The Curse Merchant Blog Tour: Excerpt

The Curse Merchant (The Dark Choir #1)
Author: J.P. Sloan
Genre: Urban Fantasy Noir
Publisher: Self-published
Format: Ebook
Words: 83,000

Purchase: Amazon | Smashwords

Book Description: 

Dorian Lake has spent years cornering the Baltimore hex-crafting market, using his skills at the hermetic arts to exact karmic justice for those whom the system has failed. He keeps his magic clean and free of soul-corrupting Netherwork, thus avoiding both the karmic blow-back of his practice and the notice of the Presidium, a powerful cabal of practitioners that polices the esoteric arts in America. However, when an unscrupulous Netherworker interferes with both his business and his personal life, Dorian's disarming charisma and hermetic savvy may not be enough to keep his soul out of jeopardy.

His rival, a soul monger named Neil Osterhaus, wouldn't be such a problem were it not for Carmen, Dorian's captivating ex-lover. After two years' absence Carmen arrives at Dorian’s doorstep with a problem: she sold her soul to Osterhaus, and has only two weeks to buy it back. Hoping to win back Carmen's affections, Dorian must find a replacement soul without tainting his own. As Dorian descends into the shadows of Baltimore’s underworld, he must decide how low he is willing to stoop in order to save Carmen from eternal damnation... with the Presidium watching, waiting for him to cross the line. 

I slid into the Cadillac, inspecting the interior for anything that could inflict bodily damage upon my person. Malosi slipped into the driver's seat, and pulled the car into a U-turn in the middle of Amity Street.
I watched Malosi as he turned north onto the MLK expressway, pondering the man. I wondered how deeply Malosi had delved into Osterhaus' world.
"You're a practitioner," I stated.
"I've been trained in the necessities. Just to do my job."
"Where did you receive your training, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Mister Osterhaus. Everyone in his employ has a basic understanding of hermetic theory."
"How many people are in his employ?"
Malosi lifted a brow behind his sunglasses.
"Enough."
"Just you, then?"
"Like I said."
I looked out my window, watching as the taller buildings of downtown Baltimore cast their shadows over us. This wasn't going to be a long drive.
"Do you have any advice for me?" I asked.
"Advice?"
"For talking to Osterhaus."
He cocked his head and considered the question for a moment, before responding, "Be polite."
He drove up Light Street and stopped in an alley between a tall bank building and a red brick row house. I tried to step out, but the door was locked. I had to wait until Malosi opened the door from the outside.
Once free of the Cadillac, I looked up and down Light Street, the clear sky above slowly succumbing to a front of overcast clouds. Malosi gestured me
towards a flight of steps dropping below the street in the alley, leading to a basement entrance to the red brick building. At the base of the steps was a thick iron door with a wrought bronze knocker. Malosi pulled the handle and pushed the door open with a loud scrape.
"Watch your head," he muttered as I stepped into the dark room beyond the door. A low-hanging wood case crossed the lintel, and I eyed it as I entered Osterhaus' basement office.
Malosi closed the door, and my eyes adjusted slowly to the dim light. The case above the door was part of an intricate series of bookcases and display cabinets with leaded glass doors that wrapped two walls. The near wall to my right was covered in a tapestry depicting what I imagined was a scene of the Crusades. A solid, finely carved wood desk sat near the far wall, leather-topped and well-polished.
The room was dim, lit only by two gas coach lamps that flickered in a cased opening that lead to stairs slipping up and out of view into the building above.
Malosi pulled one of two green leather chairs from the front of Osterhaus' desk and held out his hand.
"Have a seat. I'll fetch Mister Osterhaus."
I nodded, and watched as Malosi disappeared up the flight of stairs with heavy footfalls.
The room was thick with the smell of frankincense. I recognized the aroma, though it was laced with other sharper scents I couldn't pick out. Cedar, perhaps. Something for wardings.
As I squinted up at the glass displays, I noticed several vials of blown glass set in neat rows upon the glass shelving. They resembled perfume bottles, the kind one buys at tourist friendly kiosks in Venice. I was on the verge of piecing together all manner of theories regarding the contents of those vials when I heard the upstairs door open, and two pairs of footsteps descending.
I stood up in time to see a short, thin man step into the room from the cased opening. He had a wiry frame, almost shriveled as if elderly, though his face and
eyes were sharp. He had a hawk-like brow, jutting over clear blue eyes, sending bushy gray eyebrows up at angles towards a receding salt-and-pepper hairline.
He parted his thin, crooked lips and said, "Dorian Lake, I presume?"
"Osterhaus?"
His eyes narrowed, and he looked back at Malosi with a nod before proceeding into the room and behind his desk.
"Believe it or not, Mister Lake," he continued as he slid into his chair, "I've been meaning to speak with you for some time now."
I took my seat, giving Malosi a sidelong glance, making sure he wasn't holding a shotgun or baseball bat.
"That a fact?"
He stared at me with those piercing eyes, and the more I took him in, the more I realized that I really hated this man.

