January 31, 2017

Knight by Skye Warren Release Day Blitz

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Title: the Knight
Author: Skye Warren
Series: Endgame Series Book 2
Genre: Dark Romance Contemporary Suspense
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Jan 31 2017
Edition/Formats: 1st Edition ~ eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:

The power of pleasure...

Gabriel Miller took everything from me. My family. My innocence. My home. The only thing I have left is the determination to get back what's mine.

He thinks he's beaten me. He thinks he's won. What he doesn't realize is that every pawn has the chance to become a queen.

And the game has only just begun.

* * * * * *
THE KNIGHT is book two in the Endgame series from New York Times Bestselling Author Skye Warren about revenge and seduction in the game of love.

Bound by Jen Colly

Posted by Becka 1 comments


Bound 
The Cities Below 
Book Two 
Jen Colly 


Genre: Paranormal Romance


Publisher: Kensington/Lyrical


Date of Publication: January 31, 2016


ISBN: 9781516101474

ASIN: B01FBZXSES


Number of pages: 200


Cover Artist: Valerie Tibbs



Book Description: 


The streets are a battleground for humans, vampires, and demons alike—where survival is a skill, love is a weapon, and the most dangerous act is to care for another . . .


Keir is an assassin devoted to Lady Arianne, the last of her royal bloodline. He is sworn to protect her, and that means eliminating any threat to her life. But while on a mission, he is set upon by a pack of demons, barely escaping with his life.


Cleopatra lives by a set of rules so rigid she no longer knows her true self. But her kind and loving nature resurfaces when she finds a man, bloodied and dying. Moved to help him, she risks her future and her life to save a stranger far below her aristocratic station.


Their attraction to each other is as powerful as it is forbidden. But even as their love grows, Keir keeps his true identity a secret—and this lie is not the only threat to their love . . . or their lives.



Excerpt: 

Cleopatra was utterly trapped. She longed to close her eyes and block him out, but fear of the unknown kept them wide open. The man had no weapon, couldn’t possibly mean to harm her. Except, would he really need a weapon? She couldn’t fight him, wouldn’t even know where to begin.

He studied her closely, and when his head tilted slightly, she noticed every bit of his focus fixated on her neck. Not a murderer. He wanted to mark her, to bite her neck, leave the wound to heal and forever bind her to him. This was why daughters of the aristocracy were kept under a tight watch.

The mark, unbreakable and indisputable, would give this man access to her family’s wealth and prestige, and bind her to him until death.

He reached for her, head descending to her neck. Cleopatra quickly covered his target with both hands. Tears gathered in her eyes, sorrow distorted her voice. “I don’t want this. Please, don’t hurt me.”

The man rocked back as if she’d smacked him, and for the first time since he’d appeared, he looked at her face. His eyes met hers and didn’t look away as he brought his hand to her cheek and brushed away a tear. He saw her, truly saw her, and the adoration in his eyes sent a completely different shimmy down her spine.

In one step, he crowded her, pressing his cheek against hers. “Could never hurt you. My angel,” his captivating voice crooned, so close to her ear. He drew in a deep breath, his face buried in her hair. Then he whispered, “My Cleo.”

She gasped. The shortened version of her name on his lips sounded strangely intimate, as though he’d known her for years. The warmth rolling off his body kept her intensely aware of his close proximity, and she held her breath, waiting for his next move to prove his intent. He didn’t bite her, didn’t hurt her, and the sincere affection in his gentle touch left her so very confused. Any other man would have bitten her, taken advantage of the opportunity laid before him. But this man? His intent to bite her had been unmistakable, and he’d stopped because he…cared for her? She didn’t understand.

His hand slipped from her face, dropped to his side, and he staggered back, moving as if through a dream. He still watched her, but he swayed, that intense focus suddenly gone. The man crumpled to the floor with a heavy thud.

Dragging in a long, shaky breath, she blinked away tears she’d been staring through. A few more deep breaths, and she allowed herself to really look at him. He lay on his side, knees slightly curled, motionless. Something was wrong with him. People didn’t just fall over.

Gripping the railing, which had swiftly become her personal anchor, she pointed her foot and gingerly nudged his arm. When he didn’t move, she put more force behind the kick. Cleopatra jumped as his hand fell away from his ribs, thumping onto the floor. Blood coated his fingers.

He was bleeding? She’d missed the injury completely. The saturated, glistening spot had been hidden under his hand and camouflaged by his black button-up shirt. He’d been so close and she hadn’t… She glanced down at herself. Blood streaked across her pale blue gown, more evidence of his severe injury.

