Release Event & Giveaway: Adam's Apple by Liv Morris

Title: Adam's Apple (Touch of Tantra #1)

Author: Liv Morris

Publisher: Kiki Press

Release date: July 30th 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Suspense Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

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~Synopsis~

Adam Kingsley reigns as the young prince of Manhattan. Everything he touches turns to gold making him the envy of Wall Street. Women swoon at his feet, money falls out of his pockets, and his killer good looks are as wicked as sin. A dangerous trifecta.

What more could a thirty-two year old man wish for? Maybe that his life never changes and his past stays far away? Sounds reasonable but life seldom is.

Kathryn Delcour is a beautiful and alluring socialite with unique erotic tastes. When she suddenly appears on the New York City social scene, Adam finds her too tempting to resist. He has to have her, but she is warned to stay away from him and his player ways. She tries her hardest to keep him at arm's length however Kathryn's arms may not be strong enough to hold Adam at bay.

Hidden secrets, Kathryn's passion for an ancient sexual practice, and a former business partner wanting to inflict a deadly revenge set the scene for a wild ride as Adam tells the story in his own words.

~Purchase Links~

Amazon | Barnes & Noble  

~About the Author~

Liv Morris resides in Manhattan with her husband of twenty-eight years. Relocating eleven times during her husband's corporate career, Liv qualifies as a professional mover. Learning to bloom where she's planted, Liv brings her moving and life experiences to her writing.

A native of the beautiful Ozark Mountains of southern Missouri, Liv feels blessed to have a supportive and close family. Her three grown daughters are scattered across the country, but thankfully call home on a regular basis. Her favorite saying, "Life is not a dress rehearsal," motivates her to live life to its fullest.

She received a B.S. in Communication from the University of Maryland. Currently, Liv is writing and publishing her short story series, Love in the City. Two short stories ranked in Amazon's top best sellers list in Contemporary Romance. Her novel, Adam's Apple, is due for release this summer.

~Author Links~

Website | Twitter | Facebook

  a Rafflecopter giveaway


I can't wait to read this one! The cover is stunning, and the story sounds like a lot of good smexy fun! ;D What do you think?  

Cover Reveal ~ Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers

Title: Tone Deaf

Author: Olivia Rivers

Genre: New Adult Romance

Age Group: 16+

Release Date: November 4th 2013

Cover Reveal organized by: Xpresso Book Tours 

 

Add to Goodreads

 

~Synopsis~

 

His world is music...

...Her world is silent.

 

Ali Blinde was a prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the 21st century.

 

Until the brain tumor struck.

 

Now seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with ASL and lip-reading. So when she meets Jace Beckett, she thinks he's her worst nightmare come true. Jace is the lead singer in the wildly-popular band, Tone Deaf, and he's exactly the kind of success-story Ali hates and resents.

 

Nineteen-year-old Jace has it all: fame, money, and any girl he wants. Every night on tour brings a new performance and a new girl, which is just what he needs to avoid the pain of relationships.

 

But when Jace learns Ali is being abused, he reluctantly proposes a solution: Run away with him and his band as they tour the country. With freedom in sight, Ali takes the offer. Immediately, she's swept into a world filled with wild punk music, wilder musicians, and maybe - just maybe - love.

 

 

~About the Author~

 

Olivia Rivers is the author of six novels, ranging in genres from Epic Fantasy to Contemporary Romance. Along with being a writer, she's a freelance digital artist, a literary agent assistant, and a high school student. She's a nerd at heart, and is a hopeless fan-girl for Doctor Who and Arrested Development. Olivia lives in California with a dog who thinks he's a cat, a cat who thinks he's a dog, and a kitten who is just generally confused.

 

 

~Author Links~

Website / Blog | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon Page 

 

I hadn't heard of this book before, and I'm so glad I have now! It looks amazing, not just the cover but the storyas well. I'll definitely be reading this one - already added it to my TBR list. How about you?