I am a storyteller, eager to transport the reader to strange yet familiar worlds. My writing is dark, fantastical, at times stretching the limits of the human experience, and other times hinting at the monsters lurking under your bed. I write science fiction, urban fantasy, horror, and several shades in between.

I am a husband and a father, living in the “wine country” of central Maryland. I’m surrounded by grapevines and cows. During the day I commute to Baltimore, and somehow manage to escape each afternoon with only minor scrapes and bruises. I am also a homebrewer and a certified beer judge. My avocations dovetail nicely!

Website/Blog | Twitter: @J_P_Sloan | Facebook |

Kavachi's Rise Blog Tour: Excerpt

Kavachi's Rise (The Devouring #1)
Author: Mike Kearby

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Publisher: Damnation Books
Paperback/Ebook
Words: 56,000


Purchase: Damnation Books | Amazon |


Book Description:


A Dark Secret. Thomas Morehart and his sister, Kara are vampyre, not the undead, but creatures evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to mimic their prey, man. Then - rescued from a Nazi Prison Camp, Thomas and Kara are brought to the U.S. and forced to work inside government-owned mortuaries. Now -betrayed by the government sixty-seven years later, Thomas and Kara are in a race against time to transform back to their feral states or risk Exsanguination by government sanctioned hit squads. 

The soldiers knew this lieutenant. Knew of him, anyway. Nikolai Borisoff was his Russian name, but if all the rumors were true, nobody knew his real name. Others of his kind referred to him as, “Rom baro,” the big man. But in the stories he was known simply as the necromancer hunter.
“Shall we put him in with the others, sir?” one soldier asked.
Nikolai ignored the question and squared himself off to stand face-to-face with the prisoner. He stared into the darkness of the creature’s eyes. “How do you write yourself?” he asked in Amria.
The creature stopped rocking. He looked up and opened a dark pit of a mouth. A word tumbled out: “Death.”
Nikolai frowned, “But where are the others?”
Death tilted his head right and left, like a confused animal trying to make sense of an unfamiliar sound. After several seconds of the head movement, he parted leathery lips and emitted a rattling laugh.
“Others?”
“Yes, the others, like yourself.”
“Killed, dead. All meat.”
“In the showers?”
“A death they would have welcomed.”
Nikolai leaned back. He stared across his left shoulder, down the rows of barracks where the camp’s prisoners were being assembled. The 48thhad found only a handful of them, yet intelligence had said there would be thousands. Reports had indicated as many as twenty thousand. He turned back to Death.
“Where?” he asked.
Death lifted his chin toward the camp entrance. “There,” he whispered. “Only a short way from the death gate. Toward the sea.”
Nikolai looked past the gathered prisoners and through the opened gates of the camp. Pine and aspen lined the road for as far as he could see. He turned back, questioning, “In the woods?”
“In the ground.”
Nikolai frowned. “Can you show me?”
Death shook his head. “I prefer here. It’s very bad luck to go to that place.”
“Why?”
Death began to rock again. “It’s a madhouse filled with all kinds of madness.”
Nikolai studied Death’s face. “Then you’ve been there?”
Death wagged a finger in Nikolai’s direction. “Oh, I went there once. It might even have been twice or maybe three times. I can’t be sure, for the madness takes away one’s sensibility.”
“And your job there?”
“I helped push the carts back to this camp.”
“Back? What had been on the carts before?”
“Creatures.”
“And when you returned?”
“Shoes…and pyjamas…and hair.”
“And what of those who once wore the shoes and pyjamas and hair?”
Death rested his chin against his knees once more and resumed his monotonous cantillate. Then, just as quickly, stopped. It looked up at Nikolai. Its pupils contracted. “Porrajmos!”
Nikolai narrowed his eyes and pinched his bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. His gaze darted back to the front gate and to the forests outside. “Are you saying violate?”
Death’s face twisted. He screamed again, “Porrajmos!”
Nikolai shook his head and released his lip. “To open? To open one’s mouth?”
Death stopped rocking and stared ahead, rigid. His pupils dilated back to their dead state. He exhaled a short breath, then pushed his right index finger into a spot just below his right ear and directly above his jawbone. He held his finger in the spot for several breaths, as if to make sure Nikolai understood, then slowly dragged the finger down his neck to his collarbone.
Nikolai watched, fascinated at the visual. “Rip open?” he uttered.
Death shook his head, exasperated, exhaled a rattling breath, and motioned with an outstretched finger for Nikolai to lean close.
Nikolai stooped forward and turned an ear toward Death’s mouth.
A gush of stagnant air rushed from the man’s lips and flowed across Nikolai’s cheek and nose.
Nikolai jerked away from the dead gas -- and from the two words that had drifted on the offensive fumes. He sucked in a quick breath and jerked the pilotka from his head.
Death nodded blindly, as if pleased, and then started rocking again.
Nikolai could only stare at the living corpse swaying in front of him.
Porrajmos.
Such a simple word.
And when translated into Russian, two words: The devouring.

