underestimating her will power. 

One who does not doubt her is Alex... **insert swooning**!! He is a Holder and his role is to seek out unknown Holders and bring them to Ireland to learn and protect their secret race.  And yes, Becca and Alex have chemistry! Can Becca let herself feel something for a guy that works under her estranged father - a father whom she has hated with a passion for so long?

The Holders has a good steady pace held throughout.  My interest in the storyline did not waiver for a moment.  The cast members we are introduced to are enjoyable and I look forward to reading more about each and everyone of them.

A long standing betrayal, a move to another country, a secret race, a new love, a kidnapping, some action - and of course a twist or two!!  Ingredients for a good read :)


The Holders Series Page: http://www.theholdersseries.com


 ENJOY!
MARISSA