Roxanne Rhoads's Blog, page 133
April 16, 2021
Darkness Awaits by Jamila A. Stone #UrbanFantasy #LBGTQ
Jamila's Top Ten Favorite Vampires in TV, Movies, and BooksSpike (Buffy)Blade (Blade Movies and Comics)Carlos Rivera (The Vampire Huntress Legend Series by LA Banks)Darla (Buffy and Angel)Angel (Buffy and Angel)Elijah (The Vampire Diaries & The Originals)Damon Salvator (The Vampire Diaries )Aidan Waite (Being Human US)Rebecca Mikealson (The Vampire Diaries & The Originals)Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice)
Darkness AwaitsVirtus Academy Book 2Jamila A. Stone
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, LGBTQPublisher: Black Glory Publishing HouseDate of Publication: April 2021ISBN: 978-1-7356641-0-1ASIN: B08LVJ7GXDNumber of pages: 524Word Count: 141,850Cover Artist: Michael CorvinTagline: Unexpected secrets stand to change two witches’ lives forever...Book Description:
Having narrowly survived their last semester, Natalie King and Alexandra Aurelius are prepared to revel in victory...but, while preparing to become Juniors, it soon becomes clear that peace has been dismissed.
Relationships are tested and new ones formed, as shadowy souls push their way into Natalie and Alexandra’s lives. Now, more than ever, the witches must stick together and protect their loved ones. Unexpected secrets stand to change their lives forever.
Darkness impends from every direction, and even the fiercest friendships will be tested. What harmony that existed between human and supernatural governments has been shaken to the breaking point. Should it crumble, hellish truths are sure to be exposed.
Despite impossible odds, Natalie, Alexandra, and their alliances will unite against unprecedented evil. After all, the only exit often is a wall to break through...
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With her much-anticipated sequel to Strange Things Await, Jamila A. Stone delivers devilish thrills and a dizzying spin on the genre. One thing through the dark is seen: where mystic and mortal subcultures meld, the pages turn themselves.
Excerpt
It’s the last week of January and the new school semester since Christmas break starts tomorrow at Virtus Academy. Nat and all her friends, except Alex, have already moved back to their dormitories. Nat is brushing her teeth, getting ready for bed when she suddenly feels like she’s falling. A moment later, her surroundings change, and she finds herself in a dark alleyway. Nothing makes sense, and she jolts around with labored breathing, trying to understand what is going on. When she turns around to her other side, she spots Alex and momentarily forgets her anxiety. Running over to a hunched Alex, she hugs her and is so distracted that she doesn’t notice the four guys in the alley with them.
“What are you doing here?” Alex winces in pain, struggling to straighten up.
Using her toothbrush, Nat taps the ring she’s gifted Alex. “Someone must have missed me a whole lot to get me here,” she jokes.
The good news is that the protection spell she had Sheila help her put on the ring works. If Alex ever needs her badly enough, she’ll appear.
“Crap, it worked! So that means…” Nat looks around further and finally takes in the situation. “I guess you’re still having trouble making friends.” Throwing down her toothbrush, she gets in front of Alex, who’s badly bleeding from cuts on her face, and the arm she holds that seems disjointed.
“Nice outfit, girl.” One of the guys speaks sarcastically.
“This is your backup?” Another speaks, pointing at Nat before they all laugh.
“Remind me to take you shopping.” Alex picks up her fallen blade, and it elongates into a sword as it recognizes its owner.
“What!? This is comfortable and my pajamas. I was going to bed.” Nat keeps her eyes on the guys who are starting to approach. She cannot believe Alex is choosing right now to insult her.
“What do you need to be comfortable?” Alex turns fully toward Nat with her face scrunched up. “Did you sprout something since we were kids?”
“No! Can you focus before we die, you asshole? Boxers can be unisex.” She tries to defend herself, but Alex just scoffs.
Nat, annoyed, blasts Alex to the furthest point of the alley and decides to take on the men herself. It looks as if Alex softened them up enough for her to handle alone anyway.
Two of the men reach her before the others. One throws a punch at her face while the other tries to punch her abdomen. Nat is light on her feet and spins away from the one aiming for her face and shoves him into the other male before she uses her magic at the remaining attackers.
“Instead of attacking young women to stroke your egos, maybe you all should go to the gym.” She blasts one with a scar on his cheek into a wall knocking them out before she is blasted herself. In complete shock, she did not keep her guard up, she grumbles as she slowly gets back up to her feet. Nat blocks another blast of magic as she parts her feet for better balance. Nat sends a few blasts back, but her adversary blocks them all. Nat should have known these men were not mere humans if they were able to beat up Alex.
