Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Release Day: Joshua and the Arrow Realm Tour and Giveaway

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Welcome to the Release Day Celebration for
Joshua and the Arrow Realm (Lightning Road #2) by Donna Galanti
presented by Tantrum Books/Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Happy Book Birthday, Donna!

Joshua2 Cover

Joshua never thought he'd return to the world of Nostos so soon. But, when King Apollo needs his help in the Arrow Realm, Joshua's will and powers will be tested in order to save him.
With his loyalties divided between our world and theirs, Joshua wonders whether he alone can restore magic to the twelve powerless Olympian heirs, or whether he is being tricked into making the one mistake that might cost them all.
JOSHUA AND THE ARROW REALM is the exciting follow up to JOSHUA THE LIGHTNING ROAD which the Midwest Book Review called, "a heart-pounding thrill ride."
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Joshua and the Arrow Realm (Lightning Road #2) by Donna Galanti Publication Date: August 30, 2016 Publisher: Tantrum Books

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

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Stay away from the window, don’t go outside when it’s storming and whatever you do, do not touch the orb.
Twelve-year-old Joshua Cooper’s grandpa has always warned him about the dangers of lightning. But Joshua never put much stock in his grandpa’s rumblings as anything more than the ravings of an old man with a vast imagination. Then one night, when Joshua and his best friend are home alone during a frightful storm, Joshua learns his grandpa was right. A bolt of lightning strikes his house and whisks away his best friend—possibly forever.
To get him back, Joshua must travel the Lightning Road to a dark place that steals children for energy. But getting back home and saving his friend won’t be easy, as Joshua must face the terrifying Child Collector and fend off ferocious and unnatural beasts intent on destroying him.
In this world, Joshua possesses powers he never knew he had, and soon, Joshua’s mission becomes more than a search for his friend. He means to send all the stolen children home—and doing so becomes the battle of his life.
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About-the-Author2
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Donna is the author of the Joshua and the Lightning Road series and the Element Trilogy. She is a contributing editor to International Thriller Writers the Big Thrill magazine and blogs at www.project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogs..., a cooperative of published middle grade authors. Visit her at www.donnagalanti.com and www.ElementTrilogy.com. Donna wanted to be a writer ever since she wrote a murder mystery screenplay at seven and acted it out with the neighborhood kids. She attended an English school housed in a magical castle, where her wild imagination was held back only by her itchy uniform (bowler hat and tie included!). There she fell in love with the worlds of C.S. Lewis and Roald Dahl, and wrote her first fantasy about Dodo birds, wizards, and a flying ship (and has been writing fantasy ever since). She’s lived in other exotic locations, including her family-owned campground in New Hampshire and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. She now lives with her family and two crazy cats in an old farmhouse and dreams of returning one day to a castle.

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Monday, August 29, 2016

Keeping Her Secret Blog Tour and Giveaway




Book Title: Keeping Her Secret (Endless Summer series)
Author: Sarah Nicholas
Release Date: August 22, 2016
Genre: YA Contemporary F/F Romance

Two girls. One kiss.

The last person Riya Johnson expected to run into at her new summer camp is Courtney Chastain—her childhood best friend and the girl who broke her heart after a secret, mind-blowing, life-altering kiss. She definitely didn’t expect to be sharing a bunk bed with her for four long weeks.

Courtney has what every girl wants—she’s beautiful, rich, and the object of every boy’s desire at Camp Pine Ridge. Too bad none of them make her feel an iota of what Riya’s kiss did all those years ago. But Courtney needs to uphold appearances at all costs—even if it means instigating an all-out prank war with Riya as her main target.

Neither girl can stop thinking about the other...but that doesn’t mean they can give up past hurts and take a chance on a future together.


Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains drinking, sexual situations, and a fairy-tale romance sure to make your heart melt.




