Break the Spell by A.M. Bostwick ~ #BookBlitz: #Excerpt & #Giveaway .@yaReads

Hey Donnie Darlings!! Welcome to the Book Blitz for Break the Spell hosted by Ya Reads Blog Tours! We have a lot for you to check out today - there's an excerpt, book trailer, and a giveaway. So stick around and check out Break the Spell! 

Break the Spell 
by A.M. Bostwick 
Published by Fiery Seas Publishing 
Published in September 2015 
Genre: Young Adult

Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes

Synopsis

Alone. On the run. Until she came along. 

When Allison Evans walks out of high school the last day of her senior year, she has no idea that her carefully guarded life is about to unravel. 

Ethan Knight is on the run. Accused of dealing drugs and armed with nothing but a bad reputation and his motorcycle, he takes refuge for the weekend inside the old high school. Thinking no one will find him and no one does. 

Until Allison. Panicked and left with no other choice, Ethan takes her captive. It should be a nightmare, but together, both of their lives take an unexpected turn. It's time for them both to stop running from their problems. 

  Excerpt  

Storm clouds gather above me. I zip my jacket sleeves. I’m always leaving, but I never have anywhere to go. 

Where the hell are you, Steve? Why am I the one with all this cash? Why is this all up to me? 

He isn’t exactly beating a path to get to me and answer my questions. I shake my head and saddle up. Screw him. 

Damn it, I have to stop swearing so much. 

Get on the road again, I tell myself. Stay moving. Cursing is the least of my worries. Where to go? 

Where do I have left to go? 

Motor loud, iPod louder, pounding out my favorite band. My Darkest Days. 

You’re out for blood and you can smell the fear.

Miles and miles pass beneath me. The sky grows darker, threatening clouds silently rolling in. The single headlight illuminates my road to nowhere. These roads I’ve traveled all my life. It’s impossible for me to get lost, I know them so well. This both comforts and frustrates me. Lightening flickers across the sky on the western horizon. 

The music moves through me like electricity. 

You need poison, like it’s the only thing that keeps you alive. 

I’m two counties away now, down cracked and twisting county roads. The Wisconsin River snakes downstream alongside me - black, cold, dangerous. Inviting. 

Just a little bad habit that you hide from your friends. 

What the hell am I supposed to do? Ozone is in the air. Thunder rumbles. Chicken Little had been right. The sky is going to fall. Stay tough, Ethan. 

Said you didn’t want it, but you’re in a sick and twisted affair. 

I push the throttle in further. The Harley responds. A strike of lightening briefly lights up the eerie gray sky, thunder cracks, and the rainclouds break open. I can’t outrun the storm. I’m forced to slow as the road gets slick beneath my wheels. The drops are needles against my skin. I’m soaked in seconds. 

One taste and it can take control of your life. 

It hits me. 

Your dirty little drug, that you never get enough of. 

I know where to go. I know where to hide. Where they will never find me. 

You won’t be alone tonight. 

It will buy time. Which I sorely need right now. As the rain pelts down, I decelerate the bike on the highway, make a u-turn in the middle of the road and gun back toward Oakdale. Following the storm. 

You won’t be alone tonight.    

  Book Trailer

 

  

Teaser

About the Author

A.M. Bostwick writes Middle Grade and Young Adult novels. Her debut middle grade novel, The Great Cat Nap, earned the 2014 Tofte/Wright Children’s Literature Award from the Council for Wisconsin Writers. An early draft of her young adult novel, Break the Spell, was a finalist in the 2013 Wisconsin Romance Writers of America Fab 5 Contest. She holds degrees in both art and earth science. A.M. Bostwick lives in northern Wisconsin with her husband, dog and thrill-seeking cat. 

 Connect with the Author

 Website | Twitter | Goodreads | Publishing Website   

 $10 Amazon gift card 

(2) ebooks

 (1) physical copy 

(open US only)

a Rafflecopter giveaway    

Matchbox Girls by Chrysoula Tzavelas ~ Blog Tour: #BookReview & #Giveaway @chrysoula

Welcome to my stop on the Matchbox Girls Blog Tour hosted by CBB Book Promotions. Click here to follow along with tour schedule! :D 

 

Matchbox Girls
(Senyaza Series #1)
By Chrysoula Tzavelas
Source: Copy for review

* Matchbox Girls is on sale for only .99 cents for the Kindle from September 14-27! 

