Cover Reveal: Trust by Kylie Scott

We are so excited to share the cover for Kylie's Scott's first ever YA and Indie published book TRUST releasing JULY 18th!

 

Synopsis:

Being young is all about the experiences: the first time you skip school, the first time you fall in love…the first time someone holds a gun to your head.

After being held hostage during a robbery at the local convenience store, seventeen year old Edie finds her attitude about life shattered. Unwilling to put up with the snobbery and bullying at her private school, she enrolls at the local public high school, crossing paths with John. The boy who risked his life to save hers.

While Edie’s beginning to run wild, however, John’s just starting to settle down. After years of partying and dealing drugs with his older brother, he’s going straight—getting to class on time, and thinking about the future.

An unlikely bond grows between the two as John keeps Edie out of trouble and helps her broaden her horizons. But when he helps her out with another first—losing her virginity—their friendship gets complicated.

Meanwhile, Edie and John are pulled back into the dangerous world they narrowly escaped. They were lucky to survive the first time, but this time they have more to lose—each other.

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Cover by Hang Le

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About Author:    

Kylie is a New York Times and USA Today best-selling author. She was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013 and 2014, by the Australian Romance Writer’s Association and her books have been translated into eleven different languages. She is a long time fan of romance, rock music, and B-grade horror films. Based in Queensland, Australia with her two children and husband, she reads, writes and never dithers around on the internet. You can learn more about Kylie from:
http://www.kylie-scott.com/

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Review: Inclusions by Emily Duvall

Book info:
Title:  Inclusions  
Author:  Emily Duvall
Series:  Flawless #1  
Genre:  Contemporary romance
Published:  June 2nd, 2015
Source:  Won copy of book from author

First I have to say thank you to the author, because I won this from her, I believe it was in a contest on Facebook.  Other than some of the usual issues I have with independently published books, spelling and general editing issues, I really enjoyed this book.  When I first picked it up, I immediately started speeding through it, as it grabbed my attention and I couldn't seem to put it down!  

The main characters are Melanie and Luke.  They used to date, Melanie's brother used to be in the jewel business with Luke.  That is until he supposedly tried to kill Luke after stealing some jewels.  Because Melanie couldn't believe her brother would ever do that, and her brother insisted that he was innocent, it drove her and Luke apart, to where it was Luke's lawyer who basically broke up with her.  She hasn't even tried to get in touch with Luke since then, I mean he put her brother in prison, and ruined his life.  But then, her brother needs a favor, needs her to ask Luke to give him a break, so that he can get out of prison when he is up for parole.  So even though she does not want to, she sets out to see Luke and ask him this favor.

Luke, of course, refuses to do this.  He knows exactly what happened, and still feels betrayed that Melanie didn't believe him.  But he does still have feelings for her.  He has gone on with his brothers to create a very successful jewel business, and doesn't need to look back.  But when Melanie comes over, and he sees how good she is with kids who have developmental issues, especially the few minutes she spends with his own daughter, he offers her a deal.  If she will come with him to his brother's wedding, and work with his daughter, he might help her brother.  Except he really intends to show her just how wrong she is about her brother.  And he gets her to do this by convincing her current employers that he needs her, and that they should tell her they have no work for her right now.  So she is forced to go with him.  

Of course being in a romantic setting like Hawaii together, things do tend to get out of hand.  Their attraction begins to come out, and be almost impossible to ignore.  But neither will still trust the other, and this will lead to more heartbreak.  And as usual, there are all kind of other dramas going on, with Luke's brothers especially, and other women, even the one getting married.  

As I said, this was a very good read.  I could barely put it down once I picked it up.  I look forward to reading on in the series.  

Review: Redeeming Trust by Michelle Sodaro (September Sequels #1)

Book info:
Title:  Redeeming Trust   
Author:  Michelle Sodaro
Series:  sequel to Broken Trust  
Genre:  Contemporary romance
Published:  August 15th, 2016
Source:  Purchased book myself

This is the sequel to the book Broken Trust, that I read and reviewed earlier this year.  You can read my review of it by clicking on the title linked in the book info above.  I was definitely ready to read and find out just where the author was going to take the dynamic character of Ali from the first book, and her attraction to Officer Biceps.

