by Heidi Acosta Genre; YA Dark Fantasy Release Date: April 1st 2016 Summary from Goodreads: Nothing ever happens in the small town of Copake Falls,and no one knows that better than sixteen-year-old Eden Day. Her life is a mundane carousal, rotating between caring for her alien obsessed aunt and dealing with her freak status at school. Until two brothers move into town and turn her life completely upside down. Golden boy, Cardelian Foster is the talk of the town, and it seems his sights set on Eden. However, she finds herself drawn to the dark and elusive Jaxson instead. Caught between her fear of what he might be and her attraction to him, Eden makes it her mission to find out exactly who or what Jaxson Foster is. Eden begins to dig for the truth, but the deeper she looks, the more her life seems to be in danger. Everyone around her thinks sheâs going crazy, and Eden begins to agree until she finds herself pulled into Faeylonâa world that nightmares are made of. Caught in the center of a dark game, Eden realizes there can only be one winner, and she is the prize.
Buy Links:
About the Author
Heidi Acosta was born on Long Island, New York. Moving around a lot when she was younger, she has lived in New York, Arizona, New York (again), Washington, Georgia, and Florida, in that order. Each place offered her something special, but she will always consider New York her home.
Heidi started writing as soon as she could spell. When she was three, Heidiâs mother gave her a copy of Laura Ingalls Wilderâs Little House in the Big Woods; thus beginning her lifelong love affair with literature. Writing soon also became a form of therapy for Heidi, when she realized that no matter what was happening in her life, she could find emotional escape while writing. Some of her earliest stories featured her as a princess who explored new worlds with her horse Buttercup. If it sounds romantic, it wasnât, there was no prince charming in those fairy lands (boys where yucky). Heidi now resides in Florida with her husband, very active daughter, one hyper Chihuahua, two sweet cats, and one very fat moody cat. Barbie Girl is the first Novel of Heidiâs new, four-book, Baby Doll Series: Barbie Girl, Barbie World, Doll Face, and Southern Sugar.
Author Links:
7 Comments
Surviving High School
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble Read the Prologue: To my lovely and beautiful readers. Before I tell you the story of how I vowed to survive high school, I’d like to talk about something near and dear to my heart. See, every human being (and most animals, I find) have their own unique essence, an essence comprised of deeply rooted qualities that make them who they are. Ancient Greek philosophers would refer to this as the “soul”—but I am not an ancient Greek philosopher, I am a teenage girl, and so I will call itcall it Lele-ness, you would call it Sara-ness or Jason-ness, or whatever your name might be. My point is: I believe that YOU-ness is something very special, no matter who you are, and it ought to be celebrated. So I shall now tell you how I came to be truly Lele, a person I love for better or for worse. Of course, part of your essence comes into this world with you at birth, but it’s really what happens next that starts to shape you into you. I was born in Caracas, a major city in Venezuela, but quickly moved to the countryside where I—get this—lived in a barn. I mean, can you even? Picture this: baby Lele running barefoot through cornfields miles and miles away from civilization. I didn’t have dogs or cats as pets, instead I had baby tigers and monkeys as close friends. My whole childhood I knew nothing of shopping malls or (gasp!) the internet. For entertainment I had only nature—bird-watching and berry picking and, best of all, stargazing. For as long as I can remember, language has been a struggle for me. Words didn’t come to me as a child, so I used my body to communicate. It felt so much more natural to express my- self that way. I felt comfortable drawing out my thoughts and feelings, instead of verbalizing them, so I’d often draw out storyboards—sometimes eight pages long—to explain to my parents or teachers what it was that I wanted. Everyone has their strengths and their weaknesses: for me, artwork and movement were strengths, while speaking to others using words was a weakness. Now take all of that and add immigrating to the United States, and you have a potential disaster on your hands. I knew nothing about American culture, and my differences paralyzed me with anxiety. For comfort and peace of mind, I turned to entertainment. I found I was embraced by my peers for being physically dramatic and, well, funny. I found that I knew how to make people laugh, and so I held on to that as a life raft in the sea of the most confusing and alienating time in my life. I believe it was my wild upbringing plus my verbal disadvantages that led me to be the performer and one-of-a-kind weirdo with a heart of gold that I am today. It’s not always easy being Lele, but every morning when I wake up I say, “Bring it on,” and that attitude is what has taken me on this incredible journey. I encourage you to think about the life events and circumstances that have made you truly YOU, and to celebrate every single part of yourself—the strong, the weak, the good, the bad, and the ugly— because each part contributes to making you special and AMAZING. Trust me. So that is the story of how I developed my Lele essence. What follows is the story of how I survived my first year at Miami High and how I got to share my message with almost ten million followers. I hope you enjoy it! XO Lele
