Showing posts with label Xpresso Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xpresso Book Tours. Show all posts

Friday, December 4, 2015

{Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway} Resist (Redzone #2) by Tracey Martin

 
Resist by Tracey Martin
(Redzone #2)
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Publication date: November 17th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller

Synopsis:
Truth is a powerful weapon…but explosives never hurt.
Sophia can run but she can’t hide. RedZone is on her tail and those of the six tech-augmented soldiers who escaped its clutches with her. If she could only focus on fighting her way to safety, she might live long enough to disappear. But it’s not just her own backside she needs to watch out for.
At her side is her boyfriend, Kyle. He’s the reason she found the courage to escape, and she’ll do anything to keep him and his secrets out of RedZone’s hands. Only problem is, since she was once sent to capture him, he has good reason not to trust her.
In fact, there’s not much trust to go around. RedZone keeps finding them, suggesting someone is a traitor. And if that’s not enough to recapture the group, the organization has a backup plan. One that will force Sophia and Kyle to choose between safety and risking everything one more time.
Warning: Contains killer robots, mutant college students, and dangerous super soldiers. And those are the good guys. It’s enough to make a rogue assassin wish she were taking her philosophy final instead.


Purchase:

Purchase book 1:

AUTHOR BIO:
Tracey Martin grew up outside of Philadelphia, the lucky recipient of a drama-free childhood, which is why she spent so much time reading about other people’s lives. It was while she was working on her doctorate in psychology that she had an epiphany–imaginary people are way more fun than real ones. And so she began writing. Never able to choose just one of anything, she currently writes both urban fantasy for adults and contemporary stories for teens.

She likes her coffee simple, her music epic, and her movies to contain explosions. A city girl at heart, she doesn’t understand how she and her husband ended up living in New Hampshire, but writing keeps her off the mean, small town streets. You can find her online at tracey-martin.com.

Author links:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7142440.Tracey_Martin

{Giveaway}

  • $15 Amazon gift card, signed copy of Revive or Resist (US only)
  • $15 Amazon gift card, e-copy of Revive or Resist (INTL)
a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Details} ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!

{Review}
The action packed second book in the Redzone series, Resist, delivers on its promise of excitement, some answers, more questions, and a satisfying conclusion.

From the very first page we're plunged right into the action with close calls, top secret tech, Sophia kicking ass, and... more missing memories. Poor Sophia. That girl cannot catch a break. Every time she thinks she's got solid ground under her something comes along to through her off balance. I felt for her, desperate, confused, not knowing who to turn to, who to trust, how to save her friends, but she never gives up.

Like in the first book in the series Resist jumps back and forth between the present and the past, slowly revealing secrets and betrayals. While the time jumps aren't my favorite writing style it is very unique and kept me reading to find out what happens next.

I look forward to see what Tracey Martin comes up with next!

Monday, November 2, 2015

{Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway} Rescued (Alley Kitten #1) by Phoebe Rose


Rescued by Phoebe Rose
(Alley Kitten #1)
Publication date: November 10th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
Twenty-three year old startup founder Thomas York has no time for dating. And even less time to to deal with the litter of (adorable) stray kittens who’ve claimed his patio as their new home. But when Tessa — a passionate animal rescue volunteer — shows up to help, even Thomas can’t deny the mad attraction between them.
A born nurturer, Tessa Cantalupe’s used to caring for everyone but herself. Time and again she falls for guys who shred her soul. Will Thomas be yet another scar on Tessa’s heart, or is there a good guy underneath all the bluster and ambition? And will she dare to let him rescue her?

Purchase:

AUTHOR BIO:
Phoebe Rose is a proud member of Team Cat. She lives in a secret lair, deep inside a blackberry bramble in Seattle, where she’s currently weaving a new Urban Fantasy series as well as a New Adult Romance series. Coffee is her second-best friend.

Author links:

{Source} ebook provided in exchange for an honest review.

{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!

{Review}

Kitties and kittens? How could I not want to read Rescued.