So this book still has the two characters, Sam and Ben, from the first book. Ben is Ali's brother, and he is getting ready to marry Sam.  One neat thing I liked in this book was that the author added a little bonus prequel novella, giving us the story of when Sam and Ali actually met for the first time, before the meeting at the beginning of Broken Trust.  Turns out that Sam was doing caricatures at the Renaissance Festival one time when she saw this very bright, spunky girl named Ali.  The two women didn't cross paths again until the first book.  Now things are going well for Sam and Ben.  So book two is supposed to be Ali's story.  And we have another main character, her love interest, Officer Biceps, otherwise known as Lieutenant Vincent Michaels.  

This story begins with a break-in and some graffiti at Ali's music store AliCat Records.  Vincent gets called in to the crime scene, and of course ends up on the case.  They're trying to find out who could be the one that broke in, and the spray painting gives a hint, something about always loving Ali?  So at that point, it seems as if maybe it was a kind of stalkerish guy that Ali had almost dated at one time.  Ali doesn't really date guys for too long, she's always been kind of a love in the moment person, not wanting to get too serious.  This is partly because of seeing what happened with her grandparents, when her grandmother died, and how it changed her grandfather.  So this is the main theme of the story, finding out who could be causing the trouble for or possibly be after Ali.    But we also have a pretty big part of the story that is still Ben and Sam.  It makes sense, as Ali was a big part of their story. But we're dealing with Ben and Sam preparing to get married, working on Ben's dream of opening his home for runaways, as well as other family issues that will pop up.

Now while Vincent may sound like he is going to be perfect, he has his own issues.  One being that he is kind of taking care of his sister's son Lucas, while she is in rehab or off in her own world.  Ali also worries that a man like Vincent, someone who has dedicated his life to upholding the rules/laws, will not want to be with her, or at least not unless she would tone herself down, and become more "normal".  Times where he has been a gentleman, and not taken advantage of situations that were emotional, well she felt he was rejecting her, and so does not know if he really wants her.  So you have that conflict in their relationship as well.

I won't tell you any more, you should read and find it all out yourself.

The story is a good one.  The characters are all pretty good as well.  As with the last book, there was a lot of potential in the story.  And I love the Kansas City setting, being as that is where I live, and have lived my whole life!

Unfortunately I still had some of my normal independently published book issues.  At first there was just the occasional type/grammar issue, that probably was just from not having several people do a good edit.  But at the end of the book, I'm guessing that the author was just really excited to get it finished and published, and possibly the editor was too into the story to catch things.  But there were several pages that had at least one error for either every other, or every paragraph.  Little things, such as "he" instead of "she", or other similar words that were real words, they just weren't spelled correctly or used grammatically correctly.  Again, while I figure that it was probably just due to rushing to get finished, at one point I almost wondered if something was happening in the final publishing program that cut letters off?  

I also had a little bit of trouble with some descriptions or words used to describe that felt like they were being used over and over.  I just found myself thinking, yeah, I get that already.  

Other than the little errors like typos that I mentioned above, the book definitely overcame the problems I was having by the end for the most part.  

While you're here, this is the first book that goes toward fulfilling my September is for Sequels Challenge that I'm hosting.  You can still sign up before the 15th, this Thursday.  Go check it out HERE.

Review: Sojourn by Tara Dawn

Book info:
Title:  Sojourn  
Author:  Tara Dawn
Genre:  Erotica
Published:  June 28th, 2015
Source:  Won book from author

Overall the story was a good one, and the sex scenes were very steamy.  I will definitely try other books by this author in the future.

The main character in this is a girl named Summer.  We start out with her not feeling like the guy she is with is the one she wants to be with.  Brent doesn't think she's being fair, and doesn't want to let her give up on them, even going so far as to try to make her jealous at one point.  There was a guy in her past, Preston, that she had thought was the one, until something happened, and it was something she felt might be unforgivable.  Now that she's broken up with Brent, it seems like she starts running into Preston everywhere.  And he seems to want her back, to give their past relationship another chance.  But Summer doesn't want to.  Her best friend thinks that Summer needs to get relaxed, and finds a resort online that is one that fulfills fantasies.  Summer finally decides that it will be worth the money to try it.  One thing she has to do before she goes is fill out a questionnaire that will help the people who run the resort determine what kind of fantasies she really wants to live out.  

