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Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Release Day Blitz: The Watcher by Louise James



A classic struggle between good vs. evil! 




The Watcher
(The Ent Chronicles Series, Bk 1)
by Louise James

Blurb:

Long ago a powerful coalition of wizards and witches—The Seven—began a quest to recover hallowed grounds in the Earthling Realm. The day had arrived to claim Hailstone Hamlet! A Dark Wizard, Lord Haydron expects no one to survive the destruction, but he was wrong.

An apprentice Healer miraculously survives with no memory of what occurred but, why was she spared?

Unexpectedly, her locket opens as if by magik, and a cheery old woman speaking in a funny accent appears.

“Come for ye have I. Away from here ye must stay.
Troubles come with darkness of night; The Watcher protects and The Lantern lights.” 

Ewallea assures her that she will remain by her side as they seek answers. Overwhelmed and injured, Amellea passes out only to wake in the arms of a handsome young man, riding upon the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. The Hunter believes she was spared for a purpose and their destinies are entwined. He pledges to help her locate friends and family. 

The feisty beauty and her new companions find themselves on a journey of unexpected adventures to reach an enchanted forest, filled with mischievous fantastical creatures.


Available for purchase at 



Join the Halloween Release Day Party!!
Click here to celebrate the release and have lots fun!






Excerpt 


Chapter Two – Nymph Dreams
      Suddenly, Amellea was all alone in a dream…or she was hallucinating again, she guessed. No one was with her in the forest. The night was bright below a starlit sky. The cool, crisp air was filled with a heady, hypnotic smell from flowers she could not identify.
Startled, Amellea saw three lights she thought must be fireflies zoom past her. The lights glowed and circled around her until they appeared to be a single, large, glowing light. Were those wings she saw? No, it can’t be. She’d heard legends about fairies, but she had never seen one.
      “Legends, humph!” Then, right out of thin air, materialized three beautiful creatures who were no doubt Fairies, glowing as though a light followed them while casting glitter about with each step they took. Amellea was face-to-face with real Fairies—three, to be precise! “Amazing…”
      “Hootie-whooo, look at you! Sisters, I think she is a beauty, even to rival our Ewa. Well, do you have anything to say for yourself?” The surly Nymph pranced around Amellea, inspecting her. Amellea just watched, completely dumbfounded, as the glowing Fairy addressed her.
      “Lylahbelle, honestly! Do not taunt the fair maiden. Can’t you see she has been hurt? She’s had a terrible shock!” Annabelle, the dark-haired Nymph and clearly the oldest of the three sisters, chided.
      “Merabelle is not jealous. No, you would not even look at a Halfling sideways, even if he is Chief Hunter and leader of the RealmWalkers.
Are you Annabelle? This one certainly does enjoy the comforts of Maleek’s strong arms. He seems to enjoy looking at her, too. Her hair is the color of sunset and soft as corn silk.”
Lylahbelle continued her inspection of Amellea, touching her hair. “But…it is very tangled.”
Merabelle sensed explosive energy radiating off Amellea. The two Nymphs looked at each other, and with a nod, they grabbed Amellea’s arms, preventing her swing from contacting with Lylahbelle’s face.
Amellea struggled and could not free her arms from the delicate but very strong Nymphs. Electric sparks snapped and crackled around them.
      “Why did you try to hurt me…you, you, you dirty Earthling?” Lylahbelle thought.  You will pay dearly for this indiscretion; if not today, very soon.
      “Uh-oh…we are being summoned.” Annabelle and Merabelle released her arms and stepped closer to Lylahbelle.
      “I don’t think I like Fairies at all; you are rude!” Amellea stomped her foot. Annabelle and Merabelle looked at each other, moving between the adversaries and stepping closer to Lylahbelle.
      “Uh-oh, this can’t be good!” Merabelle exclaimed, reaching for her sister. She could see the volcanic tongue-lashing Lylah had planned to explode on Amellea.
      “We. Are. Not. Peedie. Folk. Thank. You. Very. Much!” Lylahbelle screamed. “Nymphs are who we are. I could sing you straight to your death! You silly Earthlings know nothing of the power we wield.”
      Amellea straightened her shoulders, rising to her full height, albeit shorter than the Nymph. “No. I just decided. I don’t like ‘Nymphs,’ if they are as rude as you are, Lylahbelle! Now you three get out of my ‘dream’ or ‘head’ before I punch ‘you,’ Lylah, in the face. You just go wherever you came from before I use some of this electricity pouring out of my hands and zap you with it!”
Amellea wiggled her fingers, reaching out toward the Nymph as sparks crackled from the tips. “I hope I have this Magik gift when I am awake. It might come in handy.”
      “The Earthlings do not know much about Magik folk. I am sure she meant no harm, Lylah. Do not continue to provoke her now, because we have work to do. The Watcher calls, sisters. We must not delay,” Annabelle spoke with authority and smiled kindly at Amellea.
“We three will receive Ewa’s ire when she finds out we visited the Earthling’s dreams. She warned us to be on our best behavior, sisters.” Annabelle reached for her sisters’ hands, moving a safe distance away from Amellea. The Nymphs rotated in a circle as the clock hands moved once, then rotated in the opposite direction twice, repeating the motion faster and faster. With each rotation, the three became smaller and smaller until they were just tiny glowing dots. Fireflies, just like the first time Amellea saw the Nymphs.
      “Quick! Hit her with the dust so she will go back to sleep, thinking this was all a bad dream. Don’t use too little dust or she will remember us when she wakes!” cautioned Annabelle, but Lylahbelle smirked and shook her wings vigorously as the three retreated to see the Watcher.
      “I know just what to dust her with, sisters! I have the perfect remedy!”
Lylahbelle had no qualms about using the strongest sleep remedy she knew to take care of Amellea. She could be the next Sleeping Beauty. Her sisters could not blame her for taking care of an Earthling slandering her race and attempting to harm her. No matter if she deserved it. Ewallea would never know, unless her palsy-walsy sister, Merabelle, spilled the beans.
“My goose is cooked. Merabelle will spill. I better lay low for a while until this all blows over.” Lylah had a plan.
<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE



About The Author


 I am a creative, loquacious Southern artist who has always liked to tell a good story. After I retired as a public and collegiate art educator, I needed to reinvent myself.  Thanks to the encouragement of professionals, friends and family, and God’s amazing grace, I have found a new passion—writing fantasy and paranormal stories.
I have always been a mental traveler, reading books and physically traveling across much of the USA and Canada. I have been actively writing for three years, publishing late in 2017. It is my hope that my novels reach across generations, entertaining multiple audiences. I want my readers to escape through fantasy to mentally travel to other worlds and to find a smile, friend or foe written between the pages of the stories I write. It is my sincere hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing! –lj




You can connect with Louise James at




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Friday, October 27, 2017

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: Haunting Magic By Neely Powell



The highly anticipated second book of The Witches of New Mourne Series, HAUNTING MAGIC is now available! 




Haunting Magic
(The Witches of New Mourne, book 2)
by Neely Powell

Blurb:

Fiona Burns is a witch who sees dead people. Bailey Powers sees her as the next cable star—and a fake. Even so, she’s tempted by the dynamic producer in more ways than one.
But she has a big distraction—a vicious curse on her family coven.

The ghosts of New Mourne warn of the return of the Woman in White, a vengeful spirit who claims the life of a Connelly witch from every generation. In fighting back, Fiona unwittingly fuels the demonic forces, and black magic brings death and heartbreak to her family.

Initially a skeptic, Bailey is soon caught up in her supernatural battle with forces of evil. He’s also beginning to think Fiona can help him escape his haunting past. 

With magic and mayhem at war and survival on the line, the Witches of New Mourne face a new challenge from their ancient foe. Will another generation fall? Or does the curse end here?


Available for purchase at 


Excerpt


Fiona’s cape billowed though the air was still, heavy, and hot.

