Tuesday 31 March 2015

Cover Reveal! House of Royals by Keary Taylor

House of Royals by Keary Taylor
Publication date: June 21st 2015
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
Every town has its history and skeletons, but Silent Bend, Mississippi’s are darker than most. Ruled from the shadows by the House—the immortal Born and their aging, enslaved Bitten—everyone knows not to go out after dark and that the police will never look into crimes involving blood.
Alivia Ryan didn’t know the man who claims to be her father through a will even existed until she inherits the Conrath plantation. Instead of the sleepy house she expects, she finds a mansion and a staff who look at her with fear in their eyes.

Ian Ward tried to kill Alivia the first time they meet, and then insisted he train her to defend herself against the House, who he claims will try to manipulate and take her in for their own political reasons. And the growing attraction between them will threaten their lives—Ian is a sworn enemy of the House.

In Silent Bend, people disappear, the threat of a demented King and the legend of his resurrecting Queen hang over everyone’s heads, and proving loyalty means far more than blood. You’d better watch who you trust in this town…

I'm very happy to be able to share this cover with all you lovelies. I think it's gorgeous and has a sort of regal flair to it. Watch out for pre-order links and whatnot!



Keary Taylor grew up along the foothills of the Rocky Mountains where she started creating imaginary worlds and daring characters who always fell in love. She now resides on a tiny island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and their two young children. She continues to have an overactive imagination that frequently keeps her up at night. She is the author of THE EDEN TRILOGY, the FALL OF ANGELS trilogy, and WHAT I DIDN'T SAY. To learn more about Keary and her writing process, please visit her website.


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Cover Reveal! Reverb (Blue Phoenix, #5) by Lisa Swallow




Reverb (Blue Phoenix, #5) by Lisa Swallow
Release Date: April 29th, 2015

Blue Phoenix drummer, Bryn Hughes, prefers a quiet life away from the spotlight. But that’s proving difficult when his life is complicated by three very different girls:
Mia, the girl who doesn’t understand the word no.
Averywho wishes she’d said yes.
And his forever girl.
Add to this a secret that threatens to take decisions about the future out of Bryn’s hands, and Bryn’s reputation as the uncomplicated band member is over.
The world of Blue Phoenix is changing and Bryn is on the edge. Following a failed attempt to win back the girl he loved and lost as a teen, a broken-hearted Bryn returns to England and discovers heiress, Mia Jordan, has moved herself into his apartment while he was away. Life just got hard.
When Avery spills soup on a rock star at a wedding and suggests he removes his trousers, she doesn’t expect to see Bryn Hughes again unless he’s carrying a law suit.
So when Bryn gatecrashes an evening with her friends the following day, what he does stuns her.
Avery and Bryn begin an unlikely relationship but their growing closeness looks set to end. If Bryn’s heart still belongs to a different girl, and he’s about to tour with Blue Phoenix, a future together looks doubtful.
But when a secret explodes, the effects reverberate through every aspect of Bryn’s world and deciding where his heart belongs becomes the least of Bryn’s problems.







SUMMER SKY #1
AMAZON I  iTUNES I B&N I KOBO

SUMMER STAR #1.5
FALLING SKY #2
AMAZON I iTUNES I B&N I KOBO

UNPLUGGED #3
AMAZON I iTUNES I B&N I KOBO

RISING #4
AMAZON I iTUNES I B&N I KOBO

REVERB #5

 
Lisa is an author of new adult romance and writes both paranormal and contemporary, including the best-selling Blue Phoenix series. Lisa is originally from the UK but moved to Australia in 2001 and now lives in Perth in Western Australia with her husband, three children and dog. 
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Release Week Blitz + Giveaway! Fall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Fall With meFall With Me by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publication Date: March 31st, 2015

