Friday, February 28, 2014

First Line Friday (23) Touch the Dark by Karen Chance



First Line Friday is a meme hosted on Rampant Readers, where we share the first line of the novel we a currently reading in order to pique the interest of other readers like you. So basically, we just share the first sentence or two of the novel you are currently reading, and tell us whether or not it hooked you in!

The book:

Touch the Dark (Cassandra Palmer, #1)

Touch the Dark by Karen Chance

  The first line(s):

"I knew I was in trouble as soon as I saw the obituary.
The fact that it had my name on it was sort of a clue."

Hooked?

Definitely.

Join the fun, link up at Rampant Readers

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison


 
  
Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison
Publication date: February 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.

When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.

Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20456671-of-sea-and-stone


Purchase:




Author Interview with Kate Avery Ellison


Describe Of Sea and Stone in six words.
Atlantis, steampunk, sunlight, seawater, secrets, romance.

What books have you read and loved lately?
I am almost finished with Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, and it’s an absolute delight. Witty, immersive, and utterly compelling fantasy that reminds me very much of my beloved Megan Whalen Turner books.

Ice cream or cake?
Ice cream cake, of course! It’s the best of both worlds.

What authors have influenced your writing style the most?
I grew up on a pretty steady diet of mystery, actually, so I feel like classic mystery authors like Agatha Christie had a strong influence on me. When I was a teenager, I started reading fantasy by authors like Robin McKinley, Gail Carson Levine, and Sherwood Smith. The Blue Sword, Ella Enchanted, Crown Duel...I loved those books. I also had a huge love of historical fiction, so Ann Rinaldi, Elizabeth George Speare, and Eloise Jarvis McGraw influenced me a lot as well. As far as more recently-written books that I didn’t grow up reading, I continue to be an awe of fantasy authors Megan Whalen Turner (The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, etc.) and Melina Marchetta (Finnikin of the Rock), dystopian author Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games), and contemporary young adult authors Lucy Christopher (Stolen) and John Green (A Fault in Our Stars).

If you had to pick a shoe that represented your writing style, what would it be?
Have you seen those canvas shoes where an artist has drawn original artwork on the front and sides and is selling them online? I think my books are like that—in some ways they feel familiar, but they have their own surprises and twists that make them unique.

Who has been the most supportive person in your writing career?
My husband. About two years into trying to get published, I was ready to give up on my stories and get a job doing something tremendously ill-suited for me, like being a secretary (I am a very bad secretary. Very disorganized). He convinced me to give it more time, and he is probably the sole reason I am published today. He is my first reader, my strongest encourager, and my most reliable critic.

Are you working on anything else currently?
Yes! I’m currently hard at work on the second book in the Secrets of Itlantis series, and I’m also working on a few secret projects on the side—one is a more traditional fantasy, another is a post-apocalyptic novel. I hope to have more details about them for my readers very soon. 


{GIVEAWAY}



Blitz-wide giveaway




-$50 Amazon Gift Card (INT)
a Rafflecopter giveaway


AUTHOR BIO
I live in Georgia with my wonderful husband and two spoiled cats. When I'm not writing, I'm usually catching up on my extensive Netflix queue, reading a book, giggling at something funny online, or trying to convince my husband to give me just ONE bite of whatever he's eating.

Learn more about my writing and books at my blog (http://thesouthernscrawl.blogspot.com/), find teasers for upcoming works on my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/kateaveryellison), and subscribe to my new releases newsletter to be notified of new novels as soon as they hit stores (https://tinyletter.com/kateaveryellison)!
  

