Jennifer Archer
YA Book:
- Through Her Eyes
Website | Blog | Twitter | Goodreads | Buy the book
I read Through Her Eyes probably about a year and a half ago, and it's one that has really stuck with me over time. I think because it was so well done, and so different from other books that I've read. If you haven't read it yet, now's a great time to buy the hardcover! It's marked down to $6.80 on Amazon right now! If you'd like to check out my review, you can find it here!
Now here's Jennifer:
Why We Love Bad Boys
by Jennifer ArcherLet’s talk about bad boys. You love them – you know you do. The fictional ones, anyway. How am I so sure? Because bad boys in books and film have been popular since the beginning of books and film! One famous case in point, James Dean in the movie REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE.
REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE was released in 1955, but I ask you – who can resist that brooding scowl even today? I understand completely why Natalie looks so lovesick!
Most of us, if we’re smart, learn pretty early on in real life that bad boys aren’t good for us when it comes to romantic relationships. Sometimes that realization comes as a big disappointment since bad boys are often so hot. But the problem with hot is that when it’s combined with recklessness it burns. And bad boys are reckless – that’s part of their appeal, their wild independence and intense focus on living by their own rules. We girls try to convince ourselves they’re misunderstood, a tender wounded soul encased in the body of an athlete. As females, we yearn to be the one to heal the wound and tame the beast, while maintaining that provocative, charismatic edge. (Good luck with that, girls!)
I have a theory: even though smart girls have learned to keep their distance from bad boys in real life, we flock to them in fiction because unlike real bad boys, the fictional ones are safe. We get all the deliciously dangerous hotness without any of the risk! We know we can close the book and our lives will still function smoothly instead of being turned upside down. Sure, we suffer along with the heroine of the story as she struggles to capture the heart of her rebel and tame his wild ways. But in the best books, the heroine is strong and intelligent. We know she’ll either achieve the unlikely feat of succeeding to convert her guy, (in which case we’ll cheer for her!) or she’ll learn her lesson and begin to notice that nice guys are hot, too. (In which case we’ll be sad that her bad guy didn’t redeem himself, but relieved that our heroine wised up and will find happiness, anyway).
Many drool-worthy bad boys populate the pages of current YA fiction. A few that come to mind are Patch in HUSH HUSH, Jace in THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS, Roiben in TITHE, Will in CLOCKWORK ANGEL, Damon in THE VAMPIRE DIARIES, and Cassian in VANISH. We alternately love these guys, hate them, and ache for the girl in the story to capture and change them (just not too much!) In my debut YA novel, THROUGH HER EYES, a crystal and old photographs transport Tansy Piper back into the 1930’s and into the body and mind of another teen girl named Isabel. Isabel is falling in love with Henry, a guy she’s known all of her life. Henry is a bad boy – with a twist. Dead for decades, he truly is a tortured soul. In life, he allowed disappointments and slights to warp his mind in disturbing ways, and while Isabel is troubled by his behavior and fears where it might lead, she is seductively drawn to him. Isabel is certain that the sweet, honest boy she once knew still lives inside the wickedly charming but manipulative young man that Henry has become, and she is desperate to save him from himself. But while Isabel has difficulty seeing the futility of her plight, Tansy sees it clearly; not only is Henry jeopardizing his own life, he’s jeopardizing Isabel’s. In the end, Tansy must help Isabel to see Henry through her eyes or risk losing herself along with them.
Who are your favorite irresistible bad boys in fiction? Why do you love them so much??
Reading level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (April 5, 2011)
Author's Website: http://www.jenniferarcher.net/
Buy the Book: Amazon
Stand-alone
Tansy Piper was sick of moving all over the country with her mother, author of horror novels, and her Papa Dan, who hadn't spoken in a long time now. More than anything, Tansy just wanted to plant some roots, make some friends, and live a normal life. But when her family move to small-town Cedar Canyon, Texas, normal was not what Tansy found. Almost immediately, Tansy was drawn to certain things about her new house; a crystal, an old pocket watch, and a journal with beautiful poems that almost seemed to be written for her.
