Saturday 30 April 2016

PROMOTION - THE OTHER SIDE OF GRAVITY BY SHELLY CRANE

Title: The Other Side Of Gravity
Series: Oxygen
Author: Shelly Crane
Publisher: Red Coat PR
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Paranormal
Release Date: 15th March 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
My name is Maxton and I’m a trader.

I live on a soulless planet where gravity, oxygen, and everything else are sold to the highest bidder on the black market. People are sold on the black market, too. You have to work really hard not to become one of those people. Pay your taxes, keep your friends and family close, and more than anything else—don’t get caught by the Militia. But all the rules changed for me the day I found her.

My name is Sophelia and I’m a stowaway.

I’ve been a slave for almost as long as I can remember. Waiting for the one day, one second, for my proprietor to turn his head so I could run and never look back. Now I'm on the run. And on a planet where no one is on your side and people would turn you in for a good meal or a piece of a silver, being on the run on Landu is the last place you want to be. Until he found me.

I won't survive without him.

I can't breathe without her.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shelly is a NEW YORK TIMES & USA TODAY bestselling author from a small town in Georgia and loves everything about the south. She is wife to a fantastical husband and stay-at-home mom to two boisterous and mischievous boys who keep her on her toes. She hoards paperbacks, devours sweet tea, searches year-round for candy corn, and loves to spend time with her family and friends, go out to eat at new restaurants, site-see in the new areas they travel to, listen to music, and, of course, loves to read, but doesn’t have much time to these days with all the characters filling her head begging to come out.

Her own books happen by accident and she revels in the writing and imagination process. She doesn't go anywhere without her notepad for fear of an idea creeping up and not being able to write it down immediately, even in the middle of the night, where her best ideas are born.

AUTHOR LINKS

Friday 29 April 2016

PROMOTION - WHISPER TO ME BY NICK LAKE

Title: Whisper To Me
Author: Nick Lake
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing (UK/ANZ)
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Expected Release Date: 5th May 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
Cassie is writing a letter to the boy whose heart she broke. She’s trying to explain why. Why she pushed him away. Why her father got so angry when he saw them together. Why she disappears some nights. Why she won’t let herself remember what happened that long-ago night on the boardwalk. Why she fell apart so completely.

Desperate for his forgiveness, she’s telling the whole story of the summer she nearly lost herself. She’s hoping he’ll understand as well as she now does how love—love for your family, love for that person who makes your heart beat faster, and love for yourself—can save you after all.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

My name is Nick and I write and edit books for young adults. My first YA novel IN DARKNESS, was published by Bloomsbury in 2012 and won the Michael L Printz Award for Excellence in YA Literature. I also wrote a book called HOSTAGE THREE about a girl kidnapped by Somali pirates.

THERE WILL BE LIES is coming in January 15 and is about a girl who learns that everything she knows is a lie. To say it's a book with a twist in the story would be a massive understatement. There is also a talking coyote in it.

I live with my wife, daughter and son in a 16th century house in England with almost 19th century amenities. Sometimes the heating even works. 

I like: reading, art, music, food containing sugar, cities at night, the countryside in the daytime, vintage furniture, modern standards of heating (see above), travelling.

I dislike: being sick, failing, being under dressed in the cold, being overdressed in the heat, the unnecessary suffering of children, being punched in the face.

AUTHOR LINKS


Wednesday 27 April 2016

SERIES' PROMOTION - EARTHBOUND BONES & PSYCHIC SEASONS BY REGINA WELLING


EARTHBOUND SERIES

Title: Earthbound Bones, A Psychic Seasons Novel
Series: Earthbound Bones 
Author: ReGina Welling
Publisher: Willow Hill Books
Release Date: 31st March 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
After being tossed out of heaven, former guardian angel, Galmadriel isn’t like any other angel. Not quite human, yet not fully an angel, the best thing the PTBs can think to do with her is bounce her around so she can solve supernatural problems. 
Ghosts that need to find their way home or that purposefully take the wrong path are her bread and butter. To add insult to injury, she is assigned a fledgling pair of guardian angels to train. Julius and Estelle are ready and willing to learn, but they also have a secondary agenda. One that Galmadriel is never supposed find out about. 
Helping the ghost of young Ben Allen find his way home reconnects Galmadriel with Kat, Amethyst, Gustavia, and Julie in the first of many adventures to come. 