About the Author:

From Wikipedia: Mike Kearby (born 1952) is an American novelist and inventor. Since 2005, Kearby has published ten novels, one graphic novel, and written two screenplays: (2011) Boston Nightly, with fellow writer Paul Bright and (2012) The Devouring. Boston Nightly is scheduled for filming in the spring of 2013.

Kearby was born in Mineral Wells, Texas, and received a B.S. from North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas) in 1972. He taught high school English and reading for 10 years and created ""The Collaborative Novella Project"" The project allows future authors to go through the novel writing process from idea to published work.
""Ambush at Mustang Canyon"" was a finalist for the 2008 Spur Awards.
""A Hundred Miles to Water"" was awarded the 2011 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Best Adult Fiction.
“Texas Tales Illustrated” was awarded the 2012 Will Rogers Medallion Award for Best YA Non-Fiction.

Website | Twitter | Blog | 

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Derailed Tour: Review & Giveaway

 

Derailed (Clayton Falls #1)
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Ebook/Paperback
Words: Approx. 55,000
Publication Date: September 26, 2012


Book Description:

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.

Broken over the death of her fiancé, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.

Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible. 


Review:

In Derailed, a new adult contemporary romance, Molly's life is in ruins after the death of her fiance, Adam. She feels lost and alone, especially after dropping out of law school. Without anywhere else to go, Molly returns to her small hometown in North Carolina. Unexpectedly, she finds herself becoming more and more like the girl she used to be and also finds herself falling for the guy from her past. Will Molly's trip home be the key to her future?

This novel is a realistic look into the heart and mind of a twenty-something woman who has lost everything dear to her, as well as her way in life. Although the story is filled with heartbreaking pain and despair, which the author portrays in such a detailed way that the reader feels Molly's every emotion along with her, the light of hope also fills its pages. It's a story of finding oneself and beginning a new future - which is something that all readers can easily identify with. The novel is very well written and easily captivates the heart and mind of the reader from the very beginning. The characters are all very real and written in a way that makes you feel like you've known them forever. Although I normally don't like contemporary romances, the author did such a wonderful job with the engaging plot, underlying themes, and beautiful writing that I was won over early on. This is a wonderful new contemporary series from a very talented writer and one that I highly recommend.

 

About the Author:

Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand. 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads |

 

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Above the Universe Below Tour: Review & Giveaway!