 

 



Blog Tour ~ Review & Giveaway: Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3) by Rhiannon Frater

Hey guys! Welcome to my stop on the Pretty When She Destroys blog tour hosted by Xpresso Book Tours. Click here to follow along with the tour. :) 

Title: Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3)

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Publication date: August 27th 2013

Genre: Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy

Blog Tour organized by: Xpresso Book Tours

Source: Review copy for the tour

My Rating: 5 / 5

Add to Goodreads 

~Synopsis~

 

Amaliya Vezorak always believed she was destined to live a failed life in obscurity until she was brutally murdered by an ancient vampire named The Summoner and reborn as a powerful vampire necromancer. Now it is up to her to save the world... 

~My Thoughts~

 

It's all come down to this - the final showdown between Amaliya and those who stand with her and The Summoner. The Summoner's plans in light of what he's been wanting for the last hundred years are revealed, and it's even more diabolical than anyone could have imagined.

 

This was such an intense ride! I couldn't believe it. With each book, the plot has unfolded more and more deeply, and I loved where I found myself while reading this installment. Just when I thought The Summoner was as evil as a being could get, Rhiannon Frater showed me he still had a few more tricks up his sleeve. Believe me when I say though that he's one of the most vile villains I've read about. Just thinking about him and his plans gives me the chills.  

 

I'm in love with Amaliya, completely and totally. She's incredibly resourceful, intelligent, and just all out bad ass. The transformation she's undergone from the first book to the second book to this one is stunning.  I 'think she's adjusted so well to becoming a vampire because she never wanted to live an ordinary life. She didn't have that in her. She's seemed to have gone from a human girl with no confidence in herself who was sorely mistreated with the exception of her grandmother, cousin Sergio, and childhood friend, Pete to a powerful "necrovamp" who's brave and willing to fight to save the world. The fate of billions of lives are in the hands of her and her allies. If they fail, the consequences will be dire. I wouldn't want that responsibility weighing on me!

 

It's funny how some of the characters that I didn't like in the first book have now grown on me, such as Samantha. She loves Buffy - who could hate a girl who not only loves Buffy but wishes she WAS Buffy? Haven't all of us at some time or another wished we were Buffy? I know I have. ;) There were also a couple of characters whom I felt more neutral about but still didn't trust. Rachon was definitely one of those characters. I really loved the pop culture references to Buffy, Twilight, and Anne Rice's Lestat. The Twilight jokes made me laugh out loud. And I got some weird looks when that happened.

 

Rhiannon Frater did an amazing job drawing me into Amaliya's world, and I'm better for knowing her and the motley crew she hangs around. This book was action packed and such a roller coaster ride where I had no idea what was going to happen next and who was going to live or die. I never would've guessed the ending, but I'm happy with it. Rhiannon Frater did justice to her characters and with her readers who have invested themselves in Amaliya's world, an incredibly difficult balance to achieve.

~The First Two Books in the Series~

Book One

****From August 1 - 9 Pretty When She Dies will be on sale for 0.99c!!! Amazon Only****  

Title: Pretty When She Dies (Pretty When She Dies #1)

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Published: November 24th 2008

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~Synopsis~

Amaliya wakes under the forest floor, disoriented, famished and confused. She digs out of the shallow grave and realizes she is hungry...in a new, horrific, unimaginable way...

Sating her great hunger, she discovers that she is now a vampire, the bloodthirsty creature of legend. She has no choice but to flee from her old life and travels across Texas. Her new hunger spurs her to leave a wake of death and blood behind her as she struggles with her new nature.

All the while, her creator is watching. He is ancient, he is powerful, and what's worse is that he's a necromancer. He has the power to force the dead to do his bidding. Amaliya realizes she is but a pawn in a twisted game, and her only hope for survival is to seek out one of her own kind.

But if Amaliya finds another vampire, will it mean her salvation...or her death?

~Purchase Links~

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble  

Book Two

Title: Pretty When She Kills (Pretty When She Dies #2)

Author: Rhiannon Frater

Published: September 5th 2012

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~Synopsis~

Amaliya Vezorak never believed in happy endings...

When Amaliya harnessed her necromancer powers to defeat her greatest enemy, she believed she had finally found a happy ending with Cian, her lover and the master of Austin. That happiness is short-lived when the vampire ruling over San Antonio attempts a takeover of Austin in order to capture Amaliya and use her power for his own devices.