PSYCHIC SEASONS SERIES

Title: Rings On Her Fingers
Series: Psychic Seasons
Author: ReGina Welling
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy
Release Date: 29th April 2014 

BLURB from Goodreads
Julie Hayward was not a believer in the paranormal. Newly engaged with a photography career just starting to take off, her life is almost comfortable. The only thing she lacks is enough money to repair the family home. But, when her best friend, Gustavia, drags her to a visit with a psychic thinking it will be a fun engagement gift, things get really crazy. 

A ghostly encounter provides a cryptic clue to the location of the lost family fortune and a warning that her fiancĂ© is not what he seems. Launched into a wild adventure, Julie must learn to listen to her heart, her intuition and the ghosts that will guide her in order to solve the mystery. 

Journalist, Tyler Kingsley gets drawn into the search. What red-blooded male could resist a treasure hunt? The idea gets his blood pumping and so does Julie. When he realizes that her fiancĂ© might be dangerous, he decides to protect her at any cost, even if he loses his heart. 


Title: Bells On Her Toes
Series: Pstchic Seasons
Author: ReGina Welling
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy
Release Date: 5th August 2014

BLURB from Goodreads
After dating more than her fair share of frogs, Gustavia asks the universe to send her a prince. But, when her psychic advisor insists she has already met her soul mate, prospects look bleak.

Finn Kent is no prince, just an ordinary guy who wants to protect his daughter from another devastating loss. He is definitely not pushing Gustavia away to protect his own heart. That is the story and he is sticking to it.

Between being caught in the crosshairs of a madman and dealing with turbulent family relationships, the last thing Gustavia needs is another rejection. Drawn to Gustavia, Finn fights against his growing attraction every step of the way, but in the end, both must overcome the losses in their past or risk never having the love they deserve.
 


Goodreads Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK


Title: She Shall Have Music
Series: Psychic Seasons
Author: ReGina Welling
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy
Release Date: 12th January 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
Aura reader, Amethyst sees everyone around her through a lens of shifting colors and emotions.When the one person she never expects to see again turns up after three years, a shocking revelation changes everything. Now, in the midst of a helping a best friend solve a mystery, Amethyst will have to decide if their relationship deserves a second chance. 

Reid Grayson knows it is time to walk away from the family business. What he doesn’t know is what to do next. When he decides to spend a week visiting a friend, he has no idea he is walking into the next best thing to a haunted house. But it will be the secret he has been keeping that forces him to confront the ghosts from his own past. 

Every relationship deserves a second chance, doesn’t it?


Goodreads Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK


Title: Wherever She Goes
Series: Psychic Seasons
Author: ReGina Welling
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Mystery, Fantasy
Release Date: 28th April 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
What man in his right mind would want to date a blind psychic? For Kat Canton, the answer was none so she turned away from romance completely. 

Until the day a pair of warm brown eyes suddenly came into focus. 

Now, she must decide whether to turn toward the light and let love into her life or walk away and remain in darkness. 


Goodreads Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK




Tuesday 26 April 2016

SERIES PROMOTION & REVIEW - MACKENZIE GREY SERIES BY KARINA ESPINOSA

Title: SHIFT
Series: Mackenzie Grey
Author: Karina Espinosa
Genre: Paranormal, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Romance
Release Date: 10th February 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
It's hard enough being an undergraduate student, an intern at Downtown Manhattan's police station, and a bouncer at a local bar. Add her now ex-boyfriend who recently dumped her for the school's resident bimbo—oh, and she's a werewolf. 
Mackenzie Grey meets her match when she is kidnapped by the Brooklyn Pack and tossed between Sebastian and Jonah—the Alpha and the Beta. Being a lone-wolf in the city is dangerous, and now that the Pack has found her, so can every supernatural being in the Tri-State area. And not even her sarcastic, smart mouth can get her out of this. 
When a string of kidnappings involves Mackenzie in supernatural politics, she questions her new acquaintances and finds unlikely allies. Can she escape Pack law and keep her freedom—or will she be condemned to an unwanted path?


Title: CAGED
Series: Mackenzie Grey
Author: Karina Espinosa
Genre: Paranormal, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Romance
Release Date: 26th April 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
It’s hard out there for a lone-wolf.

