Book Blitz: Mismatch by Nana Malone

Mismatch (Love Match #2)
Author: Nana Malone
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 21, 2013 

Description:

Spunky artist manager, Jessica Stanton, isn’t looking for love. She’s looking for a savior. When a business rival steals yet another of her rising stars, she’s in danger of losing everything she’s worked so hard for…and the only person who can save her fledgling business is the one man she shouldn’t want.

Art authenticator, Eli Marks, doesn’t have time for love. He’s too busy saving his brother from the demons of his drug addicted past. For the past ten years he’s cultivated a façade to keep his distance from everyone else. But when a string of high-profile art forgeries threatens the security of the only family he has left, he must turn for help to a woman who breaks through his carefully constructed façade every time she’s near.

Will Jessica and Eli save each other? Or will secrets and lies stop them from finding true love?

Jessica shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny of the strange man’s jade green gaze. Tsk Tsk Jessica, you’re just horny from watching sex d'art. Poindexter isn't even my type. At least that’s what she told herself. But she was powerless to tear her gaze away from his. With dark hair to contrast the jade green eyes, and an angled jaw to make male models jealous, he was handsome enough to draw any woman's attention.
But he wasn’t her style at all. From the looks of him, he was way too buttoned up. His suit, though exquisitely tailored, was extremely conservative. Same for his shoes—expensive but bland. He screamed, I’m repressed. Except for his hair. Touching his collar and curling at the ends, it was the only non-conservative part about him. She preferred tattooed, too-skinny guitarist types. She was willing to bet Poindexter didn’t have a tat anywhere.
All her misgivings aside, she couldn't tear her gaze from his as she pushed her way toward the bar. He looked like an accountant. No, strike that, too polished. Like a Wall Street type, except he didn't have the air of smarm. Maybe it was his too-direct gaze. There was nothing hidden in his eyes. Just interest and lust. And it made the hairs on her arms stand up. God, what was he doing staring at her? The uptight type generally preferred too-thin models with no hips. Oh, and normal. They veered away from alternative types.
As Jessica pushed through the crowd, his gaze followed as if he were silently drawing her to him, willing her to come to him. The way he insolently leaned against the bar made him even more appealing. When he said something to the bartender, she glanced at his companion. Also handsome, darker, more olive-toned skin, bulkier, too.
The green-eyed devil had the build of someone who worked out for the pure purpose of staying in shape, not to bulk up.
Jessica dragged in a breath to calm her racing heartbeat. She wasn't here for this. She was here for Samson Marks. Unfortunately, so was every other woman in the room. Some men, too. With everyone who wanted to talk to him, she’d already been waiting forty-five minutes, and she wasn’t interested in waiting any longer. She’d just leave her card with Gabe and try and track him down if he didn't call by Monday. She wasn’t letting this guy get away from her. If he could whip her into a sexual frenzy, he had something special.
When she momentarily lost sight of Poindexter, Jessica felt more like herself and less like a throbbing, heaving-bosomed mess. What the hell was wrong with her?
She finally made it to the end of the bar and made eye contact with the bartender. Over by the other end, she caught sight of her mystery man. She might be here to work, but what would it hurt to play a little? It had been a while. Okay, longer than a while considering the last two guys she'd dated she hadn’t even bothered sleeping with.
“What can I get you?”
“Are you Gabe?”
He grinned. “You want to bid on the piece sight unseen?”
She grinned back. “Nope.”
He frowned. “You here to tell me I got a kid out there or something? 'Cause I’m not particularly interested in hearing that.”
“That happen to you a lot?”
“You’d be surprised.”
She laughed. “Tonight’s your lucky night. I’m not here for that either. I need to get a message to Samson Marks.”
Gabe raised his eyebrows and nodded as if this wasn’t the first request of this type he'd had tonight. “Yeah, what’s the message?”
She handed over her card with a note scrawled on the back. “I'm a manager. Tell him to call me.” She shrugged and glanced at Poindexter again. “You can tell him he's safe from me. I have something else entirely planned for tonight.”
Moving away from the end of the bar, Jessica spotted the guy in the suit again and made her approach. “So are you going to stare all night, or were you ever going to come and talk to me?”
His lips twitched as he met her gaze. “Excuse me?”
Jessica raised a brow. “'Cause I gotta tell you, if you weren't so good looking, it would be borderline creepy.”
Poindexter barked a laugh. “Only borderline creepy?”
She shrugged as her eyes met his. “This is L.A. after all. There’s a whole different definition of creepy.”
A small smile tugged at his lips. “Do you always say what's on your mind?”
“I know it's a little odd for L.A., right? But I find it cuts through the bullshit.”She looked around. “Is that your friend?” She nodded in Mr. Italian Stallion wannabe’s direction. His bulky build and darker skin, combined with the gel he wore in his hair gave him a Jersey Shore effect.
The beefy guy grinned and his face transformed, making him look like a schoolboy with his first crush.
“I’m his only friend.”
“Well hello, friend.”
Friend smiled at her and said, “Hello, gorgeous. You going to cheer my friend up here? He’s in a bit of a mood.”
This was fun. Go figure. Since Ryan’s call, she’d been in freak out mode. This felt easy and natural. “Now why are you in a mood? There are a dozen women that are throwing you hungry eyes right now.”
