Thursday, March 31, 2016

Book Blast & #Giveaway for Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich

Welcome to my stop on the Book Blast, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Eolyn by Karin Rita Gastreich.  Please leave a comment or question for Karin to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway, where one (1) randomly chosen commenter will be awarded a $15 Amazon/BN GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may follow all of the stops on the tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your chances of winning. 

Eolyn
By Karin Rita Gastreich
The Silver Web, Book 1

Publisher:  Orb Weaver Press
Release Date: March 31, 2016
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Format: eBook/Print
Length:  328 Pages
ISBN: 978-0982946794
ASIN: B01B8F4G50

Buy Links:  Amazon 

  
About the book:

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a ruthless purge of the magas. Eolyn, last daughter of the magas and sole heiress to their forbidden craft, seeks refuge in the South Woods.

When she meets the mysterious Akmael, heir to the throne of this violent realm, she embarks on a path of hope, seduction, betrayal, and war. Desire draws Eolyn toward Akmael’s dark embrace, but fate binds her to Corey of East Selen, a cunning mage whose ambition challenges the limits of love and loyalty.

Can she trust either man?

Hunted in a realm of powerful wizards and brutal deceptions, Eolyn must find her own path to freedom or she will burn on the pyre.


"Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes, with a romantic thread." -Publishers Weekly

EXCERPT


Corey’s Circle


Renate made Eolyn suffer more than the others, with constant rebukes and scoldings. This was the way of things for any new member of the Circle, but in Eolyn’s case the challenge was multiplied by the girl’s utter lack of experience. Corey would no doubt get an earful about it this evening, but Renate had no grounds for complaint. She had brought this upon herself.

“Have you gone completely mad?” Renate had cried, bursting into Corey’s tent the day after he hired Eolyn. “Putting that girl in your magic show?”

“I’ve been seeking an assistant for some time,” Corey had replied evenly.

“She’ll be on the pyre within a week, and the rest of us may very well burn with her.”

“She will not do any magic.”

“Even the illusion of magic could—”

“She will not perform any illusions.”

“Curse you, Corey! I am so weary of the risks you take.”

“You are free to withdraw from the Circle any time you please, Renate.”

Renate had set her lips in a thin line. Corey knew well the terror he invoked whenever he suggested she leave. Nothing waited for Renate outside of the Circle, save solitude and fear, the unending torment of all her ghosts from the past.

Renate’s tone softened. “Corey, please. She’s just a child. Don’t make her your toy in this.”

Toy? Was that what Renate thought?

“I can’t imagine what you expect to gain from this folly,” Renate insisted, “but that girl, that beautiful, innocent girl, could lose her life. Is that a fair price for your amusement?”

Corey could not very well argue with that.

Well, he could, but why upset Renate more than necessary?

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Karin Rita Gastreich writes stories of ordinary women and the extraordinary paths they choose. She lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she is part of the biology faculty at Avila University. An ecologist by vocation, Karin has wandered forests and wildlands for over twenty years. Her past times include camping, hiking, music, and flamenco dance. In addition to The Silver Web trilogy, Karin has published short stories in World Jumping, Zahir, Adventures for the Average Woman, and 69 Flavors of Paranoia. She is a recipient of the Spring 2011 Andrews Forest Writer’s Residency.



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Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Virtual Tour & #Giveaway for Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer


Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Tour, presented by Rockstar Book Tours, for Dig Too Deep by Amy Allgeyer.  Please leave a comment or question for Amy to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  The tour schedule is listed below so that you may check out the other stops on Amy’s tour.  My review of the book will post later this week. 

DIG TOO DEEP
By Amy Allgeyer

Publisher: AW Teen
Release Date: April 1, 2016
Pages: 272
Formats: Hardcover, eBook


About the Book:

With her mother facing prison time for a violent political protest, seventeen-year-old Liberty Briscoe has no choice but to leave her Washington, DC, apartment and take a bus to Ebbottsville, Kentucky, to live with her granny. There she can at least finish high school and put some distance between herself and her mother--or her former mother, as she calls her.

But Ebbottsville isn't the same as Liberty remembers, and it's not just because the top of Tanner's Peak has been blown away to mine for coal. Half the county is out of work, an awful lot of people in town seem to be sick, and the tap water is bright orange--the same water that officials claim is safe. And when Granny's lingering cold turns out to be something much worse, Liberty wonders if somebody at the mine is hiding the truth about the water.