Rescued is a sweet, moving story. I liked the heroine, Tessa. She's both vulnerable and self-assured, open and insulated. She's like many other college students, struggling to find her place in the world. She has a huge heart, gives so much of herself, but that huge heart of hers keeps getting trampled on. When she meets Thomas she can't help but fall even as she waits for the inevitable end.

Thomas has baggage too, he had been betrayed by people he loved, leaving him to pack up and make a fresh start in Seattle but didn't expect that fresh start to include meeting someone like Tessa. He has a big personality, he's confident and engaging and enthusiastic. He has a big heart too, he's kind and generous, and, like Tessa, I was a gonner for him the moment he fell for Melon.

I enjoyed Tessa and Thomas' evolution over the course of Rescued. They both learn to be honest with themselves about what they thought they wanted and what they really want and find the courage to tell the people in their lives that truth. I also liked them together, how they push each other, learn from each other, give each other a home.

Rescued is the first book in the Alley Kitten series and I'm excited to see Norah's story in the next installment.
Giveaway:
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)


Friday, August 7, 2015

{Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway} The Hybrid by Venus Morales (The Hybrid Series #1)

 

 
The Hybrid by Venus Morales
(The Hybrid Series #1)
Publication date: February 9th 2015
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult

Synopsis:
Ari is the daughter of Ares, the God of War. Half goddess and half Phoenician, she is raised by her father in secrecy until her 18th birthday, when he is forced to return to Olympus.

She chooses not follow her father, and decides to venture out into the mortal realm. There, Ari crosses paths with the archangel Julius, who bears a message from a seer. Ari must return to the Bayou to her late mother's coven to regain her family crown, she is soon fighting for more than just the crown; she is fighting for her life, and the inner darkness that's consuming her.

With 7 days to prepare for her trials and 7 days to fight for her life, Ari does the one thing she must do to survive; she forges herself into the weapon she was born to be.


Purchase:

 AUTHOR BIO:
Who am I, you ask? I am a woman who wears many hats. A mother of 3 wonderful boys is my first and for most priority, and from there it trickles down. I’m a wife, a cook, a house cleaner and a mommy to two dogs and a lazy loveable cat. Then there’s my ulternate life.. The writer  she is the kid who refuses to grow up. Stuck in a mind state of a teenager, who still has imaginary friends. The two halfs of me get along great!! As long as I let the writer out and listen to my imaginary friends tell me their story, then there’s no conflict. If I keep her caged up too long… Well… You know what they say, when you keep the beast caged up to long, it gets angry.

The life of a writer is who your born to be, not a job you just take on. It’s who I am.

Author links:
{Details} ebook, 240 pages. Published February 9th 2015 by Venus Morales. Source: ebook provided in exchange for an honest review

{Details} 3/5 - I liked it!

{Review}

An interesting, original story full of secrets - huge, life changing secrets, drama - family, relationship and paranormal, battles to the death, kisses, shocks, boy trouble and the mother of all internal battles.

I liked the relationships in The Hybrid, Ari and Ily, Ari and her father and grandmother, Ari and Julian. They're quite the mix of personalities who clash frequently but love each other fiercely. Ari is an interesting character. She's very emotional, fly by the seat of her pants, who reacts first and thinks later, but she's also very protective and loyal. Ily is a great best friend who tells you the hard truths, her family is complicated and over-protective but loving, and Julian is a sweetie whose past is just as drama filled as Ari's.

There was enough action and twists and turns to keep my attention, culminating with an OMG what just happened? twist that left me wanting to know what happens next.

 {Giveaway}
Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)













  • 10x signed copies of The Hybrid by Venus Morales & custom swag key chains
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Friday, May 22, 2015

{Blog Tour + Review + Giveaway} Revive (Redzone #1) by Tracey Martin



 



Revive by Tracey Martin
(Redzone #1)
Published by: Samhain Publishing
Publication date: May 19th 2015
Genres: New Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller
What the mind forgets, the heart remembers.
Alone in a train station bathroom, Sophia Hernandez has no memory of who she is or how she got there. All she’s certain of are three things: her college ID is a lie, bad people are coming for her, and no one can be trusted.
The only clue to her past is the fellow student who finds her. Although Sophia’s gut tells her Kyle is lying when he claims he can’t help her, his touch makes her heart race. Is it because of a red-hot natural attraction, or a missing memory of something far more dangerous?
As two mysterious, menacing men chase them from the station, Sophia’s memories return in frustrating fragments. So do deadly skills she didn’t know she had. In the next forty-eight hours, a loved one’s life will be on the line as she sifts through a mounting tangle of secrets and lies.
Including the most heart-wrenching secret of all. Not only isn’t she a normal college student, she isn’t even a normal human.
Warning: Contains one girl who is more than she seems, one boy who knows more than he’s telling, and enough twists to give you whiplash. Expect explosions of all kinds.