She took out a long, curved knife, drew a circle at her feet and crossing marks. She placed five candles around her—red, orange, purple, violet, and yellow—and raised her hand. The candles flamed bright, and Bailey blinked. How had she done that?

He saw storm clouds gather in what had been a clear, blue sky.

Fiona looked like a beautiful red bird getting ready to rise to the sky. The wind roared, a sound amplified in the oppressive silence. She began to chant.

The ground on the ridge in front of her fell away in big chunks. When the trembling stopped, a dark opening had been torn into the land. Fiona walked in.

Bailey remained on his knees, stunned. She had just moved a mountain.

Foreboding washed through him as he scrambled toward the cave’s entrance. He had to stop Fiona or something terrible would happen.


Just inside the opening, he started to call out. Then he heard a sound behind him and whirled. Pain shot through his head. His legs buckled, and the world went black.


The Witches of New Mourne Series


Awakening Magic
Bk #1


Purchase at 




About The Author


Neely Powell is the pseudonym for co-writers Leigh Neely and Jan Hamilton Powell. Long-time friends, they’re the authors of “The Witches of New Mourne” a paranormal series about a family coven, a centuries’ old curse and an enchanted town. AWAKENING MAGIC is available from The Wild Rose Press, and now HAUNTING MAGIC continues the story. Their first paranormal novel, TRUE NATURE, is also available from The Wild Rose Press.



Giveaway







Presented by 



Wednesday, October 25, 2017

Release Day: Third Rail by Santino Hassell

Third Rail 
(A Five Boroughs Collection)
by Santino Hassell

Blurb:

Third Rail can be read as a standalone but chronologically takes place after Interborough in the Five Boroughs series.

Christopher Mendez has always known his sexual identity had a swerve. No straight guy would have low-key lusted after his childhood best friend, right? Unfortunately, a combination of insecurity and overall lack of game has prevented him from further exploring his sexuality. That changes once he agrees to participate in a photoshoot for a queer dating app and meets Jace Fairbairn.

Jace is beautiful, fey-like, and in an open polyamorous relationship with his gorgeous linebacker-looking husband Aiden. Once they set eyes on Chris, they’re instantly in lust and determined to broaden his sexual horizons. But what’s supposed to be a straight-forward sexual encounter gets complicated once a one-night-stand has repeat performances, and Jace and Aiden begin to fall in love.

This collection of shorts explores the start of a relationship that eventually blossoms into something the three men realize they cannot do without. 



Available for purchase at 


*Amazon is currently listing the price at 99 Cents.
Please know the author is working on having the price set to FREE. 



Excerpt


We took the train into Queens, which surprised me. I had it in my head that people like Aiden, who were in the same category as Caleb, Ashton, and Meredith, took cabs or slick town cars everywhere. My rich people hookup fantasy was shattered once he led me to the subway with the rest of the suckers.

“This would have been way cooler if you’d had a car downstairs waiting for us,” I confided as we descended the steps to the subway. “Like you in your suit and me with my fifty-pound backpack getting in a black Lincoln. That would have been tight as fuck.”

Aiden slipped his Metro Card from his pocket, snickering. “What, you thought this was some Fifty Shades of Queer set up?”

“Yup. Do you have a play room?”

“My entire apartment is a play room, bro. Have you met my husband? We don’t exactly keep it to one location in the house.”

“Good for you. I’m lucky if I get any action in my own damn bed with my right hand.”

We walked towards the E train, our conversation lost in the rush of bodies moving around us. He could have started describing exactly what they did in every corner of their place and nobody around us would have given a single fuck. But that was New York for you, and it was why I loved it.







About The Author



Santino Hassell was raised by a conservative family but grew up to be a smart-mouthed, school cutting grunge kid, a transient twenty-something, and eventually transformed into a grumpy introvert and unlikely romance author with an affinity for baseball caps. His novels are heavily influenced by the gritty, urban landscape of New York City, and his desire to write relationships fueled by intensity and passion.