The sequel, Infinity Key, is also only .99 cents! *

Purchase Matchbox Girls: Amazon | B&N 
Purchase Infinity Key: Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis 

For a thousand years, the half-breed nephilim have kept the angels and Fallen from meddling in the world. And the angels would do anything to change that. Destroy cities. Turn oceans to blood. Raise the dead. Sacrificing two powerful little girls should be easy. 

Except...the two little girls are protected by one mortal woman.

Haunted by visions of catastrophe and crippling anxiety attacks, Marley Claviger has never heard of any celestial cold war. But when the twin daughters of a friend come to her for help, she will do whatever it takes to save them. Even if it means working with Fallen, discovering the nephilim, and facing the source of her power. 

MATCHBOX GIRLS was a pleasant surprise to me. The concept of angels, demons and nephilim isn't new, but when the fae were also thrown into the mix, I was intrigued. Tzavelas took these beings and infused new energy into them and the urban fantasy genre.   

I connected with Marley right away as someone who also suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. 

Worries that seem illogical or not so bad to other people is catastrophic to me, especially worrying about something really bad happening. This is what Marley worries about the most - something terrible happening to someone. 

I loved to see great friendships among Marley, Branwyn, and Penny. It's rare to see strong female relationships in novels nowadays, and when I do come across them, I savor them! 

And oh the twins! I loved how Marley struggled a bit with the chaos they created when she first took care of them. It made the story so realistic because 4-year-old twins would be a handful. I've only had one 4-year-old at a time, so I can't imagine having two! They sound like cute girls, and I'd protect them like a mama bear as Marley does. Marley is super smart and has great instincts. She follows her gut feeling - if something doesn't feel right, she knows something is wrong, which was so refreshing to see in a heroine! 

The mystery disappearance of the twins' uncle, Zachariah and wondering how Marley would keep the girls safe from those beings who were after them kept me on the edge of my seat. I read MATCHBOX GIRLS in about three sittings, only because I had to sleep, lol.   

My only complaint is hard to explain. Some of the action was a little hard for me to picture because of the way it was described. It wasn't a huge issue or anything, and maybe it's just me. 

If you're looking for a fresh take on angels, fae, and the like, I recommend you pick up a copy of MATCHBOX GIRLS. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, INFINITY KEY. As a matter of fact, I enjoyed MATCHBOX GIRLS so much, I've already bought the sequel so hopefully I can get to it soon!   

About the Author

As an Air Force kid, Chrysoula went to twelve schools in twelve years and spent a lot of time wondering what made people tick. Books, it turned out, helped with that question. These days she lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family, which includes many small and demanding creatures who fight over her attention. 

Her first book, urban fantasy MATCHBOX GIRLS, was originally published in 2012 by the small press Candlemark & Gleam, followed annually by two more books in the same SENYAZA series, all of which explore the impact of the supernatural on different lives. Her current release is a collection of short stories in the same setting, followed by another novel this autumn.

Connect with the Author

Website | Twitter @chrysoula | Facebook    

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Blog Tour organized by:

Restoration by Randi Cooley Wilson ~ #CoverReveal & Twitter Event!

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for Restoration by Randi Cooley Wilson organized by YA Reads Blog Tours!  

Restoration
(The Revelation Series #5) 

by Randi Cooley Wilson  

Releasing November 30, 2015 

Pre-order September 15, 2015

 Amazon | B&N | Smashwords 

Synopsis

WOULD YOU RUN

WOULD YOU FIGHT
WOULD YOU FALL TO FATE

If your heart was full of love, could you give it all up? Eve Collins will do anything to save those she loves, especially her gargoyle protector and mate, Asher St. Michael. With the world crumbling down around them, Eve and Asher must face the final battle between darkness and light. One that will end in great sacrifice. 

When the skies darken and love in its truest form is tested, would you run? When death becomes silence and battle lines are drawn, would you fight? If you had to sacrifice, to save the one you loved, would you fall to fate? Would you dare to let it go? 

The End, Begins.