To make matters worse, Samantha, Cian's ex-fiancee, is seeing ghosts, the untested vampire hunters of Austin are running scared as a supernatural war looms, a mysterious man is hunting Amaliya with the help of her one time lover, Pete, and Rachon, the Summoner's favorite progeny, appears to be out for revenge.

When Amaliya's grandmother, a powerful medium, experiences terrible visions that reveal there is another necromancer vampire and she is crying out for help, Amaliya realizes happy endings do not come easily...

~Purchase Links~

Amazon  |  Barnes & Noble  

~About the Author~

Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called 'one of the best zombie books of the decade.' Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency. You may contact her by sending an email to rhiannonfrater@gmail.com.

~Author Links~

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter  

~Grand Prize Giveaway~

All 3 books in the series

+

vampire jewelry!!!

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour ~ Review & Tour Wide Giveaway: Songstone by Lena Goldfinch

 

Hey everyone! Welcome to my stop on the Songstone Blog Tour hosted by the author, Lena Goldfinch and Amber Stokes of Editing Through the Seasons. Click here for the full tour schedule! :)

 

Title: Songstone

Author: Lena Goldfinch

Expected release date: July 2013

Pages: 246

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Blog Tour organized by: Lena Goldfinch and Amber Stokes

Source: Review copy provided for tour

My Rating: 5 / 5

 

Add to Goodreads

 

~Synopsis~

 

Kita can meld song into stone. In a world with no written word, storytelling - the ability to meld (or magically impress) song into stone - is greatly honored. The village honors her master as their medicine man, but Kita knows he's secretly a sorcerer who practices black magic using drops of her blood. She fears he'll use her beautiful gift for a killing spell, so she conceals it from him. Each day, his magic tightens around her neck like a rope. His spells blind the villagers, so they can't see him for what he really is.

 

Not that anyone would want to help her. She was found in the forest as a baby and would have died if a village girl hadn't brought her home. But the villagers saw Kita's unusual coloring and decided she belonged to the mysterious tribe who lives in the forests of the volcano, a people feared for their mystical powers. So they fear her too. Now seventeen, she can barely admit her deepest longing: to know who she really is and where she belongs.

 

Then Pono, a young journeyman, arrives from the other side of the island. He's come to fulfill a pact between their villages: to escort a storyteller back to his village - a storyteller who'll be chosen at the great assembly. Finally, in Pono, Kita sees her one slim chance at freedom and she'll risk her life to take it.

 

A dark, twisty tale of sorcery, tummy-tingling romance, and adventure, inspired by the folklore of New Zealand's Māori people.

 

~My Thoughts~

 

I loved how unique and surprising this book was for me. Kita is an amazing heroine, the kind you dream of reading about. I didn't know what to think about her at first. She seems stuck in an impossible situation, and the way she copes with it is by hardening herself against caring about anyone or anything. The gift she has of melding song into stone is exactly why I had to read her story - the idea of having an ability like this was mesmerizing to me. I wanted to know how it works and how she uses it. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed at all.  

 

Kita lives a hard life as a social outcast. Found as a baby, she is brought to a village where she doesn't look like anyone else, and so the other villagers believe she belongs to a group of people who live up north - a group whom the villagers fear. Kita is raised by the family who found her until she's eight, when the village "medicine man" takes her to live with him as his slave, even physically harming her. Everyone is tricked by his magic into thinking he's a medicine man while Kita really knows he's practicing black magic. The moment comes when she sees a way to leave the village when a journeyman named Pono arrives, and she grabs it.

 

This story is beautifully and emotionally told. I couldn't imagine being someone's slave and not knowing who I really am or where I came from. I wanted Kita to have a normal life where she was free to come and go as she wants and no longer has to worry about whether or not her master is going to kill her. Almost more than that, I wanted her "master" to suffer the consequences of his actions. Lena Goldfinch's skill in weaving a tale is tenfold - not only do you have the pleasure of reading a magical story, you also realize she has cleverly infused lessons about life and love underneath it all; for example, the fact that Kita is seen as an outsider because she looks different from everyone else even though she has lived among them since she was a baby.