He blinked as if her candor surprised him. “Too bad for them. I’m otherwise engaged.”
“Lucky bitch.”She grinned. “I’m appointing myself as your cheer up committee for the rest of the evening.”
There it was again. The corners of his lips twitched. If just a partial smile was enough to tantalize her, then what would it look like when this guy really grinned? Jessica pictured panties dropping in neighboring cities.
“What, you mean to tell me you don’t have any friends here ready to rescue you from the creepy, staring guy?” His tone was teasing.
“I prefer to rescue myself.”
This time he did grin. And holy fuck, what a smile. Straight, even teeth. Eyes crinkling at the corners. Her own panties, if she’d been wearing any, would have started migrating south.
“You really will say anything, won’t you?”
So this was what flirting felt like; it had been so long since she’d bothered. Man, she missed it. Nothing like flirting to heighten the anticipation. “You never did answer my question.”
“What question was that?”
“Whether or not you were going to work up the courage to talk to me.”
He chuckled. “I was working my way up to it, but I figured you might be trouble.”
“You were right about that. Lucky for you, I believe in taking matters into my own hands. Now, do I have to lead too, or can you dance?”she asked as she tugged him to his feet. Music thrummed and vibrated through Jessica's entire body. His big, warm hand wrapped around hers, and she shivered in anticipation.
This was something she could hold onto. Something she could use to drum out the annoyance at her mother, the insecurities of her job. The loneliness over losing Izzy. All of it. She could use the anonymity on the dance floor to combat the feelings she wasn’t ready to confront.
Bodies of other dancers jostled her until she found a spot with enough space. Her partner looked unsure. She leaned in to make sure he heard her. “Relax, forget about them. All you need to do is concentrate on me.”
His intense green eyes focused on hers, and in a second of irrationality, she wanted to shrink from the feeling of intimacy. She didn’t even know his name, but felt like he could see deep inside her.
“Am I going to get a name out of you?” As he leaned in, his breath warmed her, and his stubble chin rubbed against her temple.
She shivered. “Giving you my name would only ruin the spell.” And while he didn’t look the type, he was still club crawling in L.A... He wasn’t likely to give his real name anyway, so why pretend?
His lips twitched in that sexy way that made her stomach flip.
God, being that handsome should be a sin. Jessica studied him, confused about her reaction to him. Buttoned-up was so not her thing. She preferred tats and piercings and some good old-fashioned hair dye. But this guy set all her receptors to come and get some. Worse, something about him made her want to spill her darkest secrets.
“And if I want to call you tomorrow?”
She shrugged, even as his large hand landed on her waist, drawing her hips into his. “That’s the thing about cheer up committees. You don’t want to overuse them. It affects their potency.”
His eyes traveled her body and heat flushed her whole body. “Somehow I doubt that.”
Jessica met his eyes again. Once more, electricity crackled between them, and again she shut down the connection by turning in his arms to dance. The DJ changed tracks to the latest bass-pumping song by a female rapper, and Jessica let her partner meld their bodies together, enjoying the feel of him around her. For a moment, she let herself relax and enjoy the music.
When he gently turned her to face him, she tried to resist, but then he smiled.
They were jostled again, and he took her hand to lead her through the throngs into the back lounge area. The bouncer at the door greeted him like an old friend and said something she couldn’t decipher. When they were let into the closed lounge area, the door shut, silencing the din from the club.
“What did you say to the bouncer to get us back here?”
“A magician never reveals his secrets.” He smiled again, and Jessica forgot her own name. “Besides, I wanted to be able to hear you. It was a little crazy out there. If you're going to be my personal cheer up committee, I'd rather it be quiet.”
Jessica chewed on her top lip and averted her gaze. He might look like Poindexter, but his thought process was right up her alley. “I couldn't have said it better myself.”
“I prefer it when I can see your eyes.”
She tried to avoid his gaze and swallowed around the lump in her throat. Intimacy was not on the menu tonight, at least not the emotional kind. If he kept insisting on seeing her and talking to her, he’d ruin her about-to-have-anonymous-sex buzz. And he was replacing it with something else that felt like nerves.
She searched through her cache of awesome one-liners for a flippant quip but couldn’t think of one. The slow caress of his fingers at her lower back robbed her of the ability to think properly. Her instincts told her to bolt. Get out before he saw too much. Before he got a gander at her soul. Before he had the chance to run first.
She cleared her throat and made an effort to disengage. But he held her still. “You can run if you want to, but I have a feeling you want to find out if what you’re feeling is as combustible as you think it'll be.”
“I—” She froze when his head dipped down to hers. Even though her brain gave the command to bolt, her body rooted itself in his arms. His body heat wrapped around her like flames. His scent mingled with hers, and the combination of citrusy musk, spice, and flowers made a potent combination. She swayed into him, and she sensed his smile of triumph. Before his lips met hers, one of his big hands scooted to the top of her ass and tucked her body flush against his. She gasped as she felt the full length of his arousal throbbing and pulsing against her belly.
On the parting of her lips, his mouth covered hers.