 

About the Author

Randi Cooley Wilson is a "New Adult" Paranormal/Fantasy and Contemporary Romance author. A resident of Massachusetts, she makes stuff up, devours romance books, drinks lots of wine and coffee, and has a slight addiction to bracelets. For more information visit: http://randicooleywilson.com  

Twitter Event

Monday 9/21

4pm PST / 7pm EST

Trivia, Prizes, & Fun Conversation about the books! 

Prizes to be offered throughout the event! 

Use the hashtag #Restoration  

This Monstrous Thing by Mackenzi Lee ~ Blog Tour: #BookReview & #Giveaway

Welcome to my stop on the This Monstrous Thing Blog Tour hosted by FFBC Tours! Click here to follow along with the full schedule! :D   

This Monstrous Thing
by Mackenzi Lee
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Release Date: September 22nd 2015

Source: Copy for review 

Purchase: Amazon Paperback | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo  

Synopsis

In 1818 Geneva, men built with clockwork parts live hidden away from society, cared for only by illegal mechanics called Shadow Boys. Two years ago, Shadow Boy Alasdair Finch’s life shattered to bits.

His brother, Oliver—dead.

His sweetheart, Mary—gone.

His chance to break free of Geneva—lost.

Heart-broken and desperate, Alasdair does the unthinkable: He brings Oliver back from the dead.

But putting back together a broken life is more difficult than mending bones and adding clockwork pieces. Oliver returns more monster than man, and Alasdair’s horror further damages the already troubled relationship.

Then comes the publication of Frankenstein and the city intensifies its search for Shadow Boys, aiming to discover the real life doctor and his monster. Alasdair finds refuge with his idol, the brilliant Dr. Geisler, who may offer him a way to escape the dangerous present and his guilt-ridden past, but at a horrible price only Oliver can pay…

This Monstrous Thing is an awesome steampunk take on the Frankenstein story that breathes new life (ha ha!) into the monster tale. When Alasdair's brother Oliver dies, Alasdair brings him back to life using clockwork parts but he doesn't come back the same way he was before he died. Then the book fast forwards two years. 

Alasdair keeps the fact that he brought Oliver back to life a secret from their parents, and I wondered why. I could see both pros and cons of letting them know the son they thought was dead was alive again in some way, but I think ultimately Alasdair feared for Oliver's safety. Clockwork men and women are hated and feared, and Alasdair knew he couldn't hide Oliver forever if he brought him home.  

I wasn't a fan of Alasdair's father - he was too gruff with his living son. If I only had one son who was still alive, I'd like to think I wouldn't be so tough on him. I guess it was because of the difficult life their family leads due to the secret and illegal work they do with clockwork parts. Still, I wasn't a fan of their father. 

I do like Alasdair and Oliver. Their relationship sounded very close before Oliver died, but it changed after Oliver was brought back from the dead. It changed in ways Alasdair couldn't have predicted, and I loved the exploration of their relationship and the factors that changed it. 

Admittedly there were a couple of slow moments in This Monstrous Thing; however, I still enjoyed the story. I love that there's an exploration of what makes us human and the question of whether that humanity is wiped away (and if so how much?) when you start adding mechanical, moving parts to keep the body going. But most of all, how much humanity remains when you die and are brought back with mostly mechanical parts? When you can't remember much of your life?

If you're a fan of Frankenstein and are looking for a fresh re-imagining of the story involving a tale of two brothers, then This Monstrous Thing will be right up your alley.    

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mackenzi Lee is reader, writer, bookseller, unapologetic fangirl, fast talker, and perpetually-anxious badass. She holds an MFA from Simmons College in writing for children and young adults, and her short fiction has appeared in Inaccurate Realities, The Friend, and The Newport Review. Her young adult historical fantasy novel, THIS MONSTROUS THING, which won the PEN-New England Susan P. Bloom Children’s Book Discovery Award, as well as an Emerging Artist Grant from the St. Botolph Club Foundation, will be published fall of 2015 by Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins. 

She loves Diet Coke, sweater weather, and historical fiction. On a perfect day, she can be found enjoying all three. She currently calls Boston home.

Connect with the Author

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest  

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Blog Tour organized by:

Royal Pains by Nina Mason ~ #CoverReveal

Today we are revealing the new covers for Nina Mason's Royal Pains, an erotic series set in Scotland and England during the Restoration period (the latter half of the 17th century, for those who don't know). Ms. Mason decided to put new, sexier covers on the series to celebrate the launch of book three, THE DEVIL'S MASQUERADE. 