AUTHOR BIO:
Tracey Martin grew up outside of Philadelphia, the lucky recipient of a drama-free childhood, which is why she spent so much time reading about other people’s lives. It was while she was working on her doctorate in psychology that she had an epiphany–imaginary people are way more fun than real ones. And so she began writing. Never able to choose just one of anything, she currently writes both urban fantasy for adults and contemporary stories for teens.

She likes her coffee simple, her music epic, and her movies to contain explosions. A city girl at heart, she doesn’t understand how she and her husband ended up living in New Hampshire, but writing keeps her off the mean, small town streets. You can find her online at tracey-martin.com.

Author links:
 
{Details} ebook. Published May 19th 2015 by Samhain Publishing. Source: ebook provided in exchange for an honest review
 
{Rating}  4/5 - I really liked it!
 
{Review}  

A little bit sci-fi, a little bit action and a little bit mystery. It's hard to talk about the book without giving things away because the unfolding mystery is part of what makes it enjoyable but I'll do my best.


Right away I got in Sophia/not Sophia's head, feeling just as confused, desperate and afraid. I felt for Sophia/not Sophia. She knows things aren't right, she's not right, doesn't know who to trust, what to do, she just knows that someone is after her.

Things start to return to Sophia/not Sophia, not just memories but skills and knowledge that appear just when she needs it, surprising her - and Kyle, a boy she knows but doesn't remember. We see her memories return in the form of flashbacks - something I'm usually not a fan of - but it's a good way to reveal what's going on. We slowly learn who she is, and some bits of what happened as she struggles to cope with her new reality.

There's quite a bit of character development; she grows and changes a lot through the story as she decides who she is, what she believes and how far she'll go to do the right thing. I wasn't a big fan of her romance though, I never really felt a connection between them.

Revive wasn't un-putdownable but it was intriguing enough to keep me coming back to find out what happens next. I'm very intrigued with the characters and the whole concept of the Redzone world and eagerly await the next installment in the series.



Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $15 Amazon gift card, plus a signed copy of Revive (US only)
  • $15 Amazon gift card, plus an e-copy of Revive (INTL)
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Sunday, May 17, 2015

{Review} Two Truths and a Lie (PRG Investigations #1) by Ashley Stoyanoff


One year ago, I became a missing person. I left everything behind—family, friends, school. It seemed like a good idea at the time. My only option, really, until I realized running from a police officer isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

It’s been exactly three-hundred and sixty-five days since I left home, but I’m finally ready to take the step I should have taken a year ago. I’m done hiding. I’m done running. I’m going to take my life back.

It was supposed to be easy. A meeting with Jason Pierce, a private investigator, was set up for me. All I had to do was go to him, let him do his thing, and then I could go home, or so I thought.

That is, until I met Jason and things got … complicated.
(Blurb via Goodreads)
{Details} ebook, Published February 28th 2015 by Ashley Stoyanoff Books. Source: ebook provided via Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review

{Rating} 4/5 - I really liked it!

{Review}

I was hooked from the first moment Elena and Jason meet. The first meeting is bad, then it gets worse. But it's funny. It's worth the cost of the book just to read about that second meeting.

I liked Elena. She survived a horrific relationship, she's been betrayed, and allowing herself to trust someone after that is understandably difficult. She knows the cost of choosing wrong. I appreciated her bravery, trying to get back all she'd lost, facing things head on. I enjoyed her evolution over the course of the story, from terrified and alone to strong and independent, surrounded by people who love her.