The elevator doors slid open. Oh God, if someone were to see them together in this state, what would they think? What would happen to her, or to him? Her heart hammered, panic flooding through her as she peeked out into the main corridor of Sterling.

The white, gold-trimmed corridor stretched on, empty. The elevator doors slid shut, and there it would stay, unless called. She might not have much time. Peering down at the unconscious man, she tried to fit the puzzle pieces together.

She’d mistaken his intent. He’d needed sustenance badly, and now he bled out, dying at her feet. Because of who she was, he refused to harm her, to take from her. How did he have the willpower to block his instincts from taking over, to stop from feeding?

Whoever he was, she had to save him. She dropped to her knees and pushed away any lingering fear under her newfound resolve. Tugging his shirt from his dark jeans, she searched for the injury. In the midst of his blood-slicked skin, the wound gaped open between his ribs. It looked like he’d been slashed, the nasty gash a result of being on the wrong end of a knife. Just a guess. She had no experience with this sort of villainy.

Her hand flew to her mouth. The murderer running loose in Galbraith used a knife. Could this man be yet another victim?

“Can you hear me? What happened to you? Who did this?” She awkwardly patted his whiskered cheek. His eyes fluttered open, then shut again.

“Balinese is safe.” His voice trembled, his words slurred without support from his shallow breath. “Paris. Demons.”

Cleopatra’s fingers fumbled as she pulled away his shirt collar. Several teeth-like gouges in his shredded skin oozed blood near his collarbone. Demons. They’d almost made a meal of him, and he was a bloody mess, but the real danger came from that knife wound. It looked deep, and if he’d been damaged internally and lost too much blood, he might not survive.

He needed blood now. She bit her wrist and pressed it against his mouth. His lips didn’t part, and his body refused to respond. A rivulet of blood slid down his cheek. He’d die if she didn’t fight for him.

About the Author: 



Jen Colly is the rare case of an author who rebelled against reading assignments throughout her school years. Now she prefers reading books in a series, which has led her to writing her first paranormal romance series: The Cities Below. She will write about anything that catches her fancy, though truth be told, her weaknesses are pirates and vampires.


She lives in Ohio with her supportive husband, two kids, one big fluffy dog, and four rescued cats.


January 17, 2017

Posted by Becka 0 comments

Family Sailaway 
Sailaway Trilogy 

Book 2 

Derek Curzon 


Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Cruising


Publisher: Filament Publishing


Publication date: 24th January 2017


ISBN: 978-1-911425-51-9


Book Description: 


In Family Sailaway, Sarah receives a flyer from CZN Cruises with tantalising summer offers and soon makes plans for her next cruise. This time, the adventure is longer, the ship is bigger and there are many more countries on the agenda. Unlike the first cruise, when she travelled with her younger sister, Sarah is joined by her aunt, uncle, cousin and boyfriend Paul (who she met on her first cruise).


Two other families become part of their adventure and sparks fly between cousin Megan (young, single, attractive - and she knows it) and protagonist Sarah. Megan befriends another passenger, Rebecca, who says she is a cruise reporter but Sarah suspects there is more to her than meets the eye.

Megan attracts a lot of attention from fellow passengers including a married man travelling with his wife and a younger, shy man who lives in the shadows of his more confident brother. Who will win Megan’s affections and how do other families get entangled in their story along the way? A storm brews during the cruise that makes for even more entertaining scenes along the way. This is a tale of family relationships, friendships, suspicion and intrigue, romance, feuds and, of course, the thrill of the cruise.




Family Sailaway is the second in the ‘Sailaway Trilogy’ and starts six months after the original book. You could read this as a standalone book but as they're both quick and easy reads, we strongly recommend starting with the first - Surprise Sailaway, published by Filament in 2015 – and then jumping ship straight to the second!



Surprise Sailaway 
Sailaway Trilogy 

Book 1 

Derek Curzon 


Print Length: 138 pages

Publisher: Filament Publishing Ltd


Publication Date: December 7, 2015


ASIN: B0193S7QBK


Book Description: 


Surprise Sailaway tells the story of two sisters who embark on a short cruise following the sudden and tragic death of their parents. Sarah and Hannah find themselves living the high life on the high seas where the eldest finds possible romance and the youngest a potential career. Life on board is relaxed and stress-free for them both, a million miles away from the memories they have back home of their parents.


Follow their adventures on board as they visit Amsterdam and Hannah has the chance to see Paris. A twist at the end is a direct result from the parent’s death and an event that will change both sister’s lives forever.



