How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes Blitz ~ #Playlist & #Giveaway

Hey Donnie Darlings! Welcome to the Blitz for How to be a Mermaid by Erin Hayes hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!  

Title- How to be a Mermaid

Series- Falling in Deep Collection #10

Author- Erin Hayes

Publication date- July 7th 2015

Genres- Fantasy, Young Adult

Purchase- Amazon | B&N

Available on Kindle Unlimited 

Synopsis

All Tara ever wanted was to be a mermaid.

So she takes a year off between high school and college to don a fake tail and tour aquariums across the country in a professional mermaid troupe. 

Everything's great until she meets a gorgeous real-life merman named Finn. Suddenly, what she thought was a dream turns out to be a nightmare - she's turning into a mermaid herself. For real.

Yet when she returns to the sea to seek out Finn and reverse her transformation, she finds herself in the middle of an impending war between the land and sea. Tara may have always wanted to be a mermaid, but now it's sink or swim. In order to survive, she has to learn how to be one, too.

***

Summer 2015, award-winning and best-selling authors will bring you romantic tales of mermaids, sirens, sprites, and other creatures of the deep! Keep in touch as we reveal each title in our collection!

Playlist

~ How to be a Mermaid Soundtrack ~

Below is a list of songs that I listened to while writing How to be a Mermaid. Each of these songs helped to get me into the right mindset in order to pretend that I was a mermaid! 

• Go - Grimes featuring Blood Diamonds
• Can't Hold Us - Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
• Never Let Me Go - Florence and the Machine
• What the Water Gave Me - Florence and the Machine
• Start a Riot - Jetta
• Believe - Mumford and Sons
• I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons
• Dirty Paws - Of Monsters and Men
• Anything Could Happen - Ellie Goulding
• Part of Your World - Jodi Benson from The Little Mermaid No mermaid soundtrack would be complete without that song! 

About the Author

 

Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books, like the fantasy mystery novel Death is but a Dream, the sci-fi middle grade book Jacob Smith is Incredibly Average, and the Her Wolf paranormal series.

She works as an advertising copywriter during the day, and she moonlights as an author. She has lived in New Zealand, Texas, and now in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia. 

You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she'll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars.   

Connect with the Author

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

Instagram | Amazon

A mermaid care package to help you be the best mermaid:

• A signed copy of How to be a Mermaid
• Tara's necklace
• Two Mermaid Mix soaks
• A mermaid mirror compact
• Six starfish hairpins
• A mermaid wallet
• Mermaid perfume
• Mermaid Tail Nail Polish
• A mermaid makeup bag
• Four Little Mermaid Buttons
• And one mermaid handbag to carry all your dinglehoppers

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Book Blitz organized by:

Unleashed by Rachel McClellan ~ Blog Tour: #Review #Playlist & #Giveaway

Enjoy Happy Geek Media's debut virtual tour of Unleashed by Author Rachel McClellan!

Follow the tour here! 

Title: Unleashed: A Young Adult Twist on Jekyll and Hyde

Author: Rachel McClellan
Genre: Romance, Thriller, Science Fiction
Pages: 355
Release Date: September 9, 2014
Source: Copy for review

Seventeen-year-old Claire Williams' tough upbringing has taught her how to throw a punch or two to survive, especially when it involves a man's unwanted attention. But her strength waivers when she visits Bodian Dynamics, a medical research facility, and stumbles upon classified information - someone has stolen a drug that not only changes a person's appearance, but also unleashes the darkest, most evil part of their inner psyche. 

After an intimidating security guard threatens the lives of her friends if she speaks to anyone about the incident, Claire pretends the drug never existed. But when she finds a dead girl in her school and is attacked herself, she thinks the events are connected. Especially when she meets Gage, a teenage boy who doesn't seem to have a conscience and who is hell-bent on making her just like him by unleashing her dark side.

The police try to catch Gage, but his increased strength and speed, a side effect from the drug, make him impossible to kill. But Claire knows a secret - he can only die while in his normal state. And since Gage knows personal information about her, Claire thinks she knows who it is: either her best friend or her recent boyfriend. But this doesn't change Claire's resolve. Gage has backed her into a corner so Claire does what she does best: fights. And once she figures out which boy Gage is hiding behind, she's going to kill him, even if it breaks her heart.   