She starts to investigate and is soon plunged into a world of secrets, lies, threats, and danger. Her searches for answers and justice lead to even tougher questions--should she turn to violence and end up like her mother? Give up her quest for the sake of keeping the peace? Or keep fighting until the mine is shut down for good? 




About Amy:

The youngest of seven kids, Amy has been writing stories since she first learned to make her letters face the right way. Her work has appeared in Family Fun, A Fly in Amber and Stories for Children. As an architect, she spends her days restoring hundred-year-old homes in Boise where she lives with her son, a feral house cat, and a fake owl named Alan. She hates chocolate, but loves vegetables. She also loves travelling to foreign lands and the smell of honeysuckle on humid Southern nights.

Amy is represented by the lovely and amazing Danielle Chiotti of Upstart Crow Literary.






Giveaway Details:


2 winners will receive a signed ARC of DIG TOO DEEP, and a silver starfish bookmark, magnet, button, and "Make Your Own mini-protest sign" kit, US Only.

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Tour Schedule:

Week One:
3/21/2016- Curling Up With A Good Book- Interview
3/22/2016- Read.Read.Read- Review
3/23/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Guest Post
3/24/2016- The Phantom Paragrapher- Review
3/25/2016- The Cover Contessa- Interview

Week Two:
3/28/2016- 5 Girls Book Reviews- Review
3/29/2016- A Dream Within A Dream- Guest Post
3/30/2016- Queen of All She Reads- Review
3/31/2016- Wanderlust & Books- Interview
4/1/2016- The Bookish Angel- Review

Virtual Blog Tour & #Giveaway for In Her Eyes by Wesley Banks



Welcome to my stop on the Virtual Blog Tour, presented by Enchantress Design & Promo, for In Her Eyes by Wesley Banks.  Please leave a comment or question for Wesley to let him know you stopped by.  You may enter his tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  My review for this book is running a little behind but will be posted before the end of the week.  



In Her Eyes
By Wesley Banks

Publisher:  Chasing Pace Publishing
Release Date: March 14, 2016
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length:  264 Pages
ISBN: 978-0-986193-43-9
ASIN: B01CBEE0IK


About the book:

When Ben Wilder is given a second chance he focuses on the one thing he's always been good at: running. After walking on to the University of Florida Track and Field team he begins to quickly move up the national rankings, paving a path towards the NCAA Championships. Everything is going the way he planned, until the day he bumps into Casey Taylor.

New to Gainesville, and focused on her first year out of medical school, Casey is initially hesitant to let Ben into her life. But the truth is she's worried about letting a guy near the one thing she loves most: her daughter, Emma. After one fun and fateful night Casey can no longer bury her feelings behind these excuses, and takes a chance on a guy she is slowly falling for.

Casey's relationship with Ben starts to gradually build into a love that she has never felt before. But more importantly, Emma has taken a particular liking to Ben. As they all spend more time together Ben is forced to confront painful memories when he starts to notice something hauntingly familiar in Emma's eyes.

After a local journalist uncovers the secret of Ben's past their lives begin to converge on a single promise that Ben Wilder has long since made: to never give up...no matter what.



Available for purchase at 



Excerpt


Ben took a seat in one of the blue leather chairs across from his desk. To Ben’s right was a brunette lady sitting against the adjacent wall, wearing a black pantsuit with a white blouse, and clutching a leather bound notebook.

“You wanted to see me, Coach?” Ben said, ignoring the woman in the room for the moment.

Coach didn’t say anything at first, he just leaned back in his chair and folded his hands in his lap. He looked annoyed about something.

“Ben, this is Claire Stewart,” Coach said. He didn’t motion at the woman, or even look at her. He just stared straight ahead at Ben.

Ben looked over at Ms. Stewart. She looked middle aged, maybe late thirties. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail with long bangs cropping her face, and a pair of glasses tucked into her blouse. Ben was unsure if he should cordially introduce himself or half pretend she wasn’t even in the room like Coach. The woman flashed a quick closed lip smile, and he chose to do the same.

“Miss Stewart here is a journalist for the local ABC affiliate.” Coach paused again, seemingly forcing his sentences out through gritted teeth. “She plans to run a story in the near future.”