 

If you're looking for magic, romance, and adventure with a spunky heroine, this is the story for you. This is the first book by Lena Goldfinch that I've read and will definitely not be the last!   

 

~Purchase Links~

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo  | Smashwords 

 

~About the Author~ 

Lena lives in a scenic small town in Massachusetts with her husband, two kids, and a very spoiled Black Lab. She writes fiction for young adults, mostly light fantasy with a healthy dose of "sigh-worthy" romance. You can visit her online at www.lenagoldfinch.blogspot.com.

 

~Author Links~

Website | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Newsletter sign up 

 

~Giveaway~    

,

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Think Out Loud #17 ~ Freak Out!

 

Have something you'd like to get off your chest? Want to talk about anything? Join this meme hosted by Thinks Books ! Get to know your fellow bloggers outside the bookish realm. Click here for the 411. The posts go up every Thursday or whenever you'd like. :D

 

School will be starting really soon, so I'm having freak out moments. I don't want my little girl to go into fifth grade! :'( Then I think about how it won't be long before my son will be in kindergarten. He's a winter baby, so it'll be two more years. He's three right now and will be four in November. Then what?

 

I won't be going into the work force any time soon because I'll be watching my niece still until she's in kindergarten which will be in four or five years. Ugh. By then I'll be too old to want to go to grad school so I can do something with the psych degree I have. I'm not even sure if I want to be a grief counselor anymore. I'd rather hide out at home taking care of kids than get a job in "the real world" again. Not that staying home is easy, either, but it feels safer for me sometimes. I don't have to deal with bosses breathing down my neck.

 

How do you feel about your kids going back to school? I hope you aren't feeling as despondent as I am. :)

Feature & Follow #22 ~ Can't Give Up My Books

 

I'm so excited to join Feature & Follow Friday!! This is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read where they each feature a blogger with an interview and also have a question or activity for all bloggers to participate in answering. Please click the links above to follow the hosting bloggers and the featured bloggers and enter the link to your own post in the linky. Hop around to as many blogs as you can - find new blogs to follow and gain some new followers as well. Mingle and make some new blogger friends! :D

I would be so happy and ever so grateful if you'd follow me any way other than GFC, especially by Bloglovin' or email and Twitter. Thank you! <3

Q: What do you do with your books after you are done reading them? 

I usually keep them, lol. If I love it and am going to probably read it again, then I definitely keep it. If I didn't like the book much I either sell it at a garage sale, give it to one of my friends, sell it to a used book store, or donate it to Goodwill. I keep all of my ARCs. 

 



Book Blitz ~ Spirit (Elemental #5) by Shauna Granger

Spirit (Elemental #5)

by Shauna Granger

Release Date: 04/30/13
Book Blitz organized by: YA Bound Book Tours

Summary from Goodreads:

Not even a guardian angel is more powerful than Death.

Always careful to watch out for others, Shayna put too much trust her abilities to keep herself safe and has been cut down by crazed man. Now she is trapped in the land of the dead, watching as her two best friends suffer the consequences of her death; their powers are fading and soon they will too. Shayna is desperate to return to the land of the living to save them from a similar, cold fate. To save her friends Shayna must turn away from the Light and, in doing so, sacrifice her wings.

But the longer Shayna stays among the dead, the further she slips from sanity. If Shayna cannot find her way back she will be condemned and lost forever among the restless souls of the dead. With nothing left to lose, she will do whatever it takes to fight her way back, with or without her wings.

Available from:

    

Excerpt #3:

In the distance, I heard something echoing my screams. I had a moment of panic and looked right and left, but the monstrous cries stopped. I held my breath to listen, not even daring to move. In the sudden quiet, the snuffling breath and breaking twigs behind me sounded like gunfire.

I was no longer alone.

