Title: Allusive Aftershock
By: Susan Griscom
Genre: Young Adult Romance
Published by: Amber Glow Books
Release date: December 18, 2012
What happens when a major earthquake changes life as you know it and the boy you thought you hated ends up saving you? Three times!
Courtland Reese is the guy everyone hates and makes fun of because … well, he is weird. He communicates with animals. Strange or interesting, seventeen-year-old Adela Castielle can’t quite figure out, but when he saves her from being trampled by her own horse, she begins to understand him a little better and wants to learn more about him.
But, Max--her best friend/dream guy/someday-to-be-her-husband-only-he-doesn’t-know-it-yet--hates Courtland with a passion. Adela wants to know why, except neither boy is talking.
When Max leaves her stranded in his parents' wine cave with his worst enemy, Courtland, after what the experts are calling a “megathrust” earthquake, Adela starts to question her loyalty to Max as steamy kisses in a dark damp cellar only fuel her emotions with more conflict.
But does she really have time to worry about that when fire, destruction and mayhem surround her?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A note from Susan:
I daydream often and sometimes my daydreams interrupt my daydreams. So I write to remember them. If I didn't write, I think my mind would explode from an overload of fantasy and weirdness. To the annoyance of my friends and family, my characters sometimes become a part of my world. During my childhood, I would frequently get in trouble in school for daydreaming. Eventually, my vivid imagination paid off and I had the privilege of writing and co-directing my sixth-grade class play—a dreadful disaster, though not from my writing, of course, I must blame it on the acting.
I love writing about characters living in small quaint towns and tend to lean toward the unusual and spooky.
My paranormal playing field delves into a different milieu, abandoning vampires and werewolves, but not discounting them. Someday I might like to write a novel about vamps and those furry creatures. But for now I like the bizarre mixed with romance. A strong hero or heroine confronted with extraordinary forces of nature, powers and capabilities gets my blood running hot.
Links:
Website: http://susangriscom.com
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Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/Susan-Griscom/e/B008R94FNO/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_3
Facebook personal: https://www.facebook.com/SusanGriscom1
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/SusanGriscom
This was a fantastically realistic portrayal of the effects of earthquakes on a more personal level. Too often we hear on the news about an area that has been devastated by an earthquake and all the damage that it has caused. But rarely do we actually sit back and think of the people that have been affected. Those that have survived but lost those close to them. Family and friends. This book deals with that. We get to feel the lose and heartbreak that these characters go through.
Griscom did an excellent job at conveying the sorrow that these characters experience. You feel what they feel, cry with them, laugh with them, love with them. Every emotion is felt to the fullest. I loved watching the characters grow. I especially loved watching the relationship between Adela and Court slowly develop. I loved Court. He's such a sweet and caring person. Adela was likable but I just did not see what she saw in Max. Sure he was hot but he was a complete jerk! I just don't know why she was so in love with him. He showed some change towards the end of the book but still.
Griscom did a brilliant job at describing the chaos and destruction that the earthquakes have caused. You actually feel like you are there living through it yourself. She perfectly portrays the hardships and struggles the characters experience and how they must try to survive on there own out in the wild with very little food and water, facing the elements.
If you are looking for a different YA book with plenty of action, heartbreak, and has a very sweet romance at the centre of it, then this is the book for you.
EXCERPT:
An explosion burst through the air and I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned toward the noise and stared in horror at the sight of the Arco gas station completely engulfed in flames. The fire immediately spread into a clump of trees between the station and the half-demolished grocery store about six feet from where Max stood.
An explosion burst through the air and I almost jumped out of my skin. I turned toward the noise and stared in horror at the sight of the Arco gas station completely engulfed in flames. The fire immediately spread into a clump of trees between the station and the half-demolished grocery store about six feet from where Max stood.
“Max!” I screamed and leaped up forgetting about the clenching in my stomach.
Max hurried back and grabbed my hand again. We ran, hopping over broken brick, concrete, glass, and wood from collapsed buildings, swerving between and around abandoned cars stopped or smashed along the road. Max never let go of my hand. Trees and buildings consumed in flames glowered around us, the heat almost too much to bear. The scent of gas permeated the air along with the muck of smoke and debris. Water spewed up from a broken fire hydrant, knocked on its side by the delivery truck now perched on top of it and I gasped at the sight of a bloodied man’s head hanging out the window.
I wanted to be home more than anything now. Did we even have a home? Were my mom and dad okay? The twins? What about Big Blue? I fought back tears, trying to convince myself they were all fine and probably wondering where I was. I squeezed my eyes shut to picture my mom pacing the living room, worrying and telling my dad they needed to find me.
All of a sudden, we stopped running. I glanced up to see why and gaped with horror at the road in front of us. The broken asphalt had buckled into a pile about twelve feet high, obstructing our way. The crumbled debris from the buildings on both sides blocked the entire area. With the newly formed abyss in front of us and the out-of-control inferno behind us closing in fast, we were trapped.
Giveaway
** Please purchase the e-book to be eligible for the swag pack. Please enter your receipt number. New purchases only, date must fall between 1-14 and 2-14. If you purchase my book and then win an e-book copy of AA, I will reward you with another book of equal value of your choice. Winners will be chosen on my birthday, February 23rd.
Thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Yvonne, for being a part of the tour and your wonderful review.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!! And hosting!!
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds good! Thanks for sharing your review and the excerpt!
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