Eleven months ago, bartender and weird-shirt-wearing extraordinaire Roxy and Officer Reece Anders had a one night stand. Well, kind of. She’s been in love with him since she was fifteen, and he wishes that night they shared never happened. She’s sworn him off forever, but the past and future collide, forcing her to rely on the one man who broke her heart not once, but twice. Her best friend since birth has been in a long-term care facility since he became a victim of a hate crime years ago, and the person who put him in there is out of prison and wanting to make amends with him and Roxy. She’s not sure she has room for forgiveness in her and when she begins to receive frightening messages and is on the receiving end of escalating violence, she thinks she knows who is to blame. The man who already destroyed one life already. But Reece isn’t convinced. The threats are too personal, and even if Roxy doesn’t believe him, he’s not willing to let anyone hurt her. Including himself. He’s already messed up more than once when it comes to Roxy and he’s not going to let history repeat itself.


I am so excited to bring you the Release Week Blitz for Jennifer L. Armentrout's, also known as J. Lynn’s, FALL WITH ME!! FALL WITH ME is a New Adult Contemporary Romance and is a part of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Wait For You Series,  published by Avon Romance. We love this series and can't wait to start reading Roxy and Reece's story!

FWM Teaser 1


  FWM Teaser 4

Someone—was it Melvin?—catcalled as Reece led me down the hall, and my cheeks flushed. “Okay, heman, I can walk all by my little self.”
He cast a look over his shoulder at me as he opened the office door. “I’m sure you can.”
Then he pulled me inside.
My gaze flipped to the roses—the roses!—but before I could say a word, he closed the door and my back was pressed against it, his hands planted on either side of my head and his face right in mine. Like right there, within kissing distance.
Wow.
“So, I was at my father’s place in New Jersey most of the day, and you know, he lives out near the Pine Barrens, so service is shit.”
I nodded even though I really wasn’t processing what he was saying as I was too busy staring at his mouth. Those lips, fuller on the bottom, drove me to distraction.
“I pull out of his driveway and I have all these messages from Dennis,” he continued, and I finally caught on to what he was talking about. “I honestly thought he was messing with me at first.”
I cringed. “He . . . um, he wasn’t.”
He shot me a bland look. “That much I figured out.” His hands slid on the door, stopping just shy of touching my shoulders. “What did he do to you?”
“What?” I blinked.
“What did that bastard do to make you throw a book through his windshield?”
Oh. Oh. My heart was now wiggling along with my stomach. “He really didn’t do anything. I just lost my cool. He wanted to talk to me, and I didn’t want to talk to him.”
“You don’t have to talk to him.”
“That’s what Dennis said, but I shouldn’t have damaged his car.”
A muscle flexed along his right jaw. “That’s true.” He shook his head. “Damn, Roxy, can’t say I’m surprised.”
My brows flew up. “You’re not?”
He laughed under his breath. “Babe, you’ve always had a hell of a temper on you.”
Ah, that was kind of true. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Reece cocked his head to the side. “A sexy thing, but vandalism and destruction of property doesn’t look good on you, sweets.”
“No. It doesn’t match my manicure.” I raised my hands, flashing him the blue nails.
He laughed again and then he sobered up, just like that. Cop Face was on, and yeah . . . the low coiling in my stomach told me I found Cop Face arousing. “You’re lucky. He could’ve pressed charges, and this conversation would be going in a whole different direction.”
My own half smile slipped off my face. “I know. It’s . . . I was just with Charlie, and he’s . . .” Unable to continue, I forced a casual shrug I didn’t feel. “What are you going to do with me?”

His lips parted as his chest rose with a deep breath, then his gaze dropped to my mouth, and his expression tightened. He looked . . . he looked hungry. “I have lots of ideas.”