 

Above the Universe Below
Author: Elias Barton
Genre: Fantasy, Dark
Publisher: Iron Glass Press
Ebook/Paperback
Pages: 332


Purchase:  
Amazon US (Kindle) | Amazon (Print) | Amazon UK (Kindle)


Book Description:

 
For two years running (2011 & 2012) Above the Universe Below was was a semi-finalist in Amazon.com's Breakthrough Novel Award and Publishers Weekly:


"Brilliant writing carries this pleasantly odd tale of an agoraphobic artist, Carder Quevedo... Carder's road is not an easy one, but readers will be rooting for him in this unusual and beautifully written book."


An agoraphobic artist in our world but a grim reaper in another, Carder Quevedo hides at home, immersing himself in the paintings which commemorate the strange deaths he's witnessed. He ventures into public only when necessary, scrambling to his hospital job to extract corneas from deceased donors or darting to the diner to share a meal with Darren, his only friend. That's Carder's existence - and he's content.


Until...


Haika changes that. As the bored, beautiful owner of an art gallery - who also happens to be married - she stumbles into Carder in a chance encounter and soon becomes obsessed with his art. As they forge a quirky, electric relationship, Carder is reluctantly pulled into Haika's social world of wealth, status and the peculiar characters that come with it. 

Carder is pushed further to the edge when his teenage niece visits, rebelling against her ultra-conservative upbringing. All the while, Carder's hidden history threatens to ruin his developing chance at normalcy, and on the opening night of his art gallery show, his past finally catches up to his present and wreaks havoc upon them all.

Haika’s mouth is obscured behind an empty Styrofoam cup riddled with repeating arches of gentle teeth-marks she’s bitten into it like colorless rainbows perforating white sky. She meets Carder’s gaze with a mischievous smile, enjoying the role of spectator and anthropologist. She’s relaxed, as if sitting in a bubble bath with a goblet of wine in hand, reading this all in a novel someone lent her.

Love.

That’s what Haika is: love. Not just love for Mike or art or New York. Haika is love in every moment. She’s loving to Carder, to his relatives, to the Carlisle boys. But she’s more. She’s love in the cloudless sky above, in the honey she brought for tea, in the music she tries to soundtrack Carder’s life with, in the thrift-store clothes she’s wearing, in the ascot knotted at her chin, in her bare feet sliding through what would once have been war-torn grass, in the sadness sometimes hiding in the corners of her lips. She brings love to every moment… something Carder has never seen in another person. Ever. He obsesses over every detail, and gulps down the harrowing thought that he’ll one day lose her. He tries to be love like Haika is, to laze on the hammock of friendship hanging from her eyes right now. He fills with gratitude. This has actually happened. She had actually been in his life, and no one can take that away. Carder could live off it for decades and fully plans to.



Review:

Above the Universe Below is a dark fantasy novel that follows the main character, Carder, through his strange personal life in New York City as well as the dark universe he is able to travel to in his mind. Carder has tried his whole life to keep his two worlds as far apart as he can, but deep down he fears that one day they will come crashing together with devastating results. 

I was intrigued by the description and premise of this novel, and I'm really glad to say that it surpassed all of my expectations. At once odd and unique, yet beautifully written with wry humor thrown into the mix - I was immediately entranced in its pages. I have never come across a novel like this one before, and I'm actually at somewhat of a loss on how to describe it. It is extremely well written - with striking descriptions and astonishingly enthralling prose. It isn't a book that you quickly read through and forget, but one that you meander through at leisure, soaking up every bit of literary pleasure. The plot is unlike anything else out there and is definitely on the dark and quirky side. I fell in love with everything about this book - from the characters and setting to the enchanting narrative and curious plot. I will be thinking of this novel for a long time to come. I highly recommend it for readers who want a break from normalcy and everyday reality.

 

About the Author:

Elias Barton has lived on the edge of an active volcano, worked in a Bible factory and is the author of the novel "Above the Universe Below." He was a semifinalist in both 2011 and 2012 for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.
He currently resides in Washington DC where he befriends gargoyles, feeds unicorns and combats two cats who try to smother him in his sleep. 

Find the Author:

Website

 

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Bone Wires Tour: Excerpt & Giveaway!

 

Bone Wires
Author: Michael Shean
Genre: Dark, Mystery, Science Fiction,
Publisher: Curiosity Quills/Whampa, LLC
Paperback/Ebook
Pages: 380 (paperback)


Purchase:
Amazon (Kindle) | Amazon (Print) | B&N (Nook & Print) | Books-A-Million |


Book Description:

In the wasteland of commercial culture that is future America, police are operated not by government but by private companies.