{Cover Reveal} Take A Chance by Annalisa Nicole

New Take A Chance Cover
Synopsis
Willow Emery is in the middle of chemotherapy when she literally runs into Asher Wellington on the sidewalk after treatment with a rather unfortunate outcome. She is alone in a new city and doesn’t need anyone in her life. If life has taught her anything it’s that you can’t rely on anyone. Asher is a young widower, devastated by the tragic death of his wife Olivia three years earlier. He has given up the idea of ever finding the kind of love that he shared with his late wife. Will one fateful day bring two lost souls together? Will taking a chance lead them to a happily ever after or will the challenges they face keep them apart?
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Excerpt
Placing my hands on his shoulders, I gently push him down and straddle his thighs. I love the way he kisses me, always with a slow and burning desire, never rushed. Each time is like he’s making love to my mouth telling me a story of his love and gratitude. Taking his ear in my mouth I exhale a soft moan and shower feather soft kisses down his neck, making him shiver. Licking down the center of his chest over his rock hard abs, I take him into my mouth, he inhales sharply as I swirl the tip with my tongue. I take him all the way in my mouth until he hits the back of my throat and he whispers my name. Loving the soft silky skin, I bob my head up and down his length slowly. He pulls me up and switches positions. Laying underneath him he slowly enters me, filling me completely. I reach my hands around his back and dig my nails into his skin and slide them down ever so slowly. He moans loudly, “Do that again.”
Teaser
TAC Blog Tour Teaser 4
MeetTheAuthor
I am an “Indie” adult contemporary romance author. I am a wife and a stay at home mom. I have been married to my wonderful husband since 1996. I love being a stay at home mom to our two teenage boys. We have a handful of pets, a dog named Lucy (who is in my books), a guinea pig named Flufy, (my son spells her name that way) and a cat named meow-meow, who adopted us many years ago and has never left.
I never liked reading as a kid and I only started reading romance novels in the past few years. Soon I couldn't get enough of them. My Kindle and I are inseparable now. A thought occurred to me in December of 2012 that maybe I could write a romance novel. So I went to work with the encouragement of my husband and my sister-in-law. It didn’t take long to figure out that I really enjoyed writing.
I entered my book in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest in January of 2013. Needless to say my three hundred word pitch didn’t even make it through the first round. My book never even got read. So now what do you do with a 50,000+ word book? With more encouragement by my wonderful family I decided to self- publish it. So here I am today a self- published author. It has been a lot of hard work but I wouldn’t change a single thing.
It has not been an easy road and there has been a lot of self- doubt, but I stuck with it and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve been blessed to have been put in contact with some amazing people that have supported and encouraged me every step of the way.
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Thursday, February 27, 2014

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Falling From The Sky by Nikki Godwin

Falling From The Sky
Title: Falling From The Sky
Author: Nikki Godwin
Date of Publication: February 21, 2014
Genre: LGBT contemporary YA
All stability in sixteen-year-old Ridge McCoy’s life crashed and burned in the plane crash that killed his dad. This summer-long basketball camp is his chance to improve his skills and escape his problems back home. But his summer plans take a turn in an unexpected direction when he meets Micah Youngblood, the guy who runs the carousel at the local mall and has a reputation for devouring straight boys’ heterosexuality for breakfast, alongside his chocolate chip pancakes.
Ridge needs a way to avoid the guys at camp, whose only quest for the summer is to drown in beer and hook up with girls. So when Micah offers to explain how the ten unique horses on the carousel are significant to his tribe, Ridge takes him up on it. Still, Ridge can't decide if this is a bad thing or not. All he knows is that he hasn’t felt this alive since his dad fell from the sky, and as the horse adventures come to an end, Ridge finds himself falling as well – for Micah.
Purchase from Amazon | B&N | Smashwords

About Nikki Godwin
Nikki Godwin is a Young Adult/New Adult author. She is a city girl who can't live without Mountain Dew, black eyeliner, Hawthorne Heights, and candles from Bath & Body Works. When not writing, she's not-so-secretly stalking her favorite bands. She may or may not completely love One Direction.
Giveaway

{Book Blitz + Giveaway} Flawed by J.L. Spelbring








In a world where Hitler won the The War, and perfection is constantly sought, Ellyssa has broken free from her austere life and has found another meaning for her existence.

Family, friendship, and love.

But her happiness is short lived. Ellyssa finds herself on the run, again. Her father's work didn't die with him, but lives on in her siblings, Aalexis and Xaver, and they are determined to complete his unfinished dream.


FLAWED BY J.L. Spelbring 
Book Two in the PERFECTION series.
Paperback, 400 pages
Expected publication: August 12th 2014 by Spencer Hill Press



Pre-order FLAWED TODAY
AMAZON † B&N 


__________________________________________________________


CHECK OUT BOOK ONE IN THE SERIES





Praise for PERFECTION...


