Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Cover Reveal ~ AlibiZ (Afterworld #2) by Karice Bolton ~ Post-Apocalyptic Series

AlibiZ  (Afterworld #2) 
by Karice Bolton 
Publication date: October 2014
Genres: New Adult, Post-Apocalyptic
Cover Artist: Phatpuppy Art

Synopsis:
Rebekah vows to expose the truth behind the RecruitZ that are killing the innocents. These creatures must be stopped, but so should the people controlling them. When Rebekah uncovers who is behind the uprisings, her own life becomes in danger.

Rebekah knows that she is not alone in this fight but vengeance alone won’t help her and the others to victory. Forced to build a battalion with the very creatures she needs to destroy, it is up to her to uncover the truth for the public before the world is turned over to an elite few.

Regardless of what may happen to her, she knows it’s a race against time to destroy these creatures and the monsters controlling them before there is no one left worth saving.

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AUTHOR BIO

Karice received an MFA in Creative Writing from the U of W. She has written fifteen novels and has several exciting projects in the works. Karice lives with her husband and two English Bulldogs in rainy Washington.

Books currently available:
Luke Fletcher Series: Hidden Sins (Book 1), Buried Sins (Book 2) – coming soon
Beyond Love Series: Beyond Control (Book 1) Beyond Doubt (Book 2) Beyond Reason (Book 3) Beyond Intent (Book 4) Beyond Chance, Beyond Promise, and Beyond the Mistletoe coming soon
Afterworld Series: RecruitZ (Book 1) AlibiZ (Book 2) – October 2014
The Witch Avenue Series: Lonely Souls (Book 1), Altered Souls (Book 2), Released Souls (Book 3) Shattered Souls (Book 4)
The Watchers Trilogy: Awakening (Book 1), Legions (Book 2), Cataclysm (Book 3), Taken Novella (Watchers Prequel)
The Camp

Author Links:


Book One:

RecruitZ (Afterworld #1)
by Karice Bolton
Add to Goodreads

Scientists are the new rock stars. The infection has been contained for nearly three months, and the world is celebrating. But humans are still dying. Rebekah Taylor has seen it firsthand. Her husband was killed right in front of her by the very creatures that humans were told they no longer had to fear.

Rebekah is determined to find out who is responsible for the death of her husband and the obvious cover-up. Fueled with revenge, she begins to find answers that lead to one frightening conclusion. The apocalypse might be over, but the battles are just beginning
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Monday, August 18, 2014

#Giveaway ~Borrowed Promises by Judith Ingram (Moonseed Trilogy #2) ~ Promo Post ~ #Paranormal Romance ~ Excerpt

Borrowed Promises
Moonseed Trilogy
Book 2
Judith Ingram

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Genre: paranormal romance

Publisher: Vinspire Publishing, LLC

Date of Publication: May 31, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-9890632-4-1
ASIN: B00JD0H2ZE

Number of pages: 249 pages
Word Count: 73,300 (approx.)


Book Description:

On the night of the new spring moon, a near-fatal accident propelled Victoria Reeves-Ashton over a century back in time to awaken in the body of Katherine Kamarov.

Now, after three months of pretending to be Katherine and laboring to repair relationships damaged by Katherine's brash and selfish personality, quiet and gentle Victoria finds that her heart is putting down roots in Katherine's world, in her family relationships, and especially in a deepening friendship with Katherine's winsome cousin Michael.

Hidden letters reveal the story of other moonseed-time travelers like herself-and Victoria realizes that she and Katherine will likely be returned to their own times the following spring. Tension mounts when a rich and handsome suitor applies to marry her, and Victoria must choose whether to accept him for Katherine's sake or to follow her own heart.

Ryan Ashton, the husband Victoria left behind, is baffled by the woman his wife has suddenly become. Unwilling to believe her story about an exchange in time, Ryan struggles to understand the stark transformation of his timid, remote wife into a sexually aggressive and captivating siren. Against his better judgment, he falls hard for this new woman who is a perplexing mixture of cruelty, sensuality, and tenderness, a woman who he suspects has the power to either break his heart or heal the aching loneliness he has lived with all his life.