In Seattle, that role is filled by Civil Protection, and Daniel Gray is a detective in Homicide Solutions. What used to be considered an important - even glamorous - department for public police is very different for the corporate species, and Gray finds himself stuck in a dead end job. That is, until the Spine Thief arrives.

When a serial killer begins harvesting the spinal tissue of corporate employees all over the city, Detective Gray finds himself plunged into the first truly major case of his career. Caught in a dangerous mix of murder, betrayal and conflicting corporate interest, Gray will find himself not only matching wits with a diabolical murderer but grapple with his growing doubt toward his employers in the dawning months of the American tricentennial.

A thrilling mystery set in the same world as the Wonderland Cycle, Bone Wires is a grim trip into the streets of the empty future. 

The scene of the crime was an alleyway behind an abandoned Roziara Deli. Crowding the street outside the deli were a pair of patrol cars, white wedges of steel with ribbon lights that stained the nearby buildings red and blue. Street officers clustered around the mouth, black body armor over blue uniform fatigues; unlike the sidearms that Gray and Carter carried, the streeties carried the blunt, brutal shapes of submachine guns close to their plated chests. A cordon had been set up; the narrow yellow band of holographic tape that stretched across the alley mouth glowed as it cycled through baleful warning messages.
“They used to have good subs here,” said Carter as they pulled up in front of the moldering delicatessen. “Slabs of capicola as thick as Annie Cruz’s ass. Just incredible.”
“Don’t know that name,” said Gray.
“Porn star,” said Carter, who produced his badge and flashed it at a streeter who was approaching them. “Way before your time. Put on your war face, here comes the Pacifier.”
Carter’s Amber Shield glowed like the very words of God Almighty in the low light. “Carter and Gray,” said Carter, keeping his identification held up so that the streeter could see it. “Homicide Solutions.”
“Lem Martin,” replied the streeter. “Pacification Officer, patrol region 927.”
“This is your beat then,” said Gray, who produced from the inside pocket of his suit coat a slim Sony microcomp and engaged its holographic display. Data from the Nexus sprang to life above the palm-sized slab. “What do you have for us, Martin?”
Martin winced a bit at the lack of ‘Officer’ before his surname – you got a lot of that with Pacification Services, of which street patrol was the biggest group. They didn’t like being talked down to. Gray outranked him, however, and didn’t give a shit besides. “Nasty stuff,” Martin said, jerking his head toward the alley mouth. “Victim’s name is Anderson, Ronald P.. Administration. His panic implant was set off about an hour ago and flatlined soon after; me and my partner were in the area, and when we found him…well. Real horror show back there, is all I can say. I called for backup. Dunno what they used, but…well. You’ll see.”
Carter and Gray looked at each other – streeters saw all sorts of things. If they said it was a nasty scene, they’d probably do well to get smocks and rain boots. “All right, Officer,” Carter said, at which Martin seemed to relax a bit. “Were there any witnesses, security footage, anything like that?”
“Nothing we could find,” said Martin. “This area’s been abandoned for years. Anyone who lives here cleared out as soon as they heard us coming. You know how it is.”
“Yeah,” said Gray. Don’t want to get arrested for just being around. “All right, thanks, Officer. If you and…”
“Conklin and Peavey,” Martin replied. “In the other car. Patel’s with me.”
“…Right,” Carter replied with a nod. “If you fellas can keep up the cordon on either side of the alley, we’ll have a look. Call the coroner while you’re at it.”
“On it,” barked Martin, who stepped away from the alley mouth while touching the side of his throat where a subvocal mic, standard issue for street patrol, had been implanted. Carter waited until Martin had backed up a few steps and was well into conversation before he gestured for Gray to follow him. The two men passed through the holographic cordon, the barrier no more solid than the air around it, and took a few steps into the feebly-lit alleyway. The space behind the deli was dark and thick with shadows, lit only by the dying bulb of a lamp set over the shop’s sealed back door. A figure slumped or lay in the cone of dim light that spilled across the building’s crumbling facade. The air was faintly tinged with the smell of ozone and cooked meat. The two men approached; Gray held his computer in one hand while Carter fished the flat, card-sized shape of a palm lamp from a coat pocket. Cupping the lamp in his hand, Carter threw a beam of bright blue- white light across the alleyway and clearly illuminated the corpse.
Lean and muscular in life, that which had been Ronald Anderson half-crouched, half-sprawled across the alleyway, his handsome face pointing down toward the filthy concrete. The corpse’s posture reminded Gray of an old girlfriend; she was a yoga fanatic and used to do something similar called the Child’s Pose. Anderson’s formerly clean white dress shirt had been cut open, straight down the back from collar to waist, and his belted slacks had also been cut down to the base of the pelvis. His back had been tattooed with a medieval Japanese wave scene.
Anderson’s flesh had been laid open. Arching upward and away in a v-shaped furrow, a deep channel now butterflied the man’s back half from the base of his skull to the top of his pelvis. Where his spine should have been there was only a bloodless, grayish-red channel. The red and ivory of cleanly clipped bone and cooked organs were clearly visible in its absence, his heart a gray and veined lump. It was as if the tattooed sea had somehow come alive, restless and roaring, and attempted to rise away from its host who could never have survived its rebellion.
Without the slightest drop of blood, Ronald Anderson had been boned like a fish.
“Damn,” muttered Carter, stepping forward so he could track with his light the awful wound. “Never seen that before. What do you make of it, Dan?” For Gray, who had only experienced the more pedestrian horrors of stranglings, stabbings and gunshot wounds in his brief career, there was no clean reply. “That’s the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” he breathed instead, staring down at the carved gutter. Gray had said ‘strangest’ – however, what he had truly wanted to say was ‘most horrible’. Looking down at the murdered man, Gray knew that his ‘sexy’ case had arrived, just as he had wished for it, but the only thing he could wish for now was to be anywhere else.
As if sensing the truth behind Gray’s words, Carter snorted softly. “Lucky you, kid,” he replied in a wry and vaguely weary tone. “Lucky you.”