He’s been a finalist in both the Bisexual Book Awards and the EPIC Awards, and was nominated for a prestigious RITA award in 2017. His work has been featured in BuzzFeed, Huffington Post, Washington Post, RT Magazine, and Cosmopolitan Magazine.


Connect with Santino

Website | Twitter | Instagram | FB Group | FB | Tumblr | Goodreads | Amazon

Monday, October 23, 2017

Release Day & Giveaway: Hard Wood by Lauren Blakely

 

From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely, comes a hot and hilarious standalone romance about what happens when you have one week to convince your best friend’s little sister that you’re the one for her. What could possibly go wrong? It looks like things are about to get hard in the woods...Don’t miss the laugh-out-loud and insanely hot story, HARD WOOD!

Now available on all retailers! Grab your copy today, and get HARD WOOD in your hands!

   
 

✮✮✮ HARD WOOD is here! Grab your copy today! ✮✮✮

From #1 NYT Bestselling author Lauren Blakely comes a hot & hilarious new standalone romantic comedy...

Women often say a good man is hard to find. And a hard man is even better.

That's why I'm quite a catch-- good, hard, loaded, and wait for it...I'm ready to settle down too. But the woman I want to pitch my tent with lives clear across the country. Neither of us wants to get lost in those woods. All I have to do is resist her for the week she's in town.

I try. I swear I try. But yeah, that doesn't work out.

And after one fantastic night with my good friend Mia, I'm ready to give her years of nights under the stars. What's a few thousand miles when love's involved? But there's a hitch in my plans -- she just hired my adventure tour company. If there's one thing I'm committed to, it's running a squeaky clean business. Number one on my list of iron-clad rules?

Don't screw your customers.

But what's a guy to do when she's so hard to resist? How hard can it be to keep our hands off each other for a quick group tour down the hills and over the trails? I'm about to find out, and I have a feeling I'm going to need a new badge of honor because things are about to get very hard in the woods.

You can find this sexy standalone romantic comedy available across all retailers now!

Kindle US http://amzn.to/2y0GDvA

Kindle UK http://amzn.to/2xXwncq

Kindle CA http://amzn.to/2zsvfdd

Kindle AU http://amzn.to/2gvLhLS

iBooks http://apple.co/2xoVy6k

Kobo http://bit.ly/2tIJoQo

Nook http://bit.ly/2gLRTJ2

Google Play http://bit.ly/2x5DHPH

Amazon PB http://amzn.to/2y0PZaS

Amazon Audio http://amzn.to/2y1gCMU

Audible http://amzn.to/2y1gCMU

   
 

✦ The audiobook is narrated by Sebastian York! Get your copy today! ✦ Audible * Amazon Audio


Excerpt


I haven’t seen Mia in almost a month, since the last time she was in town staying with Max. I didn’t realize she’d be back a full week before her other brother Chase’s wedding, and am I ever glad to see her again.

She makes all parts of me quite happy indeed.

By happy, I mean hard as a rock.

Okay, fine. It’s not like I’m operating at full power this second. I’m thirty-three, not fifteen. I have plenty of self-control in the “when and where to pitch a tent” arena. All I’m saying is this woman gets me going, and I feel that zip down my body when I see her.

She’s on the phone, her eyebrows pinched, her expression harried. She drags her hand through her caramel-blond hair. As I walk closer, I hear her say, “I understand. Yes, I understand. Things happen.”

And that’s the sound of someone being disappointed.

Which is a terrible thing for this sexy-as-a-fiery-sunset woman to experience.

When she stops and ends her call, she spots me. She tilts her head, her eyes piercing, her brow furrowed, and her dimples killing me with cuteness. Her eyes roam from me to Zeus, and then she points at my boy. “I don’t know if anyone has told you this . . .”

I raise my eyebrows. “Tell me. What could it possibly be?”

Her eyes drift to the ground then back up. In a deadpan tone, she says, “But there’s a cat in your hat? Well, on your back, actually.”

“There is?” I crane my neck to peer over my shoulder. “You’re right. How did he get there?”

She parks her hands on her hips. “You’re in big trouble.”

