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Showing posts with label Prism Book Tours. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prism Book Tours. Show all posts

November 1, 2013

Flash Bookblast: Giveaway! ~ Order of the Seers by Cerece Rennie Murphy

Order of the Seers (Order of the Seers, #1)  The Red Order (Order of the Seers, #2)

Order of the Seers FLASH Bookblast!!  
Win $25 Amazon Gift Card below

What would you do if you held
infinite power
in the palm of your hand?

Order of the Seers begins with the journey of Liam and Lilith Knight, a brother and sister who are hunted by The Guild, a ruthless world organization that seeks to capture and exploit Lilith's unique ability as a Seer to envision the future. Soon after they are forced to leave their home, Lilith and Liam discover that she is not alone. Other Seers like Lilith are routinely kidnapped and enslaved by the Guild for the purpose of consolidating wealth and power around the world... see more on Goodreads

In The Red Order, Book II in the Order of the Seers Trilogy:

The Lost Seers embark upon a world-wide mission to save their kind from the tyranny of the Guild and unveil their greatest weapon -  Developed in secret, The Restoration Project has the potential to awaken the supernatural ability within every man, woman, and child on earth and bring down the very foundation of the Guild’s power and authority.

But the Guild has other plans. Driven by the necessity for control, Crane Le Dieu creates The Red Order... see more on Goodreads






Order of the Seers
Chapter 1: The End

Sunday, June 22, 2008 

Liam was losing his patience. “Aw, come on! Are you serious? You can’t
want to ride this thing again!”

Instead of answering her older brother, Lilli remained in her seat as
the Ferris wheel conductor looked on expectantly, hand outstretched and
waiting for another two tokens.

The way Lilli’s skinny arms hugged her book bag while she stared
blankly at the pressed metal floor of their “Fairy Land Caboose” made it
hard for Liam to stay angry. The sight of her looking so dejected softened
him enough to give the conductor his fifth set of tokens in less than 45
minutes. Liam settled back into his seat just as the lap bar clamped down
uncomfortably against his thighs.

“Lilli, say something. Why’d you drag me out here if you were just gonna
sulk? I hate the carnival, you know that.”

“I know something… okay? Just… trust me. We have to stay here.” Her
voice was so low he could barely hear her over the wind-up music that was
blaring from the overhead speakers.

“Did Mom say something to you?”

Lilli responded to his question with silence and a barely discernable
shake of her head back and forth. He tried again.

“Lilli! Did Mom…?”

“Yes,” she snapped.

They both fell silent again as Liam took in the latest weird thing of the
day. Lilith Knight, or Lilli as she preferred to be called, had always been
strange. Even when she was five, she could beat Liam at chess lazily, without
even thinking about it. She would find things and give them to you before
you asked for them. Before you, or even she, knew why. Up until recently,
he thought she was just a freak. No biggie. All little sisters are like that, he told
himself.

It was only in the past few months that his perception of her began
to shift, after her prediction that he would catch his new girlfriend, Krista,
kissing his teammate Lance in the locker room after their championship
game. At the time, he’d brushed off her premonition as meddling. Krista
wasn’t even his girlfriend and his team was 1-1 with the whole basketball
season ahead of them.

He’d forgotten her warning completely until two months later when he
ran back into the locker room after winning the championship to get the
jacket he’d left behind and immediately smelled Krista’s perfume. When he
found them, two thoughts overshadowed the scene unfolding in front of
him. The first was that what they were doing wasn’t really “kissing,” though
he could see how a sheltered thirteen-year-old would describe it that way.
His second thought was that Lilli was right; she was exactly right. He was so
stunned by Lilli’s accuracy that he didn’t even bother to disturb them, leaving
his new ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend to their business. From that
moment, Liam understood that Lilli wasn’t just a freak, or more accurately,
that she wasn’t a freak at all. She was special…gifted.

The sound of Lilli’s sniffling followed by the trembling of her body
as she began to cry uncontrollably broke the long silence that had fallen
between them. What the…, Liam half-mumbled as his mind swung from
irritation to absolute bewilderment. Slowly and deliberately, Liam moved his
palms down the front of his face as he fought the urge to shake the truth
right out of her and end whatever this was. But he couldn’t. She’s so brittle
already, he thought, without any idea as to why. So instead, he reached out
to envelop his sister in his arms, trying to soothe her and comfort her from
some unknown force.