Mackenzie Grey has started a brand new life in an attempt to escape the Brooklyn Pack. She settles in as a detective in a special unit of the LAPD when her identity is put at risk, and she has no choice but to run again. The question is: does she want to run forever?
As events force Mackenzie to confront her past, she is met with many surprises—including the revelation of her true ancestry. When Packs across the country learn of who she is, Kenz becomes the object of desire in a deadly wolf hunt, and she must once again fight to keep her freedom. 
Witnessing first-hand the barbaric treatment of Lunas, Mackenzie has to make a choice—follow the prediction of her Vision Quest or let herself be CAGED...


Goodreads Link
Amazon US (TBA)
Amazon UK (TBA)


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karina Espinosa is the Urban Fantasy author of the Sins of the Fallen series and the Mackenzie Grey novels, and a blogger for HollywoodNewsSource.com. Infatuated with travel, pop culture, and the need to write everything down, she spends much of her days in front of a computer working on her next book, shopping online, and listening to music. With nomadic tendencies, she is currently resting her head in South Florida until the itch to move strikes again. You can usually catch her on Facebook, Instagram and live-tweeting during episodes of The Walking Dead and Orphan Black. Follow her on social media!

AUTHOR LINKS
 

REVIEW
Title: CAGED
Series: Mackenzie Grey
Author: Karina Espinosa
Genre: Paranormal, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Werewolves, Romance
Release Date: 26th April 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
It’s hard out there for a lone-wolf.

Mackenzie Grey has started a brand new life in an attempt to escape the Brooklyn Pack. She settles in as a detective in a special unit of the LAPD when her identity is put at risk, and she has no choice but to run again. The question is: does she want to run forever?

As events force Mackenzie to confront her past, she is met with many surprises—including the revelation of her true ancestry. When Packs across the country learn of who she is, Kenz becomes the object of desire in a deadly wolf hunt, and she must once again fight to keep her freedom. 
Witnessing first-hand the barbaric treatment of Lunas, Mackenzie has to make a choice—follow the prediction of her Vision Quest or let herself be CAGED...


INITIAL THOUGHTS
As I began reading this book, I was really looking forward to catching up with the kick butt Mackenzie Grey again and to discover what has been going on in the Brooklyn Pack and how Mackenzies decisions in Shift have affected them. 

THOUGHTS THROUGHOUT THE BOOK
At 12% I was pleased to be realising that Mackenzie Grey was still the kick butt, full of attitude, wolf from bk#1. She is still very independent and wanting things doing her way.
At 54% wow! there's even more pack politics for Mackenzie to contend with. There is also the  return of pack hunks Sebastian, Jonah, Jackson! A surprise "mate" for Jackson to be revealed too!