GIVEAWAY! Race Girl
-- EXCERPT: Tully scanned the shadows as she reached the shimmering water. He didn’t turn up . . . She thought with a stab of panic. He’s playing me! I’m an idiot!! She’d spun around, ready to bolt back to the house, when a rustling in the tall, dead grass around the jetty made her heart stop. Bear bounded out, barking and grinning like mad. OMG! ‘Holy--sit!’ Tully grabbed the front of Brandon’s T-shirt and pulled him down next to her. Bear leapt up, licking his face. ‘Whoa, whoa!’ He chuckled, leaning down to help Tully contain Bear in her lap. ‘I was hoping for that kind of reception from her—’ he nodded down at Tully. ‘God, shush!’ Tully pushed her face against Bear’s smooth head, her eyes drifting across the sparkling dam to the violet outline of the mountains, and up into the silver diamonds – bright and full across the sky. Tully took a long breath to calm her thumping heart, when suddenly her whole body was swirling like wonderland – her mind lost, struggling to comprehend what that rich-wonderful-earthy-soapy-manly-scent could possibly be. Oh, she realised, opening her mouth so she could block off her nostrils. Him; of course he’s got the best cologne . . . Just get down to business . . . ‘So,’ Tully said, clutching to Bear’s smooth body. ‘Brandon, did you know your dad’s trying to buy our farm out from under us?’
GIVEAWAY! -- Steamsworn
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble EXCERPT: “Whoa,” she said, jumping away from the burst of heat and flame. “That went up a little faster than I expected.” She reached the edge of the rack with her toe and forced it beneath the boiler. Another rumble and crack echoed from the corridor behind them. Jacob turned around in time to see Drakkar come running back into the station, his cloak rising in the breeze behind him. “Scythe Beetles!” Jacob swung the air cannon off his back and racked the slide. “Jacob, Alice!” Samuel’s voice rang with authority. “Fall back with Smith. If you need to use the cannon, use it at the last second. You don’t want to injure a Scythe Beetle. You want to kill it.” Drakkar’s arm snapped out to the side, and his sword unfolded with a rapid series of clicks. There was a calamity behind the Cave Guardian, and it grew louder with every second. Jacob and Alice scrambled off the railcar. Jacob paused and then ran to the pump to turn it off. The last thing they needed was wet fuel bars. Alice made it to Smith ten steps before Jacob did. Samuel and Drakkar set up a loose line between the railcar and a steeper section of the shattered wall. Smith spoke into his transmitter. “Mary! Get the chaingun down here now!” Her static-laced reply came back in an incoherent burst. “Chaingun! Now!” Mary cursed and began shouting orders before she stopped transmitting. Drakkar had the best view of the corridor, and everyone tensed when he said, “Here they come.” The iron gate in the stone hall collapsed at the first impact. The metal rattled and screeched as it was twisted and trampled. The creatures were not very fast, but once they were moving, nothing seemed to stop them. They ran on three-toed claws, the spikes on their legs tearing through stone and rending metal as they crashed onto the platform. Jacob watched in awe and horror as the front most beetle paused, and its back split open. A pair of leathery wings extended from beneath the carapace and gleamed in the rising moonlight.
GIVEAWAY! Forbidden Heat
EXCERPT: Feeling dizzy, I back away from the table with heavy limbs. The girls I met don’t notice my departure but Justin Kirby does. He’s right next to me with his hand on my lower back. “I need to sit down,” I say. “Okay sweetheart,” he says. He steers me away, past an empty chair. “Wait,” I say, but he leads me to the basement stairs and we start to go up. I’m having trouble managing them. I mumble something as we wind through the crowd on the main floor, bumping against a shoulder here and an elbow there. The music is pounding. I feel it in my body, but it sounds muffled, along with all the other sounds in the room. He steers me up another flight of stairs. He has to put his arm around me to keep me from tripping on the steps. What’s the matter with me? There’s a long, dark hallway at the top, with several rooms breaking off on either side. Justin Kirby is practically dragging me along. When he opens a door, I see a bed in the room and know I’m in trouble. I’m almost too out of it to panic properly. All of a sudden, he half lets go of me, half shoves me into the doorjamb. I hit my forehead on the wood, trying to hang on to something. There’s screaming and yelling—I’m hearing his voice, I think, and someone else’s, a woman’s voice—but it’s all confusion to me and now all I can do is think about the fact that I’m falling and can’t stop.