Jason is just as messed up as Elena in a way. He understands where she's coming from. He's uber-protective, after that terrible first meeting of course, determined and stubborn, a bit of a sweetheart and it's adorable how happy he is when he makes Elena happy.

While Two Truths and a Lie was absorbing - I didn't want to put it down - when I finished reading it and thought back about the story I found myself wishing there had been more depth. More about the characters, more about her relationship and how it changed her. Two Truths and a Lie was the first novel I've read from Ashley Stoyanoff but it won't be the last.


Thursday, March 26, 2015

{Book Blitz + Excerpt + GC Giveaway + Ebook Giveaway} Royal Date by Sariah Wilson



 
Royal Date by Sariah Wilson
Publication date: March 3rd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:
This Cinderella didn’t plan on a prince . . .
Kat MacTaggart is a girl who has a plan for everything—including her holiday ski trip to Monterra with her best friend. Everything is going according to plan until she finds herself careening out of control down a mountainside and being rescued by a guy who looks like Superman’s hotter Italian cousin.
HRH Prince Nico is intrigued by the woman he saved on the slopes and her refusal to date him. He offers Kat a deal—let him show her his country and he’ll pay her to write articles that will help Monterra’s tourism industry. Kat agrees, but given her past and lingering distrust of men, she has one condition—absolutely no kissing.
Thanks to the claims of a jealous British noblewoman and the schemes of a meddling paparazzo, Kat’s rule doesn’t seem to be a problem at first. But the more Kat gets to know Nico and the people around him, the harder it is to remember her keep-your-distance plan. Should she stick to it or risk everything for a chance at happily ever after?



Purchase:

NOTE that the book is currently 50% off with the discount code ScoutOne!

{Excerpt}

Now his fingers were playing with the few tendrils that had escaped my bun. I went still and forgot to breathe. “There is something I’ve wondered since the moment I met you.”
            “What?” My voice sounded breathy and weird.
            “What this would be like.”
            He was going to kiss me, and I was going to let him. My heart started trying to pound its way out of my chest.
            I should have stopped him. I should have been afraid. But I wasn’t.
            His kiss was feathery light, barely touching me. His lips were warm, soft, and strong. If I’d realized earlier they’d feel like this against my own, I probably would have spent a lot more time studying them. My eyes drifted shut as my stomach went completely hollow, and a warm thickness started spreading through all of my limbs. He kissed me again, gentle and persuasive.
            “Relax, bella,” he murmured against my lips, running his fingers along my jawbone. I realized that I was clenching his shirtfront with my fists. I loosened my grip. He continued to plant sweet and soft kisses on my lips. “This works better if you kiss me back,” he said with a smile as he leaned back slightly to look at me, his eyes glittery and intense. He ran his thumb along my lower lip, which made all sorts of unmentionable things happen to my insides.
            Leave it to me to mess something up as basic as kissing. Fortunately, I wasn’t a total idiot. I could do what he was doing. Scared as I was, I managed to give myself a pep talk. I was twenty-four years old. I was the oldest person on the planet who had never been kissed. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect setting, or a more perfect man. So gathering up every bit of courage I possessed, I leaned in to kiss him. Just a small peck. A little smooch. It was all I could manage.
            I pulled back to see a delighted and appreciative look in his eyes.
            “That wasn’t as bad as I expected.”
            “Not as bad as you expected? Katerina, I can do much better than ‘not as bad as you expected.’”
            I hadn’t meant to issue a challenge, but he accepted it anyway. I thought I heard him growl before he pressed our lips together more firmly, his hands framing and holding my head in place as he kissed me over and over. It was all I could do to keep up. Electricity exploded everywhere he touched and kissed me.
            Was it possible to die from a kiss?
            My hands moved from his shirt to his wrists, and I felt like I was clinging on for dear life. His kisses started to escalate in intensity until he suddenly stopped. He leaned his forehead against mine, and we were both breathing fast.
            “I think . . . I think it’s time for me to return you to your room.”
I nodded, unable to think.
            He could have said, “I think it’s time for us to get on a spaceship and fly to the moon,” and I would have agreed to that, too.