About the Author:

Michael Shean was born amongst the sleepy hills and coal mines of southern West Virginia in 1978. Taught to read by his parents at a very early age, he has had a great love of the written word since the very beginning of his life. Growing up, he was often plagued with feelings of isolation and loneliness; he began writing off and on to help deflect this, though these themes are often explored in his work as a consequence. At the age of 16, Michael began to experience a chain of vivid nightmares that has continued to this day; it is from these aberrant dreams that he draws inspiration. 

In 2001 Michael left West Virginia to pursue a career in the tech industry, and he settled in the Washington, DC area as a web designer and graphic artist. As a result his writing was put aside and not revisited until five years later. In 2006 he met his current fiancee, who urged him to pick up his writing once more. Several years of work and experimentation yielded the core of what would become his first novel, Shadow of a Dead Star (2011). Michael is currently signed with Curiosity Quills Press, who has overtaken publication of Shadow of a Dead Star and the other books of his Wonderland Cycle.

Find the Author:

Website | Author Facebook | Bone Wires Facebook | Wattpad |

 

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Flight Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

Flight

Series: The Crescent Chronicles, #1

Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy

Genre: Mature YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance,

Publisher: self-published

Ebook

Words: 55,000

Purchase: Amazon (Kindle) | B&N (Nook) | Smashwords |

Book Description:

Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

Closing my eyes, I tried to block it all out. Convinced I was about to die, I was only partly aware of his arms around me.

“You said you wanted an adventure,” he said quietly, teasingly, as he tightened his hold.

My stomach dropped out as an intense and complete feeling of weightlessness engulfed me. The wind stung my face as memories flooded my mind. I thought of my parents, of all the things I wanted to tell them but never did, my friends from home, and the experiences I longed for. Quickly my thoughts changed to more recent memories, to Levi.

“Open your eyes,” he whispered, somehow knowing my eyes were clenched shut.

Against my better judgment, I listened. The scream died in my throat as we hurtled toward the water that had seemed so beautiful from the roof above. 

Review:

Flight is the first book in a brand new Mature YA paranormal romance series. The story follows Allie, who is visiting New Orleans to work at her father's hotel for the summer before starting college. While in New Orleans, Allie meets the obnoxious yet intriguing Levi. There is an instant attraction between them, but Levi is definitely hiding something from Allie. His secrets are more than she could ever have imagined and it turns out that her life will never be the same again.