"This book is seriously so unique and amazing it's mind-blowing!" ~ Lauran Hammond

"Wow! That was my initial reaction after finishing Perfection. This is without a doubt one of the most well thought out, cleverly-written and unique books I have ever read." ~ K-Books

"4 stars - Chilling and provocative, these characters will get to you." ~ Stuck In Books

Available on
AmazonB&N 



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You can request an ARC copy of FLAWED 
HERE 


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Please read the TERMS & CONDITIONS at the bottom of the rafflecopter before entering.


a Rafflecopter giveaway





J.L. Spelbring - lives in Texas, where she wanders out in the middle of the night to look at the big and bright stars. Besides knocking imaginary bad guys in the head with a keyboard, she enjoys being swept away between the pages of a book, running amuck inside in her own head, pretending she is into running, and hanging out with her kids, who are way too cool for her.





{Fantasy Review} The Remedy (Eyes of E'veria #2) by Serena Chase

{Fantasy Review} The Remedy (Eyes of E'veria #2)  by Serena Chase

The Remedy (Eyes of E'veria, #2)
Having come to terms with her long-hidden identity, Princess Rynnaia E’veri is ready to take her rightful place. But before she can join her father at Castle Rynwyk, she must endeavor to fulfill a 200-year-old prophecy and defeat the Kingdom’s ancient enemy, the Cobelds. Joined by her faithful knight, Sir Julien de Gladiel, and a gifted group of friends, Rynnaia must trek a dangerous path through canyons, forests, and into the very depths of a mountain where, if the prophetic scrolls prove correct, she will face an unknown foe, alone. Treacheries will be discovered, sacrifices will be made, friends will be lost, and love will be tested, but if even one line of the riddled prophecy is misinterpreted, Rynnaia will fail . . . and the Kingdom will fall.

Beginning at the point THE RYN ended, THE REMEDY concludes an epic re-imagining of the classic Grimm fairy tale, SNOW WHITE & ROSE RED. But the Eyes of E'veria series is only beginning . . . (Blurb via Goodreads)
{Details} Kindle Edition, 390 pages. Published April 21st 2013 by Candent Gate LLC. Source: Amazon

{Rating} 5/5 -- I loved it!


{Review}
"By the time the Cobeld retrieved his brother's body from the Great Wood of Mynissbyr, there was little left but bones, hair and the dagger that had done the job." (page 1, line 1)
This is book two in the series, so go read book one, The Ryn. I loved it, my review of The Ryn is here. I adored The Ryn and could hardly wait to plunge into book two - which I devoured - and fell a little more in love with Chase's characters and her world.

The Remedy picks up where we left off, with Rynnaia knowing who she is and what she has to do. She has an epic quest ahead of her but she also has to learn how to be a princess. The Remedy was more exciting and faster paced, without all the exposition The Ryn required, and had more action. And even more danger, sacrifice, duty, loss, and betrayal. And the romance? Loved it! Conducting a courtship while on a quest is a challenge but Julian more than manages. He sure knows how to make a girl feel loved.

There is a definite conclusion to events in The Remedy Chase sets things up for the next book set in the world of E'veria. I can't wait to see what happens next.

{Book Blitz} After the Curtain Falls by Ainsley Shay

 



After the Curtain Falls by Ainsley Shay
Publication date: January 31st 2014
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Erik never had to be anything other than a freak…until now.

Two hundred fifty-three days is a long time to fake being normal when night after night you perform miraculous feats on stage in a freak show. Thousands have paid to witness the miracle, suspecting nothing more than a hoax. But it is very real and it is slowly destroying him. Erik is weakened to the point where he’ll stop performing and start going to school for the first time ever—in his senior year. His only goal is to rebuild his strength so he can return to the stage and perform doing what he loves most in this world. What he didn’t plan for was the appearances of beautiful Addison and mysterious Naya. Now, unfamiliar feelings and bizarre new friendships threaten to unbalance Erik’s future as a miracle-performing freak.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20617601-after-the-curtain-falls?ac=1

Purchase (book is on sale for 0.99c during the blitz!):



{Sneak Peek}


   The moment is perfect to lean in and kiss her. And I badly want to put my hand on her cheek and bring my lips to hers.
     Addison looks at her wrist, my fingers still there. “I should go,” she says shattering my thoughts.
     I slide my hand from her wrist, along her palm, lingering on her fingertips with my own. Looking up into her eyes, I ask, Are you sure you want to?”
     She meets my eyes. “No.” Her voice whispers the simple word I was hoping she would say. “But they’re expecting me down there.” My stomach aches when she starts to get up. “Thanks for catching me when I fell.” She brushes the sand off her dress and walks through the wheat grass toward the shore.