USA Today Best Seller and iTunes Breakout Books author, Nana Malone's love of all things romance and adventure started with a tattered romantic suspense she borrowed from her cousin.

It was a sultry summer afternoon in Ghana, and Nana was a precocious thirteen. She's been in love with kick butt heroines ever since. With her overactive imagination, and channeling her inner Buffy, it was only a matter a time before she started creating her own characters.
While she waits for her chance at a job as a ninja assassin, in the meantime Nana works out her drama, passion and sass with fictional characters every bit as sassy and kick butt as she thinks she is.

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BUY LINKS:
AMAZON US

AMAZON UK

AMAZON CA

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ITUNES

KOBO

SMASHWORDS

ALL ROMANCE EBOOKS

Other titles by Nana Malone:
Reluctant Protector - Kindle / Nook / Kobo / All Romance eBooks iTunes & Audible
Forsaken Protector - Available on Kindle / Nook / Kobo / All Romance eBooks
Game, Set, Match - Available on Kindle / Nook / Kobo / All Romance eBooks & iTunes
Sexy in Stilettos - Available on Kindle / Nook / Kobo / All Romance eBooks & iTunes

Hacienda Moon Blog Tour: Spotlight

Hacienda Moon
Author: KaSonndra Leigh
Genre: Gothic Paranormal Romance
Release Date: July 28, 2012

Description:

Love, obsession, and betrayal, the most powerful human emotions, are spun together in this gothic novel. Tandie Harrison is a police medium who has just suffered a divorce after losing both her psychic visions and her daughter in a car accident. When she leaves New York City to start a new life near her hometown, she moves into the alluring plantation house, Chelby Rose, and falls for its charismatic caretaker, Eric Fontalvo. Their burgeoning affair ignites a centuries old curse, ensnaring them in a web of danger, deceit, and intrigue. Soon Tandie learns that in placid Bolivia, the worlds of the living and the dead are dangerously connected.

Hacienda Moon is a seductive tale of one woman’s journey to confront the demons of her past and find the courage to face her future. It is a mesmerizing novel that explores the deepest depths of human nature, and the characters will hold and haunt you long after you have read the final chapter.    

Crowds, noise, loudspeakers, coffee smells: words to describe Raleigh-Durham’s airport. There wasn’t much difference between New York’s JFK and North Carolina’s RDU. Well, not where noise and crowds were concerned. An airport was still just another way of transporting someone from one life-changing situation to the next. And Tandie’s journey was about to begin all over again in a small town located about twenty minutes away from where she grew up.
At the conveyor belt, she picked up her two bags and headed toward the rental-car section. With her head pounding from jet lag, Tandie took the keys from the woman behind the counter and mentally practiced her driving route. Turning, she collided with someone. Her handbag fell to the floor, scattering the contents.
Ready to offer a chunk of her tired mind, she opened her mouth to complain, but stopped right away. Her victim was a man. This wasn’t just any man, though. He stood at least six-feet-tall, and had gorgeous dark hair flopping over a ridiculously handsome face. Dressed in a dark-blue shirt and gray cargo pants, the man knelt right away.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” he said, collecting Tandie’s items which included tampons and sanitary napkins of all things to drop.
Their eyes met. His hazel-green ones took in her features with one glance. Her stomach flipped as if she were a young girl flirting with a cute guy. And something hitched in her chest, teasing her with a vague memory.
His muscular frame made him seem as if he could crush Tandie’s dainty little bag with one good squeeze. His strong facial features, full lips, and dark olive skin made him look Hispanic.
Damn he’s sexy!
Tandie concentrated on returning her things to the bag. If she were quick, then maybe he wouldn’t see her embarrassing stuff. Too late. He’d already picked up her little green Always bag and placed it back in the satchel without even flinching.
Cringe and die, won’t you?
“I’m such an ox,” he said.
“You’re not the clumsy one. I should watch where I’m going,” Tandie said, still too embarrassed to look at his face. She was aware of him staring at her, even though she couldn’t figure out why he was doing it.
Tandie’s face flushed. Even her golden-brown skin must’ve turned crimson. Standing up quickly, she stepped on the edge of her pants and stumbled backward. Her unintentional hero caught her with ease, steadying her body. What else would she add to her clutz list? She’d probably do something stupid like slip up and grab his crotch by accident next.
“Thanks. Again, I’m really sorry,” Tandie said and moved around him.
“Wait. Can I carry your bags for you? It’s the least I can do,” he said in a voice to match his looks.
“No. I’ll be fine, thanks.” Tandie scurried off toward the rental car garage. Behind her, she felt him watching as she walked away. 

KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. Her two sons, aka the X-Men, have made her promise to write a boy book next.

She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. 

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Cover Reveal: Feeling Death by D.T. Dyllin

Feeling Death (The Death Series #1)
Author: D.T. Dyllin
Expected Release Date: April 25, 2013
Publisher: Dragonfairy Press
Format: Print and ebook

Description:

Samantha Bevans is having the best sex of her life—but it's not with her husband. Fortunately for her marriage, the affair is all in her mind. Isn't it? As an empath, she senses other people's emotions. But her connection to the man with the the chiseled face and haunting eyes seems so real.