Excerpt:

I bit my lip, wanting to avoid any subject that could ruin the easy camaraderie of our afternoons together. Michael had been friendly and funny, teasing me gently, treating me with the easy affection of an older brother. Once or twice I'd caught him watching me with a fierce intentness that made my heart skip. But then he'd grin or offer a quip that made us both laugh, and the uncomfortable moment would pass.
I enjoyed the lightness of our friendship, grateful for the reprieve. In the rose garden at Summerwood and later on the trip to San Francisco, I had felt the slow but persistent budding of a new feeling that both thrilled and frightened me. The lightest touch of Michael's hand pricked up hairs along my skin like electricity; his boyish grin twisted a slow, sweet pain deep into my body. His clean, male scent in close proximity could stun me with unexpected waves of need, often forcing me to look away so he wouldn't see the flame in my eyes.
I couldn't allow Michael to guess where my heart was taking me—because of Raymond.
Although many things were unclear to me, one fact seemed certain—Katherine must marry Raymond Delacroix and have at least one child with him. If I gave in to my new feelings for Michael, and if I were cruel enough to let him see them, then I risked both hurting him and ruining Katherine's chances with Raymond when she came back to her own time.
And Katherine would come back. I was convinced of it, all my desperate wishes to the contrary. She would marry Raymond, give birth to Elise, and secure a future that would eventually lead to her daughter painting a picture of Katherine and me at the bridge over Two Trees Creek. By the same token, I would return to life as a lingerie model and a cold marriage with Ryan Ashton. Ryan.
"What?" Michael's voice made me jump and turn my head.
"What?"
"You said 'Ryan' again."
"I did?"
Michael had removed his glasses, and he blinked at me from only a foot away. God, he has beautiful eyes, I thought. Soft gray-green depths that held me breathless, fighting a slow, aching pull to be in his arms.
"He's…nobody," I said.
Michael was studying me, his eyes so solemn and searching that I couldn't look away. He didn't speak, but in that moment my heart yearned toward him, and he saw it. His expression changed. His gaze moved slowly from my eyes to my mouth.
I turned my face away and shut my eyes over a sudden sting of tears.
"Kat?" he said softly.
His voice held a new, cautious note of intimacy. A moment later his thumb brushed my wet cheek, and the tenderness of his touch wrenched a low cry from me. I pushed his hand away and struggled to sit upright.
"Don't touch me!" Pain made my voice sharp. "You can't touch me, Michael!"
But his hand was already under my elbow, helping me to sit. He pushed a handkerchief into my hand.
"Here. Take it." He sounded bewildered and hurt. "Seems you'd rather do the job yourself."
He watched me wipe my eyes and blow my nose with his handkerchief. I couldn't look at him, and after a moment he reached for his glasses and slipped them on.
In a tight voice he asked, "Do you still want to visit Union Square?"
I pressed the soggy handkerchief to my lips and nodded.
Michael pushed himself to his feet and thrust out a hand to help me up. We folded the blanket between us, careful not to touch each other's fingers, and he picked up the hamper. As we crossed the grass in uneasy silence, a fresh roll of tears made me reach into my handbag for a clean handkerchief. A flash of copper tumbled into the grass.
I stopped quickly, but Michael was quicker. He scooped up the coin, examined it briefly, and gave it back to me.
"You still carrying that thing around?"
I looked up at him, my handkerchief arrested halfway to my face. "My coin? What do you know about my coin?"
He squinted at me and frowned. "You're kidding, right? I was with you when you paid a nickel for that worthless thing at the county fair. You said it was good luck, and you carried it around in your pocket for years." He stopped at my look. "What is it?"
"Michael, are you certain this is the same coin?"
I handed it back to him. His gaze lingered on my face, puzzled, before he examined the coin. He weighed it briefly on his palm, flipped it over, and gave it back to me.
"Of course I'm certain." He pointed his finger at the familiar nick in the rim. "There's where the wagon wheel ran over it, and you were so furious because you thought the magic was ruined." He screwed up his eyes against the sun and studied me. "What's the matter with you, Kat? You're looking at me like I've got two heads."
I shook my head in dazed wonder, suspended once again in that universe where Katherine's world and mine overlapped and where it made perfect sense that her lucky coin should have somehow come to me—twice.




About the Author:

Judith Ingram weaves together her love of romance and her training as a counselor to create stories and characters for her novels. She also writes Christian nonfiction books and enjoys speaking to groups on a variety of inspirational topics. She lives with her husband in the San Francisco East Bay and makes frequent trips to California's beautiful Sonoma County, where most of her fiction characters reside. She confesses a love for chocolate, cheesecake, romantic suspense novels, and all things feline.