She soon finds out that the poems were written by a boy named Henry, who lived in her house many years before, and who died a very mysterious death. In the turret of her new eccentric home, that she has turned into a darkroom for her photography, Tansy discovers that she can connect to Henry and his past in a completely unbelievable way. But as she is drawn deeper and deeper into Henry's world, her own reality begins to fade.
Check out the book trailer!
Giveaway:
Jennifer has offered to send two autographed copies of Through Her Eyes + bookmarks to two of our US blog followers! Just enter below (after the jump)!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I seriously want to read Through Her Eyes - it sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite 'bad boys' lol, is Lestat from Anne Rice's series ... he's such a gorgeous little stinker ;D
Another semi-bad boy favorite is Jacob, way hotter than the 'politically correct' Edward hehe
Oooh, there are so many it's hard to pick!
GFC Mary DeBorde M.A.D.
zenrei57 at hotmail dot com
Thank you for the awesome giveaway!
My favourite is Caine Soren from the GONE series. His dark side is contrasted by his love for Diana. Their relationship make each other that much hotter!
ReplyDeleteI am in love with Jace from Mortal Instruments... He is the ultimate yummy bad boy!
ReplyDeleteI like Ash from the Iron Fey series and Jace from the Mortal Instruments series because I know that at the end of the day they do the right thing in a very swoon-worthy way.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the giveaway - would like to read Through Her Eyes. My favorite bad boy is an oldie but a goodie - Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind. He was such a good guy with such a bad reputation!
ReplyDeleteCole from Everneath!
ReplyDeleteHe's got a lot of attitude but he's also sweet.
I love Jacob from Twilight, Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Damon from the Vampire Diaries. They are so hot. Tore923@aol.com
ReplyDeleteMy absolute favorite bad boy in fiction is Eric Northman in the Sookie Stackhouse series. I guess he gets to be so bad because it's adult urban fantasy. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd why haven't I heard of Through Her Eyes?! It sounds AMAZING!
This book sounds awesome! So I have to say my top bad boy in YA right now is...Will...seriously heart broken after reading Clockwork Prince <3 I also just finished Silence so Patch is on my list too :-D
ReplyDeleteI love Jace from The Mortal Instruments series, Will from The Infernal Devices series, and Daemon from Obsidian.
ReplyDeleteLOVE this post....AND this is my first time on Reading Teen. Such a great site! :)
ReplyDelete- V
Please don't enter me in the contest, I already have an autographed copy of this beautiful book! And I've read it several times (it's one of those that you want to read through again after discovering the twist, just so you can see the subtleties unfold with fresh eyes).
ReplyDeleteHenry was a VERY HAWT bad boy. ;)
My favorite bad boy in a fictional series would have to be Klaus from The Vampire Diaries, nobody really likes him but I love him :)
ReplyDeleteDamon Salvatore from the Vampire Diaries!! :D *Sighs* or maybe Ariel from Eyes Like Stars! =D *Sighs for a second time*
ReplyDeleteDamon Salvatore and from the The Vampire Diaries, I am starting to like Klaus.
ReplyDeleteI love Jace from MI series and Kai from Dark Seeker ... It's all that scowling and snarky ness that gets me yummm :)
ReplyDeleteSupaGurl
I'd have to say Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire series (sookie stackhouse books) He's totally evil, but somehow he also seems gentle. he's like that bad guy with a secret heart of gold. that is if he likes you, if he doesnt well. you're screwed.
ReplyDeleteI have to say that Damn Salvatore from The Vampire Diaries is a great bad boy! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI love John Breed from the Beautiful Creatures series and Patch from the Hush, Hush series. Both guys mysterious and oh so attractive because of their edge.