I really enjoyed this book! The paranormal genre doesn't get much new subject matter very often, but the author gives us just that with her new breed of paranormal beings. I loved the uniqueness and the fresh voice that this novel brings to the genre. The plot is really interesting and moves at a good pace. I found the characters to be honest and realistic - if a bit annoying and flaky at times. The romance between Allie and Levi was cheesy during parts of the book, but mostly it was deliciously steamy and exciting. 

The book was really well written and I loved every bit of it. The ending left me wanting more - I definitely wasn't ready for the book to end yet. It doesn't leave too much of an open ending, but leaves you wishing for the next installment to come out now. I am very excited to see where this series goes and am now eagerly awaiting the second book to come out. Highly recommended!!

 

About the Author:

Alyssa Rose Ivy lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. 

Find the Author:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | 

Don't forget to follow the rest of the tour! Check out the entire tour schedule here.

 

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Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush: Excerpt & Giveaway

Trouble at the Hotel Baba Ghanoush

Author: T. C. Archer

Genre: Science fiction, Erotica

Publisher: Loose Id

Ebook

Words: 35,000

Purchase:

ARe | Amazon | Fictionwise | B&N (Nook)

Book Description:

"Enforcer Fontana Marks is on vacation undercover until she has to testify against the Track Cartel for crimes against the Galactic Coalition. But the cartel is hiding something, and Fontana intends to find out what--then make them pay for murdering Jenny, the young scientist Fontana failed to protect on a previous assignment.

The last thing Fontana intends to do while vacationing incognito on the fantasy resort Sagitariun is follow the advice of her superior. "Rest, recuperate, and find a man."

But how can a woman resist a blond, blue-eyed, chisel-jawed, great-assed man streaking naked in public when he's obviously running from someone? And why can't she to get rid of the damned trench coat she stole to rescue him?" 

 

**Note - Excerpt is rated PG-13**

 

The man shifted, and the loose-fitting white shirt went taut across his broad shoulders. Memory of his tanned skin and steel muscle hit like a thunderbolt, and Fontana’s stomach did a flip.

He grinned, a sure sign he knew he was being viewed through a one-way door. Desire rippled through her on a slow, sure wave that promised heart-stopping pleasure. She’d known good-looking men. Ray, her last serious relationship five years ago, had been gorgeous. She’d been mad for him, but the man standing outside her door had a quality about him that made her want to snuggle up against him and fall asleep.

Fontana snorted. Her body would disagree. Right now that part of her throbbed with an insistent desire to bed him—hard. Maybe then the flutter in her heart would have a say, and she’d fall asleep wrapped in his arms. That would be a welcome change to the sleepless nights she’d spent since Jenny’s death. It would be a temporary fix, but she could use at least one good night’s rest.

She sighed. First she’d better deal with the damned raincoat and find out how the naked man had escaped the shock troopers. Then there was the little matter of how he’d found out where she was staying.

Fontana rose and smoothed the form-fitting blouse and poly-cotton slacks she wore. “Open door,” she said, and the door dematerialized.

His stare slid down her body, and her nipples tightened to a delicious discomfort—and one he couldn’t miss under the millipore fabric of her top.

“Well, Mr. Long John.”

His blue eyes returned to her face. “Long John?”

She stepped aside and motioned him in. “Last time I saw you, your long johnson was standing at attention.”

He entered, and the door rematerialized behind him. “Give him a minute, and he’ll be at your command again.”

“What are you doing here?”

He wrapped an arm around her waist. “You said to look you up.”

She spun out of his grasp and backed up. “How did you find me?”

“Spacer Jack’s is brimming with information.”

He was right. She’d figured that out the first time she’d walked in. Even a benign resort like Club Sagitariun had a dark side. Proof stood right in front of her in all its masculine glory. No. All his masculine glory had been long, hard, and ready to go in the alley. Damn shock troopers. Ten more minutes and she would have had a quick hard ride on his steel rod.

He continued to advance.

She retreated. “Where’s my raincoat?”

He grasped her hand. “What do you need with a man’s raincoat?”

“The owner is looking for it.”