Excerpt:


A breeze ruffled her ponytail and Riya's gaze snapped to the door. Courtney strolled in like a freaking Nordic Goddess with her head held high, cheeks flushed and skin glowing. Sunkissed legs stretched from a pair of sparkly sandals up for miles and miles until finally disappearing under the hem of low-hung white shorts. Flashes of smooth stomach teased as her pink top moved with every graceful step.
Riya's heart pounded in her chest. Courtney Chastain was trying to kill her. That outfit was a perfectly crafted murder weapon. Checking to make sure her mouth didn't hang open, Riya tore her gaze from Courtney and swallowed. Hard.
Beside her, Colt slid down the bench, away from Riya. Riya didn't know why until Courtney froze five feet from them. She glanced at Riya then shook her head at her brother. Colt rolled his eyes in response, patting the sliver of bench between them.
"Miss Chastain, please take your seat so we may continue," Bob Fazio called, a small chuckle breaking through his voice.
It was then Riya noticed she wasn't the only one distracted by Courtney's entrance. Excluding her brother, every boy in the room aged twelve to eighteen stared in their direction—and some of the girls, too.
Riya watched a wide range of emotions pass over Courtney's face in less than a second before she straightened her shoulders in some kind of resolve. Her hair tumbled to her elbows in gentle waves. Sighing, she tossed the golden strands over her shoulder before spinning and squeezing her hips between Riya and Colt.
The welcome talk continued, but Riya only caught fleeting fragments of the briefing. Something about the daily schedule and a talent show on the last day. Approximately 98 percent of her attention narrowed in on the seven inches of Courtney's white-silk skin pressed against Riya's outer thigh.
Riya took a deep breath to steady herself, but caught the sweet rose petal scent wafting from Courtney. She inhaled one deep breath, reveling in the heavenly smell, before shaking her head.
Ridiculous. She was being completely ridiculous.
She'd never let anyone have such an overwhelming effect on her. Certainly not someone like Courtney, someone who couldn't—or wouldn't—return her affections. Someone who had broken her heart four years ago and never once looked back.
Riya stared at her own shoelaces, actively un-focusing on the girl sitting next to her.
Trying to, anyway.
Next thing she knew, everyone stood around her and the room buzzed with conversation. The welcome event was over.
"Earth to Riya."


 




Sarah is a 31-year-old YA author who currently lives in Orlando, FL. She believes that some boys are worth trusting, all girls have power, and dragons are people too.

She's a proud member of the Gator Nation and has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, but has switched careers entirely. She now works as an Event Coordinator for a County Library. She also blogs at YAtopia.






Review

This was a wonderful book from start to finish. The f/f relationship was treated very well and the voices of the characters were individual and led you through the story with understanding and longing. I really felt for both girls as they maneuvered the minefields of teenage life to figure out what they felt for each other. Pure romance and I loved it.
5/5 


Link to Goodreads:

Purchase Links:


Link to Tour Schedule:


Giveaway Information:  Contest ends September 2, 2016

·         One (1) winner will receive a $50 B&N gift card


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Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Cover Reveal: The Last Winter Moon

The Last Winter Moon (The Cycle of the Six Moons #3)
by Adelle Yeung
Genre: YA Fantasy
Release Date: November 10th 2016

Summary from Goodreads:

The Goddess of Starrs has vanished… 

Arriscyal has fallen… 

Gediyon is missing… 

Dreana holds the answers to everyone’s pasts…

When Michelle returns to Starrs, the world is in chaos. No one knows who to trust, and even faith in their Goddess has dwindled. Michelle must reveal the truth of the Cycle; only then can she hope to unite everyone.

The Sixth Moon looms overhead. The end of the Cycle is nigh. Michelle and Jayse must stop it once and for all.

Previous Books in the Series (click on images for Goodreads links):
 

About the Author
Adelle Yeung is the author of The Cycle of the Six Moons trilogy, a young adult fantasy adventure.

She is also a voice-over artist who can’t go a day without a cup of tea. When she’s not writing or recording, she enjoys sewing costumes, baking sweets, and escaping on video game adventures. She lives in California with a cat that dreams of eating the pet bird.