Finally she gets to the resort, and it turns out that from her questionnaire they've decided that she wants to be blindfolded and be submissive to someone.  So she never sees her escort, and she also gets taken in to a room where she is tied up, spanked, and experiences all kinds of things she never really knew she wanted or would like.  But when something happens that leads Summer to question what is really going on at the resort, things go a bit haywire.  She'll go back home, and have to decide who to trust, her friend who helped her "find" the resort, her ex, Preston, or does she really want what the resort suggested. 

As I mentioned at the start, the sex scenes were really steamy, although I'm not sure that I enjoyed all of it. As some of the stuff that happened is probably what the true dominant/submissive relationships include, that is what I know I am not interested in, and reading about some of it, doesn't really work for me because of that.  I would guess that people who really like that type of thing are really going to enjoy this book though!  Another issue I had was that it seemed like forever before we actually got to the resort, and I'd really thought that was going to be the main part of the book.  But, since that time was setting up the background story and all, it wasn't wasted story in the end.  I liked the way it ended, and definitely think the romance worked out in a good way.

One of the things I always mention with independently published books is the normal grammar errors and such, and this book had those as well.  Again it didn't distract from the story, but they did stand out enough to notice.  

Discussion Post: Copy, Paste, Repeat - Or How Many Places Do You Post Your Reviews?

I'm a bit late this month with my 4th discussion post, as I just got too busy to get it done.  Wow, this summer is not slowing down from the school year!  Anyway, the 2016 Discussion Challenge is hosted by Feed Your Fiction Addiction and It Starts at Midnight. My first one was all about if teens are really as dumb as we think, and will expect what happens in books to be real life.  My second one was about giving ratings in your reviews.  My third one was about reviewing different age levels of books on the same blog.  You can go read my thoughts and then share what you think on those three HERE, HERE, and HERE.  This month I want to find out just where everyone posts their reviews.

I've always done on my blog for sure.  For awhile I would post the reviews on Goodreads and then use the html from that to put the review over on my blog too.  For the most part I do my full reviews still here on my blog.  But sometimes an author, especially the independently published ones, ask for you to also post your review on other sites like Amazon or Goodreads.  When they ask me to, I always do.  Of course since I work for Barnes and Noble, I then go post the review there as well, because I feel like I have to.  I just do.

But I always wonder if it is too repetitive to just copy and paste the exact same review straight from my blog.  Should I just post part of it and link back to my blog to drive the traffic back here?  I often do that on Goodreads. But I don't think I can do that on either Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  Plus, my blog reviews don't have really creative titles, but on Amazon it seems like you want your review title to be catchy so you get people to read the review.  And since on my blog my review almost always contains my own little personal synopsis of the story, do I need to do that on Amazon?  Or should I just put only the opinion parts of my review?

 

Since I've been reading so many more indie authors as free e-books lately, I feel like I need to make sure I not only review on my blog, but back on Amazon too.  But I don't always get it done, because so many of my reviews are scheduled in advance now that I am a bit behind on reviews.

So, my discussion today is really because I need your input and opinions on what you do, and how important you feel this topic is.  Please, please chime in below and help me figure this out!

Promo Post: Recoil by Joanne Macgregor

About the Book:

Title:   Recoil

Author:  Joanne Macgregor

Publisher:  Independent

Release Date:  May 14th, 2016

Genre:  YA Dystopian, Romance

Book Description:

There’s more than one enemy and more than one war. The Game is real.

Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically.

Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and becomes an expert sniper of infected mutant rats.

She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything.

Recoil is the first book in a young adult dystopian romance trilogy, and makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent). 

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1Ngsr8C

GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29909674-recoil

Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/jmacgregor0989/recoil/

Author Bio:

When not writing, Joanne Macgregor is a counselling psychologist in private practice where she works mainly with victims of crime and trauma. Although she lives in the frenetic adrenaline-rush of the big city, Joanne has always been in love with nature, and escapes into the wilds whenever she can. She's a Harry Potter fanatic, bakes the best choc-chip cookies on the planet, and is addicted to chilies and bulletproof coffee. 