Buy Unleased on Amazon US, UK, 

and CANADA  and Barnes & Noble

  

It's been a long time since I've read a good YA thriller, and Unleashed is a great one. Although I haven't read Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, I know the story and have always been fascinated by it. The way McClellan handles her re-imagining of this classic is clever and suspenseful. Unleashed takes you on a fast action-packed ride from beginning to end. 

Claire is a high school student who's in a band and wants to get out of the town she lives in. She doesn't have a great home life, and she's had to protect herself because neither of her parents will. Once she accidentally overhears classified information at the medical research facility in her town, her life is in danger from a security guard who's been tasked to find out what she knows and a guy she runs into named Gage. Luckily, she has a father figure in her life who also happens to be a policeman. He looks out for her just like a father would his own daughter. 

Soon it becomes apparent that one of two important people in Claire's life play a role in the information she overheard - she just doesn't know which one, and neither does the reader. That was one of my favorite aspects of Unleashed - not knowing and trying to figure out who Gage's identity before he could harm Claire. You only know Gage could be Claire's friend, Logan, or her boyfriend, Ethan. McClellan writes both characters in a way that either one could be the culprit, and you use clues and hints she drops to take a guess. 

I really didn't know which one was Gage and was kept guessing until the end. The ending was spectacularly intense and kept my pulse pounding! McClellan did a stellar job with her re-imagining of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in Unleashed. And what a perfect title for the book! I'd recommend this to anyone who is looking for a YA thriller with romance sprinkled in.  

My Rating: 

Playlist

Rachel McClellan, author of Unleashed and many others, was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she's not in her writing lair, she's partying with her husband and four crazy, yet lovable, children. Rachel's love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was...

Website • Blog • Twitter • Facebook • Goodreads 

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Gift of Sight by Erin Manbeck ~ Blog Tour: Review & Playlists

Welcome to my stop on the Gifted Trilogy Blog Tour hosted by Book Monster Promotions. Click  to follow along with the full tour schedule.

Title: Gift of Sight

Series: The Gifted Trilogy #1

Author: Erin Manbeck

Publication date: February 27th 2014

Genre: Fantasy, Paranormal

Source: Copy for review 

Purchase: Amazon

WARNING: Adult language & sexual situations

Feisty, smart mouth Regan thought that breaking up with her boyfriend Sam was going to be the start of her independence. Instead, she is manipulated and dragged into a world where sharp, sarcastic wit isn't going to save her. Turning to her Gram for help, the only remaining relative she has, Regan is upset to find out that her grandmother has been keeping family secrets of her own all these years. 

With a vengeful goddess using people to try and bring Regan to the Underworld, Gram brings in three Guardians to protect her. Given the short version of what is expected of her, loaded with a lot of expectations for her future, Regan knows first-hand that life is too short. She isn't letting anyone make life-altering decisions for her despite finding out that the vengeful goddess has placed a price on her head. 

This book will make you laugh, feel connected to the characters, and leave you wanting more. 

Gift of Sight appealed to me with its beautiful cover and awesome-sounding synopsis. I'm always ready to read about a feisty, sarcastic heroine. And a vengeful goddess hellbent on bringing said heroine to the Underworld? Count me in!     

I sympathized with Regan in her relationship with Sam right away not because I thought she was helpless - she isn't - but because she had become a shell of herself without realizing it until it had already happened. To me that's realistic and can happen even to the smartest of people. A relationship can change you and not always for the better, especially if you're with a toxic person. Sam is definitely a toxic person.

I won't lie - Regan is a tough character to connect with. There were times I wanted to slap her for the way she spoke to her grandma. I get that she felt lied to her entire life, but her grandma has always taken care of her with a lot of love. Could she not see why her grandma couldn't tell her all of this until now? There was no malicious intent - things just worked out this way. Instead of feisty, I'd describe Regan as bratty. 

The decision Regan makes to finally get rid of Sam changes everything, much more than just ridding herself of a toxic boyfriend. She finds out a ton of things about her family that she never knew and understandably doesn't handle it well, but this news also gives her hope which she seemed to forget. I'd like to think I'd hold on to that hope and not be so angry about secrets being kept from me. At least eventually. 

I'm hoping that in the next book Regan's character undergoes a lot of growth. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to believe she's supposed to be an important figure in what's supposed to go down. I'm looking forward to finding out if Regan matures and is ready to face the challenges ahead of her. 