“Lilli, it’s all right. I’m sorry, okay? Don’t cry. Just… tell me what’s going
on. Why are we here?”

Continue Chapter 1 of Order of the Seers HERE.  

Read Chapter 1-2 of The Red Order HERE.


My name is Cerece Rennie Murphy, but, among my 5 siblings, I am known and teased by my superhero name, Wonder Worry, (and yes, I am a little worried about your reaction to what I just said). While in my youth, I used my superpower to whip minor setbacks into epic tragedies in 60 seconds flat, I no longer have the time to hone the skills I once possessed, which were handed down to me VERY CAREFULLY by my mother and her mother before. 

Instead of spending my days imagining worst case scenarios, I am now on the front lines of true disaster prevention – treading the fine line between boo-boos and permanent brain damage, fighting crimes of curiosity, omission, absent-mindedness and sleep deprivation. I carry others down the winding, bumpy road of youth that starts out at the nexus of unique and brilliant but intersects with narcissistic serial killer at some distant point I hope fervently to avoid. As you might have guessed, I am a wife and mother of 2 small children. Luckily, my family lights up the sky so I never stumble too hard or lose my way.

I would lament the luxury of needless worry, but alas, I don’t have the energy. As I write this, I am losing a battle fought between my trusty sponge and a hardened glob of half-eaten cheese that traveled from the kitchen to the living room rug in the palm of a very small, but mischievous hand. Its stronghold on the fibers suggests occupancy of at least 2 days, but I’ll never know for sure. Rather than despair, I’ve chosen to retreat to my keyboard, noting that I have won the war - most of the rug is un-cheesed. 

Before I worried. Now, I write. 

I look forward to slowly, quietly, in my own shy way, becoming a part of this community. If you would like to get to know me and my work a bit better, you can visit me... 


Join The Ominous Tour December 10 - 25 with Prism Book Tours




Giveaway:
October 27 - November 10

Re-Usable Bag


1 Winner - Gift Package: Re-Usable Bag, Bookmark and signed print copies of Order of the Seers & The Red Order (US only)
1 Winner -  $25 Gift Card
5 Winners - eCopy of Order of the Seers
5 Winners - eCopy of The Red Order

International Giveaway (except "Gift Package"), must be able to receive winnings, must be 18 or older to enter. See additional restrictions in Rafflecopter.


September 2, 2013

Blog Tour ~ Review & Giveaway: Shudder (Stitch #2) by Samantha Durante

The Highlight Tour with Prism Book Tours
& Samantha's Summer Tour

I wasn't able to post on my original date of August 31st, so here I am today. :)
I not only reviewed Shudder, which you'll find first, but I also reviewed Stitch. :D

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante's shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Shudder (Stitch Trilogy #2)

Shudder
348 pages
Published June 15, 2013

-- Book 2 in the Stitch Trilogy --

It's only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa's life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she'd counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she'd thought she'd tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she's discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering "stitch" unlocked something in Alessa's mind, and now she can't shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers - and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world's sorry history - will soon leave Alessa reeling...

~ My Thoughts ~

My Rating: 5 / 5

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review for the blog tour. 

*Caution: Possible spoilers if you haven't read the first book yet*

After the epic ending of Stitch, Shudder picks up three days later, and the mystery behind Paragon and the people in charge begins to reveal itself. It's an action packed novel with so much going on - I felt like I couldn't read fast enough because I wanted to find out what was going on yet at the same time I wanted to savor each and every word. 

Not only has Alessa and Isaac escaped the drama they were starring in, but they've also made it out of Paragon with the help of the rebels and are searching for a location to create a base for their cause - to overthrow the men pulling the strings behind the scenes of the seemingly idyllic Paragon. In this installment of the trilogy, we hear from those behind this entire charade of an egalitarian society. At least, I think it's a charade. What seems to be ideal on the outside has hidden horrors on the inside. 