REVIEW
I received a free e-copy of this book from it's author Karina Espinosa, in exchange for my honest opinion and review. I think the cover for this book perfectly fits in with the cover for SHIFT, with the similarities of the blurred effect. The female on the cover, Mackenzie seems to be trapped and trying to push her way out, so that fits great with the title of CAGED.
Would the cover of this book make me pick it up from a bookstore shelf? On the cover alone - Yes! I would be curious about the female on the cover and want to find out who/what was CAGED and why!
So this book literally picks up where the previous book ended. Mackenzie is on the run, and with the help of head vampire of New York, Lucian she has a new name and identity documents to go with it. Though the name Lucian has given definitely isn't inconspicuous! 
Mackenzie is in her element busting criminal supernaturals along with a vampire (possible #bookboyfriend material) called Roman. The nickname Roman gives Mackenzie is "Ace" and it seems to stick with others around her calling her that too. It's during an operation to rescue a large number of  kidnapped Succubi that Mackenzie rescues an eleven and a half year old called Emma. Emma is a Luna, her mother a Succubi, her father a wolf. Both parents are dead, so this presents Mackenzie a quandary....where should she take the young Luna?
Eventually it is decided she will take the young Luna, Emma to the Desert Wolves. Once with the Desert Wolves she is informed that they cannot just take charge of this Luna. Emma must be taken to The Summit and they will place her where they think is best.
All this interaction around wolves has Mackenzie/Ace missing "home" even more. It also opens old wounds as to the life a Luna is expected to live. Luna's live a life of servitude, always deferring to the male wolves and of course their Alpha in everything. It is thinking about this injustice against all Luna's that changes Mackenzie mind and has her returning to LA.  Mackenzie is on a crusade, almost suffragette like, to improve the lives of Luna's - not just the ones she has met in the Brooklyn Pack but all Luna's. In this book we learn more about the Luna's both in the Brooklyn Pack and from other packs.
The problem is Mackenzie doesn't realise how far certain packs go to rule their Luna's, that it's not merely housewifely duties but that the Luna's are submitted to justice, and harsh punishments are doled out by their own pack Alpha for any perceived wrong doing. It seems that a few Luna's have started to think the same way as she does, they are tired of the drudgery, and seeing to any whim or fancy of their particular Alpha. The question is are the Luna's prepared to take action if/when it is needed? Are they willing to risk harsh repercussions and possible death? Are any of them prepared for the aftermath?
Mackenzie also underestimates her own value as a Luna, a very special Luna. Mackenzie has a very prominent parentage that makes her a very hot commodity to many packs. Mackenzie has yet to learn first hand how far certain Alpha's will go to get her to join their pack or to what lengths a few of the Alpha's will go to to have her as their mate.
So because Mackenzie returns to L.A. we get to catch up with the Brooklyn Pack. Alpha Sebastian is still being pursued by the eager Luna Vivian, who takes great delight in rubbing this fact in Mackenzie's face. Both Sebastian and Jonah are still as protective of Mackenzie as they always have been, offering her a place to stay where she can be safe from other Alpha's and their packs trying to coerce and/or force Mackenzie to be their new mate/Luna. 
Mackenzie also gets chance to catch up with her human friend Amy, though things are somewhat awkward initially.  There's lots of pack politics, orders and rules from The Summit flying about in this book too.  
So did I enjoy the book? I totally loved it. There really is so much crammed in this book! Everything from love, romance and flirting etc, to tragedy and violence. Along with some pack politics and we learn how brutal The Summit and their rulings can be. 
Would I recommend the book? Yes, if you love the shifter genre, then this is a must read for you! I would say it is easily comparable to Rachel Vincent's Shifter's series and how much I adored that! 
Would I want to read another book in this series? Yes! I'd read it now if it were available. I have grown attached to the Brooklyn Pack and would also like to learn more about the other Packs, either in this series or perhaps a spin off series? 
Would I want to read other titles by Karina Espinosa? I will be definitely taking a closer look at Karina's other series Sin's Of The Fallen.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I could seriously ramble on forever about this book and series, so I guess I should limit myself to just one word? Amazing!!



Monday 25 April 2016

BLOG TOUR - UNDER MY SKIN BY LAURA DIAMOND

Title: Under My Skin
Author: Laura Diamond
Publisher: Swoon Romance
Release Date: 12th April 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
Bookish Brit Adam Gibson is one wonky heartbeat away from a fatal arrhythmia. But staying alive requires Adam to become keenly focused on both his pulse and the many different daily medications he must take in exactly the right dosages. Adam's torn between wanting to live and knowing that someone else must die in order for him to do so. He needs a new heart. 

The pressure is getting to him. Adam stops talking to his friends back home, refuses to meet kids at his new school, and shuts his parents out entirely. His days are spent wondering if can cope with having a dead man's heart beating inside his chest, or if he should surrender to the thoughts of suicide swirling around in his head. 

And then a donor is found…

Outspoken artist Darby Fox rarely lets anything stand in her way of achieving her goals . Whether it’s painting, ignoring her homework (dyslexia makes a mess out of words anyway), kissing a hot boy she doesn't even know, or taking the head cheerleader down a peg , no one has ever accused Darby of being a shy. She also happens to be the twin sister to a perfect brother with good looks, good grades, manners, and the approval of their parents - something Darby has never had. 

Darby's always had bad timing . She picks the worst time to argue with her brother Daniel. In a car with bald tires, on an icy road in the freezing cold, the unthinkable happens. In a split-second, everything changes forever.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Diamond is a board certified psychiatrist currently specializing in emergency psychiatry. She is also an author of all things young adult—both contemporary and paranormal. An avid fan of sci-fi, fantasy, and anything magical, she thrives on quirk, her lucid dreams, and coffee. When she’s not working or writing, she can be found sniffing books and drinking a latte at the bookstore or at home pondering renovations on her 225 year old fixer upper, all while obeying her feline overlords, of course.

GUEST POST
Adam Gibson, the main character in my young adult contemporary, UNDER MY SKIN, faces a life-threatening illness. He has heart failure, something that can happen to teens, albeit rarely. His heart is so sick that he needs a transplant. Problem is donors are hard to come by. Adam has to be ill enough to be prioritized on the transplant list, but that also means he has to be closer to death than he’d like. On the flip side, Adam feels a huge amount of guilt over wanting a new heart because it means someone has to die for him to live.