My Rating:

Playlists for the Trilogy

by Erin Manbeck

Gift of Sight (Book #1)

• "Burn it to the Ground" - Nickleback (Regan & Jake's Song)
• "4 Real" - Avril Lavigne (Regan to Jake)
• "We Don't Have to Look Back Now" - Puddle of Mudd (Date Night)
• "Wake Me Up!" - Avicii (Regan's Theme Song)
• "Tangled Up in You" - Staind (Jake's thoughts on Regan)
• "Run the World (Girls)" - (Piper's Theme Song)
• "I'll Keep Your Memory Vague" (Maggie's Hidden Song)
• "Everything Has Changed" - Taylor Swift feat Ed Sheeran (Regan's introduction to Jake)
• "Fake It" - Seether (Regan's song to Sam)
• "Roar" - Katy Perry (Regan's revelation after meeting Agrona)

Gift of Power (Book #2)

• "Eye of the Tiger" - Survivor (Piper's song for Regan)
• "Dancing Queen" - ABBA (Piper's song for Jake)
• "You'll Be Okay" - A Great Big World (Tribute to Gram)
• "Arms" - Christine Perry (Regan's song for Jake)
• "Brave" - Sara Bareilles (What everyone else sees in Regan)
• "Close Your Eyes" - Michael Buble (Garden Song)
• "Burn" - Ellie Goulding (Leaving for Ireland)
• "Dark Horse" - Katy Perry feat Juicy J (Regan and Jake's bedroom song)
• "Raging Fire" - Phillip Phillips (Jake pulling Regan from the darkness)
• "Count on Me" - Bruno Mars (The Girls' Song)

Gift of Prophecy (Book #3)

• "I Will Not Bow" - Breaking Benjamin (Regan's Song - Council Meeting)
• "Indestructible" - Disturbed (Regan's New Theme Song)
• "All Your Life" - The Band Perry (Regan's song to Jake)
• "Gone, Gone, Gone" - Phillip Phillips (Regan to Gram)
• "Home" - Phillip Phillips (Jake's song when he brings her to the cottage)
• "Soldiers" - Otherwise (The Guardians' theme song)
• "When I'm Gone" - 3 Doors Down (Regan's fears if she doesn't make it)
• "Mama's Song" - Carrie Underwood (Song for Veronica and Gram)
• "Are You Going to Be My Girl" - Jett (Sam's song to Piper)

~ Other books in the series ~

Title: Gift of Power

Series: The Gifted Trilogy #2

Publication date: April 20th 2014

Purchase: Amazon

Power equals responsibility.

Despite declaring to those closest to her that she will take her position as Queen, Regan's first priority is not to rule, but to find her parents. With Jake at her side, she is determined to learn how to use her new powers and hide from her destiny, as well as the Council, a little while longer.

Unfortunately, someone has been watching and reporting every move Regan makes. She is disheartened to find out the Council is already eagerly awaiting her arrival in Ireland and have apparently started to plan her future...one that does not include Jake.

Regan must decide just how much she is willing to sacrifice to protect her people from a vengeful goddess while also weeding out the traitor among them. In the end, will she have the strength to withstand losing any of them? 

Title: Gift of Prophecy

Series: The Gifted Trilogy #3

Publication date: May 31st 2014

Purchase: Amazon

Regan's arrival in Ireland may have heightened her powers, but it has also given Agrona and her minions more cause to make sure she never makes it to her coronation. With every attack and the harsh welcome she receives from the council, Regan is more determined than ever to prove why the deities have chosen her to be the Queen.

Although part of her has accepted that she may have to make the ultimate sacrifice, it isn't until Regan finds herself in the Otherworld being handed over to Agrona that the reality hits her. Will Jake and her family survive without her?

I'm an author in hiding...I still work full time, but don't ever look over my shoulder to see what's on my computer screen. Chances are you will find me secretly writing.

Besides family and friends, I love to laugh. It may be at the expense of those I love, but they get me, so I usually don't offend too much.

Honesty...I can't help it. I usually say what I feel, but with a little guidance, I've learned to be more tactful. I've worked in plenty of environments (trucking company, correction officer and I was in the military to mention a few) so I guess you can say that's where my mouth and attitude come from. Either way, as long as I get my morning cup of coffee people are safe.

The Trilogy is complete and I also have a new stand-alone book called "Dreamless". It's a Paranormal Suspense that's a bit lighter on the language, but will keep you guess who the Nightmare really is.

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