If that wasn't enough to get my heart racing, Alessa begins experiencing the memories and emotions of thousands of people from when the outbreak was at its pinnacle. This was bound to happen since you can't go messing around in someone's brain without consequences spreading beyond your original intention. The altering of Alessa's memories, also known as "stitching", has affected her beyond what was revealed in the first book. Though I didn't think of it at the time for some reason, I now realize there would have to be side effects of altering someone's memory. It's horrifying to think of that being done against your will, and even more horrifying when you aren't sure what memories are real and what memories are "fake." Memories are fragile enough as it is. 

Yes, Shudder is action packed, even more so than Stitch. I am ready for Stuck, the third and final book of the trilogy!! 

Also available in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!


Samantha Durante, Author of the Stitch Trilogy

As an avid lifelong reader of fiction of all sorts, there’s nothing I find more engrossing than an epic sci-fi/fantasy/romance series. I’ve whiled away countless weekends of my life immersed in richly-woven worlds that someone else was kind enough to put on paper... about the author

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series.



Stitch (Stitch Trilogy, #1)
Stitch
314 pages
Published August 1st, 2012

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa's body screams at her to run... but yet she's powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence... Goodreads

~ My Thoughts ~

My Rating: 5 / 5

Mind. Is. Blown. I mean, really, what more could I have asked for with Stitch? Nothing, there is absolutely nothing more I could've wanted from a book. Stitch starts out seemingly as a ghost story with time travel. Then you find out that the main character, Alessa's life isn't at all what you or she thought it was. She isn't a college student whose parents died in an accident - she's really a prisoner whose memory has been tampered with or "stitched." The "ghost" that she's been seeing isn't a ghost at all - he's a real person she knows and loves. I was completely taken by surprise (I didn't read the synopsis anywhere close to the time I began reading) and could not believe how the this plot went from great to freaking awesome!

You know just by the name of my blog how much I love the movie Donnie DarkoStitch reminds me of that movie when they talked about time travel, wormholes, time folding over time, alternate realities, and just when I thought there would never be something so original as the plot of Donnie DarkoStitch comes along and proves me wrong. Never have I been so happy to be wrong! 

But it wasn't just the talk of alternate realities and time travel - the layers of Stitch's characters, the complexity of the plot, and the richness in detail all gave me the reading experience I crave - to open up new ideas and expand my thinking about the nature of reality, our existence as human beings, and the ultimate question, why are we here (I don't think there's just one neat, pat answer). Which is exactly what seeing Donnie Darko did for me, too. 

I love books like this that make me think about both the good and evil humanity is capable of. I like to imagine what I would do if I were in the situation, how would other people handle the devastation of the outbreak, and if a group of people would try to start society over again only to let power go to their heads and cloud their vision to where they're controlling others. Incidentally, I believe whether a catastrophe struck or not, there will always be people trying to control other people. This isn't to say I'd want to experience any of this - I'd rather devour this trilogy and keep it all in my imagination! I don't want to think about losing anyone or the world as I know it coming to an end.

Stitch has romance, action, and plenty of plot twists that will keep you turning the pages. You'll be conflicted like me as to whether you want to read faster to find out what happens next or slower to savor every word. This book will make you think about the nature of reality, something I personally have wondered about many times in my life. To be entertained and given much to think about - you can't ask for more than that from a book! 




Tour-Wide Giveaway:

5 Winners. August 24 - September 16, 2013. See Rafflecopter for restrictions.

* Signed print copy of Stitch & Shudder for you and two friends (USA only)
* Signed (via Authorgraph) e-book copies of Stitch & Shudder for you and two friends (Int'l)
* Signed Stitch & Shudder bookmarks + e-book copies of Stitch & Shudder (Int'l)
* $10 Amazon Gift Card (Int'l)
* $5 Amazon Gift Card (Int'l)


The Highlight Tour
Sharing Top Highlights from the Summer-Long Tour!

August dates:

24 - The Reading Diaries - Review
The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl
Rose & Beps Blog

25 - Chapter Break - Review
Wonderings of One Person - Review
Mortal Moments

26 - A Tiffyfit's Reading Corner - Review
- Kindred Dreamhart

27 - YA Book Addict - Review
The Bookish Daydreamer
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf

28 - Library of a Book Witch
Mommasez... - Review

29 - Mel's Shelves - Review
Fundinmental

30 - Green Mountain Couple
Literary Meanderings

31 - Donnie Darko Girl - Review
My Devotional Thoughts

Sept. 1 - The Book Rogue

GRAND FINALE