She has provided script supervision for the independent animation, Shattered Heaven, and is head script editor and one of the co-writers for the upcoming game Fiona Frightening and the Wicked Wardrobe.



Author Links:
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Cover Reveal Organized by:

Friday, August 12, 2016

The Invitation



*´¨)Some fairy tales
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) are just twisted…
(¸.•´(¸.•`¸.•*¨)¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨) The Invitation
(¸.•´(¸.•` (¸.•´(¸.•` (¸.•´(¸.•` by Dana Wright                                                   
¸.•°*˜”*°•.¸ Grab It Today! ¸.•°*˜”*°•.¸
Every witch needs a familiar. Sometimes maybe two…
Morgana is a hedge witch with a problem. Her sisters are conspiring against her and she has a ghost with a fork phobia living in her shoe closet. When the chance comes to crash a party she just knows she should have been invited to comes along, she enlists the aid of her trusty cat Nona to help her cast the spell for the perfect dress. But crashing this party isn't the only thing that’s going to rain on this witch’s parade.
Marcus of Pendleton is a cat shifter in search of his brother. Then a lead at the Warty Frog takes him on an adventure filled with magic and well…zombies. Can the prince find the fair witch and the answer he seeks? And he might just be the familiar she's looking for...
Pages: 51
Genre-paranormal romance, fantasy romance, low heat rating, shifters, m/f
Buy links:
All Romance E-books: https://goo.gl/o21U28
Tags-shifter, fantasy, witch, fairy tale twist, ghosts, cats, humor, zombies
Excerpt:

“He’s been missing for months. How can you not care?” Marcus Pendleton ground out, staring at his father in disbelief. The king sat on his throne gnawing on a turkey leg, grease sliding down his pudgy face.
“Because my boy, Rhys was the younger son. He may have been a prince, but you’re the one who will inherit the throne.”
“So why did you bother searching the kingdom for a princess and having a ball?”
The king narrowed his eyes at his son. “That happened to be for you. Scheduling a dragon-hunting trip for that weekend was in atrocious form. Your mother was highly disappointed.”
“I’ll bet.” Marcus kicked his foot against the dais. He fought down the urge to shift and show his father his extreme displeasure. No doubt the old man would have an apoplectic fit if he found out his son had been bitten and turned into the one animal he despised the most. Not even a beast like a wolf, but merely a cat. His father loathed the animals and forbade having them on the castle grounds.
“You need to focus on finding yourself a princess, not running about the kingdoms slaying beasts and bothering with that fool brother of yours. The last time anyone saw him, he was following some skirt around and blathering on about a missing shoe.” His father shuddered, holding his hand up in disgust. “There were twelve of them. All dressed alike too. The men were talking about it. Prattling, dancing, blonde things with wings.” His wandering eye drifted toward a serving wench with a rather tight bodice.
Marcus couldn’t believe his ears. Twelve of them? That didn’t sound right. Neither did his father’s decision not look for Rhys. It was unthinkable. Right now, if he could have, he would dump his inheritance in his father’s lap and be done with him. The man’s priorities were limited to two things. Food and sleep.
No. Make it three. His father had the wandering eye of a lecherous pig farmer. He didn’t know how his mother stood it. Given the chance, he was surprised she hadn’t chucked him over the palace walls years ago and been done with it.
“Wait, Father. Did you say he was sniffing around a girl with a missing shoe?”
“Yes,” his father chuffed. “What of it?”
“What of it, indeed…” Marcus stalked out of the throne room, an idea forming in his head. Someone else must have seen a shoeless maiden, and he was damn well going to find out what was going on. And twelve girls all dressed the same? How very odd indeed. He wasn’t known as the best tracker in the two kingdoms for naught. If he couldn’t find out something about them, he may as well go sit up in the tower and sew with his mother’s handmaidens.
“Marcus. Come back here. Marcus!”
He shut the door on his father’s ranting, encountering his servant boy on the other side of the door.
“Geoffrey, Saddle my horse. Tonight we ride.”