GIVEAWAY! Life in the Lucky Zone
EXCERPT: People filled the baggage claim area, grabbing their items from the carousel, their conversations muffled by all the noise. I stepped out of the way of a man heading for the exit and scanned people’s faces. Where was Adam? Were his parents already here to take him home? That might make things awkward. I edged through the crowd and finally saw him. Relief ran through me, but immediately drained away at the sight of the people with him. Dressed in a T-shirt and hoodie,Adam was placing a huge duffle bag on the floor beside an elderly couple and a teenage girl. A gorgeous teenage girl with dark hair. I didn’t know who she was, but I hated everything about her. From her long, curling hair to the tight shirt that showed off all her curves. Even the tiny belly curve. Should I go over there? I kind of had to if I wanted to talk to him. But something held me back. Some sense that prickled up my neck. I shouldn’t meet those people. At least, not right now. Then the problem took care of itself. Adam straightened and looked across the room. Our gazes met. Locked. But I couldn’t read what might be in his. It was too far away. He tilted his head down toward the others, said something, and then started working his way through the crowd. I knew the people he was with must be watching, but I only had eyes for Adam. He did not look happy. Crap. I hadn’t planned on a fight. Surely that wasn’t what he had in mind. My pulse sped up, and I squeezed my fingers around the strap of my shoulder bag. And then he was standing in front of me, his hands hanging loosely at his sides, a vertical line between his eyebrows. “Hey,” he said, with no kiss or hug. “What’re you doing here? I told you I had a ride.” I made myself smile. “I wanted to surprise you.” He ran a hand through his hair. It had gotten long; a couple of strands curled toward the snake tat on his neck. “How’re you doing?” he asked, sounding like he really didn’t care. I could barely choke out the word. “Fine.” Touch me. Tell me everything’s okay. Someone jostled him, and he stepped closer. “Look, you know things have been weird between us. I should’ve talked to you about this before I left, but I didn’t know how. Stuff has … changed.”
GIVEAWAY!
Title: Echoes of the Past
Series: Fermosa Bay Series #1
By: Iris Blobel
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1UMSPd9
Amazon UK - http://goo.gl/K4SMKZ
Connor leaned against the window frame with his arms crossed as he watched the waves crashing against the rocks. In front of him, as wide as the horizon, was the ocean. With the clouds drifting in from the sea, the sky had turned grey and dark, and he knew there’d be even more rain coming later in the day. He would’ve enjoyed the scene if it hadn’t reminded him of his changing life. He’d been back in Fermosa Bay for two days already, but the memories of the first seven years of his life he’d spent in this small Australian coastal town were tucked away in the back of his mind. Seemingly inaccessible. Nowadays, his life was in London and had been for the last twenty-three years. He took a couple of deep breaths as he looked towards the harbour in the distance, and the small town in the alcove with the hilly forest in the background where he’d spend the first seven years of his life. It was truly one very picturesque little place. A noise from the other end of the house hauled him back from his thoughts, and he stepped away from the window. Over the last few weeks, since he’d decided to accept Jack’s invitation to Australia, he’d had visions of what he’d find here. His mother hadn’t told him much about the time she’d lived here, except about Jack owning a pub. Connor had been furious for her lack of memory, but in the end admitted to himself it’d probably not been a time she’d like to remember. So he was surprised to find out that Jack lived in this massive house just outside Fermosa Bay, on the top of the cliffs, with a view over the ocean. The house had five rooms and a small study at the back. The lounge room, with a high pitched ceiling, had wood fire heating and a big window front. Connor had loved the house the instant he’d stepped into it. When he entered the hall, he saw his father and said, “Good morning, Jack.” The old man sighed sadly. “You still can’t bring it over your heart to call me Dad?” Connor’s gaze wandered from his father to all the many framed photos along the wall. Jack was in many of the photos, but most them had people in them he didn’t know, except the biggest one, which showed Connor as a child in Jack’s arms. A wave of sadness shook him. No, it wasn’t in him to call him Dad. Or to even think of him as his dad. After a moment’s silence, he turned to his father and shook his head. “Sorry.” Jack coughed, and Connor quickly rushed to his