Welcome to the kickoff of the very first Spencer Hill Press Giveaway Week! For those of you that don't know about Spencer Hill Press, here's a little background. Spencer Hill Press is an independent publishing house that specializes in science fiction, paranormal romance and urban fantasy for the Young Adult audience. 

With a host of talented authors and dozens of fantastic titles under its belt, Spencer Hill Press has become a veritable powerhouse. And, as luck would have it, yours truly is hosting the fantastic crowd with a whole bunch of goodies for all of you! Be sure to follow the week (through Sunday), and check out the great features and giveaways!

Welcome, Daniel Cohen, author of The Ancillary's Mark and the forthcoming Veil Trilogy!

Find Daniel on: Goodreads. Twitter. Blog.

Daniel is super excited to announce that his brand new shorts story, The Every-Mother Knows Best is now available for a PDF download!

Rich and inventive, Daniel has created a short story that harnesses hist-fic with a touch of the paranormal for an exciting, fast-paced read.  

Want to download it and try for yourself? Click HERE!

Daniel has graciously offered an ARC of Masters of the Veil, pictured to the left, as well as some sweet swag including, but not limited to some awesome MotV soda can jerseys! 

This giveaway is US & Canada ONLY, and it will end promptly at midnight EST on February 2, 2012.

As always, you do not have to be a follower to enter, but it is always appreciated!

Still want to enter? Click HERE to fill out the form!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill from Breaking the Spine, and specifically spotlights upcoming novels we can't wait to read. As always, there are some amazing upcoming books, but this week I'm particularly excited for...

Title: Masters of the Veil
Author: Daniel Cohen
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Published: March 1, 2012
Genre: YA, Paranormal
Pages: 300

Life can’t get much better for Sam Lock. Popular, good-looking, and with a future as a professional football player… every guy at Stanton High School wishes he were Sam. That is, until his championship football game, when Sam accidentally links with an ancient source of energy known as the Veil and reveals his potential to become a powerful sorcerer.

Sam’s dreams are crushed as he is whisked off to Atlas Crown, a community of sorcerers who utilize the Veil as a part of everyday life. Once there, he trains beside a mute boy who speaks through music, an eternal sage who is the eyes and ears of the Veil, and a beautiful girl who's pretty sure Sam's an idiot.

As it becomes clear that Sam is meant for power magic—the most feared and misunderstood form of sorcery—people beyond Atlas Crown learn of his dangerous potential. An exiled group of power sorcerers are eager to recruit Sam, believing that he is destined to help them achieve their long-held goal. If they succeed, they could bring about the downfall of not only Atlas Crown… but all of humankind.

I read The Ancillary's Mark by Daniel Cohen a while back, and I was surprised by how good it was because I wasn't the biggest fan of the cover, and we all know I'm a cover slut. That said, I was excited to hear he has a new book/series coming out, and I'm looking forward to reading another book with a great male MC...something I don't really read enough of. What do you think, and what are you waiting on this week?

Title: The Ancillary's Mark
Author: Daniel Cohen
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: November 4, 2010
Genre: YA, Science Fiction
Pages: 246
Source: Author

The legend of the Ancillary flower has existed for centuries. Foretold to bring out the limitless potential of its bearer, the flower and the legend have been forgotten by many. Recently, strange events in a shrouded Tibetan town have sparked rumors among those who still believe.

Jacob Deer is a quirky young man, bound for college, with an eccentric old librarian for a best friend, an obsession with sitting down in elevators, and a strange birthmark on his hand that's shaped mysteriously like the markings on the Ancillary's petals. When Jacob's mentor Mr. Maddock reveals to him his connection with the legendary Ancillary, it sets in motion a series of events that sends Jacob and friends across the world. Alongside an alluring young woman, a marine-reject, and a Tibetan kid obsessed with comic books, Jacob must face off against a vengeful maniac for the fate of the flower, the legend, and all mankind.

Jacob Deer marches to the beat of his own drum, makes his own rules, and has a fascinating birthmark on his hand that bears an odd resemblance to the legendary Ancillary flower…a flower that gives the bearer access to unlimited potential. When his mentor tells Jacob about his true connection to the Ancillary flower, his future is set in motion as he travels to Tibet to find the truth of his destiny and the Ancillary flower, itself. Along with a beautiful girl named Sophia, his bodyguard named Diego, and a young Tibetan boy with an obsession with Superman, Jacob’s life is just beginning to get interesting – and dangerous.

Ok, remember when I discussed craptastic covers the other day (no offense, Dan!)? The Ancillary’s Mark is the epitome of this phenomenon. With a powerful premise, an intriguing cast of characters and a unique voice that manages to draw readers in and send them on a journey, The Ancillary’s Mark is FAR better than the cover implies. Daniel Cohen has created a masterful science-fiction tale that somehow manages to balance continuously changing perspectives through the story with a powerful myth of a legendary flower that fuels the story throughout.

The biggest strength of The Ancillary’s Mark was the characters. Jacob Deer has to be the most resonant and endearing MC that I’ve read of in a long time. I like his flaws, and I like that they are emphasized because they make him human and tangible. Even the secondary characters like Sophia and Diego are well-rounded and add to each element of the story. Plus, even with an unstoppable plot, the characters manage to successfully weave humour into every situation. I think that another strength was the balance of descriptions and dialogue within The Ancillary’s Mark. The descriptions are interspersed throughout, and each one is alive with detail – they never seem superfluous or redundant. Each one adds a little something to the story and brings it alive.

I couldn’t have been more surprised with just how great The Ancillary’s Mark was, and I urge you to look past the seemingly-adult cover. The singular qualm I had with the book was that it was too short. There were certain situations I wish would have been drawn out, but that’s personal preference. I give The Ancillary’s Mark a 4.5 out of 5, and I’d recommend it all fans of YA and even adult fiction, especially those who enjoy a good science-fiction and fantasy story.

I received this book free of charge from the author in exchange for an honest review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

In My Mailbox is an amazing weekly meme hosted by Kristi from The Story Siren that features the books we have received during the week. It's so much fun because we get to see what our fellow bloggers stumbled upon this week and add even more to our piles of books! Without further ado, this week I received the following books:

The Lying Game - (For Review - Thank you, HarperTeen) - I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did. The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

The Ancillary's Mark - (For Review - Thank you, Daniel Cohen) - The legend of the Ancillary flower has existed for centuries. Foretold to bring out the limitless potential of its bearer, the flower and the legend have been forgotten by many. Recently, strange events in a shrouded Tibetan town have sparked rumors among those who still believe. Jacob Deer is a quirky young man, bound for college, with an eccentric old librarian for a best friend, an obsession with sitting down in elevators, and a strange birthmark on his hand that's shaped mysteriously like the markings on the Ancillary's petals.

Frostbite - (Bought) - Rose loves Dimitri, Dimitri might love Tasha, and Mason would die to be with Rose…It's winter break at St. Vladimir's, but Rose is feeling anything but festive. A massive Strigoi attack has put the school on high alert, and now the Academy's crawling with Guardians—including Rose's hard-hitting mother, Janine Hathaway.

Shadow Kiss - (Bought) - For Rose Hathaway, everything seems out of kilter. Ever since she made her first Strigoi kills, a dark shadow has been creeping over her. Looming in the background, too, is another realization: If she follows her forbidden love for guardian Dimitri Belikov, she might lose her best friend forever. And these sleep-shaking worries couldn't have come at a worse time. The immortal unloving are prowling everywhere, famished for vengeance against her.