Nat is so preoccupied with the witch that she fails to deflect the attacker on her left properly, who charges her with his clawed hand in the air, ready to come down on her hard. There was little for her to do, so she stopped shielding herself from the witch’s attack, so the attack would knock her away from the attack that would be the deadliest.
The impact of the witch’s attack does the trick and sends Nat backward. The claws of the man from her right give her a nasty gash, nowhere near the damage which would have been inflicted if she did not think quick on her feet and use the witch’s attack to save her own life.
“Alright, playtime is over.” Nat lifts her hands and moves them hastily in front of her creating a linkage of pentagrams all while beads of her blood float into the amber symbols. She sees the shock on the witch’s face, and it makes her grin before she locks her fingers over each other, bends her arms inward, then thrusts her arms out, causing the spell to wrap around the first body, and the man explodes.
Nat moves her arms until everyone is dead. One black eye and a gash on her arm later, Nat walks over to Alex, who is hunched over.
“I should leave you here. I can’t believe you got back without telling me. How long have you been back in town? Tomorrow is the first day of school back from break.” Nat places her hands on her hips, letting Alex suffer for a bit more before she attempts to heal her.
Alex stands straighter, leans her head back against the wall behind her, and closes her eyes. “I forgot how much you love to bitch and moan.”
Nat is opening her mouth to respond, but promptly stops when she spots a smile creeping on Alex’s face.
“I missed it.” Alex turns her head and smiles so charmingly even with her face all beat up, Nat’s walls break.
“Ugh, I can’t stand you.” Nat shakes her head and starts to heal Alex’s easy wounds, then wraps Alex’s good arm over her shoulder and helps her to stand off the wall. “We’re too far from the dorm or my house for me to teleport us both.”
“And here I thought an overachiever such as yourself would have become a pro by now.” Alex coughs then halts her steps taking time to take deep, ragged breaths.
“Hey, that month was our break. I can get us near the school gates, but it might knock us out if I use all of our energy combined. Or worse.” Nat struggles to keep Alex upright.
Alex struggles to stand on her own feet as she pulls her good arm away from Nat so she can grab her cellphone out of her pocket. Nat watches as Alex makes a call, trying to keep her upright by the waist. “Julian, are you on campus? Good, sneak out with Olivia and come find me by the gate…just do as I asked, Olivia, will be able to track us. Yes, us, bye.”
Nat arches a brow at Alex before focusing her mind on the school gates. Once she has that clear in mind, she works on syncing her magic with Alex.
“What’s taking so long?” Alex grumbles.
“You, that’s what. I’m trying to find your source, but you’re too weak.”
“You’re a weirdo.” Alex sighs exaggeratedly.
Nat finally syncs successfully and teleports them. They land hard a few yards away from the school gates.
About the Author:Jamila A Stone lives in Washington, D.C with her two dogs. Jamila is driven to tell stories without censorship and for the continued creativity in the world of literature. As an African American woman, she understands the lack of opportunity persons of color have to let their artistic creativity be seen on equal platforms, so she created her own publishing company called Black Glory Publishing House. She thinks not just of herself but of the current and future of literature namely increasing the diversity and inclusion within the literary community.
https://twitter.com/AuthorJStone
https://www.facebook.com/JamilaAshaStone
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April 15, 2021
A Bewitching Thursday
UF Author Amy Winters-Voss: What is Nalbinding? + giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/cdMZ50EpheE
SPOTLIGHT W/EXCERPT - NA DYSTOPIAN FANTASY - APOCALIPSTICK (Hell in a Handbag, #1) by Lisa Acerbo #Win a $20 Amazon Gift card #Giveaway
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Spotlight & Excerpts: Materials Karma Series + Giveaway
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#BookBundant #Freebies #FreeBooks #BookDeals #BooksOnSale #BookSales #Mystery #Romance #RomanceBooks #MysteryBooks #FreeEbooks
Death moved through the forest in silence.
But the living howled.
The Underworld Library: Hellbrary Book One by Laura Bickle
Free with Kindle Unlimited https://amzn.to/3du2jXU
#DarkFantasy #FantasyBooks #KindleUnlimited
The Character's Court: Lisa Acerbo's characters face off + giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/MoLl50EohCs
SPOTLIGHT: DARKNESS AWAITS by JAMILA A. STONE #bewitchingbooktours
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April 14, 2021
A Bewitching Wednesday
The Character's Court: Lisa Acerbo's characters face off + giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/MoLl50EohCs
SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - URBAN FANTASY - RISE (The Liminal Chronicles, #1) by Amy Winters-Voss #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/rpAx50EohMZ
Book Tour: Karma Series by Laura Simmons #paranormalromance @LauraSimmons37 #bewitchingbooktours https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/2021...
SPOTLIGHT: DARKNESS AWAITS by JAMILA A. STONE #bewitchingbooktours
https://supernaturalcentral.blogspot....