About the Author: 


Born and raised in Dundee, cruise aficionado, retail manager and author, Derek Curzon, moved to Lancashire in 1998 aged 28. His background is Accountancy, he has worked in myriad roles in the banking world as well as editing a local magazine. He found love through writing - he married his penpal (before the days of emailing and Tinder!) and their first cruise was their honeymoon in 2005 - they've never looked back and have been on six cruises to date with plenty more in the pipeline.


Their cruise holidays have given them the chance to see places they couldn’t have hoped to visit on a 'normal' holiday. The Sailaway Trilogy takes inspiration from their own cruise experiences and celebrates the cruise industry as the booming travel sector it is today.


Family Sailaway, due for release in January 2017, is the second book in the series. As a spin-off from the trilogy, Derek launched a fictional cruise blog: ‘Nautical Nights.’ It's a light-hearted and humorous look at life on board a cruise ship and the ensuing adventures!


When he's not working his day-job, writing blogs or articles, or planning the next book, Derek can be found long-distance walking.


As a couple, Derek and his wife have completed the West Highland and Great Glen Ways in the Scottish Highlands and will be walking Hadrian’s Wall in 2017.

http://www.sailaway.voyage/ 
https://twitter.com/sailaway333 
https://www.facebook.com/sailaway333/ 
https://www.amazon.com/Derek-Curzon/e/B019G0CGTC/

January 5, 2017

Twisted: The Girl Who Uncovered Rumpelstiltskin’s Name by Bonnie M Hennessy

Posted by Becka 1 comments

My Ten Favorite Excerpts from Twisted 

In chronological order 


1. Maeve’s advice to Aoife about a woman’s future: “Aoife, no matter what choice you make – your husband’s house, my house, or the nunnery – you are exchanging control over your body for money. Of that you can be sure.” 


2. After Aoife refuses Ronan’s directive and instead gives orders to his landsman, Ronan says: “A young lady who roams the woods and local brothel of Stanishire unaccompanied and who may possibly be able to manage the affairs of my estate as well as a man. Perhaps I have finally met my match.” 


3. After Aoife has an altercation with the Duke involving an ax, the little man intervenes to protect Aoife and says:
“When I saw you grip that ax I knew…” 
The room fell silent. Aoife leaned forward. 
“You knew what?” 
“I knew that if someone had to kill him, I didn’t want it to be you. I need to know that there is one person in this world who is pure and unsullied.” 


4. While the little man spins gold for Aoife, he casts a spell that puts her to sleep and says: “Sleep tight while this world is bent and turned upside down – or right side up. And when you awaken you will stand amazed and thank the heavens for the miracle that has rescued you. But as the minutes turn to hours and then days, you will dismiss this event as strange and unusual, but ultimately something to put on a shelf while you continue on with your life as if everything that you have known of the world is exactly as you have always thought it was before this nameless little man appeared. Or will you prove yourself able to wake from the nightmare of this existence? Will you see the walls of this world as flimsy, arbitrary and breakable? Will you see behind it to the Truth? Will you have the power to see the real me underneath this broken frame?” 


5. Aoife tries to look past the little man’s physical deformities.
She gently took hold of his hood and lifted it off his head. He turned and hid his face from her. The murky eyes and the sagging flesh looked as 
ghoulish as she remembered, yet less frightening without the element of surprise. She cupped her right hand under his chin and gently turned his face toward her, noting that he was less than a head shorter than she was. He obeyed, but curled his lip. She held his gaze steady. His growl was like a wounded animal, fighting the hand trying to offer healing. She cupped his face with both hands. She felt the thick folds of his flesh and the uneven stubble of hair. His gnarled lips looked more like a protective shield than a threat. And his eyes. Their hazy film and the heavy fog upon them seemed like a painful curse of birth, not a reflection of his soul. 


6. The little man begins to fear that Aoife will betray him and says to her, “I should have let you drown all those years ago. None of this will end well. I feel it.”


7. The little man takes Aoife to his cottage.
Without warning he swung his cape over her body and a current of air blew over her with the force of a March wind, but the temperature of a summer breeze. Darkness shrouded her for a moment before the sparkle of the stars burst forth in the sky all around her. She was riding the night wind high in the atmosphere, the world below her far away, her drama a mere speck on the map. Her arms stretched out wide like the wings of a bird and she felt his arms extended below them, buoying them up and guiding her flight. Her heart and her arms opened wide to the universe with an unparalleled sense of freedom. Up she flew, faster than any creature on earth, until she thought her heart would burst and then down they dove until they reached the edge of the forest. 


