Cover Reveal: Ruined by Marian Cheatham

We present to you the cover of Marian Cheatham's upcoming book

Ruined

 Title: Ruined (Stratford High Series #1)

Author: Marian Cheatham

Genre: Romance, Young Adult

Publication date: Summer 2014

Cover made by:  Walking Stick Books

 When your life has been ruined by lies, do you seek justice … or revenge?

Blythe Messina spends her senior year focused on her studies and college, and not on her ex, Stratford High's lacrosse star, DB Whitmore. At least, that's what Blythe keeps telling herself. But her younger cousin, Bonni, knows otherwise. Same goes for DB, who professes to be over Blythe and their breakup, but his teammates aren’t fooled. 

When scandalous photos of Bonni and the lacrosse captain are texted around Stratford, Bonni's virtuous reputation is ruined. She pleads innocence, but no one believes her. No one, except Blythe and DB, who come together to uncover the truth. But, will they stay together?   

Ruined is a modern twist on a classic Shakespearean romance.  

"Deceit, loyalty, honor, and romance--Ruined has it all! A teen version of Much Ado 

About Nothing that Shakespeare aficionados are sure to savor!”

Kym Brunner, Author of Wanted: Dead or in Love & One Smart Cookie 

A native Chicagoan and a graduate of Northern Illinois University, Marian Cheatham taught special education for several years before becoming a full-time writer. She would rather be writing than doing almost anything else, but of course, that isn’t always possible. So when she’s not writing, she enjoys time with her family, gardening, reading, walking the dog, travelling with her husband, and researching new projects. Not necessarily in that order. 

Her first novel, Eastland, came out in 2013. Based on the real-life story of the 1915 Eastland boat disaster in Chicago, Marian lectures about the Eastland to schools, libraries, and book clubs. She writes a weekly post on the subject on her Facebook page. July 2014, she will be co-hosting a haunted Chicago tour of Eastland disaster sites.

She also loves anything Shakespeare. An avid reader of Shakespeare’s biographies, she has travelled the world to see his plays, visiting Stratford, Canada as well as Stratford-Upon-the-Avon, GB, and the new Globe Theater in London. Her young adult novel, Ruined, is the first in a series of contemporary re-tellings of those plays. Book Two, inspired by the Merchant of Venice, is due out fall 2014.

She loves to hear from readers, so please visit her at:

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Book Review: Ruined by Jus Accardo

Title: Ruined 
(The Eternal Balance #1)

Author: Jus Accardo

Published: December 30, 2013

Genre: New Adult

Source: e-ARC:Entangled Embrace

Amazon | Goodreads | B&N

Hell is looking for a way to break loose…

Jax lost the genetic lottery. Descended from Cain, the world's first murderer, he's plagued by a curse that demands violence in exchange for his happiness. He left everything behind, including the girl he loved, but thriving on the pain of others is lonely… And it's killing him.

After a series of heartbreaking losses, Samantha put rubber to pavement and headed for college as fast as her clunker could carry her. But she can't outrun her problems. When an attack at school drives her back home, she's thrown into the path of a past—and a guy—she's been trying to forget.

Sam strains Jax's control over his darkness, but running isn't an option this time. Someone—or, something—followed her home from school: a ruthless monster with a twisted plan centuries in the making. Forced together to survive, and fighting an attraction that could destroy them both, Jax and Sam must stop a killer bent on revenge.

“I don’t skulk.”

Turning, he winked. I hated it, but despite the fact that it’d been the night from hell, the quirk of his lip and cure of his cheek sent my heartbeat racing.

“I loom. Much sexier don’t ya think?”

From the Denazen series to the first installment of The Eternal Balance: Ruined, Jus Accardo did it again. She created these wonderfully distinctive characters that you can’t help but adore. Jus made this dark and brooding world with just enough wit that will send you turning the page after the other.

We won’t see man-whores and weak-willed girls that we often read about in New Adult novels, we will see mature characters that were forced to grow up because of their past and what they have to do in order to find balance.

The love between Sam and Jax will make you jealous but at the same time have sympathy for them. Both loved each other, and yet, can’t be together. Despite the troubles and the fate against them being together, there was never a doubt of how deep their love is. Sacrificing for someone you love is easy, but sacrificing being with the one you love is not.

The story evolved beautifully. Every twists and turns (this novel is full of it) blindsided me. I wasn’t expecting half of what happened and THAT is saying a lot. Jax having a demon inside him is just the start of something big. Something that involves his twin brother, Chase. Something that lasted a long time ago. Something to do with Cain and Abel.

“I saw myself mirrored in her eyes. Lost. Alone. Seperated. “

“Ruined.”