Author Photo
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


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Happy Release Day! Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle


Where Sea Meets Sky by Karina Halle
Publication Date: March 31st, 2015 (TODAY!)
Joshua Miles has spent his early twenties spinning his wheels. Working dead-end jobs and living at home has left him exhausted and uninspired, with little energy to pursue his passion for graphic art. Until he meets Gemma Henare, a vivacious out-of-towner from New Zealand. What begins as a one-night stand soon becomes a turning point for Josh. He can’t get Gemma out of his head, even after she has left for home, and finds himself throwing caution to the wind for the first time in his life.
It’s not long before Josh is headed to New Zealand with only a backpack, some cash, and Gemma’s name to go on. But when he finally tracks her down, he finds his adventure is only just beginning. Equally infatuated, Gemma leads him on a whirlwind tour across the beautiful country, opening Josh up to life, lust, love, and all the messy heartache in between. Because, when love drags you somewhere, it might never let go—even when you know you have to say goodbye.

A new adult novel that perfectly captures the existential angst of your early twenties with raw wit, fresh insight, and true feeling from a critically adored USA TODAY bestselling author. I absolutely adore that cover too, I will definitely be 1-clicking this book!

US



UK
 Waterstones      Foyles     Amazon    Google Play       Kobo     Nook      iTunes


AUS/NZ
iBookstore      Amazon     Bookworld

“Gemma,” I whisper softly. Before I know what I’m doing, I’m raising her palm to my lips and kissing along her scar. She smells so good, feels even better.
She lets me do it for a moment then she awkwardly clears her throat.
Don’t make me let go, I think. Please don’t make me let go.
The rustle in the bushes is back again. Gemma jerks her hand away, as if we’re about to be caught by Nick the Peeping Tom, as if we’re doing something wrong.
Are we doing something wrong?
Suddenly the air around us fills with squeals, and the rustling increases. The nearest bush to us at the base of the yard, near the fence, starts to move back and forth.
I stand up out of my chair to get a better look and see what looks to be little creatures waddling out of the bushes and heading for the side of the house. Once they hit a patch of light coming from the house, I can see what they are.
Little blue penguins.
“What the fuck?” I say softly, feeling like my mind has just imploded. “What the hell are those?”
“Little blue penguins,” she says proudly.
I turn to her in disbelief. “Are you serious?” I thought I was making that up. In my head.
She nods. “Yup. Little blue penguins.” 
And she’s right. They’re about a foot high, miniature versions of the ones I’ve seen on TV, and they’re entirely blue in color. I thought it was just the darkness playing tricks on me but no, once they hit the light, you can see the color on their oily feathers.
“I don’t get it,” I say, watching as the last of their group quickly scampers out of sight. That might have been the cutest and weirdest thing I have ever seen.
“You never head of them?” she asks. “They probably have a burrow under the house. It’s actually quite common for beach houses.”
“Look, I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t do a whole lot of research about the country.”
“I can see that,” she says. “Well, how about that, then.”
“How about that,” I say, sitting back down. The penguins’ magical appearance has somehow taken Gemma’s heartbreaking story to another place, and she’s quick to jump on the transition. She tells me all about the interesting birdlife in New Zealand, from yellow-eyed penguins on the Otago Peninsula down south, to the Kea—cheeky green parrots that live in the snow-covered Alps. She’s animated as she tells me all she knows, and I absorb it like a sponge. 
I drink my beer and she goes back to drinking hers, and before Nick, Amber, and the Irish show up all sloshed, she’s painted a beautiful picture of what’s to come. I can only hope I’ll continue to be part of the picture.



Don’t miss Karina’s next book, RACING THE SUN, on sale July 28th!


With her USA Today Bestselling The Artists Trilogy published by Grand Central Publishing, numerous foreign publication deals, and self-publishing success with her Experiment in Terror series, Vancouver-born Karina Halle is a true example of the term "Hybrid Author." Though her books showcase her love of all things dark, sexy and edgy, she's a closet romantic at heart and strives to give her characters a HEA...whenever possible.Karina holds a screenwriting degree from Vancouver Film School and a Bachelor of Journalism from TRU. Her travel writing, music reviews/interviews and photography have appeared in publications such as Consequence of Sound, Mxdwn and GoNomad Travel Guides. She currently lives on an island on the coast of British Columbia where she’s preparing for the zombie apocalypse with her fiancé and rescue pup.