Website, blog & free weekly devotional: http://JudithIngram.com






Tour giveaway

4 signed paperback copies of Borrowed Promises with bookmarks.

4 ebook copies (.pdf or .epub) of Borrowed Promises.

4 sets of Moonseed notecards; each set of six cards features scenes from the story, sketched by artist Amy Wong.

4 Amazon gift cards at $25 each.

4 coffee mugs featuring the book cover for Borrowed Promises along with tagline, "The past isn't always behind you…".

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The rest of the tour can be found here

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

#Giveaway ~ Solus Series by Devri Walls ~ Excerpt of Book 4 ~ Book 4 #Review



BOOK 1
Wings of Arian
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus #1
Published: April 24th 2012 

Synopsis:

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.


Buy Links





BOOK 2
Wings of Tavea
by Devri Walls
Series: Solus #2
Published: November, 2012

Synopsis:

Kiora is rapidly learning that evil and lies come in shades of black and white and swirling greys, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock of leaving Meros.

Kiora and her protector Emane step through the pass into a world they never knew existed but were always meant to save, only to find it far worse than they could have ever imagined. Good has been forced into hiding for its own survival, while the rest of the land bows to the Shadow, a force that pushes any remaining thoughts of Dralazar from Kiora’s mind. This land is full of new creatures, each more dangerous than the last. Her visions have taken on a deadly twist, and magic, or what comes of it, was never so real. And then there is Alcander: a Tavean, their guide, and an entirely different kind of trouble.

Buy Links


BOOK 3
Wings of Nestor
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #3
Publication date: June 24th 2013

Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.

Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.

But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following ones own destiny?

Buy Links







Book 4
Wings of Lomay
Devri Walls
Series: Solus #4
Publication date: February 4th 2014

Synopsis:
Kiora needs answers. Who is the Shadow? Who is Jasmine? Are they connected? And even more pressing: how can she stop Shadow from using Kiora’s dreams as a map to find them? They have escaped three times, but are living on borrowed time—and everybody knows it.

Her search for help will push her closer to Alcander, send her to the dragon mountain of Toopai, and straight back to Meros—where magic will finally return to the land of no magic. Answers will be uncovered and plans unearthed that have been waiting for thousands of years.

But with the Shadow’s forces gathering, it looks like the land’s path is hurtling towards one outcome: war with the Shadow and death to all rebels. Armed with knowledge and hope, Kiora is determined to change that path. But will fate allow it? Or will it deal her a hard lesson about following ones own destiny?

Buy Links
Wings of Lomay Review (Book 4)

I have to say that this book has touched me in a way no other has before, the whole series had. I re-read the previous books to refresh everything and to be able to read them back to back. I got so pulled into this fantasy world. This series could so easily become a series of movies at the same impact that the Lord of the Rings movies did. I like this one even better to tell the truth. I felt deeply for these characters and for each one that was lost. I loved how deeply Kiora felt for everyone, she has such a deep feeling and caring for all life, even when she had to take the enemies life. She is truly a remarkable woman. I felt what she felt, and could see this all play out in my head like it was a movie. I absolutely love Alcander and found him perfect for Kiora, but I also loved Emane as well. He really wiggled his way into my heart as well.

I do not want to say too much on what happens as this book is explosive and just about anything I can say would be a spoiler. I do not want to spoil the great journey that is this series.

I will warn you; towards the end you will need tissues. I won’t say why, but just trust me, you will need them. I hardly ever get this intensely immerged into a story to feel as deep as I did. I can say I have a book hangover now; I do not want to pick up another book right now.

This series was written so well too, brilliantly even. There are twists and turns you won’t see coming at all. I can’t say enough how much I loved the Solus series. If you have not read this series yet, and you like any type of fantasy, then please give this a try. Trust me, it’s that good!

Now for the cover, this cover is the best of them all, and this is a scene right out of the book. Its done brilliantly too. If I never heard of this series at all, and see this cover, I would have been  checking it out on the cover alone.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It’s one of my favorite series of all time now.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.

You can find a combo review of books 1-3 here




Excerpt of the scene from the book cover.