Disclaimer: Royal Pains, intended for readers 18 years and older, features flagellation, bondage, group sex, and other highly erotic situations.

All three new covers, the blurbs for the books, and the buy links follow:

Royal Pains, Book OneDEVIL IN DUKE'S CLOTHING

Innocence lost. Paradise found.

Maggie York, a convent-raised foundling, knows the Duke of Dunwoody’s sexual tastes are a shade or two darker than most, but marries him anyway—partly because she has no other prospects and partly because, try as she might, she can’t seem to stop fantasizing about her dashing rake of a guardian.

Robert Armstrong, the duke, is a Roman Catholic whose extreme devotions as a child warped his desires as a man. He’s also a slave to the times in which he lives--and to his king. Everything he is, everything he holds dear, depends on staying in Charles II’s good graces. Unfortunately, Maggie isn't the bride the king selected for him. Now, to make amends, the duke must either whore his wife or be reduced to a penniless and unprotected commoner at a time when Catholics are persona non grata in Great Britain.

Buy it now!

Royal Pains, Book TwoTHE DUKE'S BEDEVILED BRIDE

The tawdry tale of the Duke and Duchess of Dunwoody continues…

Maggie Armstrong, the long-lost illegitimate daughter of the heir presumptive to the throne, is bedeviled by her husband's limited definition of fidelity. After observing him in a ménage à trois at the court of King Charles II, she is determined to bring him around to her way of thinking—
by any means necessary.

Robert doesn’t mind being punished for his transgressions. Rather, he enjoys being whipped, especially by his beloved bride. Unfortunately, her heart might not belong to him alone. His younger brother, who he’d sent abroad to clear the way for himself, is coming home sooner than expected, and Maggie’s feelings for Hugh may not be as dead as her husband had hoped.

Both duke and duchess soon learn, to their peril, Hugh Armstrong is not the honorable man they’d been led to believe. Insanely jealous of his brother’s situation, Hugh will stop at nothing to strip Robert of all he holds dear—including his life.

But the real danger for Robert and Maggie is not the villainous Marquess, but the growing friction betwixt Catholics and Protestants in Restoration Era Great Britain.

Can their love survive the trials that await them?

Buy it now!

Royal Pains, Book ThreeTHE DEVIL'S MASQUERADE

Beware the devil in disguise...

The year is now 1685 and Maggie's father has just been crowned King of Great Britain, but that doesn't mean trouble is over for the Duke and Duchess of Dunwoody. Rather than cool the flames of hatred between Papists and Protestants, the coronation of a Catholic monarch has only added accelerant to the already raging blaze. Two-faced devils lurk in every corner of the royal court, as do diseases with the power to kill and maim. 

When Robert falls prey to the smallpox virus, it looks as though Maggie will lose the two people most precious to her--her beloved husband and their only child--the son she bore three months before after five years of heartbreaking miscarriages and stillbirths. The one person in London who can help save her son demands a steep price in exchange her services. 

Will Maggie trade Robert's hard-won fidelity to save her only child...or offer the apothecary an even more scandalous alternative?

Preorder now!

Beautifully Disguised by Kristen DaRay ~ #CoverReveal

Beautifully Disguised

Beautifully Disguised # 1

By Kristen DaRay

Genre- YA

Expected Publication Date- TBA

Twins separated most of their lives sounds like a Disney movie—Annika grew up that way. Her entire life changes when she decides to enroll in her twin brother’s academy for nine tailed fox spirits called Kumihos. However, she has none of the magical abilities she claims. Forced to disguise herself,  Annika lives in constant fear that someone will see through her deception.

Liam’s entire life depends on a lie. To maintain his family‘s social standing, he must convince everyone he is full-blooded Kumiho. When his twin sister shows up at school, everything balances on the edge of a knife. Telling everyone she is an old family friend, he tries to help her navigate this new life pretending to be something she isn’t. Being discovered would expose the family secret and force them both to face their father’s wrath.

When a shaman tells Marick the deceit of a new girl in his life could jeopardize his future, he instantly suspects the clumsy new girl. Something about her isn’t right, though he can’t quite figure out what. He will stop at nothing to get rid of her before she ruins everything.

But when an ancient evil threatens to destroy everything, secrets and lies are the least of their problems.