AUTHOR BIO:
Sariah Wilson has never jumped out of an airplane, never climbed Mt. Everest, and is not a former CIA operative. She has, however, been madly, passionately in love with her soulmate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters--which is why she writes romance. She has published five happily ever after stories. She grew up in southern California, graduated from Brigham Young University (go Cougars!) with a semi-useless degree in history, and is the oldest of nine (yes, nine) children. She currently lives with the aforementioned soulmate and their four children in Utah, along with three tiger barb fish, a cat named Tiger, and a recently departed hamster that is buried in the backyard (and has nothing at all to do with tigers).

Author links:
 
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $50 Amazon Gift Card



a Rafflecopter giveaway

 http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/share-code/ZDA0MjUxMjM1OGRlZWRmZWM1YmUyMmFkYTM3OWE5OjcyOA==/?  

Ebook giveaway:
Sariah Wilson has generously offered an ebook to a Clever Girls Read reader. To win do any or all of the following: add Royal Date to your goodreads to read list, pin the cover on Pinterest, tweet about the giveaway, follow Sariah Wilson on social media. Leave a comment letting me know what you did and your e-mail address and I'll randomly select a commenter. Open internationally. The ebook will be sent out after April 23rd. Giveaway ends 4/5.



Wednesday, March 25, 2015

{YA Spring Fling + Giveaway Blitz} Spotlight on Paranormal


 Spotlight on Paranormal



From March 20th to April 3rd, over 70 authors come together to give away hundreds of books. The YA Spring Fling is an opportunity for readers to find new books, new authors and take part in something very special. Here is a sneak peek of some of the books involved in the giveaway.

All are featured in the YA Spring Fling giveaway. Click here to win free books!


Minor Gods and the Complete Summoners series by A.M. Yates

After witnessing her mother's murder by a vengeful Earth Goddess, seventeen-year-old Josie wants nothing more than to seek justice. But when she becomes a target too, a shadowy Fire God comes to her aid.


The Complete Summoners Series
Minor Gods, Lost Gods, and Fated Gods


The 13th: Destiny Awaits and Frozen Destiny by Ela Lond

Kate, the school outcast, has always been able to see ghosts, and she constantly fears that someday, her so-called 'gift' will drive her mad like it did her mother.


In the haunted ruins of an old monastery, seven teenagers have gone missing in recent years. Kate, who is the Soul Reaper, goes there with her friends to investigate


Prophecy Girl by Faith McKay

Destiny: it doesn't really matter if your mother kills you first.


Sound of Sirens by Jen Minkman

An ancient land protected by a Tower of Light,
its people ever tempted by Siren song,
and a girl who falls for the wrong boy.


Untethered by Katie Hayoz

Sylvie is a social misfit who accidentally astral projects. She's been pushing away her power for years.  But when the boy she loves falls for someone else, she finally decides to make use of her gift...for all the wrong reasons.



Grunge Gods and Graveyards by Kimberley G. Giarratano

It's 1996 and 17-year-old Lainey Bloom harbors intense guilt over the death of Danny Obregon, the only boy Lainey's ever loved until the one night when Danny's ghost comes back begging for her help. To save Danny, Lainey must go up against her family, best friend and the entire town.


Kissed and Destroyed by Kimberley Loth

Three Boys. Two Kisses. One Devastating Choice.


Unclaimed by Laurie Wetzel

Getting close to MJ could cost more than her heart--it could cost Maddy her soul.


Guardians: The Girl by Lola Stvil

They told us to walk away from our love but we couldn't........And now the world is burning.....


Aqua by M.A. George

Seventeen-year-old Layla McKelland's new coastal home brings intriguing new friends, who reveal secrets about her missing father that run deeper than the gulf waters.


Sleepless by Michael Omer

Amy knew she’d hate Narrowdale, a boring suburban town. How could it possibly compare to L.A., where she lived her entire life?

And that was before she started having the same nightmare over and over again, Before she woke up every night to a shrill whistle outside her window.

Some things seem to happen only in Narrowdale, where dark secrets are hiding beneath the surface…


Wave Links to Gods by Randall Boleyn

The truth about the links might be deadly for Llad Fleck. Searching for clues about his cryptic lineage to Norse berserkers, he fights for his life against a powerful paranormal enemy. Haunted by dreams of a mysterious girl trying to help him learn to use the bizarre psychic talents, Llad needs sort out the truth—if he is to survive.


