Saturday, October 22, 2016

Book Blitz and Giveaway - Bravo: Blood Road by Summer Lane


Book info:
Bravo: Blood Road
by:  Summer Lane
(Bravo Saga, #2)
Publication date: October 21st, 2016
Genres: Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult
Bravo and his beloved handler, Lieutenant Nathan Ingalls, are together again amidst the ashes of an apocalyptic California. Together, they are using their skills to help a rebel militia group seek out survivors in the desolation of Death Valley.
But when the Death Brigade – a vicious anarchist group arisen from the dust of a fallen society – rolls into town, tragedy strikes. Someone is taken. Neither Nathan nor Bravo will allow that. The hunt is on – Bravo will not fail in his task to protect his friends.
The Black Market.
Rescuing the people you love sometimes comes with a price. When Bravo and his friend, India, are taken to Blood Road, they are forced to fight for their lives in a terrifying and vicious society of gambling, deceit and violent entertainment.
Alone and afraid, Bravo is forced to fight for his life every day in an arena while cruel spectators make bets on the odds of his victory. His only allies in this dark place could perish as suddenly as he could.
The bonds of friendship are tested, and the agonizing teeth of loss sink their fangs deep.
Life or death. Fight or flight. Bravo must choose.
One mission, completed.
One duty, fulfilled.
And now, the Blood Road will wreak its vengeance.
This is the conclusion to Bravo the bomb dog’s thrilling and poignant tale of love, loss and ultimate sacrifice, a #1 bestselling phenomenon.
EXCERPT:
Bravo was there. He heard Danny scream, tasted the sharp jolt of terror heavy in the air. He came straight for him, sailing like a dark bullet through the night. The coyote did not see him coming. Bravo hit him like an arrow, rage pulsing through his body.
How dare this wolf-thing harm Danny! The fury was a tangible thing, flooding through his veins like a wildfire. He bit the coyote below the mouth, in the soft flesh of the neck, where the lifeblood was.
Take away lifeblood, take away life. That was the law of the fight. Bravo had learned that in the Arena, but it was an unspoken and silently understood fact of instinct. Blood contained life…remove blood, and the enemy would fall.
The coyote yelped and released its hold on Danny. The little boy stumbled backward, crying, while Bravo drug the dog-thing to the ground, holding it there, second by second, as the life drained from it and the hot, salty blood spilled onto his face and stained his fur.
Bravo felt nothing but the storming satisfaction of the bite and the devotion to the kill – the mission. This was his job, to protect Danny at all costs, because Nathan was not here, and because that is what Bravo was: a protector.
promoposter


Author Bio:
Summer Lane is the #1 bestselling author of 14 novels, including books from the hit Collapse Series, Zero Trilogy and Bravo Saga. She is the owner of WB Publishing and Writing Belle, an online magazine devoted to the art of storytelling. Summer is also an accomplished creative writing teacher and experienced journalist.
She lives in the Central Valley of California with her husband, Scott, where she spends her days writing, teaching and writing some more. Summer loves to visit the mountains (nature rocks!), the beach (Hawaii is heaven) and have hot cups of tea with good friends (tea is always a good idea). She also loves dogs and traveling!

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Friday, October 21, 2016

Cover Reveal: Gardenia by Kelsey Sutton

Book Info:
TitleGardenia  
Author:  Kelsey Sutton
Release Date:  February 28th, 2017

About the book:
Seventeen-year-old Ivy Erickson has one month, twenty-seven days, four hours, fifty-nine minutes, and two seconds to live.
Ever since she was a child, Ivy has been able to see countdown clocks over everyone’s heads indicating how long before they will die. She can’t do anything about anyone else’s, nor can she do anything about her own, which will hit the zero hour before she even graduates high school.