side, holding him upright. “Another bad day?” Connor asked. “Son, there will be no more good days. One day is like the other, until it will be the last.” The words struck Connor deep enough to feel some emotions for his father. He knew time was running out, but hearing it made it sound final. “There’s a front coming, but I think you’d be able to sit outside for a little while. At least until the nurse comes.” Jack simply nodded. Connor helped his father out onto the deck where the old man sat down on his swing seat. “Thanks, Son.” Without a reply, Connor stepped away and watched the sea again. “I couldn’t keep you away from the water when you were a child,” Jack said. “What do you mean?” Connor asked. Jack didn’t answer, so he turned around to look at his father. The old man stared into the distance, a withdrawn expression on his face. “You were constantly in the water. Whatever opportunity you had, you grabbed your little board and spent most of the day there.” “So what happened?” His father shrugged. “You left with your mother.” Sitting down on the chair next to Jack, Connor let out a long breath. “Something must’ve happened. I never go near water, let alone go in it.” Still gazing into the distance, Jack said, “I still have the blue board. Ethan’s little son sometimes uses it nowadays.” Not sure where the conversation was heading, Connor just went along. “Who’s Ethan?” he asked. The reaction from his father wasn’t what he expected. With his shoulders sagged, Jack closed his eyes. He looked so old and frail. From what Connor saw in all the photos around the house, cancer had taken a lot of life out of his father, leaving behind a haggard body with no energy left. Initially, he’d been taken aback by their similarities in looks, with their dark brown eyes and dark blond hair, including the stubborn curl above the ears, but after all, Jack was his father.
Social Media Links
Title: The Double
By: Alison Brodie
Publication Date: January 19, 2016
Genre: Chick Lit
Sign up for the Blog Tour - http://goo.gl/n78OuZ
Beth is mistaken for rock star Sonita La Cruz, and ends up on a billionaire-dollar yacht. As a shift-worker in Glasgow, Beth has only known hardship. Now she's in a world of uniformed stewards, delicious French food and rows of gorgeous designer clothes. Beth keeps quiet about the mix-up, determined to wear every outfit in her wardrobe before she's sent home. What's wrong with a little play-acting? Beth takes to the role of rock diva like a duck takes to water. Aleksandr, the captain, arrives and is astonished to see a beautiful raven-haired girl lying on deck issuing orders through a loud-hailer. After talking to Beth, Aleksandr realises what has happened. His smuggling buddies, knowing Aleksandr needs to speak to Sonita about a kid’s crisis, grabbed Beth by mistake. Aleksandr is desperate. To save those children, he needs money, but Sonita has disappeared. Beth rises to the challenge. She looks like Sonita, so why not BE Sonita? Beth does a magazine interview for one million dollars, and ransoms herself for another million. Beth saves the kids … but can she save herself? Too late, Beth discovers why Sonita disappeared.
Amazon US - http://amzn.to/1RsAsnm
Amazon UK - http://goo.gl/58v0r5
Amazon CA - https://goo.gl/duU52G
Alison Brodie is a Scot, with French Huguenot ancestors on her mother’s side of the family. Alison was a photographic model, modelling for a wide range of products, including Ducatti motorbikes and 7Up. She was also the vampire in the Schweppes commercial.
A disastrous modelling assignment in the Scottish Highlands gave Alison an idea for a story, which was to become Face to Face. She wrote Face to Face as a hobby and then decided to send it off to see what would happen. It was snapped up by Dinah Wiener, the first agent Alison sent it to. Three weeks later, Alison signed a two-book deal with Hodder & Stoughton. Subsequently, Face to Face was published in Germany and Holland. It was widely reviewed, ie: “Vain, but wildly funny leading lady.” -Scottish Daily Mail. It was also chosen as Good Housekeeping’s “Pick of the Paperbacks.”
Unfortunately, Alison then suffered from Second-Book Syndrome. The publisher’s deadline loomed and she was terrified because she didn’t have an idea for a story! She found the whole experience a nightmare; and this is why she cautions first-time authors to write more than one book before approaching an agent. She managed to finish the book – Sweet Talk – but it bombed.
While writing Sweet Talk, she moved to Kansas and lived there for two years. She loved the people, their friendliness, their free-and-easy way of life, the history and the BBQs! Sadly, her visa ran out and she had to come back to the UK – although her dream is to one day live permanently in America. Now, Alison lives in Biarritz, France.