Hidden by Shalini Boland

Now an international bestseller. Fans of Twilight and Interview with the Vampire will enjoy this paranormal adventure that spans the centuries. On her sixteenth birthday, Madison Greene inherits a huge mansion house... but the house hides a secret. Eighteen-year-old Alexandre lives in 19th century Paris. Spoilt and bored, he longs for adventure, but he should be careful what he wishes for. Madison and Alexandre's lives are about to collide. Falling in love has never been so dangerous . . .


Hidden Intentions by Stacy Claflin

Clara is keeping a dark and deadly secret from the love of her life. If she tells him, she could lose him. If she doesn’t tell him, she will.


Finned, Rifted and Overfalls by Sutton Shields

Hook (pun totally intended): Take a fish-phobic girl, divide her by one hot merman, add a splash of his crazy ex-merbitch, and you get one stinky school year.


Two secret wishes. Only one will be granted. Let the Mer-Nor Games begin.


Someone wicked walks among them. Heartbreak usually requires time to heal. For Marina Valentine, however, time has other plans: like sticking her with a shiny, stubborn accessory, sending her on a surprising date with someone other than Troy Tombolo, and introducing her lips to kisses that could save or destroy everything and everyone.


Steths Cognition by Karl Fields

A 16-year-old with the ability to hear heartbeats, and the emotions within them, must act to save a wrongly condemned man from the death penalty.


First Impression by Pauline Creeden

Chirac lives as an outcast in her private school until her best friend invites her on a trip with the popular kids to scope out a haunted house. When the malevolent spirit targets the group, the new kid in school, Ben, seems to know more about surviving the situation than anyone else.


The Enchanted Rose by Nadia Nader

When Vivian’s mother dies in a tragic accident, Vivian’s world is turned upside down. A new life, full of her mother’s secrets, begins…


Doppelganger by Milda Harris

Sixteen-year-old Citrus Leahy gets to school late one day and sees herself already inside her classroom. It's probably aliens taking over the world and her life has just turned totally upside down. Luckily, her crush Aedan has the exact same problem!




Q & A with the organiser – Sarah Dalton

How can readers enter the YA Spring Fling giveaway?

Head over to my website Sarahdaltonbooks.com and find the page for the YA Spring Fling (handy hint, it’s HERE). Once you’re there you can browse through the books on offer, or check out more information about the participating authors.

You should see plenty of links prompting you to enter the giveaway. Simply fill out the Google document telling us which books you’d like to win, the format you prefer, and whether you would also like to win paperbacks and swag. It’s that simple. Pick the books you want and sign off.

How will I know I’ve won?

There are so many books on offer that I’d be surprised if you didn’t win something! So you will be hearing from us. J

After April 3rd, I will collate all the entries and pass them on to the participating authors. They will then choose the winners at random and Email the winners to let them know the good news.

Will my Email or personal details be used outside the giveaway?

Absolutely not. We’re all against spam and promise not to use your Email for anything other than contacting you as a winner. If you joined up to the YA Spring Fling mailing list you will receive one Email telling you the giveaway is open, and another warning you it is about to close. That’s it!

Is the giveaway open internationally?

Yes! But there are some paperbacks on offer that are region specific. Not all of our authors are sending paperbacks and swag internationally, purely because it costs us so much money and we ain’t made of it. ;)

We will ask for your country of residence in the Google document. That’s so we can work out the winners for region specific paperbacks more easily. Everything else is open internationally.

I have a question, who can I contact?

Me! Send me a message on Facebook. My Email might be clogged by answering author queries, so Facebook might be the easiest method.

Who can I tell about the giveaway? And what can I do to help spread the word?

You can tell everyone and anyone who might like YA books. If you’d like to spread the word it would be awesome if you could follow or like some of the authors and share their posts about the giveaway. You can find a full list of the participating authors and their social media links here.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! MAY YOU WIN MANY BOOKS!



 Click here for all the giveaway details