AUTHOR BIO
Ainsley Shay avoids insanity by living mostly in the fiction world. She believes surrounding herself with positive people, and strives for balance in everything. She owns more jeans with rips and holes than without; and has recently found the magic of patches. For her, reading or writing the perfect sentence is better than the smoothest piece of dark chocolate melting in her mouth. She is a deltiologist for pure enjoyment, not for the study of. She longs to move north one day, even though she hates the cold. (Go figure!) So, for now, she continues to live in warm south Florida with her incredible husband, three beautiful daughters, and two lazy cats. (We won’t mention the dog.)

Author Links:

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday (42) The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Buehrlen



"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, created by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.
This week I'm waiting on: 

The Fifty-Seven Lives of Alex Wayfare (Alex Wayfare, #1)

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Buehrlen
For as long as 17-year-old Alex Wayfare can remember, she has had visions of the past. Visions that make her feel like she’s really on a ship bound for America, living in Jamestown during the Starving Time, or riding the original Ferris wheel at the World’s Fair.

But these brushes with history pull her from her daily life without warning, sometimes leaving her with strange lasting effects and wounds she can’t explain. Trying to excuse away the aftereffects has booked her more time in the principal’s office than in any of her classes and a permanent place at the bottom of the social hierarchy. Alex is desperate to find out what her visions mean and get rid of them.

It isn’t until she meets Porter, a stranger who knows more than should be possible about her, that she learns the truth: Her visions aren’t really visions. Alex is a Descender – capable of traveling back in time by accessing Limbo, the space between Life and Afterlife. Alex is one soul with fifty-six past lives, fifty-six histories.

Fifty-six lifetimes to explore: the prospect is irresistible to Alex, especially when the same mysterious boy with soulful blue eyes keeps showing up in each of them. But the more she descends, the more it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want Alex to travel again. Ever.

And will stop at nothing to make this life her last. (Blurb via Goodreads)
Expected publication: March 4, 2014
What are you waiting on?

{Cover Reveal} One Broke Girl (Edgewood Falls #1) by Rhonda Helms


One Broke Girl by Rhonda Helms
(Edgewood Falls #1)
Publication date: April 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Anna Parker’s life disintegrates with one phone call. Her dad’s selling their ritzy New York City condo because her Wall Street banker mom emptied their bank account and ran off with another man. Which means Anna has to drop out of her elite college and move with Dad back to their small Ohio hometown. Anna’s determined to reclaim her life ASAP, so she’ll use the next few months to save money, help Dad get back on his feet, and find and confront her mom.

But Anna doesn’t anticipate things going so wrong. The only job she can get is working as a lunch lady in an elementary school. Their money-pit duplex is falling apart around their feet. And her dad is depressed without her mom, who’s proving hard to find.

One bright spot in the chaos is Gavin Metcalf, a kindergarten teacher she dated when they were young teens. With his easy wit and sexy smiles, he makes her forget her stresses—and the fact that her boyfriend Steven back in New York doesn’t know the truth yet about her dire circumstances. When past and present collide, Anna has to decide where her future lies…
This is the first in a 3-novella trilogy set in Edgewood Falls. Book 1, ONE BROKE GIRL, releases in April. Book 2, TWO LITTLE LIES, releases in June. Book 3, THREE PERFECT NIGHTS, releases in August.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20743611-one-broke-girl


AUTHOR BIO
Rhonda Helms started writing several years ago. She has a Master's degree in English and a Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing. She also edits for Carina Press (an imprint of Harlequin Publishing) and freelance edits.

When she isn't writing, she likes to do amateur photography, dig her toes into the sand, read for hours at a time, and eat scads of cheese. WAY too much cheese.

Rhonda lives in Northeast Ohio with her family.
Author links: