Tuesday, 3 February 2015

RELEASE DAY BLITZ - HOW (not) TO FALL in Love BY LISA BROWN ROBERTS


Title: How (Not) To Fall In Love
Author: Lisa Brown Roberts 
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: 03/02/15

BLURB from Goodreads
Finding true love on the other side of the tracks was never so much fun in this heartfelt and hilarious contemporary novel.

Seventeen-year-old Darcy Covington doesn't know the difference between a pawn shop and a thrift shop. Even her dog eats gourmet food, so she’s totally unprepared when her car is repossessed from the parking lot of her elite private school. Turns out her father, a semi-famous motivational speaker, has skipped town, abandoning his family while his business collapses. Even David Letterman comes up with ten reasons why her father won’t ever return home.

Desperate to sell her expensive jewelry for much-needed cash, Darcy discovers that her dad’s brother runs a funky thrift shop on a street full of eccentric characters, including a coffee shop owner named Liz and one supremely hot fix-it guy named Lucas.

Darcy finds some solace hanging out with her uncle and Lucas in the thrift shop and working in Liz’s coffee shop, while the rest of her life falls apart. The time she spends with the uber hot Lucas helps takes her mind off her family’s troubles, even though she’s sure he’s only nice to her because he works for her uncle, especially when she meets the cover girl beauty she thinks he’s dating.

Can Darcy find the courage she needs to adapt to the necessary changes brought about by her family’s drastically reduced lifestyle? And will she open her eyes to the amazing realization that Lucas wants much more than friendship from her?

 Goodreads Link


PRE-ORDER/PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon US
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo Books
iBooks
ABOUT THE AUTHOR



Lisa Brown Roberts still hasn't recovered from the teenage trauma of nearly tweezing off both eyebrows and having to pencil them in for an entire school year. This and other angst-filled memories inspire her to write YA books about navigating life's painful and funny dramas, and falling in love along the way.

 Her almost forever home is Colorado, though she occasionally pines for the days when she lived within walking distance of the Pacific Ocean. Her house is full of books, boys, several four-legged prima donnas, and lots of laughter. 


AUTHOR LINKS
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***GIVEAWAY***

Grand Prize

1st Prize

2nd Prize

3rd Prize




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COVER REVEAL - MELANCHOLY OF SOULS - GIRLS AND GHOSTS BY ANNE MICHAUD

Title: Melancholy of Souls  
Series: Girls & Ghosts  
Author:  Anne Michaud
Publication date: February 3rd 2015
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
Dad says we have to do everything to save Mom’s soul, but I’m scared the price will be too high.

Soul Catchers scour the land looking for ghosts to sell on the black market. Amusement parks, mediums, haunted houses and religious cults will pay good money for them, especially when fresh and new. I never really cared about what they did until Mom died and one of those assholes snapped her up.

Just this bright light shooting at her soul…

Now Dad’s mind is set on finding her on the lost souls trafficking circuit, but with each step we take death is only getting closer.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

She who likes dark things never grew up. She never stopped listening to gothic, industrial and alternative bands like when she was fifteen. She always loved to read horror and dystopia and fantasy, where doom and gloom drip from the pages.

She, who was supposed to make films, decided to write short stories, novelettes and novels instead. She, who's had her films listed on festival programs, has been printed in a dozen anthologies and magazines since. She, who always dreamed of making a feature film, is having her novels published.

She who likes dark things prefers night to day, rain to sun, and reading to anything else.

AUTHOR LINKS



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Monday, 2 February 2015

BOOK BLITZ - THE LAST ORDER BY ANGELA M CALDWELL

Title: The Last Order
Publisher: Rocket Circus Press
Release Date: 02/03/15

 BLURB from Goodreads
Lana forms a secret order of women knights to fulfill her father’s final request: find the queen who was thought to be dead and return her to the throne.

Lana Crewe is a strong, fiercely driven seventeen year old living in a village ruled by fear. With their king and queen both dead, strife and division have taken hold. Ruthlessly attacked by an Order called Talons, Lana’s father is fatally stabbed. Before he dies, he imparts upon Lana a directive to save the statue of Saint Peter, and tells her that the queen yet lives. Now it is up to Lana to unravel the mystery of Saint Peter and bring an end to all of the war by finding the queen.

A medieval tale of hope and mystery, The Last Order is an action-packed story with one of the strongest female leads since Disney’s “Brave.” Not your average YA novel; The Last Order takes upper teenage angst and spins it on its head. You’ll be gripping this book as hard as it will be gripping you. 

 Goodreads Link
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon US
Amazon UK


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Angela M Caldwell is an author, photographer, and digital filmmaker. She studied video production and photography at Radford Univeristy then relocated to Los Angeles for an adventure. After seven years of city life, she moved back to Virgina.
Angela loves a good story and she has a broad range of likes when it comes to reading. Give her characters that she can root for and take her on an adventure. Angela’s journey back to the written word is a story of its own with dyslexia keeping her from writing for years.
But, she is a storyteller at heart. Through the years, she enjoyed expressing her stories through a variety of forms: photography, painting, music, film-making, and writing.
She lives with her husband and 4 kids, who are her biggest fans. They have one dog, and two cats. Perhaps one day they will have a farm. And her dream of having a horse will be realized.

AUTHOR LINKS
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EXCERPT
Chapter One

LANA RUBBED HER ARMS, still shivering under layers of clothing.
You should have worn your cloak, her father’s voice warned, mixing within her thoughts. After years of his lectures and training, he had become a part of her—one that she assumed would eventually go away, or at least quiet down a bit.
Under the short skirt layered over her leather pants, Lana retrieved her dagger from its custom pocket. Leaves rustled behind her and she spun around, ready for her opponent.
"One day, I will catch you off guard," Bowen said, twisting his lips.
 "You’re late," she teased.
"What’s the wager, Lana?" he asked, holding up his sparring sword, ready to fight.
"You’ll mend my sword without payment."
"And if I win, you’ll run double errands," he answered. She swung her sword and lunged at him. "Deal."
Their swords sliced back and forth, making for an almost equal bout. Bowen stood taller than her by a few inches and weighed double. She glided around him with ease. He turned, whipping his blade around expertly. Sweat already beaded on his face. Lana’s heart pumped and her blood warmed. She jabbed her blade. Bowen swerved unsteadily, almost escaping her weapon, but her final swing landed perfectly along his ribcage. Bowen stumbled sideways and fell to the ground, his playful expression turning bitter.
Lana bowed her head. A smile began to creep along her face as she raised her eyes back up to meet his.
"Next time, I will finish you more quickly," she tried to joke, attempting to ease her conscience.
Bowen held his side and cringed. "You’ll do anything to win," he said.
Lana offered her hand, but he refused. "I’m done," Bowen said as he stood up and walked away from her.
 "Done? What?" Lana balked. "Bowen, wait." Lana dashed around in front of him and pushed her hand out against his chest. He stopped, seeming unsettled by her touch. His eyes turned sour and  far from amused. "We’ve always been a team," she pressed him.
"I don’t have time to play knight with you anymore," he argued, but didn’t try to push past her.
"Oh, too good are you?" she teased again. Seeing no change, she got serious. "I suppose it’s your mother?"
"Who else is going to mend your sword and everyone else’s? Father’s ill. You know that."
She stared into his eyes, begging. "You’re the only one left who can still keep up. Who will train with me?"
"There’s more to life than fighting, Lana. You need a skill," he said.
 "I have a skill." Defending herself was an invaluable skill that few women possessed.
"One that matters, like… I don’t know." Bowen seemed to blush a bit.
She cut him off. "Cooking? Sewing? A skill more fit for a woman, so that your mother would approve of me?" His eyes agreed with her words and the realization sliced at Lana’s heart. She thought Bowen would stand by her, but he had stopped dreaming. She stepped out of his way.
What do you say now, Father? she thought. You won, but not over your anger. She kicked the ground and gritted her teeth. Walking away, she struggled to listen over her footsteps, wishing that Bowen would chase after her and beg her to forgive him for his lapse in judgment. Instead, stillness affirmed her fear. He had deserted her.


***GIVEAWAY***
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LOVE'S REVENGE - MEANS OF MERCY BY TERRI ROCHENSKI

Title: Love's Revenge
Series: Means of Mercy
Author: Terri Rochenski
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: 26th January 2015

BLURB supplied by author
Embittered by betrayal, Anne MacKay flees London for America, where she learns she's pregnant with her abusive husband’s longed-for heir. In a society that doesn’t protect, or afford a well-to-do wife’s desire for divorce, Anne decides there is one way to exact revenge: deny the father any knowledge of his child.

Sought after by her husband’s henchmen, Anne travels by rail and horseback, far from civilization where silk and stays are worn, let alone thought of. Lies and deceit protect her identity for a time, allowing her to birth—and grow to love—the child who was supposed to be her vengeance.

 With the help of her loyal and protective business partner, Jude Connagher, and the ranch hands in their Montana Territory valley, Anne attempts to rebuild her life under the shadow of her husband’s wrath.

 One unwise decision lands Anne in her pursuers’ clutches, tearing her from the ranch, her child, and her growing love for the one man who could redeem her from bitterness. She's left with no choice but to finally face her husband, knowing her freedom and life hang in the balance.

Goodreads Link

PURCHASE LINKS



ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Terri started writing stories in the 8th grade, when a little gnome whispered in her brain. Gundi’s Great Adventure never hit the best seller list, but it started a long love affair with storytelling. 
Today she enjoys an escape to Middle Earth during the rare ‘me’ moments her three young children allow. When not playing toys, picking them back up, or kissing boo-boos, she can be found sprawled on the couch with a book or pencil in hand, and toothpicks propping her eyelids open.

AUTHOR LINKS
Website 
Blog 
Facebook 
Twitter 
Goodreads


EXCERPT
Pulse thrumming, I stopped before the counter and placed my bag and rolled habit on the ground in front of me. I kept my gaze averted as though a shy country girl rather than the lady of means in silks and satin the ticket master might remember. “I would like to purchase a ticket for Baltimore, please.” My new accent in hushed form sounded genuine to my ears.
“Of course, ma’am. Your name?”
He doesn’t know me. Thank heavens.
“Mrs. Johnson.” I held my breath, but he jotted my name onto a sheet without pause.
The man told me the required amount, and I pulled a few bills from my coat pocket to pay the inexpensive fare.
Accepting the ticket, I continued to avoid eye contact, but offered what I hoped to be a pleasant, relaxed smile. “How long until departure?”
He checked his pocket watch and clicked it shut. “Less than an hour now.”
With a nod of thanks, I ambled to a wooden bench, far enough away from the other waiting passengers so they wouldn’t try to engage me in conversation. I put my carpetbag between feet, which were already blistered from the half-mile I walked, and unzipped the bag enough to pull out one of the scones from the linen napkin. I broke the biscuit in half and nibbled as the minutes passed by.
Even though Mr. Burgh still doubtless lingered in Baltimore searching for me, I knew going east through the city first rather than immediately travelling westward from Frederick through smaller towns would be easier to make myself less memorable.
He searched for a woman of means, one decked in the latest fashions and most expensive materials. Unless Mr. Burgh came face to face with me in my country disguise, he wouldn’t give me a second glance.
An elderly gentleman sat down on the bench beside me with a “how do you do.” I glanced at him and offered a slight smile. Thankfully, he wasn’t inclined to communicate further than the normal pleasantries.
Even though I avoided eye contact, I felt sure others’ attention rested on me—knew of my deception and lies. My left eyelid twitched, and I couldn’t seem to stop licking my lips.
A train whistled in the distance, and my heart leapt.
Soon.
I breathed a sigh of relief as the engine pulled up puffing and hissing, and I lifted my head to glance around. No one paid any attention to plain Mrs. Johnson on the bench’s end.
Anxiety continued to twist my stomach while the passengers disembarked.
My mind kept turning to Lance’s horse, and I prayed he still remained tied to the sapling. Even so, I expected one of the Fentons to call out to me.
My gaze returned to those exiting the train.
Edward Burgh stepped down onto the platform, rumpled and unsightly as always.