Ben tried to remain expressionless as his hands clamped tightly around his legs, as if he were bracing for impact. It hadn’t been abnormal for reporters to request interviews, but Coach was making this particular one seem like a big deal.

“She is here out of the kindness of her cold, black heart to let us know in advance,” Coach seethed.

It would be an understatement to say Coach definitely did not like this woman, or the reason she was here.

The woman who had been sitting silently in the corner of the room began to speak: “Ben.” Her voice didn’t seem hurtful or mean. In fact it was soft and slow and poured out like a stream of cool water. “I want to tell your story.”

Ben looked over at the woman’s dark brown eyes but didn’t respond.

She continued. “I want to tell the story of the young man who returns to running to shatter several collegiate records, after overcoming the tragic loss of his daughter and wife…”


The woman kept on talking about something, possibly even asking Ben questions. Ben still stared in the woman’s direction, but he didn’t see her. He didn’t hear her. All he heard was Grace’s voice. All he saw was her aquamarine eyes.


About The Author



Wesley Banks was born in 1983 and grew up on the west coast of Florida. He graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Civil Engineering.  After spending over 7 years building movable bridges from Florida to Washington he decided to focus on his true passion: writing.

Wesley recently moved from Florida to Oregon to get back to the great outdoors that he loves so much. He lives with his wife Lindsey, and his two dogs Linkin and Story. Most of his time these days is spent writing, with as much rock climbing, hiking, or skiing as they can fit in.






You can find Wesley at 

              


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Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Book Blast & #Giveaway for Three Weeks to Wed by Ella Quinn


Welcome to my stop on the Release Blast, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for Three Weeks to Wed by Ella Quinn.  Please leave a comment or question for Ella to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway, where five (5) randomly chosen commenters will be awarded a signed print ARC of Three Weeks to Wed, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may click on the banner above to visit all of the stops on the tour.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  

Three Weeks to Wed
By Ella Quinn
The Worthingtons, Book 1

Release Date: March 29, 2016
Genre: Historical Romance
Format: eBook/Print
Length: 320 Pages
ISBN: 978-1420139556
ASIN: B010ZZXX2G

Buy Links:  Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes | Google Play  | All Romance |  IndieBound         




About the book:


In the first book of her dazzling new series, bestselling author Ella Quinn introduces the soon-to-be Earl and Countess of Worthington--lovers who have more in common than they yet know. The future promises to be far from boring…

Lady Grace Carpenter is ready to seize the day--or rather, the night--with the most compelling man she's ever known. Marriage would mean losing guardianship of her beloved siblings, and surely no sane gentleman will take on seven children not his own. But if she can have one anonymous tryst with Mattheus, Earl of Worthington, Grace will be content to live out the rest of her life as a spinster.

Matt had almost given up hope of finding a wife who could engage his mind as well as his body. And now this sensual, intelligent woman is offering herself to him. What could be more perfect? Except that after one wanton night, the mysterious Grace refuses to have anything to do with him. Amid the distractions of the Season he must convince her, one delicious encounter at a time, that no obstacle--or family--is too much for a man who's discovered his heart's desire…

"Oh, the tangled webs we weave…especially when our hearts are involved. Three Weeks to Wed is a delightfully heartwarming escape into the sparkling world of the Regency.  Ella Quinn weaves magic." --Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling author


EXCERPT


Rising, he donned his dressing gown, walked down the corridor, then opened the door to her chamber. Empty. Nothing to even indicate she’d been there.

The clock on the mantel showed five o’clock. He went back to his room and tugged the bellpull. In a few minutes, the boots brought hot water for him to shave.

Matt waited until the water was poured into the basin. “The lady who was here last evening, is she downstairs?”

“I donno, my lord. Ain’t seen no lady,” the lad mumbled, and left.

Matt finished dressing and descended the stairs. His groom, Mac, was in the common room eating. “Where are the others?”

Mac finished chewing and swallowed. “Gone, my lord. Their coach ain’t in the yard.”

Something wasn’t right. Why would she have left and not told him? “Be ready to leave in half an hour.”

He looked around for the landlord and, not finding him, entered the parlor. Covered dishes set on the table, with one place setting. He wished he was sharing the meal with her and conversing as they had the night before. Hell. He wanted to be in a warm bed with her next to him.