There's no time for fantasies with a serial killer loose in Pittsburgh. The killer is targeting dancers at a strip club where Samantha used to bartend, back when drugs were the only cure for the torment of her abilities. As a member of a special task force, Samantha uses her talents to sense the victims’ final thoughts. Just when she thought the case was complex enough, she discovers one of the victims was thinking about her fantasy man when she died.


Who can Samantha trust when she can’t trust her own mind? An empath feels the emotional environment around her…and Samantha is surrounded by death.  

About the Author:

Cynical-Optimist. Chocolate-holic. Sarcasm Addict. Paranormal Believer. Self-Imposed Insomniac. Sci-Fi Geek. Animal Lover. Writer…are just a few words to describe D.T. Dyllin. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband and two very spoiled GSDs. 

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What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment! 

  

Cover Reveal: Possession by Alicia Wright Brewster

Possession (The Forsaken #1)

Author: Alicia Wright Brewster

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Expected Release Date: April 25, 2013

Publisher: Dragonfairy Press

Description:

It's been less than a week since fallen angel Six escaped from Hell and cast aside her angelic duties. Six wants friends, a job, and a nice place to live. Maybe she'll take a few night classes and forget about her past. She'll especially forget about Luke—better known as Lucifer.

Luke has other plans. He's determined to draw Six back into his life and back into his bed. To get what he wants, he won't hesitate to call on demons or kill a few humans.

With demons running free all over the city, Six will have to set aside her personal plans. And when a demon makes an offer she can't refuse, it could land Six right back in Hell. 

   

Alicia Wright Brewster is a mild-mannered lady of average height and above average paranormal obsession. By day, she works in an office. At night she's an author, an electronics junkie, and a secret superhero.

In her virtually non-existent free time, she loves to read, watch movies, and eat food. She is particularly fond of the food-eating and makes a point to perform this task at least three times per day, usually more. 

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What do you think of the cover? Leave a comment! 

 

Dark Seraphine Blog Tour: Excerpt

 

Dark Seraphine (Seraphine Trilogy #1)

Author: KaSonndra Leigh

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Release Date: October 21, 2012 

Description:

"Mom always says the angels walk among us. She forgot to tell me that sometimes they're not all fluffy and nice."

Seventeen-year-old Caleb Wood has seen people he calls the walkers since he was a baby. It didn't take long for him to realize something…no one can see these strangers but him. They never stuck around or tried to touch him. And they never said a word. That was until one day on the first day of class in his senior year when an incredibly gorgeous girl strolls into his life…and things are never the same again.

Soon Caleb realizes he has stepped into the middle of a growing conflict between two ancient groups. And his ability to see the invisible ones, the half-breeds that want to modify the human race, just might be the only hope both he and the mysterious, but infuriating, Gia, have of making it out alive.   

There was no one in the classroom besides the two of us. To admit this girl made me feel a little shaky sounded weak. I put on a manly face, squared my shoulders, and sat in the desk behind her. The little kid in me still wanted to run away like a baby, though.
And then she laughed.
It was a high-pitched giggle, a normal girl’s sound. That wasn’t right. I don’t remember any of the other spirits laughing before.
“So you wanna run from me, huh? Go ahead. I’ll just find you like I always do, Caleb,” she said, still facing the chalk board in the front of the classroom. Her voice was smooth like a musical instrument, maybe a flute. Nah. It was more like a harp. I could listen to it all day.
But even her sexy pipes didn’t change the fact that she just read my mind. How did she do that?
“Are you going to run, or stay? I need a quick answer, because I have a lot to do today.” She turned her head to the side a bit.
“I don’t run from anything,” I said, trying to ignore the prickle in my underarms. Good thing I used my dad’s deodorant this morning. That old-timers stuff was strong enough to knock out anything.
She didn’t scare me as much as some of the other walkers, my nickname for them. But I wasn’t ready to get her digits either. As a baby, I remembered talking to a few of them. That ability disappeared sometime around my thirteenth birthday. This was the first time I spoke to one in four years.
“What are you people: angels, ghosts, or zombies?” I asked, my voice squeaking on the last syllable. What a dork.
“Can’t you be a little more creative?” She turned around in her seat to face me, an amused expression on her ridiculously gorgeous face. I sucked my breath. Her strange amber-hazel eyes pierced through me. The word beautiful didn’t do enough for this walker-girl.
“I thought I was pretty creative,” I said.
“Nope. Your ideas suck,” she said with a smug face.
“Nice. Thanks,” I said, getting annoyed.
“And I don’t sparkle in the sun, either. So scratch that one off your list too.”
I frowned. “Then tell me the right answer. And you can go ahead and explain how I won the honor of being stalked?”
“I’m a creative mix of many things. Feel better now?” She tilted her head. Blue-black hair flowed around her face as if it were made of silky thread. “So others have come before me?” She seemed to be talking to herself rather than asking me.
“Maybe,” I said. Why should I tell her everything? One thing I did know. At this rate, I was probably going to be committed to the loony ward on the first day of school.
“I’m going to need your help soon, Caleb. You have to be ready,” she whispered, her face suddenly serious. Right then, I knew my world was about to change…forever. 