“I’ve been bad, have I?”

She pushes my shoulder then wags her finger at me. “How did you keep this from me?”

I quirk an eyebrow. “The fact that there’s an awesome new Italian place down the street? It opened last month, and I planned to tell you.”

She huffs, rolling her eyes. “I’ve known you for months and you didn’t tell me you had a cat. Friends don’t hide pets from friends.”

She’s not in town that often. She hasn’t ever been to my apartment. And I don’t take Zeus upstairs to Max’s. But I’m not going to state the obvious. I’m going to have a little fun with her. Flirt with her. Because . . . that’s what we do.

“There’s a reason for that.”

Her eyes go wide, and she taps her toe, waiting. I drag a hand through my hair. Evie says my light brown hair is floppy, and she tells me this is a good thing. The ladies love floppy hair, she says. She’s been right so far. My hair’s been a big hit with the ladies, and other parts have, too.

“It’s a good reason,” I add.

“I’m waiting, Patrick. This really isn’t the type of intel you should hold back.”

I heave a sigh as if I’m going to make a huge admission, then I park a hand on her shoulder. Because, well, I’m a sneaky bastard and I’ll look for any opening to touch her. “Look, I’m going to be blunt. If I told you I had a hiking cat who rides shotgun in a backpack and can purr like he’s a jazz superstar, you’d have had no choice but to fall in love with me.”




   
 

Hard Wood is the kind of heart-racing, hope soaring, face-flushing love story that I love to read! It was sexy, romantic, funny and an absolute pleasure to read.” ~Red Cheeks Reads

"HARD WOOD was such an adorable love story! A hot guy and his famous cat looking for their happily ever after ... Perfect #RomCom!" ~Bianca at BJ’s Book Blog

   
 

"I never fail to fall in love with Lauren Blakely's stories. Hard Wood is a swoony romance that will warm your heart and possibly other body parts." ~Peggy Lee, Reading Keeps Me Sane Book Blog


Add it to Goodreads here! http://bit.ly/2uAoPJW

   
 

And don’t miss Lauren Blakely’s other standalone Romantic Comedies!

BIG ROCK MISTER O WELL HUNG FULL PACKAGE JOY RIDE

   
 

✮✮✮ Enter to win this amazing HARD WOOD GIVEAWAY! ✮✮✮

The HARD WOOD Urban Adventure Pack ($380 value) is filled with:

A stylish Michael Kors backpack for when a purse is not enough for your shopping adventture

$50 Gift Card to The Body Shop to pamper yourself after a long day

Your very own plush Zeus to snuggle with

A Smores Making Kit for a backyard adventure

http://laurenblakely.com/hard-wood-giveaway/


About Lauren Blakely: A #1 New York Times Bestselling author, Lauren Blakely is known for her contemporary romance style that's hot, sweet and sexy. She lives in California with her family and has plotted entire novels while walking her dogs. With fourteen New York Times bestsellers, her titles have appeared on the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Bestseller Lists more than eighty times, and she's sold more than 2 million books. In October, she'll release HARD WOOD, the final standalone romantic comedy in the Big Rock series. To receive an email when Lauren releases a new book, sign up for her newsletter! laurenblakely.com/newsletter


     

Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Audiobook Review: The Truth About Lennon by K. L. Grayson

The Truth About Lennon
By K.L. Grayson
Narrated by: Kai Kennicott & Wen Ross

Blurb: 
Lennon Barrick-St. James is making headlines as New York City's hottest new socialite. Only she isn't new at all. One well-intentioned night gone horribly wrong has landed the daughter of vice presidential candidate Christopher St. James on the front page of every newspaper and magazine in the country.

Forced by her father to stay out of the limelight, Lennon flees to the quiet town of Heaven, Texas, where she vows to lie low and avoid men. Well, except for the sexy biker she just ran off the road - she definitely won't be avoiding him.

Noah Cunningham already has one girl in his life, and he sure as hell doesn't need another. Especially the beautiful and sinfully sweet angel that just descended upon the quiet little town he calls home.