Mr. Brown knocked on the door before entering. “My lord, you was wishful of seeing me?”

Finally, Matt would get some answers. “Yes, I want to know the lady’s name.”

The innkeeper opened his eyes wide. “What lady, my lord?”

Matt bit the inside of his lip and tried to keep from losing his temper. “The lady who was here last night. The one I shared dinner with.”

The landlord started backing out of the parlor, shaking his head. “Weren’t no lady here, my lord.” 

 AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series will start in April 2016.

She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son and granddaughter, one cat and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America.

She loves having readers connect with her.




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Release Blast & #Giveaway for Cuff Me by Lauren Layne


Welcome to my stop on the Release Blast, presented by Tasty Book Tours, for Cuff Me by Lauren Layne.  Please leave a comment or question for Lauren to let her know you stopped by.  You may enter her tour wide giveaway, where one (1) randomly chosen commenter will be awarded a Custom Mug, a $25 Amazon GC and a Print set of Frisk Me and Steal Me by Laruen Layne, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may click on the banner above to visit all of the stops on the tour.  The more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.  


CUFF ME
New York's Finest #3
Lauren Layne
Releasing on March 29th, 2016
Forever: Grand Central



Vincent knows he's not the most charming of the Moretti brothers. He prefers brooding to flirting, reading to talking, and he sure as hell isn't about to give into his mother's insistence that he 'settle down with a nice girl.' Luckily, Vincent's gig as one of the NYPD's top homicide detectives keeps him busy. As does his long-time partner, Jill Henley–a tough-as-nails cop with the face of an angel and smart mouth that makes Vincent crazy in all the worst ways.

After six years of working the homicide beat with the tight-lipped Vincent Moretti, Jill figure she knows him better than anyone. Which is not at all. But when their most recent case points to a potential serial-killer situation, the higher-ups send them on a rare undercover mission to a place no NYPD officer dares go: the Upper Eastside.

Now the bureau's most antagonistic set of partners is posing as Mr. and Mrs. Brooks of Park Avenue. Spending 24/7 in the suspect's territory brings them closer and closer to their killer . . . and closer to each other. Soon Vincent and Jill are playing good cop/bad cop in and out of bed, and Jill's falling hard. But can she convince Vincent to give her a shot as partner in life, as well as at the bureau?

BUY NOW



One never really realized how much New York City got under your skin until you left it for a while.

It was like one minute New York was your adopted home—a little bit intense, a lot scary.

And the next, you were holding your breath as your plane landed, your entire body on edge with the anticipation of being home again.

Jill Henley smiled as the plane touched down, her eyes closing just for a moment at the realization that she’d be sleeping in her own bed tonight. Going back to her job tomorrow. Eating at her favorite gyros place tomorrow.

But none of that—not the city, nor her pillow-top bed, nor the really freaking amazing gyros—were as important as who awaited her.

The Morettis.

Jill loved her mother desperately—it was the reason she’d spent the past three months in Florida taking care of her.

But the Moretti family had become every bit as much family to Jill as her own mom.
She couldn’t wait to see them again.

All of them.

Okay, so maybe there was one Moretti in particular whom she was especially excited to see.

Not that the excitement was mutual.

As she walked through JFK toward baggage claim, she couldn’t figure out for the life of her why she was even the tiniest bit disappointed about the fact that Vincent Moretti wouldn’t be the one picking her up from the airport.

She hadn’t even asked him. He might have said yes. Maybe. But it would have been done with a grunt and a grumble, and probably a lecture about how his workload was double because his partner had “up and ditched him.”

Besides, it made more sense for Elena to pick her up anyway.

Not only was Elena her best friend, but Elena was an attorney at a fancy-pants law firm, with access to a company car that was a hell of a lot nicer than Vin’s car and didn’t smell like old coffee.

Plus, Jill had news.

Big news.

The biggest.

The kind of news that female friends squealed over in the appropriate, gushing manner.

So why was she so nervous?




Lauren Layne is the USA Today Bestselling author of more than a dozen contemporary romance novels.
Prior to becoming an author, Lauren worked in e-commerce and web-marketing. A year after moving from Seattle to NYC to pursue a writing career, she had a fabulous agent and multiple New York publishing deals. 
Lauren currently lives in Manhattan with her husband and plus-sized Pomeranian. When not writing, you'll likely find her running (rarely), reading (sometimes), or at happy hour (often).