KaSonndra Leigh was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. She now lives in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. Her two sons, aka the X-Men, have made her promise to write a boy book next.
She holds the MFA in creative writing, and loves to play CLUE, Monopoly (the Indiana Jones version), and Pandora's Box (good writer's block therapy). She lives in an L-shaped house with a garden dedicated to her grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, Venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass. 

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The Renning Chronicles Blog Tour: Spotlight

 

Book of Curses (The Renning Chronicles #1)

Author: L.D. Hutchinson

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Release Date: July 13, 2012  

Description:

Meet Raine Renning, your average teenager and her Twin brother, Thomas. Their lives are pretty normal - if you count moving from house to house, and town to town normal.

Since the death of their father Leland, their mother Tori has shown her true colors.

On their 18th birthday Tom decides to have his ex-girlfriend, and best friend, Christie come over for a small party and give Raine her gift - the one that will change all of their lives forever.

A book - While reading it and joking around they're mysteriously pulled within it's cursed, bound pages and told of the prophecy they are to fulfill.

Vampyres. Faeries. Lycans.

Creatures they thought were only stories take their places as the Renning's Guardians, from Region to Region they learn more and more about it.

Dragons. Humans. Nephilim.

Now, if only they can figure out how to take down four god's in the middle of this entire mess, and still save their world from destruction - Oh, and don't forget choosing what immortal creature to become...

 

"Hello?", I called out into the silence, listening as my shaking voice echoed all around me, bouncing off of the trees, hills and rocks making me feel even more alone and confused. The fear heightened, and I could hear my heart beating louder and louder in my ears; my throat had become thick, and it was hard to swallow.
"Raine,” My entire body tensed up and froze from that one small voice. My heart stilled in fear, and I looked around as fast as I could trying to find where it was coming from but only saw the trees and flowers. "Come to us Raine, we're waiting..."
"Yes Raine, come," I spun around on my heel looking closely at every little thing. I even looked at my feet at one point as I listened to the voice. Then it dawned on me; this one was new.
It was a woman's voice and sounded seductive and velvety, like she was trying to seduce anything that was listening to her.
"Don't you want to come and play? We want you to play with us."
"What's wrong Raine? Cat got your tongue?" The newest voice echoed around me; it almost sounded like three men talking at once and created an oddly demonic sounding voice, and he was snickering at me. There was a sinister tone to everything it said. I only wanted this to end and was hoping it was just a bad dream. I'd wake up soon.
"Or maybe, we've got your tongue!" Just then it flew out from the trees in a blurred, quick movement. It grabbed my arms and pulled me to the ground. I could only shriek as I fell.
It had three heads sitting upon its body; the one in the middle was human, but had vibrant yellow eyes, and its skin seemed to be barely attached and hung grotesquely. The second one - on its left shoulder - was a horse, a light-brown chestnut with black eyes that were staring straight at me. The one on the other shoulder was a wolf, a blood-soaked snarling wolf, with bright yellow eyes like the man in the middle; it looked ready to shred me.
I fell back onto my arms and tried to crawl backwards, away from it, as fast as I could. Whimpering a little as he leaned down and smiled in my face. The overwhelming stench of rotting flesh and blood was the first things I noticed about it.
"Let me have that tongue mortal." He growled loudly at me.
I stayed frozen as he came closer, reaching his armor coated hand up towards me, and he pulled the glove off and revealed a disgusting sight. Decaying flesh and bones were sticking out, with maggots crawling over it. He started to chuckle, reaching closer and closer towards my face.

 

Fang (A Renning Chronicles Novella)

Release Date: October 18, 2012

Description:

Before Raine and Tom appeared, there was Fang.. a child.. with a secret.

Fang, was the son of a human woman and his father, so he was told ,was a demon. He believed it until he went seeking revenge for his mother death at the age of fifteen. Now, Fang's in for more than he thought he'd have to handle facing Demons, Gods and even his own possible death.

Find out what made Fang the angry warrior he is now, and the truth of his past. 

 

Almarey. The only thing I had to go on. It wasn’t like anyone would even notice if I left. I was a loner, and I was frowned upon. James "Fang" Lore, the most despised person in the Darkness Region. Like I'd care if they gave a damn anyways.

Shoving as much as I could into a pack, I slung it over my shoulder and started out with nothing but the blade I now held onto at all costs. The blade the man used to kill my mother. No one knew I’d grabbed it, and I'd be damned if I let it be taken away now. I was going to use it to kill him. Impale him right through the damn heart.

 

L.D. Hutchinson was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania. She's been writing since she was able to hold a pencil and drawing since about the same time. Her love for reading came when she was about eight and she read her first book, Hawksong a book that helped influence many of the short stories she's written. 

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Cemetery Plot Blog Tour: Spotlight

 

Cemetery Plot

Author: Alex Granados

Genre: Horror

Release Date: October 31, 2012

Description:

Vanessa Hawthorne is a zombie. . .at least that was the plan. Miserable with her life, she agreed to participate in a fatal ritual that would transform her into one of the Living Dead. Instead, she wakes up decades later alive, unaged and living in a world overrun with graveyards.