About the author:
Dana Wright has always had a fascination with things that go bump in the night. She is often found playing at local bookstores, trying not to maim herself with crochet hooks or knitting needles, watching monster movies with her husband and furry kids or blogging about books. More commonly, she is chained to her computers, writing like a woman possessed. She is currently working on several children's stories, young adult fiction, romantic suspense, short stories and is trying her hand at poetry. She is the author of Asylum, The Invitation and Texas Twister.   She is also a contributing author to Ghost Sniffer’s CYOA The Haunting of Zephyr Zoo, Siren’s Call E-zine in their “Women in Horror” issue in February 2013 and "Revenge" in October 2013, a contributing author to Potatoes!, Fossil Lake, Of Dragons and Magic: Tales of the Lost Worlds, Undead in Pictures, Potnia, Shadows and Light, Dark Corners (upcoming), Wonderstruck, Shifters: A Charity Anthology, Dead Harvest, Monster Diaries, Holiday Horrors and the Roms, Bombs and Zoms Anthology from Evil Girlfriend Media. Dana has also reviewed music for Muzikreviews.com, New Age Music Reviews and Write a Music review specializing in New Age and alternative music and has been a contributing writer to Eternal Haunted Summer, Massacre Magazine, Metaphor Magazine, The Were Traveler October 2013 edition: The Little Magazine of Magnificent Monsters, the December 2013 issue The Day the Zombies Ruled the Earth and Infective Ink.

Follow Dana’s reviews:
Twitter: @danawrite
Author site and newsletter: http://danawrightauthor.wix.com/danawright
Amazon Author Page: http://goo.gl/EEvrN1

Battered Not Broken


About the Book:
Battered and bruised, Wren has taken a lot from her father over the years, but when he throws her out of the house, she sees it as a blessing in disguise. She has no job, no home, and never finished high school, but what’s all that compared to a life without abuse? When she starts over in a new town, under a new identity, she makes it her goal to fly under the radar. 

New town, new life. Only, there’s a corrupt deputy intent on stealing Deputy Gray Frampton’s family fortune, a slight case of aggravated identity fraud, and a night in the local jail. It’s enough to make any girl’s head spin. Wren Michaels has to find a way not to spend the next three years in jail, warn Gray that Deputy Pritchard is after him, and somehow hold onto the happily-ever-after that is finally within her grasp—assuming Gray wants a felon as his girlfriend. Who knew falling for a man in khaki could cause so much trouble?
Buy Links:
Evernight Teen – http://www.evernightteen.com/battered-not-broken-by-charity-west/
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com//dp/B01K9HHD44