My mouth was dry, and my hands were suddenly shaking. I dared not breathe for fear of giving myself away before I knew what the noisy thing was. Whatever it was, it was too close to be whatever had roared in the distance. Great, two things to worry about. Slowly, I inched around the tree, bracing myself with one hand, to try to see what was creeping up on me. I kept my face pressed against the smooth trunk, trying to keep myself as small as possible. Dead leaves crunched and twigs snapped as the thing made its way through the dark forest. It finally came around another group of trees, and by the weak moonlight, I made it out.

For one heart stopping moment, I thought it was the Hell Hound Ian had set on me so long ago, but this thing had thick, coarse fur, so white it nearly glowed. Its paws were as big as both my hands put together, shoulders as high as mine, and its tail swished back and forth, back and forth as it snuffled against the ground, looking for a scent to follow. I might’ve thought it was beautiful until he picked up his head and swung his face in my direction. It reminded me of a snow leopard after a bloody battle.

His black lips stretched wide over a mouth full of razor-like teeth, each one as long as my finger, and saliva foamed and dripped from the corners of his mouth. His eyes were black and beady, nearly lost in the ruff of fur around his squashed nose. His ears were flattened against his head as he galumphed through the trees, snuffling the ground. He got ever closer to me, and I knew my chances of escaping dwindled as I stood frozen in place. I chewed the inside of my cheek, trying to think of what to do. Yes, I could run, sure, but to where? The trees seemed to go on and on, and I had no idea where I was. I would’ve climbed a tree, but all of the branches were too high for me to reach, and the trunks were smooth in the winter hibernation.

Laying the flat of my hand against the tree, I tried to make contact with it, asking it to open up and take me in, to hide me from the monster. But the tree remained quiet and firm against my hand. I had hoped the pain returning meant I had some of my powers back, but if I couldn’t get a tree to hear me, then I definitely had no Earth powers here. I cursed silently before edging to stand up, keeping my body pressed tightly against the tree.

Risking another glance around the trunk, I saw the creature turn left, away from me, sniffling and snuffling as it went like a pig looking for truffles. Just as I was about to turn and sneak away, my foot slipped on some loose dirt, and the toe of my boot scraped against a root. In the quiet, it sounded absurdly loud, but not so loud as the beast’s surprised snort. Its ears shot straight up and turned toward the sound, toward me.

Our eyes met, mine round and unblinking, its narrowed and angry. It craned its head back, its neck lengthening as it did, and howled so long and loud that I cringed away. Before it dropped its head, I spun on the spot and ran.

***

Rest of the books in the Elemental series:
(link to Goodreads)

   

About the Author

Like so many other writers, Shauna grew up as an avid reader, but it was in high school that she realized she wanted to be a writer. Five years ago, Shauna started work on her Elemental Series. She released the first installment, Earth, on May 1, 2011 and has since released four sequels, with the series coming to an end with Spirit. She is currently hard at work on a new Urban Fantasy series, staring a spunky witch with a smush-faced cat named Artemis.

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

1 – Signed Paperback of winner’s choice of books 1-5 in the Elemental series. (US only)

1 – e-book of winner’s choice of books 1-5 in the Elemental series. (INT)

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Book Blitz ~ Guest Post: Nomad by J.L. Bryan

I am so excited to be a part of today's book blitz for Nomad. As soon as I read the synopsis, I knew this was a book I had to read. Then I took part in the cover reveal, seeing the gorgeous ass-kicking cover for the first time, the deal was sealed. I was completely sold. Now I have a copy for review from the author, and I can't wait to read and review it for you guys!! That'll be coming soon! 

Have fun reading the guest post below by J.L. Bryan himself (it's hilarious!), and make sure to enter the giveaway at the bottom for a chance to win an eCopy of Nomad for the Kindle or Nook. 

Title: Nomad

Author: J.L. Bryan

Publication date: July 26th 2013

Genre: New Adult time travel dystopian novel

Book Blitz organized by: Xpresso Book Tours

Add to Goodreads

~Synopsis~

A new dystopian novel from the author of Jenny Pox - coming July 26th.

They took everything: her family, her home, her childhood. 