Want More Moretti's?

Frisk Me
(New York's Finest #1)




STEAL ME
(New York's Finest #2) 




Monday, March 28, 2016

Book Blast & #Giveaway for Collective Ramblings: Volume 1



Welcome to my stop on the Book Blast, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions, for  Collective Ramblings, An Antholoby Volume 1 by Various Authors.  Please leave a comment or question for the authors to let them know you stopped by.  You may enter their tour wide giveaway by filling out the Rafflecopter form below.  You may also follow all of the stops on their tour by clicking on the banner above.  The more stops you visit, the better your chances of winning.  


Collective Ramblings: Volume 1
By Various Authors

Publisher:  Rambunctious Ramblings Publishing Inc
Release Date: March 15, 2016
Genre: Anthology
Length:  223 Pages
ISBN:  978-0692653296
ASIN:  B01CUXF4I2

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:  Amazon   B&N  

About the book:


2015’s Twenty Short Story Contest winners assembled in one place. Five stories from each category (Super Powers, Deserted Island, Horror, and Labyrinth), including the top winners of each contest shown below.

The Era of Super Weapons – Roger, America’s super-soldier, embarks on what seemed a routine mission –until his enemies turn to allies against a horde revealing information that will turn the entire world on its head.

Synchronysi – A steampunk masterpiece. After her volunteer operation, a woman awakens to a world made entirely of tine crystals. As she travels the shining island, the product of her surgery reveals much more than she may be able to handle—neither the land of crystals nor the world from which she arrived are exactly what they seem.

Terrors Great and Small – A couple barricades themselves in their home to escape a viral outbreak carried by mosquito bites. As the days of panic and solitude stack up, they battle with both their own crumbling sanity and the terror of what really awaits them beyond their front door.

The Walls Are Alive – in a world where violent offenders are placed in a deadly, automated labyrinth—designed to let no one escape alive—the labyrinth’s caretaker steps inside for a routine maintenance. When the automation turns on him, he’s forced to run the maze like all the criminals he’s sent to their own demise.


                                         Excerpt  

Super Powers from The Era of the Super Weapons by David Martin

“Too much talk,” she hissed impatiently. “Still prey nearby.”

“How do you know?” I wasn’t picking anything up but there were plenty of other ways to see.

“The forest tells me. How I found you and other prey.” She stalked back into the underbrush, and I fell in behind her.

“Hey, hold up a second! Doc?”

“Project Panthera: human-jaguar hybrid with altered epidermal neural transmission,” he rattled off.

“In English!”

“Right,” he grunted. “The same way your skin picks up vibrations in the air, hers picks up the biochemical signals from plants. It’s like she’s plugged into the forest. She probably feels anything that so much as bends a blade of grass.”

“Great,” I muttered, turning back to Panthera. “Why are you hunting Legion?”

“Man in glasses told me they were prey.” She shrugged. She didn’t seem to have any more intel than I did, assuming she was being straight-up with me.

“So what did he say about me?” I asked. Call me paranoid, but I was a little hesitant to trust a Weapon which had launched itself at me not five minutes before. She stopped and regarded me thoughtfully, blinking her eyes slowly.

“You are different. Strong. Fun. But not prey. Maybe you are hunter like me.”

“If you’re hunting Legion, our enemies are the same.”

For now.

“Be careful, Roger,” warned Dr. Morrison. “I’m not sure how stable she is.”

“I’ve seen worse.” Augmentation was a dangerous game. The human mind could only process so much stimulation. Too much information overwhelmed the brain. That was why the government stuck to basics when they designed me. Enhanced performance in all areas, but still human performance. Weapons like Panthera with abilities no human brain was ever meant to handle…those were the ones liable to snap. Hell, that was probably what happened with Legion. Someone tried to create a god and wound up with a monster.




AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Just as it says, Collective Ramblings is a collection of various works, an anthology. In 2015, we completed our quarterly writing contests, each with its own theme. For each theme, the five best entries were selected from the contest to have their works published. All twenty stories have been compiled into this book for your reading pleasure. The four contest themes were:
          Super Powers
          Deserted Island
          Horror
          Labyrinth.
We know everyone will love these imagination-stretching stories, that are filled with suspense, bravery, and danger, as much as we did.

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