But when a real estate tycoon finds out about Vanessa, he will stop at nothing to discover how she cheated death. He hopes that this knowledge will give him the power to resurrect the dead. The money he stands to make is incalculable. And he is willing to do whatever it takes — kidnapping, assault and even murder — to get the job done. Luckily for Vanessa, she has Mark Nimocks and his friend Emily to protect her. . . but at what costs?

A zombie apocalypse is in the works, and it will take a medium from the future to find a way to undo the end of the world. But can he actually help change the past? Or is the world fated to be destroyed no matter what? 

 

“Hi. My name is Nathan Mickels. I guess I could tell you about the end of the world, and being one of the last remaining humans on earth or some of that apocalyptic crap. But the truth is that the world hasn’t changed much since it ended. Sure, the dead are walking and people are dying. But there’s still money to be made.

“Take me for instance. I specialize in a particular trade. You see, these Living Dead, they’re not the brightest creatures. Any mother hoping that her little Annie was going to come back and sit at her knee had a rude awakening. Little Annie was much more likely to bite her and turn her into a zombie than give her a hug.

“Nevertheless, people find out that the dead are coming back to life, and they just got to see. That’s where I come in. It’s my job to hunt down the Living Dead. Specific ones. If your uncle Andrew died last year, you might hire me to find him and bring him to you. Of course, if you were smart, you already checked out the graveyard. You probably only come to me if you find a hole where your uncle should have been.

“So out I go, and I track down your uncle. But what good is he going to be to you as a grunting hulk of shit for brains? None, that’s what. I have a unique talent that I get paid for. I’m kind of like what people used to think mediums were like. You know, they figured they could talk to the dead and all that crap. Well, I can talk to the dead. It takes some doing and some concentration, but leave me alone with a walker for a good six hours, and I can start getting something intelligible out of them.

“Mind you, it’s not what you’d think of as intelligible, but it’s a language of sorts. Some kind of guttural, grunting and wheezing that resolves itself into meaning in my head. Well, you don’t believe me? Ask me anything? How old was Uncle Andrew when he lost his virginity? What did he really do to lose that sales job? Was he really just being friendly with his niece that time you caught them together in the bedroom? (Here’s a hint. No. You ought to kill that bastard all over again.)

“Anyway. That’s me. The Living Dead medium.”

   

 

Alex Granados is a producer for The State of Things on North Carolina Public Radio WUNC and the North Raleigh News Columnist for the regionally acclaimed News & Observer newspaper. Cemetery Plot is his first novel.  

Alex received a degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He also has a minor in philosophy, which basically means that he used to think he was really smart but realized he wasn't in time to switch majors.

Fishing, reading science fiction, watching crazy movies, walking his dog Zoey and late night dance parties with his wife are some of his favorite hobbies. Alex still doesn't know what he wants to be when he grows up, but he is holding out for astronaut. (Bio & photo taken from Goodreads)

Change Blog Tour: Review, Guest Post & Giveaway

 

 
Change
Author: Soraya Lane
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance

Description:

When her twin sister dies of a mysterious heart condition, Riley King is sent to her grandma’s ranch. But instead of the isolation she’s been aching for, she learns of a family secret that’s been deliberately kept from her, until now.

As if finding out she’s actually a leopard wasn't enough shock for one vacation, Riley meets Hunter Logan … the guy she’s promised to. For life. But Riley has no intention of being told what to do by anyone, certainly not some stubborn, dominant shifter. Even if he can make her purr, her claws are slicing out. Until Riley realizes that not fulfilling her destiny would commit her sister to a life on the other side without her...
   