Adam develops depression. He’s away from his home (England), he’s isolated himself from his friends, he hates that his parents have given everything up to move to the US to be near a renowned heart transplant surgeon, and he hates being a burden on everyone around him.

Not surprisingly, death is on his mind a lot. 

Teen suicide is a serious thing. It’s the THIRD leading cause of death among individuals aged 15-24 according to the CDC. (Accidents and homicides come in first and second.) Risk factors include: history of depression, anxiety, or bipolar disorder, feelings hopelessness or helplessness, confusion about sexuality, history of trauma or abuse, alcohol or drug use, distress, history of suicide attempts, family history of suicide or depression, and lack of supports (isolation from family and friends or poor relationships with parents or peers). Girls tend to attempt suicide more frequently than boys, but boys tend to be more successful because they select more lethal methods, such as firearms. Overdose attempts on medications are also very common.

It’s imperative that an individual suffering from substance use or mental illness gets connected with treatment ASAP to prevent development of suicidal thoughts. Don’t ever hesitate to get someone help.

Here are some national (US) resources

United States National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1 (800) 273-TALK (8255)
NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness (www.nami.org)




Sunday 24 April 2016

SERIES PROMOTION - INDESTRUCTABLE TRILOGY BY EMMA L. ADAMS

Title: Indestructible
Series: Indestructible Trilogy
Author: Emma L. Adams
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian
Release Date: 12th January 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
Two years ago, the fiends invaded, with a devastating explosion that split the world in two. Even now, energy blasts strike without warning, destroying everything in their paths. The fiends hunt anyone unlucky enough to escape.

My name is Leah. An energy blast killed my group. It should have killed me, too. Instead, I woke up alone in the wilderness, stalked by the fiends.

My only hope is the red-cloaked strangers who call themselves the Pyros. They can do the impossible and make flames shoot from their hands, and are more than a match for the fiends. Right now, my one chance for safety -- and revenge -- is with them.

But they're keeping secrets from me. Like those skeletons hidden under their base. And the reasons I developed a psychic link with someone who can't stand the sight of me -- after he saved my life.

If I don't uncover the truth about why the world ended the first time, my new safe haven might go up in smoke...


Title: Ablaze
Series: Indestructible Trilogy
Author: Emma L. Adams
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian
Release Date: 4th April 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
Two years ago, the fiends invaded Earth. Two months ago, I joined the Pyros, a group of warriors with astonishing powers, to fight the monsters that destroyed our world.

But then I found out they were keeping secrets from me. Jared, the sadistic scientist who betrayed them, has captured my ally, who's linked to me through a blood-connection that's slowly killing us both. To get him back, I have to leave my new friends and face the wilderness alone. But Jared's not the only threat out there. The fiends are moving, forces stir on the other side of the divide, and if Jared's plan succeeds, it'll spell disaster for our world.

And that's if the dark transformation in my blood doesn't kill me first.


Goodreads Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK

Title: Transcendent
Series: Indestructible Trilogy
Author: Emma L. Adams
Genre: YA, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Dystopian
Release Date: June 2016

BLURB from Goodreads
Two years ago, the fiends invaded Earth. Two months ago, I joined the Pyros, a group of warriors with astonishing powers, to fight the monsters that destroyed our world.

Today, the second invasion began. The Pyros have scattered. The fiends are on the brink of invading, led by the terrifying, bloodthirsty Fiordan warlords.

My friends and I must take the ultimate risk to find the truth about the Fiordans, and how to unlock my potential as Transcendent. Because the enemy has a reason to fear me.

And today, I'm taking the war to them.


Goodreads Link
Amazon US
Amazon UK


OTHER SERIES BY EMMA L. ADAMS

Delinquent
Adamant
Nemesis
Collision
Divided
Catalyst
Nexus

Fears Touch
Darkness Watching
Walking Shadow
Demon Heart
Souls Forsaken

Faerie Blood

OTHER TITLES



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing speculative fiction. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also entertained her creative writing group and baffled her tutors by submitting strange fantasy tales featuring dragons and supernatural monsters to workshops. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, Emma refuses to settle down and be normal. When not embarking on wild excursions and writing fantasy novels, she edits and proofreads novels for various publishing houses and reads an improbable number of books. Emma is currently working on the Alliance series, a multiple-universe adult fantasy featuring magic, monsters, cool gadgets and sarcasm. 

AUTHOR LINKS