“Forget about him.” He stepped closer.

“Can’t.”

“I came to thank you for the coat. Let me buy you breakfast.”

Some offer—and not what she had in mind for jump-starting a morning that had begun four hours ago for her.

“It’s not my coat,” she said.

“We’ll find the owner and thank him—later. We have some unfinished business.”

Heat radiated from his body. Her pulse sped up. The smile at the corners of his mouth deepened. Her calves made contact with the bed. He stepped closer, grasped her hand, and pressed her palm over his heart.

Fontana ignored the warmth spreading through her and locked gazes with him. “What did those shock troopers want?”

He shrugged. “Never found out.”

“They never caught you.”

“I had to elude them so I could be here.”

That had a certain logic she liked.

His fingers gently tightened over the hand still pressed against his heart. “You’ve got my heart beating like crazy.”

She noted the hard muscle of his chest, under which only a regular heartbeat thumped, and pulled her hand away. “It’s not nice to lie.”

“I’m hurt.”

She wanted to laugh. He actually did look hurt.

“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten all that we’ve shared,” he said.

Now she did laugh. Fontana was startled at the unexpected relief she felt. She hadn’t laughed since setting foot on Rigil IV. He cut off her thoughts by pulling her against him. His mouth crashed down onto hers. The hard ridge of his arousal dug into her stomach. She could almost believe she had a special effect on him. Almost. But that erection was just a little too ready—a little too eager—to belong to anyone but a working man. 

About the Author:

T. C. Archer is comprised of award winning authors Evan Trevane and Shawn M. Casey. They live in the Northeast.

Evan puts his Ph.D. to good use by writing about alternate realities, and Shawn channels the mythology and philosophy she studied during her wasted youth into writing about exotic places and times. 

Find the Author:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | 

Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour! You can find the full tour schedule here or by clicking on the banner at the top of the post.

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Moon's Kiss Tour: Review & Giveaway

 

Moons' Kiss

Author: Kimberly K. Comeau

Genre: Science Fiction, Adventure

Publisher: Self-Published

Paperback/Ebook

Purchase:

Smashwords (ebook) | CreateSpace (paperback) | Amazon (ebook & paperback)

Book Description:

"They found him in the South Ofrann Desert, where everything evil lived.

Manerra, heir to the tribes of Yatra, intends to abdicate--until his rescue of a man-thing from cannibals pits brother against brother and tribe against tribe. Prevented by decree from harming the creature, Manerra pledges to drive it away . . . and adds another layer of guilt to his already troubled mind.

Rebuffing all counsel, Aya, the nation’s ruler, takes steps to prevent bloodshed in future meetings between his people and the foreigners, and by so doing, hands his enemies the means to secure his downfall. As political maneuvering and violence escalate, there’s one wildcard that no one’s considered: the “demon” Kayarra. Who is he, what is he, and what do his people want?"

Review:

Moon's Kiss is a greatly intriguing science fiction adventure novel. It centers around a tribe who is trying to maintain peace with outsiders and the political standings within the tribe. Enter Kayarra, a "demon" and everything the tribe is working towards is put into jeopardy. Who exactly is this "demon" and what does he really want?

I found this novel to be full of action and adventure with some really great science fiction aspects. The history and detailed lifestyle of the tribe and it's people was really interesting and made the story feel realistic and believable. The mystery behind Kayarra - what he really is and what he wants - added an interesting flare to the narrative. All in all, I found this book to be a fast-paced science fiction adventure with a great storyline and interesting characters.

  

About the Author:

Kimberly K. Comeau was twelve when she began writing, fifteen when she published her first story, and eighteen when she won her first literary contest. Since then, she’s published short fiction, poetry and nonfiction, served as director of an online writers’ workshop, and co-founded PC Quill, a critique group comprised of award-winning writers. She lives in Richmond, Virginia, with a musician husband and two fiercely protective cats.

Find the Author:

 

Facebook | Blog | Website | 

Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!

Tour Schedule:

August 14th- Heart Of A Wolf

August 15th- A Diary Of A Book Addict 

August 16th- A Dream Within A Dream

August 16th- Black Hippie Chick's Take on Books &The World

August 17th- Simply Infatuated

August 18th- The Bunnys Review

 

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