Excerpt:
I was blessed to have this job, and I vowed not to screw it up. With that thought circling my mind, I fell asleep and didn’t wake until my alarm started beeping. It took a moment for my sleep-fogged brain to realize what the noise was, but when my neighbor started pounding on the wall between our apartments, I startled awake a little more and shut off the alarm. I’d already showered for the day, but I needed to figure out something with my hair. Sleep had left it tangled, and I doubted they wanted my long hair hanging down where it could get in everyone’s food.
After brushing it thoroughly, I twisted it into a knot on top of my head and fastened it in place with an elastic band. I splashed some icy water on my face and studied my reflection. I looked pale and tired, not the kind of impression that would earn me good tips. I didn’t have much in the way of makeup, but I put on a little blush, some mascara, and a touch of lip gloss. It was an improvement.
I had just enough time to stop somewhere for lunch before I had to report to work. Knowing I would be eating diner food for dinner every night, I couldn’t stop myself from enjoying a slice of pizza at Tony’s just around the corner from my new job. I drew some attention in my uniform when I went inside, but I ignored everyone as I inhaled a slice of supreme and a soda. Not a bad deal considering the slice was as big as the plate and the entire meal only cost me five dollars.
Things were bustling at the diner when I got there, with several tables full and the waitresses buzzing to and from the kitchen. I went into the back, and Buck pointed out my locker and showed me where to clock in. Then he led me back to the front and introduced me to Rachel and Esme.
“You’ll be working section two, which covers the three booths along the window in the middle of the room, as well as the tables in that same vicinity. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask,” Esme said. “We don’t serve anything stronger than sweet tea or soda, so you won’t have to worry about drunks. And several of the deputies from the sheriff’s department tend to swing by for meals. If that happens, they get a ten percent discount.”
“Got it.” The thought of sheriff’s deputies coming in for meals made me a little nauseated, but I hoped they wouldn’t pay too much attention to me. Since Dad had thrown me out, I doubted there was a missing person’s bulletin for me, but the thought of someone realizing I wasn’t really Wendy Somers terrified me.
It took me about an hour to find my groove, after surviving an hour of training, and I nearly dropped someone’s lunch on my way to their table, but all in all I hadn’t had a bad start to my shift. The customers were friendly and had left decent tips. The next several hours passed quickly, and I enjoyed a good, hot meal during my half-hour break. One thing was for certain: if I ate the diner’s food every day, I was going to gain some weight. Not that it would be a bad thing. I’d been told more than once that I was too skinny.
My break came to an end, and I clocked back in and tied my apron around my waist again. I pulled out my pad and pen as I headed back into my section, pausing momentarily when I saw broad shoulders covered in khaki and knew one of the deputies was in my section. It seemed I was going to be baptized in fire tonight. Plastering a smile on my face, I approached the table. My jaw nearly dropped when I got a good look at the guy. I’d been expecting someone older, but he had to be around my age. As his green gaze clashed with mine, my breath caught in my throat.
His lips tipped up in a smile, and my heart gave a kick. I gave myself a mental slap and reminded myself that I needed to focus on my job and avoid the law, even if they came in tempting packages like this one. I licked my lips and tried to steady my hand as I gripped my pen.
“Are you ready to order?” I asked.
“Sweet tea with the special,” he answered. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. I’m Gray.”
I stared at the hand he held out before finally grasping it. He had a firm shake, and the callused feel of his palm against mine made shivers run down my spine. I had to admit, uniform aside, he was just the kind of guy I would normally go for. If it weren’t the fact that I was fairly certain I was breaking some sort of law, I might have been tempted to flirt a little. But the last thing I needed was a cop getting close to me. Cops asked questions, and I was pretty sure he wouldn’t like my answers.
“Wendy,” I said after realizing I never gave him my name.
“You must be new to the diner,” he said. “I come in here all the time, and I’ve never seen you before.”
“It’s my first day.”
He nodded. “I figured as much. I hope you decide to stick around.”
I opened and shut my mouth a few times. Was he flirting with me? “I, ah…”
Gray winked, and my knees nearly buckled. Hurrying away from his table, I turned in his order, glancing over my shoulder to find him still watching me. Something told me he was going to be trouble, but I wasn’t sure if it was the kind of trouble that would find me arrested or the kind that was going to arrest my heart. Either way, it was better to steer clear of him, if I could.

About the Author:
Charity West is a young adult/new adult romance author who has always had her head in the clouds. She had her first crush when she was four, and it lasted for six years. Then she quickly fell head over heels for another boy, until she had to move away and leave him behind. Jumping from one boy to another, she finally found a keeper when she was twenty, and she’s been married to him ever since.

By the time Charity was twelve, she was sneaking her mother’s Harlequin romances and reading them in secret when she was supposed to be asleep. Teased throughout middle school and high school for the bodice ripper covers on the books she openly read in class, she knew that one day she wanted to write her own happily-ever-afters.

If you’d like to be kept up to date with new releases or any sales, please take a moment to sign up for Charity’s newsletter. If you visit Charity on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to look for cute kitty photos, funny memes, and quotes on writing, along with updates on what she’s doing now.