A life cut short is tragic, but Ivy does her best to make the most of it. She struggles emotionally with her deep love for on-again, off-again boyfriend Myers Patripski. She struggles financially, working outside of school to help her mom and her sister. And she struggles to cope with the murder of her best friend, another life she couldn’t save. Vanessa Donovan was killed in the woods, and everyone in town believes Ivy had something to do with it.

Then more girls start disappearing. Ivy tries to put her own life in order as she pieces together the truth of who ended Vanessa’s. To save lives and for her own sanity.

The clock is always ticking. And Ivy’s only hope is to expose the truth before it runs out completely.



Quote from Kelsey's Publisher:

"Given the setting of the story and the proximity of Ivy's home to a train depot, we landed on the headlights of an oncoming train as the perfect visual metaphor for Ivy's ability to know when she will die." 


About the Author:
Kelsey Sutton is the author of teen novels SOME QUIET PLACE and GARDENIA. She is also the author of two novels for middle grade readers, THE LONELY ONES and BENJAMIN. She lives in Minnesota, where she received a dual bachelor’s degree in English and Creative Writing from Bemidji State University. She is currently working on a master’s degree from Hamline University. Her work has received an Independent Publisher Book Award, an IndieFab Award, and was selected as a Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013. When not writing, Kelsey can be found watching too much Netflix, ordering a mocha at the nearest coffee shop, or browsing a bookstore. You can like her on Facebook and follow her on Twitter @KelseyJSutton.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6425045.Kelsey_Sutton

Twitter: @KelseyJSutton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Kelsey-Sutton-139415419471775/


Website: www.kelseysuttonbooks.com

Thursday, October 20, 2016

Promo Post: Coastal Spirit (Jungle Eyes Trilogy #3) by Lindsay Marie Miller

Book info:
TitleCoastal Spirit  
Author:  Lindsay Marie Miller
SeriesJungle Eyes Trilogy #3  
Genre:  Romance, Action/Adventure, Historical
Release Date:  October 18th, 2016
Add to Goodreads  

Synopsis:

Stranded in paradise, Henry and Elaine Rochester struggle to stay alive in the third and final installment of the Jungle Eyes Trilogy. Judas remains on the hunt for treasure and blood, while young Louisa has fallen in love with the man who kidnapped her.
When a ship arrives in pursuit of Captain William Pierce, Elaine is captured yet again by a ruthless hunter. Forced to expose the beautiful creatures she adores, Elaine reckons with the painful loss of Jade. But the strangers in the jungle are not who they appear to be. Will everyone make it off the island alive?
 

.99cents for a Limited Time!
BARNES AND NOBLE: http://tinyurl.com/hh9xhwv


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Also Available:
JUNGLE EYES is FREE!
Download today at the following retailers:
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Get ISLAND SMILE for just .99 cents!

BARNES AND NOBLE: http://tinyurl.com/horc54z

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About the Author:
LINDSAY MARIE MILLER graduated from Florida State University Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature. An incurable romantic at heart, she enjoys writing about strong heroines and the honorable gentlemen who claim their hearts. The author resides in her hometown of Tallahassee, FL, where she is currently working on her next novel. 



Connect with Lindsay Marie Miller
 
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**Subscribers receive special offers, exclusive discounts, advanced book chapters, new release announcements and more!**
 

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Audiobook Review: Dirty (Dive Bar #1) by Kylie Scott

Book info:
TitleDirty  
Author:  Kylie Scott
SeriesDive Bar #1  
Genre:  Rock Star Romance
Published:  April 19th, 2016
Source:  Digital audiobook downloaded from public library
My rating:  5 stars

Once again I am blown away by Kylie Scott and her characters.  I love that this book features a character from the Stage Dive series, Vaughan.  My favorite part about that, is that means that one of  my all time favorite book boyfriends gets to  make an appearance, Mal Ericson.  Of course while he is there, he really does steal the story for me.  But anyway, this first book in this series totally brought me into this new world, and I can't wait to meet all the new characters, or find out what is going on with those characters we did meet.