Alcander grabbed her hand and led her out to the water’s edge, where the waves gently lapped at the shore. Kiora sucked in her breath as the icy water moved around her ankles. Alcander turned, placing his back against hers. He took both her hands, interlacing their fingers. The magic responded as usual, flowing between them.
“This is where I kissed you for the first time,” Alcander said.
Kiora laughed through chattering teeth. “It was warmer then.”
“Let me warm you.”
Kiora closed her eyes as Alcander redoubled his magic, sending it pouring through her. She shivered again, not from the cold—she noticed it less as warmth spread from her fingers to her toes. Their intertwined magic was a delightful feeling.
“Now,” Alcander said, “concentrate on letting your magic flow back to me. Let it become one with mine.”
Kiora squeezed his hands, sending more magic.
His knees buckled as he exhaled. “Good,” Alcander said, his voice breathless and husky. “Now, less give-and-take—make it one endless flow.”
Kiora closed her eyes against the light of the moon, trying to feel nothing but the magic. She felt the give-and-take as it moved back and forth between them. Concentrating, she opened herself up further, trying to let it flow to him just as she would let it flow through herself. She smiled as the magic began to loop in one continuous current.
“Now what?” Kiora whispered. She marveled at how pleasant and natural this loop felt in contrast to the nature magic.
“I am going to open my mind to you. We need to think about what we are doing together in order to truly work as one.”
Kiora felt the layers of his mind peel back like the petals of a blooming flower, and she blushed at the thoughts in the forefront of his mind. This exchange of magic was potent and she couldn’t deny her own feelings, but seeing them so plainly displayed in Alcander’s thoughts flustered her. The flow of magic stuttered immediately.
Alcander faced her, having the decency to look slightly embarrassed for a quick moment before grabbing her hands again.
Kiora’s cheeks were flaming and she looked away, suddenly excruciatingly aware of the numbing pain in her toes and feet.
“Kiora, what is it?”
Kiora shook her head. What was she supposed to say?
“It upsets you that I think about those things? I love you.”
“It doesn’t upset me. I just . . .” She bit her lip.
“Do you not think like that?”
Kiora met his eyes. They were gentle, vulnerable. “Of course I do, just . . . not so . . . vividly.”
Alcander smiled first, and then laughed. He ran his thumb over her cheekbone, his fingers sliding beneath her jaw. She leaned into the warmth of his palm. “I see many things vividly, but you I see the most vividly of all.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against hers.
Spirals of energy and desire clenched in her stomach and she wrapped her hands around his shoulders, pressing herself into him, deepening the kiss.
He moaned. “That is doing nothing to help my vivid imagination, Kiora.”
She grinned against his mouth. After pulling back, she couldn’t help but lean in for one more kiss. “We’d better get back to work. I can’t feel my feet.”
Again, they stood back-to-back, sharing magic until it flowed between them in one continual round and she lost awareness of the cold. Alcander opened his mind again and Kiora relaxed into it, trying not to focus on specific thoughts, but just to be. His mind was still unfathomable to her, and she could get lost within if she allowed herself to.
We are going to pull the water up, Alcander thought.
As he did so, his thoughts formed pictures, diagrams, and explanations all floating around her. She clearly saw what he meant. She felt him prepare to start the water barrier. They pulled at the lake simultaneously.
The water exploded upwards. Freezing spray spattered around them.


AUTHOR BIO

Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head. Her first novel, Wings of Arian, is available on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and Apple. The second book in the Solus trilogy, Wings of Tavea is scheduled for release Nov 2012.








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Sunday, August 10, 2014

#Giveaway ~ Blue Effect (Renegade Heroes Book 1) by Rose Shababy ~ #Review & Excerpts


The Blue Effect
Renegade Heroes
Book One
Rose Shababy

Genre: Adult Urban Sci-fi/Fantasy

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Date of Publication: September 8th, 2014

Cover Artist: Regina Wamba

Book Description:

Blue Brennan is jaded and bitter despite her pinup girl looks and quick wit. Night after night, she scours the Seattle club scene looking for someone or something to fill the emptiness inside.

When she meets the mysterious Kasey, her world stops… literally. He claims she has the ability to control time and stuns her even further when he reveals his own gifts.

Blue is inexplicably drawn to Kasey and reluctantly enters his world filled with a new breed of humanity. They’re misfits like her, blessed or cursed with powerful abilities, struggling to hide their differences from the rest of society.