***GIVEAWAY***



 OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES
Title: Love's Sorrow
Series: Means of Mercy
Author: Terri Rochenski
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Release Date: 21st April 2014

BLURB from Goodreads
Hired as a nanny for her cousin’s children, Anne Tearle finds security and a loving family. The children are a dream, but London society is a world of its own, one where a displaced farm girl has no business being. But, wealthy rake, Gavin MacKay, helps her to see associating with the upper class might not be as horrid as she first assumed.

Like all things worthwhile, love comes at a price, and the cost soon bestows more anguish than joy. Lost, but not undone, Anne must find the courage to begin life anew, or succumb to sorrow's unrelenting waves of grief.


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Sunday, 1 February 2015

COVER REVEAL - TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE BY ASHLEY STOYANOFF

Title: Two Truths and a Lie 
Author: Ashley Stoyanoff 
Publication date: February 28th 2015 
Genres: New Adult, Romance

BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
One year ago, I became a missing person. I left everything behind—family, friends, school. It seemed like a good idea at the time. My only option, really, until I realized running from a police officer isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.
It’s been exactly three-hundred and sixty-five days since I left home, but I’m finally ready to take the step I should have taken a year ago. I’m done hiding. I’m done running. I’m going to take my life back.
It was supposed to be easy. A meeting with Jason Pierce, a private investigator, was set up for me. All I had to do was go to him, let him do his thing, and then I could go home, or so I thought.
That is, until I met Jason and things got … complicated.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ashley Stoyanoff is an author of paranormal romance books for young adults, including The Soul's Mark series and the Deadly Trilogy. She lives in Southern Ontario with her husband, Jordan, and two cats: Tanzy and Trinity.

In July 2012, Ashley published her first novel, The Soul's Mark: FOUND, and shortly thereafter, she was honored with The Royal Dragonfly Book Award for both young adult and newbie fiction categories.

An avid reader, Ashley enjoys anything with a bit of romance and a paranormal twist. When she's not writing or devouring her latest read, she can be found spending time with her family, watching cheesy chick flicks or buying far too many clothes.

Ashley loves hearing from her readers, so feel free to connect with her online.
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REVIEW - SOUND OF SIRENS - TALES OF SKYLGE BY JEN MINKMAN

The setting of Tales of Skylge is loosely based on the Dutch island of Terschelling, or Schylge in the island’s dialect. Although the names and places in this book will sound very familiar to people living on the island, the characters and events are, of course, entirely fictitious in nature.

Title: Sound Of Sirens
Series: Tales Of Skylge
Author: Jen Minkman
Release Date: 28th November 2014

BLURB from Goodreads
An ancient land protected by a Tower of Light,
its people ever tempted by Siren song,
and a girl who falls for the wrong boy.

On the island of Skylge, electricity is only for the Currents – the rich ruling class who once came from across the sea and brought the holy fire of St. Brandan to Skylge. Ever since, the light in the Brandaris Tower has protected the islanders. Heeding the Siren's call will drown your body and steal your soul, but the sacred light in the Tower will chase the merfolk away.

When Skylger girl Enna welcomes her brother back from a long sea voyage, he gives her a special present from the mainland – an electronic record only playable on a Current device. The problem is that Royce Bolton, Current heartthrob and the town’s most gifted pianist, wants it too. After she stubbornly refuses to sell the LP featuring his favorite artist, he suggests sharing the record by secretly meeting up in his private summer house. Taken aback yet thrilled, Enna agrees – and discovers that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes to Current society and the history of Skylge. Why do the Sirens tempt the islanders to give themselves up to the sea? And where does the Currents’ monopoly on electricity really come from? 

While struggling with these questions, Enna begins to fall for Royce, risking everything to be with a guy who is clearly wrong for her. She will learn that the sound of Sirens isn’t the most treacherous thing out there to haunt her dreams.


PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK
BOOK TRAILER

 LINK
REVIEW

INITIAL THOUGHTS
As I read and really enjoyed the other dystopian series by Jen Minkman I admit to having fairly high expectations from this beginning of a new dystopian series. ?I've had this one on my Want To Read List since I found out Jen was writing it! I wonder if the island of Skylge will have anything in common with the Island in Jen's other series? Will any of the characters in this new book remind me of the Island characters?