The two main characters are Vaughan and Lydia.  When the story starts, Lydia has just ran out on her wedding after receiving a video of her fiance and his best friend/best man having sex.  She feels humiliated, because she honestly had no idea.  So she sneaks out of the house, and climbs over the fence into the neighbor's yard.  Once there, the only place she can think to hide is to go through a window that was left open on the little house where she's stumbled into the yard.  This window leads into the bathroom, and so as you can imagine, it is a small window, one that she has trouble fitting her wedding dress through.  When she falls in, she falls into a bathtub. And there she sits while trying to hide out until hopefully the people at the wedding stop looking for her.  Only, her luck runs out when the owner of the house gets home.  

Vaughan walks in and turns on the shower without realizing there is a girl in a wedding dress sitting in it.  Now, if you remember Vaughan from the last book in the Stage Dive series, Deep, he isn't shy about being naked in front of people.  Which, as well-endowed as he is said to be, that's probably no wonder.  Of course finding Lydia in his shower is a huge shock, and at first he's kind of ticked off.  But he's a good guy, something we also know from Deep.  So he lets Lydia stay and hide out.  Which works until her fiance and his family come knocking on his door.  

When Lydia is found by the wedding party, she has to explain and give away her fiance's secret to his parents.  Only, it seems as if maybe it isn't a surprise to them.  They had just thought he'd outgrown a phase.  And it turns out that his best friend is who sent the video to Lydia.  And now, the two men decide they are ready to be together.  Punches are thrown, many horrible words are said among the different characters, and the cops are even called.  Fortunately Vaughan is friends with the cop, and is able to convince them to let Lydia stay.  Soon Lydia must figure out whether she will take the family's offer to stay silent about the video and be paid off, or if she will spill the beans and get revenge.  Throughout this whole time she stays with Vaughan, and tries to figure out what to do with her life.  She and Vaughan definitely have a connection.  A physical attraction, and there is the temptation they must fight, each so sure that what they want for their life will not make for a good relationship between them long term.

As with the other books I've read by this author, the characters are all great!  Towards the end there is a point when Vaughan told a story, and it really was just hilarious the way he told it.  And honestly, there is something that really stood out to me and really impressed me with this book.  I don't want to feel like I'm preaching or telling anyone how to think, but my personal belief is that abortion is wrong.  And so when an event in this book happens, unprotected sex, instead of waiting to see what happens and then making a decision, they go get the morning after pill and take care of the issue right there.  Now, I also like that the story doesn't make it seem as taking that pill is just an easy thing, it talks about all the pain and other issues that come with it.  But I give the author kudos for bringing something like this into the story.  I really like the way she handled this situation.  Makes me even more excited to meet her at Apollycon in March!  And now, I'm stuck waiting till April for book two in this series, Twist. 

Now, I just have to wait until 

Waiting on Wednesday: Denton Little's Still Not Dead (Denton Little #2) by Lance Rubin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine where we spotlight upcoming releases that we're eagerly awaiting.  My pick is the sequel to a book that totally blew me away last year, Denton Little's Deathdate.  The way it ended I  knew there just had to be a second book, and I can't wait to see where the author goes with the story. But really, mostly I'm just excited to go back and laugh with the snarky characters and hilarious dialogue!  Here is the blurb from Goodreads: 

You only live once—unless you’re Denton Little!

The good news: Denton Little has lived through his deathdate. Yay! The bad news: He’s being chased by the DIA (Death Investigation Agency), he can never see his family again, and he may now die any time. Huh. Cheating death isn’t quite as awesome as Denton would have thought…

Lance Rubin’s debut novel, Denton Little’s Deathdate, showed readers just how funny and poignant imminent death could be. Now in this sequel, he takes on the big questions about life. How do we cope, knowing we could die at any time? Would you save someone from dying even if they were a horrible person? Is it wrong to kiss the girl your best friend is crushing on if she’s really into you instead? What if she’s wearing bacon lip gloss?