By the age of nineteen, Raven has spent most of her life in the sprawling slums of America, fighting as a rebel against the dictatorship. When the rebellion steals an experimental time-travel device, she travels back five decades to the year 2013. Her plan: assassinate the future dictator when he is still young and vulnerable, long before he comes to power. She must move fast to reshape history, because agents from her own time are on her trail, ready to execute her on sight.

~What Not to Wear When Traveling Through Time~

Guest post by J.L. Bryan

When the conversation turns to time travel, as it so often does, you'll hear a lot of blather about the risks and dangers. Everyone talks about the risk of universe-destroying paradoxes, but little attention is given to the risk of universe-destroying fashion decisions.

Don't fear! We've put together this handy guide to what to wear (and now wear!) on your next time-travel escapade. 

DON'T wear high heels. If you're travelling into the past, you may have to escape Nazis or rabid cavemen. In the future, watch out for killer cyborgs and radioactive mutants! Whatever your destination, be prepared to run for your life. We recommend comfortable, well-worn running shoes, with combat boots as a useful second option. If you're attending a formal event in another century, simply pack those high heels in your carry-on luggage. If you must have high heels, pick the stilettos, as they can double as a handy weapon.

DON'T dress in a silver bodysuit with a clear bubble helmet, especially with antennae on top. People will mistake you for a 1950's era space alien rather than a time traveler, leading to a variety of potential problems: quarantine, imprisonment, military attack, being a guest on The Today Show, and other horrific outcomes. Dress in a low-key fashion, and save the aluminum-foil outfit for another occasion...or, actually, just throw it away. That silver bodysuit doesn't go well with your hair. 

DON'T wear ankle-length dresses, tight corsets, or other binding clothes. Again, you may need to fight or flee for survival, so jeans or slacks might be your best bet. Short skirts are both alluring and provide ample kicking radius, in case you need to kick in a face or two.

DON'T clash with the time and place you're visiting. Skinny jeans, for instance, are a huge no-no in the Puritan era. That cute cami top may be both comfortable and casually sexy, but if you wear it in Victorian England, you'll stick out like a sore thumb full of licentiousness and sin. 

Learn before you get burned! Always study the correct attire and customs of your destination before you travel in time. For help, contact your local vintage thrift shop and/or Halloween store. Remember: the right look at the right time is the right way to go. And you can quote us on that. 

If you have additional fashion tips for time travelers, please share in the comments below! 

J.L. Bryan's book Nomad, a new adult time-travel dystopian, releases Friday July 26th! (See it on Goodreads.)

                                                 ~About the Author~

J.L. Bryan studied English literature at the University of Georgia and at Oxford, with a focus on English Renaissance and Romantic literature. He also studied screenwriting at UCLA. He lives in the metro Atlanta sprawl with his wife Christina, where he spends most of his day serving the toddler and animal community inside his house. He is the author of the Paranormals series and the Songs of Magic series. 

His novel Jenny Pox is currently free on Kindle, Smashwords, Apple, Sony, Kobo, and Nook!

~Author Links~

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter | Author's Amazon Page

~Giveaway~

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal ~ Beyond Control (Beyond Love #1) by Karice Bolton

Title: Beyond Control (Beyond Love #1) 

Author: Karice Bolton 

Expected Publication: August 2013

*Cover by PhatPuppy Art (http://phatpuppyart.com)*

Cover Reveal organized by: Bookish Brunette Book Tours

Add to Goodreads

~Synopsis~

Gabby's overcome more than most can even begin to imagine, and she's barely out of college. With a visible scar that reminds her and the world that she beat the odds, it's impossible for her to put everything behind her, no matter how hard she tries. 

As she begins working at her family's company, she buries herself in the safety of the corporate world. No extra time, no life, no relationships. It's safe to say she might be a little demanding and overly ambitious. She's got everything under control, just how she likes it. After all, life is short.

Jason's been trying to piece his life together after a personal tragedy, only it's not working. He's thrown himself into his work, but he's only becoming angrier. He'll never forgive himself and doesn't expect anyone else to either. 

When the back of his vehicle is clipped by an obnoxious limo driver he can't wait to let the driver have it until he hears Gabby's voice coming from inside the sedan. There's something soothing about it, something familiar. 