ReplyDeleteHolden Caulfield, one of the originals, always said what he meant. He found most other people distasteful and phony and said so. I admire that.
ReplyDeleteI would have to say Adrian from Vampire Academy :)
ReplyDeletedoes Jack Sparrow count? because he is definitely on top of my list.
ReplyDeletemysterious, yet quirky in the most hilarious way.
Ah! You couldn't be more right! Bad boys in real life you won't be able to tame or handle. It's just safer to keep your distance from them. But fictional bad boys? There's too many to count!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have a special place in my heart for Heathcliff and Rhett Butler.
But my all time favourites have to be Raistlin from the Dragonlance series and Caleb from Leaving Paradise. I've been in love with Raistlin longer than all the others, he's not just bad but so greedy for magic that he would throw his love into the abyss for it (yeah, he's never really tamed). And Caleb *sigh* I wouldn't know where to start. You'll have to read it ;)
I'm going to go with Patch from the Beautiful Creatures series....love a guy who shoots pool....
ReplyDeleteI love Damon and Klaus from the Vampire Diaries and Eric Northman from the Sookie Stackhouse series... They are just so SEXY!!!
ReplyDeleteDamon from The Vampire Diaries.
ReplyDeleteI just loved Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind...especially in the book (rather than the movie.)
ReplyDeleteFYI: The link to follow Jennifer's blog doesn't work in the rafflecopter.
ReplyDeleteJace from TMI hes just like me so I like that he would be fun to be with
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trailer!! Spooky and haunting, and it really makes me want to read the book! As for bad boys, I LOVE Damon from the Vampire Diaries because he's just so good at being bad! I also like Jacks from Sons of Anarchy because he's a bad boy who's trying to be good, but something always stands in his way :D
ReplyDeleteI would say Adrian from the Vampire Academy series. I just love how nonchalant he is about everything. Plus he sounds yummy!
ReplyDeleteMy fav bad boy in fiction isnt from a book, but from an anime. Its Sesshromaru from Inuyasha! He is alway calm and collected; and pretty! XD
ReplyDeleteGosh, the only bad boy I can think of is Patch. I just love him because just when it seems like he can't redeem himself, he does something so wonderful and did you read Silence??? He was awesomely protective! I haven't read the Mortal Instruments or Clockwork Prince. I am so unimaginative tonight!
ReplyDeleteHeather
One of my favortie bad boys is Will from the Infernal Devices. He is oh so cocky and keeps everything to himself. He can also be rude to anyone and loves getting drunk and going to brothels. Will is also fiercly loyal and will protect you when you need it. You can tell he cares but he will always deny that. I also totally love Patch. He is a fallen angel and takes over the body of a Nephilim during Cheshvan. He also doesn't mind hurting people to get what he wants. But it's so obvious he is in love with Nora and will do anything for her. Oh and can't forget Damon Salvatore of the Vampire Diaries who makes anything, even the bad stuff, look totally sexy. The best part about him is his sarcasm.
ReplyDeleteVoldemort <3 And Draco Malfoy and Snape, who wasn't a bad guy but many people still think he is. XD
ReplyDeleteEric Northman from the Southern Vampire series
ReplyDeleteI've heard so many good things about this one! There are too many bad boys to choose from! It's impossible. I pretty much love them all! :) There is something irresistible about them!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for the opportunity! :)
theladyreads
I can't just pick one, but her are my top three! Eric Northman from the Southern Vampire Series, Damon from Vampire Diaries, and Spick from Buffy The Vampire Slayer! Thanks so much for the amazing giveaway!
ReplyDeleteAlso I used the link to follow Jennifer's' blog, but it said it loaded incorrectly and wouldn't show up. Thought I would let you know!
spike from buffy was probably one of my first favorite bad boys. i also would have to say logan from the shade series. the bad stuff he does after his death is mostly out of love, though so that totally makes it ok : )
ReplyDeletethanks for the fun giveaway!!
awesome this book sounds amazing!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete