Luminis Thoughts by Cara Bertrand - Book Tour + Giveaway
This event takes place August 22 – 29, 2016
Welcome to another exciting tour with Novel Publicity. This time with author Cara Bertrand and her series The Sententia & the release of the third book in the series, Tangled Thoughts!
This tour is classic Novel Publicity event, featuring a rafflecopter with special swag, paperbacks from the author and an Amazon gift card as well as spotlight posts, reviews from bloggers and more! Since this book is a series, we’ve recruited bloggers and readers from around the web to read and review all the Sententia books & help the author celebrate the release of Book 3, Tangled Thoughts!
Book 1: Lost in Thought
Lainey Young has a secret: she’s going crazy. Everyone else thinks she has severe migraines from stress and exhaustion. What she really has are visions of how people died—or are going to die. Not that she tells anyone that. At age 16, she prefers keeping her crazy to herself. When doctors insist she needs a new and stable environment to recover, Lainey’s game to spend two years at a private New England boarding school. She doesn’t really think it will cure her problem, and she’s half right. There is no cure, but as she discovers, she’s not actually crazy. Almost everyone at Northbrook Academy has a secret too. Half the students and nearly all the staff are members of the Sententia, a hidden society of the psychically gifted. A vision of another student’s impending death confirms Lainey is one of them. She’d like to return the crappy gift of divining deaths with only a touch, but enjoys spending time with Carter Penrose—recent Academy graduate and resident school crush—while learning to control it. Lainey’s finally getting comfortable with her ability, and with Carter, when they uncover her true Sententia heritage. Now she has a real secret. Once it’s spilled, she’ll be forced to forget protecting secrets and start protecting herself.
Book 2: Second Thoughts
The continuing adventures of an ordinary teenage girl with extraordinary mental abilities, perfect for readers who love books and series such as Vampire Academy, Spellbound, and Sweet Peril.
Secrets, lies, and looming deaths—all things Lainey Young deals with in a typical day of high school. In her senior year at Northbrook Academy—a New England boarding school where the majority of the students and nearly all the staff are members of the Sententia, a hidden society of the psychically gifted—Lainey has even more to worry about. Things like classes, college, her boyfriend, and, of course, the vision she glimpsed of her impending death. But to her surprise, Lainey finds one worry she can cross off her list, namely Senator Daniel Astor, the leader of the Sententia. After a shocking discovery when they finally meet, Lainey realizes maybe she was wrong to distrust the Senator. She relaxes even further when he seems to accept her refusal to work for him after graduation. But with her secrets mounting and the time to solve them running out, there’s a final enigma Lainey hasn’t yet encountered: Daniel Astor doesn’t take no for an answer. Ever.
Book 3: Tangled Thoughts
High school graduation is a time for goodbyes, new beginnings, and if you’re Lainey Young, narrowly escaping with your life. Forced to leave behind both Northbrook Academy and Carter Penrose, Lainey believes she’s earned her freedom—from the eyes of the Perceptum and Daniel Astor’s schemes. Meeting handsome and very persistent Teaching Assistant Jack Kensington the first week of college complicates everything, including her feelings.
College and flirtations with Jack help Lainey put all things Sententia behind her. But when her aunt arrives for a visit, with an unexpected guest and even more unexpected news, Lainey’s tenuous control over her life snaps. Once again, she’s linked to everything she thought she left behind. And this time, there’s no escape.
Growing up, Carter Penrose thought he knew a thing or two about heartbreak—namely that it sucks—but he never knew exactly how much until losing Lainey. His life moves in a totally unplanned direction and he finds himself with a new home, new job, and even a surprising new girlfriend, all thanks to Daniel Astor. But just when Carter feels settled in the DC world of politics, a visit home to Northbrook brings up unexpected questions—about what happened at graduation and everything he believed about his Uncle Dan.
When tragedy brings Lainey and Carter face to face for the first time since summer, their lives have never felt more separate. Lies drove them apart. Will the truth bring them together?
Love the books and can’t wait for more? Did you know about these two extras? Click the book covers below to find out more!
Guest Post
TOP TEN YA(ISH) BOARDING SCHOOL BOOKS & SERIES
By Author Cara Bertrand
Not even remotely secret confession: I love boarding school stories. LOVE them. They are ‘my’ trope, that thing I will read over and over again without an ounce of ennui. So writing a boarding school story was an easy choice, even for this public-school girl.
The Sententia school, Northbrook Academy, is actually inspired by a real boarding school location in Western Massachusetts, though the campus is now closed. My husband and I would pass it periodically, on our way to a local race track, and it was always my favorite part of the drive. Even closed up, the sprawling grounds with the mix of old and new buildings were beautiful, and I loved to imagine them filled back up with life, and students, and drama. In fact, I told my husband once, “If I ever write a book, I’m going to set it here.”—long before I thought I actuallywould write a book. Several years later, I kept my word!
Even though Lainey’s moved onto college in Tangled Thoughts, I loved writing Northbrook—I think of it as another character in the story, in fact—and it makes an appearance in every book (including the last one!). Here are ten more of my favorite YA(ish) boarding school books/series!
1. Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead: #1 on the list because it’s #1 in my heart! I love this series so very much. I got to meet Richelle earlier this year and I could barely stammer out a few sentences.
2. Prep – Curtis Sittenfeld: Arguably YA (in fact, I’d usually argue it’s not), but definitely a modern classic boarding school story and one of my favorites! Lee may not always be loveable, but she is so relatable.
3. White Cat (The Curse Workers) – Holly Black: Nothing but love for Cassel, his crooked family, and the magical world they inhabit. I think this is Holly’s most under-read series. Everything she writes is so great—I mean, if she published her grocery lists, I’d probably read them!—but this one gets far less attention than it deserves in comparison to her more popular fae books. I inhaled the entire series in about three days.
4. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin) – Robin LaFevers: This series hooked me at god of Death and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could from the start. Set in the earliest form of boarding school for girls—a convent.
5. Among Others – Jo Walton: Another arguably YA, but a perfect story for anyone who can identify with the awkward years of youth and who loves books and magic.
6. The Name of the Star (Shades of London) – Maureen Johnson: So much personality in anything Maureen writes. London, the Jack the Ripper mystery, and all the ghosts felt completely alive to me. I devoured the series-to-date and am desperate for the conclusion!
7. Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins: Soooooo much voice, and magic, and sassiness. This is my go-to choice for If-you-liked-this-book comparisons. If you liked Hex Hall, you’ll probably like Lost in Thought!
8. Blythewood – Carol Goodman: Historical magical boarding school with a penchant for collective nouns? Yes please!
9. Conversion – Katherine Howe: Great writing and integration of the historical and modern story. I enjoyed this very much, even without having read The Crucible.
10. The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy) – Sherry Thomas: Magical boarding school, amazing writing, AND a tortured hero? This series is like my own personal brand of heroin. ;)
11. ….but where’s Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, or The Mysterious Benedict Society?!!? While I love those boarding school/camp series too, they’re mostly Middle Grade, and that’s a different list!
TOP TEN YA(ISH) BOARDING SCHOOL BOOKS & SERIES
By Author Cara Bertrand
Not even remotely secret confession: I love boarding school stories. LOVE them. They are ‘my’ trope, that thing I will read over and over again without an ounce of ennui. So writing a boarding school story was an easy choice, even for this public-school girl.
The Sententia school, Northbrook Academy, is actually inspired by a real boarding school location in Western Massachusetts, though the campus is now closed. My husband and I would pass it periodically, on our way to a local race track, and it was always my favorite part of the drive. Even closed up, the sprawling grounds with the mix of old and new buildings were beautiful, and I loved to imagine them filled back up with life, and students, and drama. In fact, I told my husband once, “If I ever write a book, I’m going to set it here.”—long before I thought I actuallywould write a book. Several years later, I kept my word!
Even though Lainey’s moved onto college in Tangled Thoughts, I loved writing Northbrook—I think of it as another character in the story, in fact—and it makes an appearance in every book (including the last one!). Here are ten more of my favorite YA(ish) boarding school books/series!
1. Vampire Academy – Richelle Mead: #1 on the list because it’s #1 in my heart! I love this series so very much. I got to meet Richelle earlier this year and I could barely stammer out a few sentences.
2. Prep – Curtis Sittenfeld: Arguably YA (in fact, I’d usually argue it’s not), but definitely a modern classic boarding school story and one of my favorites! Lee may not always be loveable, but she is so relatable.
3. White Cat (The Curse Workers) – Holly Black: Nothing but love for Cassel, his crooked family, and the magical world they inhabit. I think this is Holly’s most under-read series. Everything she writes is so great—I mean, if she published her grocery lists, I’d probably read them!—but this one gets far less attention than it deserves in comparison to her more popular fae books. I inhaled the entire series in about three days.
4. Grave Mercy (His Fair Assassin) – Robin LaFevers: This series hooked me at god of Death and kept me turning the pages as fast as I could from the start. Set in the earliest form of boarding school for girls—a convent.
5. Among Others – Jo Walton: Another arguably YA, but a perfect story for anyone who can identify with the awkward years of youth and who loves books and magic.
6. The Name of the Star (Shades of London) – Maureen Johnson: So much personality in anything Maureen writes. London, the Jack the Ripper mystery, and all the ghosts felt completely alive to me. I devoured the series-to-date and am desperate for the conclusion!
7. Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins: Soooooo much voice, and magic, and sassiness. This is my go-to choice for If-you-liked-this-book comparisons. If you liked Hex Hall, you’ll probably like Lost in Thought!
8. Blythewood – Carol Goodman: Historical magical boarding school with a penchant for collective nouns? Yes please!
9. Conversion – Katherine Howe: Great writing and integration of the historical and modern story. I enjoyed this very much, even without having read The Crucible.
10. The Burning Sky (The Elemental Trilogy) – Sherry Thomas: Magical boarding school, amazing writing, AND a tortured hero? This series is like my own personal brand of heroin. ;)
11. ….but where’s Harry Potter, or Percy Jackson, or The Mysterious Benedict Society?!!? While I love those boarding school/camp series too, they’re mostly Middle Grade, and that’s a different list!
Check out this excerpt from Chapter 1 of Tangled Thoughts
“Welcome, latecomer,” called the TA, whose back was to the door as he finished scrawling an office location and time below the name J. Kensington on the white board.
“Sor—” I started, and then the TA turned around. I half choked and had to start again. “Sorry.”
J. Kensington was hot.
“Not a problem.” He met my eyes and smiled. Blushing like a stupid freshman, I fumbled for my pen. “But try not to make it a habit. The sooner we start, the sooner we get done. Elaine, right? You’re the last one on my list.”
“Yes,” I squeaked and cleared my throat. “But I prefer Lainey. And sorry. Again. I’m not usually late, I swear.” I smoothed my hands across my notebook. I was literally the only student in the room without a laptop or something in front of me, as if the pen and paper were a set of my beloved antiques.
“Not a problem,” he repeated, handing a piece of paper to the student closest to him. “Pass this to Lainey, if you would. As I was saying, I’m Jack. Please don’t call me Mr. Kensington, ever. My info is everywhere—on the board, on that paper, and online. Believe it or not, I want to see you at office hours. Business relationships are developed in person…”
I was trying to listen, I really was, but J. Kensington—Jack—was distractingly attractive. TAs were supposed to look like…I wasn’t sure, but not like Jack: maybe six feet tall, medium-length dark hair styled just the right side of messy, brown eyes meant for staring at, and a dimple that came out whenever he lifted one corner of his full mouth.
He’d rolled up the sleeves of his slim button-down and wore a quirky tie that, paired with the dimple, made him basically adorable. I assumed he’d come to discussion straight from a GQ photo-shoot of Future Business Leaders of America. I couldn’t quite figure out if the letters running across his tie spelled something—
I dropped my pen when my neighbor touched my elbow at the same time Jack said, “It says, ‘Do not read this. Violators will be prosecuted.’” Once again, the entire group was looking at me. And laughing. Shit. It was just not my day.
“Welcome, latecomer,” called the TA, whose back was to the door as he finished scrawling an office location and time below the name J. Kensington on the white board.
“Sor—” I started, and then the TA turned around. I half choked and had to start again. “Sorry.”
J. Kensington was hot.
“Not a problem.” He met my eyes and smiled. Blushing like a stupid freshman, I fumbled for my pen. “But try not to make it a habit. The sooner we start, the sooner we get done. Elaine, right? You’re the last one on my list.”
“Yes,” I squeaked and cleared my throat. “But I prefer Lainey. And sorry. Again. I’m not usually late, I swear.” I smoothed my hands across my notebook. I was literally the only student in the room without a laptop or something in front of me, as if the pen and paper were a set of my beloved antiques.
“Not a problem,” he repeated, handing a piece of paper to the student closest to him. “Pass this to Lainey, if you would. As I was saying, I’m Jack. Please don’t call me Mr. Kensington, ever. My info is everywhere—on the board, on that paper, and online. Believe it or not, I want to see you at office hours. Business relationships are developed in person…”
I was trying to listen, I really was, but J. Kensington—Jack—was distractingly attractive. TAs were supposed to look like…I wasn’t sure, but not like Jack: maybe six feet tall, medium-length dark hair styled just the right side of messy, brown eyes meant for staring at, and a dimple that came out whenever he lifted one corner of his full mouth.
He’d rolled up the sleeves of his slim button-down and wore a quirky tie that, paired with the dimple, made him basically adorable. I assumed he’d come to discussion straight from a GQ photo-shoot of Future Business Leaders of America. I couldn’t quite figure out if the letters running across his tie spelled something—
I dropped my pen when my neighbor touched my elbow at the same time Jack said, “It says, ‘Do not read this. Violators will be prosecuted.’” Once again, the entire group was looking at me. And laughing. Shit. It was just not my day.
This event takes place August 22 – 29, 2016
About the Author
Cara is a former middle school literacy teacher who now lives in the woods outside Boston with: one awesome husband, two large dogs, one small daughter and lots of words. Lost in Thought is her first novel and was one of three finalists for the 2011 Amazon/Penguin Breakthrough Novel Award in the Young Adult category.
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