The moment she sees him, she knows her life will never be the same. But she doesn't know why. He's everything she said she never wanted. He's cocky, arrogant, and infuriating. With his dazzling amber eyes, dark hair and chiseled features she can hardly remember where she's going, let alone where she's been and maybe that's a good thing. She begins to let him show her what life could be, if she really lived it.

Neither want their past to define their future, but sometimes destiny has something else in store. It's only as their love grows and secrets are revealed that they realize a devastating connection from their past might actually tear them apart.  

~About the Author~

Karice Bolton is a paranormal romance/urban fantasy author living in the Pacific Northwest. All three books in The Watchers Trilogy are available now, Awakening, Legions, and Cataclysm. Lonely Souls, which is the first book in her new series Witch Avenue, was released in June 2012! 

~Author Links~

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

What do you think about the cover? I think it's dripping with smexiness! ;D 

Review & Giveaway: The Mackenzie Legacy (The Athena Effect #2) by Derrolyn Anderson

Title: The Mackenzie Legacy (The Athena Effect #1)

Author: Derrolyn Anderson

Published: April 3rd 2013 (First published January 1st 2012)

Pages: approx. 200

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance 

Source: Copy for review 

My Rating: 4.5 / 5

Add to Goodreads

~Synopsis~

As their story continues, Calvin and Caledonia find themselves madly in love, on the run, and nearly out of money. When Cal stumbles upon a way to cash in on Cali's powers, their life on the road becomes a life of leisure. Despite the easy money and newfound luxury, Caledonia's conscience begins to trouble her.

A disturbing warning only serves to confirm her misgivings, making her question her purpose in life. Finally, a shocking discovery about the true nature of her powers points the way forward, sending the two Cals on a dangerous rescue mission. 

Caledonia tries her best to right the wrongs of the past, but will she only end up provoking new and even more dangerous enemies?

~My Thoughts~

If you've followed my reviews, you know how much I absolutely adored The Athena Effect. Click here to read my review of the first book, The Athena Effect. I love this one just as much! Cal and Caledonia are two of my favorite characters ever. Cal's past as a "bad boy" and the changes he's made in his life for Caledonia's love makes him appealing to me without taking away his mystery and allure. There's no denying he is an amazing book boyfriend! ;)

On the run from Professor Reed and his henchmen, Calvin and Caledonia are surviving day to day the best they can. Once they run out of money, they begin using Caledonia's gift in ways that cause Caledonia to become uncomfortable. Cal becomes carried away, and I knew he would. He isn't a bad guy - he just becomes caught up trying to make life comfortable for the two of them. He never had much growing up, and he wants to give Caledonia everything he can, all out of love. I know his heart is in the right place.  

Caledonia, on the other hand, believes she has been given her gift to help others instead of gaining anything for herself. She has a good spirit and doesn't want to hurt anyone, which are just two of the reasons I love her. A warning causes her to question everything about her life and its purpose, and she knows if she and Cal continue using her gift in the way he wants, there will be dire consequences. 

Some of my questions from the first book were answered while some things remain veiled, and I am anticipating the third book! Huge plot twists take the story further and are so shocking, you'll never have seen them coming. I can't even tell you how much the new information revealed about the Athena Effect amazed and stunned me, giving even more depth to an already stellar story. The new direction in which the plot heads is incredibly clever, and crazy good and crazy addictive! 

I'll try my best to be patient until the third book comes out! :D

~Purchase Links~ 

Amazon  | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Smashwords

~About the Author~

I'm a visual artist and writer of the four part "Marina's Tales" series, the YA/NA romantic suspense, "The Athena Effect" and its sequel, "The Mackenzie Legacy". I'm currently hard at work on books #3 & #4 in the Athena series.

~Connect with the Author~

Website | Goodreads | Pinterest

~Giveaway~

One (1) lucky winner will receive an eBook copy of The Athena Effect and The Mackenzie Legacy via Smashwords 

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Handmade charm bracelet!

Below is a photo of mine - I love it!! :D 

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