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Monday 30 March 2015

Book Blitz + Interview + Giveaway! Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd


Deep Blue Eternity (Deep Blue Eternity #1) by Natasha Boyd 
Publication date: March 26th 2015
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Livvy is on the run. And she’s escaped to the one place nobody will ever find her.

But the isolated cottage isn’t empty. Her refuge is home to a troubled stranger, Tom, there for reasons of his own.

In the intimacy of the abandoned cottage, and the remote wilderness of the island, the electrifying connection between them is impossible to ignore. Both running from their histories and shielding dark secrets, their pasts catch up with them and collide in an unimaginable way.

Deep emotions and powerful chemistry face a painful battle with the tangle of lies, and scars of the past. When the truth emerges, hearts will be shattered.

"A captivating, heart-wrenching, beautifully written story about those who scar us and those who help us heal. I could not put it down and am still thinking about it!" - Mia Sheridan, New York Times Bestselling author of Archer’s Voice

"Boyd skillfully navigates the scorching physical desire and personal insecurities of her protagonists, crafting a relationship that is tense, torrid and sure to keep the pages turning." ~ RT Book Reviews

“Fans of the Sea of Tranquility or Mia Sheridan will absolutely love this story.” ~ MissIngrid’s reviews.

“I can’t recall ever reading a novel that made me laugh, smile, cry… just, feel as much as this one did.” ~ Books over Bros Reviews

He didn’t respond for hours. I was making a salad for dinner and opening a can of tuna that Fuckhead was going nuts over when he finally walked in, windswept and disheveled, in jeans and a white T-shirt. I stopped what I was doing to stare, and the cat leapt over my feet and between my legs, meowing repeatedly.
“Well, can I?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I have to do something for someone, but if I don’t, you can.” His eyes flicked to me briefly.
“Cryptic much?”
“Sorry, I just, uh, I just have some stuff going on right now.”
“With Bethany.”
“No. Yes. No, not to do with her.” He raked his hands through his hair, taming it, then headed to the fridge.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“What? What do you mean?”
“I mean, I thought we had a… a friendship or something, and I don’t understand what I’ve done wrong.” Addressing it made a weird emotional bubble grow in my chest, and my eyes started to sting.
He stopped and turned around.
I blinked rapidly, trying to dissipate any water that was collecting. The cat let out a mournful moan.
“You haven’t done anything wrong, Liv.”
“Then why do I feel like I have? Are…” I swallowed. “Are you disgusted with me now?”
“What?” he whispered. His face creased, like he was in pain and his eyes did a slow blink. Then he took a step toward me and just kept coming. And suddenly I was wrapped up in his arms, my face pressed into his hard chest, breathing him in. Breathing in his unique scent of laundry and male exertion and the fresh outdoors. Salt and weathered wood.
I froze, stiff with surprise from the sudden contact, then endured the brazen heat that immediately followed and whipped through my belly.
His head dropped on top of mine, and he breathed into my hair. “I know you don’t mean that.”
“Mean what?”
“How could I ever be disgusted with you? I—”
He lapsed into silence, just holding me. His chest was warm, his heart beating hard under my cheek.
Lifting my arms tentatively, I slid them around his waist. I thought I felt him shudder. His muscles were bunched tight, or he was tense. I didn’t know. He was hugging me. I could hug him back, right?
The cat embarked on a continuous series of desperate meows and threaded his body between our legs in a figure eight. I willed him to shut the hell up and stop ruining this moment, but it was no use.
Tom chuckled and pulled away.
“Fuckhead,” I growled vehemently at the cat, who proceeded to give me a nice view of his butt.
I looked up, and Tom was watching me, amused. He reached his hand up and slid it behind my head, and I stopped breathing. His gaze flicked to my mouth for a millisecond. My lips burned. My eyes fluttered closed as he drew me in and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. His beard, he’d taken to wearing clipped closer to his skin these days, torturing me with glimpses of his beauty, grazed my brow.
I swallowed the painful lump in my throat, my heart hammering.
He drew away slowly.
I kept my eyes closed. I couldn’t bear for him to see what mine must look like. Desperate. Yearning. Drowning in agony.
And the knowledge that I could never tell him how I felt, that I had to keep it locked in my heart where it couldn’t ruin this, was almost a comfort. I would be safe and able to stay here with him as long as I didn’t mess this up. God, and I’d come so close to messing it all up when I came on to him.
I hated the memory of myself, of who I’d been then. How could a person change so much in so short a time? It was both the beauty and the agony of my lot. Falling in love with him had forever altered me, but to let it out of my heart might lose him forever.

Tell us about your current release release?

My new release is DEEP BLUE ETERNITY. I am so excited about this book. It’s a definite departure from the world of EVERSEA but no less true to my writing style. Formerly known as The Cottage (and funnily enough the cottage in the book is almost like an additional character in the story, bearing witness to the love story), my UK publisher felt that Deep Blue Eternity, a phrase used in the book to describe love would be a better fit. And I agree! Why didn’t I think of it first?

What genre would you say the book is?  

Contemporary definitely, as it is present day. And of course romance. However, there is a suspenseful and gothic undertone to the story as it is set in an area rife with superstition.

If you had to sum your book up in 30 or less words, what would you say?

DEEP BLUE ETERNITY is a deeply emotional book and while it deals with some tough issues, it’s about the aftermath and recovery of those things in our past. It’s about forgiveness and it’s about how falling in love changes us.

Is there an Author that you would really like to meet? 

Darynda Jones. I love her sense of humor. I think we’d be besties.

Do you prefer eBooks, paperbacks or hardcover? 

My son says the books he reads that he holds in his hands stay with him longer. I might be inclined to agree. But in the end, I just love books. For ease of transport and instant gratification (1-click buy anyone?)  - eBooks.  

Is there a particular movie that you preferred over the book version?

Great question! This doesn’t happen very often, does it. I’m so glad they turned outlander into a show so we could keep the detail that made the book so extraordinary. The Beach, The Princess Bride, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers – oh, and Fifty Shades of Grey!

So what are you working on next?

Aaaah the age old question.  I’m actually working on several projects. But hopefully the next thing that will be ready, finally, is a spin off of the Eversea series featuring the heroine’s best friend Jazz.

White wine or red?

White

Coffee or tea?

Tea

Vanilla or chocolate ice-cream?

Swirl

What are 4 things you never leave home without? 

Book, Kindle, phone (with kindle app), pen and paper for inspiration.

Your thoughts on receiving book reviews - the good and the bad – ?

In the beginning of my writing career I felt like I had bipolar, one review would make me high, the next would cut me down so hard I wouldn’t want to ever write again.  But than fully that phase was short-lived. If you do all you can to make sure it’s your best work  - then bad reviews have to be ‘water off a ducks back’... But seriously, bad reviews probably bother you most when you know deep down you could have done something better.  That’s probably a backwards way to look at it… but I guess that makes me backwards J Good reviews?  Aaaah, good, honest, unexpected reviews… there’s nothing like it.  And the reviews where someone lets you know that reading your book got them through a tough time, or started a new love of reading? Well, that makes it all worth it!

Where is one place in the world that you would really love to visit someday?  

Macchu Picchu in Peru.

One of your favorite quotes -  

Man will never discover new oceans, unless he has courage to lose sight of the shore – André Gide. 



Natasha Boyd is an internationally bestselling and award-winning author with a background in marketing and public relations.  Her debut novel Eversea was a finalist in the 2013 Winter Rose Contest for Contemporary Romance and won the 2014 Digital Book Award for Adult Fiction.  She is a member of Romance Writers of America, Georgia Romance Writers and Island Writer’s Network in coastal South Carolina where she has been a featured speaker on book marketing.  She holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and lives with her husband, two sons and the cast of characters in her head.