8. The little man shows Aoife how he saves memories inside jewels.
He put one hand out with his palm facing upwards like an offering. Closing his eyes he laid his other palm on top and began to move it in slow circles. His hands began to circle faster until a spark of light caught like a candle. As its glow spread and grew into a bright golden light, his hands separated and in a flash of light there stood a brilliant, sapphire colored stone. The room was filled with a momentary burst of light and then the magic of the moment collapsed inward into the stone in his hand. 


9. Aoife looks at herself in the mirror as she gets ready for her wedding she is coerced into. 
The opalescent pearls and the sparkling emerald that hung around the woman’s throat housed more life than her empty eyes and mouth. Her cool, ivory skin looked as frozen and immovable as marble. Aoife thought she looked like a drowned mermaid ripped from the water’s current and 
propped up like a fisherman’s trophy. She stood with arms outstretched on her pedestal for all to admire and gaze upon, the lifelessness of her body an irrelevant and inconsequential footnote.


10. After Aoife receives marital advice from her mother and Maeve, Aoife notes:
How similar was the training of wives and whores. 


I don’t want to give any more, because I’d like to leave some surprises for my readers!


January 3, 2017

Cover Reveal TAPPED by Liz Crowe

Posted by Becka 1 comments
TAPPED 
The Brewing Passion Series 
Book One 
Liz Crowe 


Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance


Publisher: Totally Entwined Group


Date of Publication: 2/14/17


Word Count: 74,500


Cover Artist: Totally Entwined Group






Book Description: 


When wealthy brewery owner Austin Fitzgerald meets sexy saleswoman Evelyn Benedict, angry sparks fly. They seem destined to clash, until a hot hookup in a cold beer cooler changes everything.


For Austin, it's a life-altering moment that sets him on a path away from his birthright, while Evelyn must face her fears about committing to a man considered the playboy of the micro-brewing world.


The power of preconceived notions nearly tears them apart—until they meet up with brew master Ross, who opens their eyes to a deeper, even more erotic connection. But three strong personalities don’t always make for the best emotional mix and when a simple misunderstanding causes chaos, it’s up to Ross to repair the tattered shreds of their relationship.








About the Author: 


Amazon best-selling author, mom of three, Realtor, beer blogger, brewery marketing expert, and soccer fan, Liz Crowe is a Kentucky native and graduate of the University of Louisville currently living in Ann Arbor. She has decades of experience in sales and fund raising, plus an eight-year stint as a three-continent, ex-pat trailing spouse.


Her early forays into the publishing world led to a groundbreaking fiction subgenre, “Romance for Real Life,” which has gained thousands of fans and followers interested less in the “HEA” and more in the “WHA” (“What Happens After?”). More recently she is garnering even more fans across genres with her latest novels, which are more character-driven fiction, while remaining very much “real life.”


With stories set in the not-so-common worlds of breweries, on the soccer pitch, in successful real estate offices and at times in exotic locales like Istanbul, Turkey, her books are unique and told with a fresh voice. The Liz Crowe backlist has something for any reader seeking complex storylines with humor and complete casts of characters that will delight, frustrate and linger in the imagination long after the book is finished.

http://www.lizcrowe.com 
http://www.a2beerwench.com
http://www.facebook.com/lizcroweauthor
http://www.twitter.com/beerwencha2
https://www.amazon.com/Liz-Crowe/e/B00573TC7M
Sign Up for Liz Newz: https://goo.gl/ZrdvAa

Solstice by Braxton Cosby

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Solstice 
The Star-Crossed Saga 
Book 3 
Braxton A. Cosby 


Genre: YA Sci-fi, Romance

Publisher: Cosby Media Productions

Date of Publication: 11/25/2016

ISBN-13: 978-1540541673

ISBN-10: 1540541673

ASIN: B01LZ4OMHI

Number of pages: 303

                                                         Word Count: 90K

                                                         Cover Artist: CMP


Book Description: 


What You Believe, Can Destroy You!


William and Sydney have sacrificed everything to fortify their love, so much so that William dares to brave the depths of space to find a cure for their deadly Supernova bond, leaving both her and Earth vulnerable to Torrian Alliance attack.


But with a full scale rebellion in play on Fabricius, the reality of Sydney’s execution from Torrian hands is diminished, only eclipsed by the certainty of a more threats – The Third Faction and The Dagmas Clan – lead by Dominic and his insurgent recruits. With overwhelming odds mounting against them, William makes a desperate attempt to find the last of the endangered Star-children only to be captured by a new menace, where he is forced to compete in the dreaded Gauntlet of sport.

Allies surge to free Fabricius, seeking alliances across the galaxy while Sydney tries to keep her identity hidden and trains to master the third phase of her Star-child evolution: Solstice.