She started her professional life as a high school English teacher and loves writing about, and for, teens. She is the author of several books for Young Adults - Scarred (2015), Turtle Walk (2011), Rock Steady (2013), and Fault Lines (2016).

 

Author website: www.joannemacgregor.com

Twitter: @JoanneMacg

Facebook: Joanne Macgregor

Giveaway:

•  The author has graciously offered an e-copy of both Scarred  and Recoil.  Just fill out the Rafflecopter below!

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

A to Z April - I: Independent Authors

This is what I thought I was doing this on, but as I don't know a whole lot about this topic, I wasn't quite sure if maybe I'd come up with another idea. But I didn't, so here is my post!

What I think of when I hear "independent author" is someone who has gone out and had their books self-published.  I know that the Fifty Shades of Grey books started out that way, (even though I heard the author tried to deny it at the RT Convention last year in Kansas City).  There's nothing wrong with this, and as with the example I just listed, there are often some books that could go on to be really big hits if they would only get the chance.  But, I have to also admit, I've read a few, or tried to read a few that just weren't great.  I won't name any of those.  Because honestly, I wouldn't have listed Fifty Shades as very good either.  The books I believe count as independent authors' books and I liked, I will share them below.  Now, know that some of them are not perfect, could definitely use a professional publishing house's editor to make them better, but I won't tell you which of these need that.  I'll just recommend them, and let you give them a chance, and make your own decision.

1.

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees - and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell - Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn't figured out yet is that she's not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university's idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface...

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results. 

2.

 Lizzie Davenport has been reincarnated from 1815, England ... but she doesn't realize it until she meets her soul mate from the past and he triggers her memories to gradually return.

When Drew Carmichael transfers into Lizzie's high school, she feels a connection to him, like she knows him. But he wants nothing to do with her. Reaching Drew is more difficult because she has a boyfriend, Jeremy, who has become full of himself after being elected co-captain of the varsity soccer team, and her flirtatious best friend Chelsea starts dating Drew soon after his arrival. So why can't she get him out of her mind?

Lizzie knows she should let go of her fascination with Drew, but fighting fate isn’t easy, and she’s determined to unravel the mysteries of the past.

3.

 "Well, that's what I wanted to know, so I thought I would humor the old girl and read it. So I did. I got completely caught up in the characters." Johnathon touched the book's dark emerald green cover.

"Well that's easy enough to do when the characters hear you talking to yourself," Rebecca said.

"It's more than that. You can talk with them too," Johnathon exclaimed.

4.

 Have you ever come face-to-face with the person who hurt you most in your life? That's exactly what happens to Sandra Morgan, a young and beautiful assistant district attorney. She comes face-to-face with the man who abused her when she was a child when he is on trial in the New Orleans Criminal Court-and Morgan is the prosecutor. A shocking courtroom decision consumes her as she battles with her inner demons in an effort to seek the revenge to which she feels entitled. But after the trial of her life, is there really a winner?

5.  Now this is one I haven't actually finished, and I don't know if I will, because it isn't really my type of book, but it is so well written, that I want to share it.  The author sent me a copy, and it's very detailed fantasy, with a wonderfully well-developed world.

 The Vara of Yima, the original Garden of Eden, sealed from the rest of the world and populated with the fittest of men and women. A secret paradise that 150 years ago became ravaged by smog that choked out the skies.

Now the Vara exists in a permanent state of darkness and its people need a champion, a chosen one to save them from the smog that threatens to fill the realm and poison its inhabitants.

That’s what they needed. They got Sammy Ellis instead. She isn’t important enough for her dad to stick around for, never mind saving a realm or junk like that. Her only responsibility was to help the chosen one open the gateway into the Vara, but not only has she entered the realm in their place, she’s also locked them out in the process.

Stuck in a twilight land of giant mushrooms, pursued by dark forces and still in her pyjamas, being unimportant back in the real world is starting to seem way more attractive.

So, those are my top 5 independent author suggestions.  Feel free to check them out if you're interested, and support an indie author.