Hunter inched closer, until he was bent over, a hand resting on either side of her, his face hovering above hers.
“I want you.”
Her pulse started its frantic pace. “You do?”
Now it was him laughing at her. “Could I make it any more obvious?”
She looked up hopefully, wishing he’d show her. That he’d do something to make her believe him. That he wasn’t just saying it because he felt he had to. Because they were meant to be together, to like one another.
Hunter’s lips fell to her forehead. She tilted her face up to him, wishing he’d just kiss her properly. She’d dreamt of kissing him again, of his lips on hers, of them pressing against hers over and over again until he couldn’t kiss her anymore.
His hands were still planted on the leather seat on either side of her. She could feel him tense as he moved further forward, thrust his body so it fit snug against hers.
“Riley.” He whispered her name. She watched the shape of each syllable play over his mouth.
His lips came swiftly towards her then, met hers firmly yet softly all at the same time. Riley sighed into his mouth as he kissed her, as his mouth grazed hers.
“What do we have here?”
Hunter’s lips left hers as quickly as they’d found them. She watched him snap up straight, his stance angry.
There were three guys standing near them, two eyeing his motorcycle, the one who was speaking looking straight at her. They’d both been so distracted they hadn’t noticed them approach.
It didn’t feel good. Fear touched every inched of her skin.
“Hunter,” she whispered, loud enough for only him to hear.
He raised his hand in her direction, the smallest of movements. She bit the inside of her mouth so hard she tasted blood.
Hunter’s body was angled toward the men. He looked like he was going to kill them. His back was straight, feet planted evenly apart, eyes flashing with anger, with a wildness that she hadn’t seen before.
Riley almost swallowed her tongue she gulped so hard. He could kill them, all three at once, if he changed. Could wipe the smirks off their faces quicker than they could run. But she didn’t want that.
“We don’t want any trouble.” Hunter kept his voice even. Steady. Just like his stance.
The guys snickered. “Yeah?” said the one who’d spoken first.
Hunter stood tall, eyes fixed on the guy who appeared to be the leader. “I think it’s time you moved on.”
That only made them come closer.
“Hunter, let’s just go,” she said.
“Listen to the girl,” one of the guy’s taunted.
“No!” The word hissed from her as Hunter launched at them.
She was scared he was going to change, but his control was faultless. He grabbed the first guy in a movement so fast he didn’t even see it coming, then slammed him into the ground. She could see how tight he was holding him, knew he could snap his neck in an instant if wanted to. If he let himself go.
Hunter’s foot kept him pressed face down while he stared at the other two. She watched the animal within him flicker, could almost hear the growl echoing in his chest.
“I think it’s time you went home.” His voice was cool.
The other two men disappeared. Hunter let his foot go and gave the guy on the ground a shove forward. “You too.”
Riley was too shocked to move. Hunter pulled her arms up and helped her into his jacket.
“Riley, let’s go.”
She took his hand as he pulled her up, let her head fall back as he planted a rough kiss to her lips, before dropping his helmet gently on her head.
“They’ll be back soon, with more guys and tire irons,” he said grimly. “I’d rather not change and take them all. Not here.”
All she could do was nod, even as he lifted her off the pavement and put her on his motorcycle.
Hunter stood back then, eyeing her. She watched as he rocked back on his feet, eyes set softly on hers. “I’m sorry you had to see that.” He looked guilty. “I didn’t scare you, did I?”
Riley shook her head. The situation had scared her, but Hunter hadn’t. All she’d know for sure was that Hunter wouldn’t let them hurt so much as a hair on her head, and he’d been more in control than she’d expected he could be. Given the threat.
A sad look passed over his face, one she couldn’t read.
“I know I look like the bad guy, Riley, but I’m not.” He gave her a wry smile, shuffled his boots before meeting her eyes again. “I’m the good guy here. I would never, ever hurt you.”
Riley’s face flushed hot. “I know.” Her voice came out as barely a whisper. “I know.” 

Review:

Change is an interesting young adult paranormal romance novel. The book focuses on Riley King, whose life is turned upside down when she loses her twin sister, is shipped off to stay with her grandmother and then discovers that she is actually a shifter - a leopard shifter.On top of all this craziness, she meets Hunter - the boy she is promised to be with forever. Riley must come to terms with who she is and her destiny, or it may cost her more than she could bear.

I found the description and concept of this book to be very interesting. The story had a good amount of action, romance, and adventure. The writing was a bit slow at times, but the plot was fast paced. I felt that the dialogue seemed a bit forced at times - it didn't seem natural. The characters were intriguing but didn't have a lot of depth and little character growth occurred throughout the novel. I liked the shifter history and the paranormal world that the author creates - I think it added an unique aspect to the book and sets it apart from other shifter books.

About the Author:

RT award winning author Soraya Lane describes being an author as a dream come true. An avid book reader and writer since her childhood, Soraya now divides her time between writing, being a mom and caring for the many animals on her small farm in New Zealand.
In addition to young adult fiction, Soraya also writes contemporary adult romance for Harlequin Mills & Boon. For more information about all her books visit www.sorayalane.com or follow her on twitter @Soraya_Lane.

 

Before I had my son, I was a real creature of habit. I wrote a set number of words each and every day, I sat in the same chair, wrote at the same time… my, how things have changed! Now I write like a maniac whenever he’s taking a nap, and I snatch moments here and there to write notes or boost my daily word count. In a nutshell, my routine has gone out the window!


But I am fortunate that I have two fantastic workspaces that I alternate between. The one where I should spend the most time (especially after spending a small fortune doing wall-to-wall bookshelves) is my office. It’s probably where I spend more time over the summer months, because it’s quite cool even when it’s hot outside, and I can look at our front field where our horses graze. I love staring at them, or the tree that’s straight ahead, especially when I’m stuck on a sentence.


The other place I seem to spend more and more time working from is our dining table. Over winter (which we are just emerging from in New Zealand) it’s a lovely warm, sunny spot, and I can sit and stare out at our garden. We live on a small farm (or ranch to you Americans!) and we have quite a large garden with lots of trees. It really is a magical setting for a creative person, and I love how tranquil and relaxed our property is.


This summer, I expect to find myself writing more outside, in a chair under the shade of a tree. Our little boy, 20-month old Mac, is very busy and loves playing outside, so I’ll no doubt be keeping one eye on him and the other on my laptop screen.



I’d love to giveaway a copy of Change… this is the last blog in what has been an extensive 3-month blog tour, so please leave a comment to enter!