The only problem is that the more time he spends with Lennon, the more he wants to be with her. And that's just not going to work for Noah. He's already been burned once, and he's not so sure he's ready to go down that road again.

Noah has spent the last five years putting his life back together after secrets and lies ripped it apart. So what will happen when he learns the truth about Lennon?


Available for purchase at 




Viviana's Review:

Doing things a bit differently for this one... Two "firsts" for me with THE TRUTH ABOUT LENNON.... first time reading/listening to a new to me author K.L. Grayson and first time listening to the narrators Kai Kennicott & Wen Ross. This is perfect example on how a Narrator can totally introduce readers to authors. I had seen the cover but didn't place it on my TBR or Wish list, you know, so many books not enough time. Enter narrator Wen Ross.... he was a guest on one of the FB groups I'm in and I had the opportunity to listen to the video (multi-tasker here) and he has a great voice and did a few accents and well, I was definitely curious and looked at his catalog on Audible and checked out some additional samples. This is also where I got to listen to Kai and I really enjoyed her voice! Enter a mutual friend and I'm provided with the opportunity to review a book narrated by Wen and Kai. How did I decide? Accent! A good/great accent can make it or break it for me and Wen does a great "southern drawl" accent and when I learned this is one where the accent would be used... SOLD! lol Okay now to do a review on the book and then the narrators! :)

THE TRUTH ABOUT LENNON is a standalone story that is sweet, sexy and includes an adorable 5 year old and the main characters' two BFFs that I hope get their own story. This is an "insta-love" and a secret that wouldn't have been THAT big of deal if the main character would have just been honest from the beginning. We, the reader, learns what that secret is way in the beginning. Before the truth is revealed Noah has finally opened his heart and Lennon is shown that there are decent human beings out in the world and that she can be who she wants to be regardless of what is expected of her.

Remember that I said this was an insta-love, there were a few moments where I laughed because Noah was trying so hard to stay away. Lennon was also funny in her persistence to get Noah to allow her help him. They definitely have chemistry and the attraction is there.  I feel that this would have been a better story if there was a bit more of "getting to know you" and tension between the two before BAM the insta-love occurred. But hey... tropes, right? 

As with any good romance, their HEA occurs and its a matter of allowing conversations to occur and listening to each other vs. letting emotions get in the way. I have a hard time believing and liking the insta-loves when one minute he's declaring his love and how he knows her and the minute they have a conflict arise, he's angry, not listening to her, believing others and walks away. As I said, once conversations occurred, things were fixed and we have our HEA. 

Narrators' Review: 
THE TRUTH ABOUT LENNON is narrated in duet form, meaning that the male narrator narrates all the male characters and the female narrator narrates all the female characters. Its like having them do a performance so when they are bantering and cut each other off, they really do. If you're used to sole narrators or dual narration, it may take a little bit to get used to the interaction but worth the investment of the listener. THE TRUTH ABOUT LENNON truly benefits from this style!  

Kai has this ability to bring to life the sarcasm of the characters! She executes the perfect pitch and tone that I'm like "Ohhhh loving the smartassness"! Then she brings the deeper, heart wrenching emotions to the listener that it allows you to feel for the character! 

Wen... did I mention the sexy southern drawl? lol Aside from the sexy accent, Wen's performance is totally on point! He provides each of the characters their own tones/voices and like Kai is able to bring emotions to the characters causing the listener to connect with the character. 

Kai & Wen are a great team as they play off each others' strength and provide an extra dimension to the characters and the overall story.  

Overall, I'm extremely happy that I discovered a new author that I will be checking out their book list and have totally added both Kai and Wen to my list of narrators that rock! I really liked the story and really hope their BFFs get their own story! 


Rating: 
Story: 3 Stars - I liked it!
Narrators' Performance: 4 Stars - Loved it! 
Overall rating: 3.5 Stars - I really liked it! 


Rating; 3.5 Stars - I Really Liked It! 




Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Narrator's Team, in exchange for an honest review. This review is my own opinion and not a paid review.