MY REVIEW
I received this book frees, directly from the author in exchange for my honest review. The cover shows a female character submerged in water, is the character an islander of Skylge or a Nixen/Siren? The blue colour of the water representing the ocean is eye catching, which I think would make this book stand out on a book shelf. I also like the placement on the title, author and series title too. The cover could be depicting a couple of scenes in the book, the one where Enna is in the water (I can't say any more as it would reveal spoilers, then again the female could also depict Enna's mother or even Royce's mother as they gave themselves over to the Nixen in the sea. Would the cover attract my eye enough on a book store shelf to pick it up? Yes as I said before the blue is eye catching and the cover arouses your curiosity wanting to know what the female is doing submerging herself under the sea.
The main character's in the book are Enna, her father and her older brother who is a fisherman called Sytse. We also learn about Enna's best friend Dani, all of which are poorer descendants of those native to the island called Skylgers. On the more prosperous, electric and gadget using Currents live. The current we learn the most about is a young male around Sytse age that is called Royce. Royce is the good looking male at school that all the girls fawn over. Enna and Royce are an unlikely pairing but circumstances throw them together with interesting coincidence. The history of the island is important to all the inhabitants on the island and they are taught about it in school almost religiously so. A man named St Brandon is said to have come to the island and builst the sacred fire that wards off the Nixen when they come to shore to claim more souls. Both Enna and Royce's mother were sufferers of "the sadness" and ended up either going with or been taken by the Nixen. Nixen is the name given to those creatures that live in the sea. It is said that the Skylgers were once Nixen many years ago but when washed up on the island they began living on the island rather than in the sea.
Naturally there is some friction between the two groups of island dwellers. the Currents are the richer, more prosperous, of the two groups. the Currents have all the access to the electricity grid. Where as the Skylgers have their own old language, traditions and customs with no access to the electricity grid other than being told that it is the electricity and the generosity of the Currents which protect them from the Nixen. Naturally there are many Skylgers who resent the Currents and all they stand for, being the "ruling class". Ove time though Skylger stories have been forgotten and their language not taught as much, however there seems to be a small number of Skylgers who have had access to knowledge about the true history of the island. It seems that the Nixen and Skylgers used to be friends and live in peace. The controversial history books that some on Skylge have found also shows that the precious St Brandons fire that the Currents take credit for was built prior to St Brandons visit to the island.
So i guess I should explain how Enna, a native Skylger ends up friends or perhaps more with Royce the privileged Current. Syste (Enna's brother) brings records back when he visits the mainland during his fishing trips, though we learn these fishing trips are perhaps not as innocent as they at first appear. The problem with the latest record that Syste brings back for Enna is that it need an electric record player which is something that only the Currents have access to. Royce learns about the orecious record Enna has and attempts to buy it from her. When she insistently refuses, he comes up with the idea of them "sharing" the record. He asks Enna to meet him at a house in Strotum that belongs to him. Naturally it is frowned upon for Sklygers and Currents to mix with each other from both sets of islanders, so when Syste finds out and argues with Enna, etc but I can't really say much more I feel I have given away more than enough already. Unlikely friendships and relationships are formed, tested to the limit, broken then possibly repaired. There are lots of different types of relationships described such as Syste and how he looks at Enna as a child. there is also the kinship felt between Enna and Royce as they both lost their mothers to the ocean. They also both love music too but for all the things they have in common can they overcome the whole culture/racial divide. Could their friendship ever be publicly accepted? There is definitely an element of Romeo & Juliet crossed with West Side Story
So did I enjoy this book? Yes, I did enjoy reading the book. The only thing I initially wasn't keen on was the other race being called currents, as in sea/ocean Currents and electric Currents, but once you are drawn into the book it really doesn't make a difference, what the two races of people are called. Would I recommend the book? Definitely if you enjoyed the Island (I never thought I'd say this but. . .) then this is a must read for you.
Would I want to read more in this series? I would as I think this book was setting the scene and tone for what is about to come . . I also hope to "meet some Nixen" perhaps? I  love the historical elements within Jen's books. I ended reading this book thinking, there is sooo much more to come, and lots of options for things that may happen. Would I want to read more titles by Jen Minkman? Of course! I have read a lot of books/novella's by Jen and intend to read many more! As long as she continues to write them.

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