Then the group discovers a nameless, faceless sociopath with nightmarish powers; and he’s coming for Blue. She’s left reeling when they discover her gifts are the key to defeating his terrible evil and saving them all.

Now she must race against the clock to harness her own powers and save her new friends. Can she be more than a renegade? Can she be a hero too?

Authors Links


I really enjoyed this book. It was really different and anything being different for me is saying alot, since I read so many paranormal, fantasy, sci-fi, and other of the types.

I was on the edge of my seat through it all. I was brought to tears on more than one occasion at something that happened, something I didn't expect.

 I found Kasey pretty awesome, except his strange way of talking he has, hard to describe but it go on my nerves a bit, but still loved him and the story overall.

I do not want to spoil anything, so just want to say that this story is different and has plenty of believable paranormal elements in it.

I will say that this book really reminds me of a favorite show on tv last season, called The Tomorrow People (yeah, not a great name, lol) anyway there is alt of similarities but it didn't bother me, as I said, I loved the show too.

I highly recommend this, and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Cover review:  I love this cover, and it fits the book well.

I was given a copy of this book for my honest review.



Excerpt One

As I scanned the crowd my eyes fell on one person out of sync with the rest. Close to my age, maybe a little older, he obviously didn’t belong in the club. His clothes, messy looking slacks and a gray t-shirt, hung on his lean frame. He finished his look with a tartan scarf and brown fedora that seemed more at home on an old man than one in his twenties.
He pulled his hat off and shaggy brown hair fell across his eyes as he danced. Well, he didn’t dance so much as sway to the music, his eyes closed while a hint of a smile graced his lips. As he danced, he bobbed his head back and forth and his hands moved like graceful waves. His shadow grin seemed to infuse his entire body. He danced by himself as if he didn’t care what anyone around him thought, as if he danced for himself and no one else. He looked completely out of place, yet he appealed to me and I felt myself wanting to go to him.
I was shocked by the surge of jealousy that rushed through me as I stared at him. His face broke through my drunken haze and I realized this man was no paper doll. His face belonged to a truly happy man. Hell, he looked fucking ecstatic.  
He had the face of an angel.

Excerpt Two

“Kasey,” I yelled stupidly, knowing it wouldn’t do any good but unable to stop myself. “Kasey, where are you?”
I burst through another door to find the bathroom, a layer of steam frozen in the air. I pulled the curtain back without even thinking about who might be in the shower, and slumped with relief when I found Kasey. He held a washcloth to his face as a stream of water rained down on him, frozen in place.
“Kasey,” I breathed happily, and reached out to grab his hand.
As I touched him, the same spark I always felt when we made contact erupted and the world came to life again. Water spewed all over me, soaking my clothes, spilling over onto the floor, but I didn’t care.
Kasey startled and yelped a little when he saw me. He recovered quickly. “Blue? What happened?”
I smiled, my tears mixing with the hot water from the shower as I launched myself at him, hugging him tightly. He smiled back and wrapped his arms around me.
Thank god I found you! I thought. “I’m so glad you’re here,” I whispered in his ear.
“I knew you would come back,” he whispered back, just before his lips found mine.

Excerpt Three

Clearly the time had come for the two of us to have it out. “I may have thought you were hot when we first met, and you got to listen to the nasty thoughts in my head, but every time we meet I find it harder to like you. In fact, every time you open your mouth, you get uglier and uglier. I don’t know if Val was right, and you really are jealous, but let me make this crystal clear for you. There is no part of me that wants you.”
His eyes narrowed for a moment, and then, before I could do anything, his hands shot out and grabbed my shoulders again. He yanked me close to him and I the heat from his chest burned through my t-shirt. His face was so close to mine I could feel his hot breath blazing against my cheek when he spoke. “You’re a little liar,” he hissed. “There is a part of you that likes this,” he shook me a little and I flushed with rage… and something else. “And goddamn me, there’s a part of me that likes it too.” He hovered with his face still close to mine and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. My head fell back slightly and my lips parted involuntarily as I anticipated his invasion.
Then he released me, almost flinging me away from him. I pressed my back against the wall as I watched him and tried to catch my breath as my traitorous heart beat so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest.
“Let me make this crystal clear for you,” he mimicked. “Kasey is like a brother to me and if you hurt him, you’ll wish you never met me.”
 “I already do,” I whispered with sincerity.






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The rest of the tour can be found here