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Friday 27 March 2015

Book Review: Nightbird by Alice Hoffman


Nightbird by Alice Hoffman
Publication Date: March 10th, 2015
Format: eARC from Netgalley

An enchanting novel from bestselling author Alice Hoffman: a charmed New England village, a family secret, and a friendship destined to defeat a witch.

"Some things could only be found in Sidwell it seemed: pink apples, black owls, and my brother, James."

Twelve-year-old Twig's town in the Berkshires is said to hide a winged beast, the Monster of Sidwell, and the rumors draw as many tourists as the town's famed pink apple orchards. Twig lives in the orchard with her mysterious brother James and her reclusive mother, a baker of irresistible apple pies. Because of a family secret, an ancient curse, Twig has had to isolate herself from other kids. Then a family with two girls, Julia and Agate, moves into the cottage next door. They are descendants of the witch who put the spell on Twig's family. But Julia turns out to be Twig's first true friend, and her ally in trying to undo the curse and smooth the path to true love for Agate and James.

I received this book via Netgalley, as an eARC, thanks to Random House Children's. I was not compensated in any shape or form for this review. I'm just incredibly biased over Alice Hoffman's writing and I love her work.

Typically, I prefer to keep it to one review a day but, considering that this book has already been released this month (how in the world did I miss the release date for this book? It's by Alice Hoffman!!), I decided to share this to the world as well.

The first book I've read that was written by Alice Hoffman was The Story Sisters (which, by the way, I highly recommend!) and it stuck with me til even now. According to Goodreads (hey, I was in college at the time) I read it in December 2012. It's still rare for me to remain hooked onto a book for this long. Of course the story plot helped a lot of it- the story itself, in my opinion, is unique and magical. But the writing- the way Alice weaves her words so well- are just as magical if not as much as the actual story.

I still want to read her other books but, for now, this remains my favorite book of hers. For now. I'm excited to see if my opinion will change... or, at least, I'll remain falling in love with her books.

Of course, as soon as I discover on Twitter that she had written a Middle Grade book (something that I need to read more of, in my opinion, so I can be a bit more well-rounded book wise) and I couldn't pass up this opportunity. What can I say- I'm a huge sucker for magical realism.

This story revolves around an innocence of a young girl with the mentality of knowing what she could say to others could get her in trouble with her own mother... and herself.

Twig lives in a town that is just as unique as her family's history although, mysteriously, they both seem to connect in a sort of interesting way. People in the town believe that there is a sort of mystical beast that lives in their town and that it's slowly taking over. No one knows what to do about it. After all, no one has actually seen if this 'beast' is real. All they have of proof are the messages it leaves on the walls of the buildings. They all lead to requesting not to destroy the forest.

Meanwhile, Twig lives in a secret all of her own. A long time family secret that has existed even before she was even born. A curse that she feels that will never disappear and she'll be forced to spend the rest of her life alone. But... at least she'll have her older brother James, even if she can't talk about him outside the walls of her home either. She's not alone. And she has her own mother. After all, she only makes the best pink apple pies in town.

But when she discovers a new friend- a friend she enjoys hanging out with- named Julia, things change. At first, for good, until her mother reveals that Julia is one of the ancestors that placed the curse on her family in the first place and that she can no longer be trusted or even be associated with. But things change... and they're changing fast. 


This is a cute, charming, story. I feel like I was not disappointed with this book at all. It held the magic that I'm so fond of in Alice's stories. Typically I would like a little bit more depth in back stories but I feel like the amount that I received in this book was fair. Would I have love to read more, though? Of course. I felt like this was almost too short. I was incredibly surprised how quickly I read through this book.

This is a good bedtime read, I think. I feel like that if you take this story in, in small bites, rather than trying to read it all at once you'll be grateful in the long run. It made me believe in magic again and, honestly, I feel like I would have enjoyed a book like this when I was younger in middle school. I needed a piece like this that made me feel like that there is some sort of magic out there. I feel like it would've helped me to aspire to create some of my own magic in writing more as well.

If you feel down, and you want to reignite the magic in your heart, Hoffman's books are the place to go.