 

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter Blog Tour: Review & Giveaway

 

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Complete Collection (Parts I-VI)
Author: Jennifer Malone Wright 
Genre: YA Paranormal
Release Date: June 2012

Description:

This special edition of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter contains parts I-VI, the complete collection. Fourteen-year-old Chloe witnesses her mother’s murder at the hands of a vampire. Before the vampire can kidnap her, there is an unexpected rescue by a group of vampire hunters.

Overwhelmed by the feeling of safety, Chloe passes out and they whisk her away to their small community. When Chloe wakes, she comes face to face with the only other living relative, besides her mother, whom she has ever met: her grandfather. Chloe’s mother kept her hidden from the family; now, Chloe tries to unveil the family secrets. 

Through her grandfather, she learns her mother was a vampire hunter. In fact, her entire family is descended from the powerful bloodlines of vampire hunters. Chloe agrees to join the family she has never known for one reason only: Chloe vows to kill the vampire responsible for her mother’s murder. With vengeance in her soul, Chloe is even more determined to follow through on her vow when she discovers the true identity of her enemy and how he is connected to her. 

Experience the world of vampire hunter’s, vampires and mythology with Chloe in this exciting series. 

I took the first book off the stack and examined the cover. It was titled Vampires throughout History. The cover was leather and so old it was stiff and cracked in spots. The pages showed signs of age too, yellowing and stiff to the touch. There was no table of contents, so it looked like I was going to have to scan the entire book for what I was wanting. I flipped the pages carefully, so as not to tear any of them.

After an hour of scanning and about half way through the book, I found something referring to vampire children.
~~~ 

Although extremely rare, the natural-born offspring of vampires exist throughout the world. These rare beings are called the dhampir. Dhampir are usually the product of a vampire and mortal. The most common of these unions is a male vampire impregnating a mortal woman. Vampires, both male and female, are seductive in nature and some mortals came willingly to these unions. However, the majority of dhampir born were produced through an act of rape.

Solitary by nature, it is uncommon for a vampire to settle with any one mate for long. The children of vampires, the dhampir, more often than not exhibit all the characteristics of their vampire parent. The strength, speed and agility are the usual hereditary traits that the children develop. They are not always born with these traits but develop them as they grow into adulthood.

The dhampir are day walkers. Some of these children are sensitive to the sunlight but will not perish in the direct rays. Most have no sensitivity at all. Drinking the fresh blood of mortals is also not usually required of the dhampir; however, some have a liking for it. Very few actually need it to survive.

Most dhampir are rejected by the vampire species because of their mortality and weaknesses. Mortals often reject the dhampir, as well, due to their vampirism, so they frequently remain outcast.

Dhampir are known for becoming vampire killers. Their closeness to the vampires and their vampire characteristics make them powerful vampire hunters. The unique ability to track and kill vampires is specific to only the dhampir and the mythological race of vampire hunters.

Historically, dhampir became vampire hunters as a trade. Towns and villages became plagued by vampires who were terrorizing their homes and killing their people. The dhampir accepted contracts in exchange for monetary payment and used their likeness to their vampire counterparts to exterminate the vampires.
~~~

Holy crap, that was a lot to process. The more I read the passages, the more I understood that my being a hunter was more than my heritage; it was my history and my future. Everything about my bloodlines had hunters involved. 


Review:

The Vampire Hunter's Daughter: Complete Collection is the entire collection of short young adult paranormal stories that follow the main character, Chloe, a 14-year-old girl who discovers that she is the daughter of a vampire and a renowned vampire hunter. Along with her grandfather and the gang of other vampire hunters who have taken her in, Chloe is determined to reveal the secrets of her family and to destroy the vampire who is responsible for her mother's murder.

These stories are full of great vampire mythology and also incorporates interesting tales and legends of vampire hunters. It's a unique concept and I enjoyed learning the history and background of all those involved. The plot is decently written, but was somewhat cliched. The characters were also cliched and the dialogue seemed fake in several instances, which diverted my attention away from the storyline and made me lose interest. The book is full of action, which keeps it fast paced and enjoyable. There is some romance involved, but I didn't feel that it took away from the main focus of the narrative. Overall, this was a good collection of stories and fans of YA paranormal fiction will enjoy following Chloe's quest.

   

Part I of The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter is currently FREE! You can get your copy here: Amazon / Barnes & Noble 

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Complete Collection Buy Links: 

Amazon / Barnes & Noble

About the Author:

Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children. Between the craziness of taking care of her children, whose ages range from fourteen all the way down to six months, and being a homemaker, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on freelance work or her beloved fiction.

When she grew up, Jennifer always had her nose in a book. She has been writing stories and poems since grade school. This love of the written word and her strong interest in the paranormal is what has led to her first novel “The Birth of Jaiden.”

In addition to being a mother and homemaker, Jennifer is also a very proud military wife. Moving around the country for the last ten years has made her a bit of a nomad and she finds it difficult to be in one place for too long.

Jennifer is also the author of The Birth of Jaiden, a paranormal novel filled with action, suspense, and even a love story.

Website/ Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads / Amazon Author Page

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