Alison has taken the exhilarating steps to becoming an indie author. Her second ebook, THE DOUBLE, is out on Amazon Kindle with some great reviews. “Excellent.” –San Francisco Book Review.
Alison writes contemporary romance. She aims for a strong plot line, set against the background of a world-changing event, coupled with touches of humour, sexual tension and character transformation.
She loves to hear from her readers.
Social Media Links
#Rev
Goodreads / Amazon / iTunes / Kobo / Page Foundry EXCERPT: Drew
GIVEAWAY! -- by Kate L. Mary Genre: YA Post-Apocalyptic/Zombie/Romance Release Date: March 29th 2016 Summary from Goodreads: A zombie novel. For the past two years, Jules has floated through life. When the virus was released it changed everything about the world. Jules lost her mom and her home, forcing her to live with the father she barely knows. Now, even as society works to rebuild, Jules still feels like she doesnât quite fit in. Then she meets Roman. Even before the zombies, he only had himself to depend on. Brooding and rebellious, Roman isnât anyone Jules would have pictured herself with before the zombies came. But now she finds herself willing to give up everything to be with him. The attraction is too strong for either one of them to ignore, but Roman and Jules soon discover that the uncertainty of their new world extends much farther than just the zombies. When disaster strikes, Roman must race against the most terrifying clock imaginable to save Jules, or once again end up alone.
Buy Links:
Excerpt:
Iâm still grinning when we step outside. The wooden porch sags beneath my feet, feeling a little less than sturdy, but that isnât what makes my heart almost stop. My smile melts away and my feet stop moving, and within seconds Iâm shaking like a leaf.
There are three zombies in the yard. Three of them. I havenât come this close to one since the first few months of the outbreak, and now there are three.
Roman steps in front of me and shoves the shoebox into my hands as he pulls his knife out, all in one fluid movement. âItâs okay.â
It doesnât feel okay. It feels the complete opposite of okay.
Roman steps off the porch, and one of the zombies spots him right away. The thing groans and moves toward him, chomping his mouth. Gray skin stretches across his face, and the deep gashes that cut across the decaying flesh ooze with black goo. Thankfully, the other two creatures are facing the other way and havenât caught wind of us yet.
Roman doesnât seem afraid in the slightest as he walks toward the dead man. His knife is held firmly in his hand, but heâs steady. Sure of himself as he walks in a big arc around the zombie. He was right. They are slow. But itâs still terrifying, and Iâm still shaking, gripping the box of batteries so hard the cardboard bows under the pressure. Just as Roman reaches the back of the first zombie, the other two notice him and head his way. My heart jumps to my throat and I reach out like Iâm trying to stop them, but no sound comes out when I move my lips.
I try again, and this time his name comes out like a strangled cry. âRoman!â
He smiles like all of this is nothing, then drives his knife into the back of the first zombieâs skull. The thing drops to the ground, and Roman spins to face the others. He charges the second one, a sad-looking woman whose nightgown is stained and tattered, her gray skin barely clinging to her bones. Roman dodges her arms and loops around her back, then jabs his knife into her skull just like he did with the first one.
Two down, but my heart is still pounding wildly.
The third one is so tall that Romanâs head only goes up to the zombieâs shoulders. Next to him, Roman looks like a child. Even worse than his size is the fact that he seems to be faster than the other two. Less decomposed, even, like heâs just recently died.
Roman circles him, but the zombie spins too. His hands reach out to grab Roman, but Roman ducks out of the way. His face tenses, and his eyes dart over to me. I watch, frozen in terror from my place on the porch as Roman tries to get behind the zombie again. He could stab him in a different location, but with as tall as the decaying man is, it wouldnât be safe. Only no matter how many times Roman tries to get behind the corpse, it doesnât work. The thing is too fast and too hungry. Determined.
About the Author
Award-winning author of WHEN WE WERE HUMAN and the Amazon best-selling BROKEN WORLD series, Kate L. Mary writes everything from post-apocalyptic tales of the undead to new adult contemporary romance. A mother of four and an Air Force wife, her days are divided between keeping her household in order and creating new worlds for readers to get lost in.
Author Links:
|
About MeI'm a Texas gal with a wonderful husband, an amazing six year old son, and an adorable newborn baby boy! Archives
June 2016
Categories
All
Follow Me!Proud Tour Host For: |