With Sarah’s mysterious return home with clues to unlock the future, Noella’s training and Bill’s symbiotic development hope is restored, but will it be enough to unite the galaxy and destroy evil for once and for all?



CHAPTER THREE 

Sydney and Noella walked hand in hand along the small winding path leading to the top the Mount Dothan. The dusking sky painted a sheet of orange and red light across the woodsy terrain around them, giving the impression of wading through a sea of fire. Amid the grim moment of the day and the burning sensation rising in Sydney’s throat, the tone seemed fitting. Silence accompanied them, and it wasn’t until the pair hit the peak that Sydney finally broke the ice. “So what do your people call this ceremony?” she asked.

“The time of the harvest. It’s the moment when a fallen soldier is said to join the being of the sky. I think humans refer to it as God,” Noella said, her tone as flat as the expression on her face.
“Sounds cool,” she replied as she surveyed the surroundings; a patch of flatland that housed a family of hawks who watched cautiously from above in a lone cedar tree. From here, every inch of Madisonburg could be observed without the need of telescope or binoculars. A bed of dandelions and weeping willows greeted them in the center of the field.

“This way. I’ll show you where I buried his body,” Noella said.

She could see that Noella was visibly shaken, slowly unravelling before her eyes. Her hands trembled as her eyes began to redden. She wondered how long it’d take, amazed at how Noella had not said a word since Arrion’s death a few weeks ago, only morning him in silence, which she explained was customary on Fabricius. She had done the deed all by herself, refusing to allow Sydney to assist in his burial. From scouting the plot of land to digging the hole, Noella insisted that it was protocol on her planet for a lone fellow soldier to be assigned the arduous task of preparation. Seeing as though William had departed soon after, there was no better candidate left for the job.

She took Noella by the hand and drew her close, giving her the most delicate and firm hug she could muster. Noella stood motionless, sinking into her friend’s embrace. After a few seconds, she released her, unable to make eye contact. “I’m here for you,” she murmured.

“Thanks, Syd,” Noella replied, her voice ragged.

She finally looked up at her and gave a nod, following Noella’s lead over to the place where Arrion’s body lay. Surprisingly, the disturbed clay seemed more settled than she expected, dried from the sun and already showing signs of life as Bermuda grass had slowly began to encroach along the edges. A makeshift tombstone had been erected, fashioned from metallic fuselage scraps of the Daedallus, with only Arrrion’s name and handle tatted along the surface, minus dates to hide his identity to hikers in hopes that most consider it a memorial to a lost pet if they stumbled upon it.

Noella knelt next to the grave, slid her backpack from her shoulders and began to open it. Searching her bag, she retrieved a small oval-shaped disk and a satchel filled with purple powder. “These are crushed lilacs pedals. We must first prepare the path for Arrion’s ascension by sending tribute to the sky.” She stood and sprinkled a few handfuls over the grave until a thin layer had materialized before them. “On our planet we usually use the oil of a Tonosia Tree, which is a lot thicker substance and is used for sterilization. Sarah thought it’d be a good idea to use lilacs as a substitute because it was a similar color.”

“It’s beautiful,” she replied.

“I will now begin the ceremony.” Noella placed the disc in the center of the burial site, depressed a red button on the top and came to her side. The two joined hands as the disc began to spin and dig into the hardened clay. Noella pointed a hydrogen phaser at the site and fired a stream of fire upon it that scorched the sheet of crushed pedals. The disc disappeared beneath the flames and Noella broke out into song, in an alien dialect that Sydney could not understand. It was less about the words and more the moment that choked at her, forcing the tears to flow freely down her face. She squeezed Noella’s hand as she crooned on. By the time Noella had finished, a small fissure had opened in the place where the disc had entered and a cloud of embers swirled into the air; a mix of red, orange and yellow. It lifted high into the sky and faded into the clouds.

Noella dropped to her knees in a whimper. “It is finished.”

Sydney came beside her and held her close. “It was… beautiful.”

The two sat in silence with only sobs to drown out the sounds of the forest.






About the Author: 





Braxton A. Cosby is the award-winning author of YA fiction. 


He endeavors to paint vivid pictures of his characters and worlds in the minds of readers, so that they too can share in his complex visions of the past, present and future.


Braxton lives in Atlanta, GA with his amazing wife and four children.








Instagram: braxtonacosby

Twitter: @BraxtonACosby
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DrBraxtonCosby
Websites: www.braxtoncosby.com
www.theredgeminichronicles
www.cosbymediaproductions.com

Tour giveaway 


Audiobooks of the first two books of the series: Protostar and Supernova 




 

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