I feel like you can totally tell how funny it is just from that synopsis.  So tell me, what book or books are you eagerly awaiting this week?

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Blog Tour: Review and Giveaway - Glitter by Aprilynne Pike


About the Book:
Title: GLITTER

Author: Aprilynne Pike

Pub. Date: October 25, 2016

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 384
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
 
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Aprilynne Pike comes a truly original new novel—Breaking Bad meets Marie Antoinette in a near-future world where the residents of Versailles live like it’s the eighteenth century and an almost-queen turns to drug dealing to save her own life. 


Outside the palace of Versailles, it’s modern day. Inside, the people dress, eat, and act like it’s the eighteenth century—with the added bonus of technology to make court life lavish, privileged, and frivolous. The palace has every indulgence, but for one pretty young thing, it’s about to become a very beautiful prison.


When Danica witnesses an act of murder by the young king, her mother makes a cruel power play . . . blackmailing the king into making Dani his queen. When she turns eighteen, Dani will marry the most ruthless and dangerous man of the court. She has six months to escape her terrifying destiny. Six months to raise enough money to disappear into the real world beyond the palace gates.
Her ticket out? Glitter. A drug so powerful that a tiny pinch mixed into a pot of rouge or lip gloss can make the wearer hopelessly addicted. Addicted to a drug Dani can sell for more money than she ever dreamed.
But in Versailles, secrets are impossible to keep. And the most dangerous secret—falling for a drug dealer outside the palace walls—is one risk she has to take.  

My Review:
While I'm not a fan of Breaking Bad, I've never even seen the show, the idea of this combined with Marie Antoinette totally grabbed me.  The book grabbed me right away.  I loved hearing about this world, and the mixture of 18th century French traditions and clothing with technology even more advanced than what we have today.  There was just enough information telling about how the world had gotten to this point, and how this little society got set up.  Normally I'm not a big fan of drugs, probably why I don't watch Breaking Bad, but the way it was done in this story made drugs to be the way that I feel they are. Addictive, and not good for people, while also being a very large money-making business.  I liked all the characters.  Even the King was one that you hated him, but also felt a little sorry for him in some situations, until he turned around and showed the very side you'd seen before.  I liked the main character Danica.  She definitely worked well in this story. She wasn't the perfectly innocent and virtuous character as you might often see in this type of story.  I felt that she was much more realistic to her situation.  The only issue I had with this is that the romance at first seemed almost like an after-thought, and when it came into being a bigger part of the story, in a way it felt like it was almost out of place.  I liked the romance, I just had a little issue with it fitting in seamlessly.  As others have mentioned in reviews, if there is a sequel, I would be very excited to read it!  I highly recommend this story!

My rating:  4.5 stars

About the Author:

Aprilynne Pike is a critically acclaimed, #1 New York Times best-selling author of young adult fiction. At the age of twenty she received her BA in Creative Writing from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho. When not writing, Aprilynne can usually be found running; she also enjoys singing, acting, reading, and working with pregnant moms as a childbirth educator and doula. Aprilynne lives in Arizona with her husband and their four children.


Website| Wattpad | Facebook | Twitter |Goodreads    



Giveaway:
  • 3 winners will receive a finished copy of GLITTER, US Only  
    a Rafflecopter giveaway
Tour Schedule:

Week One:

10/17/2016- Tales of theRavenous ReaderInterview
10/18/2016- Lisa Loves LiteratureReview You are here!!!
10/19/2016- Pandora's BooksExcerpt
10/20/2016-  BookHounds YAReview
10/21/2016- Two Chicks on Books- Interview

Week Two:
10/24/2016- Brooke- ReportsReview
10/25/2016- Brittany's Book RamblesGuest Post
10/26/2016- Seeing Double In NeverlandReview
10/27/2016- A Glass Of Wine Blog- Interview
10/28/2016- Mundie MomsReview