Death moved through the forest in silence.
But the living howled.
The Underworld Library: Hellbrary Book One by Laura Bickle
Free with Kindle Unlimited https://amzn.to/3du2jXU
#DarkFantasy #FantasyBooks #KindleUnlimited
Bookbundant introduces readers to fantastic authors and book deals in a free newsletter you can’t wait to open. www.bookbundant.com #BookBundant #Freebies #FreeBooks #BookDeals #BooksOnSale #BookSales #Mystery #Romance #RomanceBooks #MysteryBooks #FreeEbooks
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April 13, 2021
A Bewitching Tuesday
Please Welcome Laura Simmons as She Tells Us About Her Reincarnation/Paranormal Romance, Little Bits of Karma, a Karma Series Prequel #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/aS9H50Enlnc
Brand new series! Through-the-roof passion, a host of nasty villains, and an array of happily-ever-afters that won’t come easily. Buy Book 1 now→ mybook.to/LeviathanForgedinFire
#PNR #HEA #shifters #mustread #amreading #fantasy #BookBoost #BookBlast #BookBuzz #KU #KindleUnlimited
SPOTLIGHT - URBAN FANTASY LGBTQ+ - DARKNESS AWAITS (Virtual Academy, #2) by Jamila A. Stone #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/cwxS50Enlk7
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Virtual Book Tour: The Liminal Chronicles by Amy Winters-Voss
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Virtual Book Tour: Apocalipstick by Lisa Acerbo
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April 12, 2021
Bookbundant Deals and Freebies
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A Bewitching Monday
Author Interview - Karma Series by Laura Simmons #AuthorInterview #PNR #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/5DEZ50EmffE
Author Interview - Release Day Blitz Leviathan by Sky Purington #TimeTravel #DragonShifter #Romance #bewitchingbooktours
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Interview- The Liminal Chronicles by Amy Winters-Voss #UrbanFantasy #JapaneseMythology
#bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/U9QH50EmeZB
It’s Release Day! Leviathan (Viking Ancestors: Forged in Fire) by Sky Purington ~ #BookTour #Excerpt #Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/3Ms150EmexW
Apocalipstick by Lisa Acerbo #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/UH8g50Emf7O
Book Blitz & Excerpt: Leviathan + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/eRx550Emezl
Whoever possesses the Great Library of the Underworld rules Hell itself
& threatens the destiny of both the Heavens & Earth.
The Underworld Library: Hellbrary Book One by Laura Bickle
Free with Kindle Unlimited https://amzn.to/3du2jXU
#DarkFantasy #FantasyBooks #KindleUnlimited
Music Soundtrack for Goddess of Everything by Paul DeBlassie III #ParanormalThriller
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April 11, 2021
Release Day Blitz Leviathan by Sky Purington #TimeTravel #DragonShifter #Romance
LeviathanViking Ancestors: Forged in Fire Book OneSky Purington
Genre: Time Travel Dragon Shifter RomanceDate of Publication: April 12, 2021ASIN: B08NFGDNWRNumber of pages: 210Word Count: 70KCover Artist: Tara West
Tagline: An explosive enemies-to-lovers tale teeming with wicked secrets and fiery passion.
Book Description:
The only thing Destiny knows is her name, but who's complaining? She lives in a beautiful million-dollar seaside chalet without a care in the world. At least until a psychic shows up at her front door claiming Destiny's true identity is remarkable. She must remember who she is. What she's meant to do. If that isn't enough, her house isn't her own, and her fate tied to a man in the distant past. A fierce, brooding Viking who's too arrogant for his own good yet sinfully alluring.
Leviathan doesn't believe in love, so the woman he saved shouldn't be haunting his thoughts. Especially considering they barely got along. Yet now, thanks to the fire he used to keep Destiny alive, the feisty, stunning redhead is put in his path once more. Worse yet, she might be the foretold Sigdir who sparks the next Great War. That means she must die by his blade once and for all.
Will Leviathan be able to sacrifice Destiny to save everyone? Or is it already too late, and she's found her way into a heart he didn't know he had? Find out as they embark on an epic dragon shifter romance adventure across time in Viking Ancestors: Forged in Fire.
mybook.to/LeviathanForgedinFire
Excerpt #1- not steamy
As dumbfounded as she’d been when she saw it from afar, Destiny looked up at the castle towering over her. It wasn’t a typical Viking structure but something more sinister yet somehow alluring. Blackened wall walks curved around dozens of towers, and spires shot toward the sky.
“Though he calls it the Realm’s, welcome to what everyone calls Leviathan’s Keep behind his back,” Freya informed. “Because he does so much for us. Gives us safe harbor.” She grinned. “He built it to Múspellsheimr standards to make its dragons feel welcome. All dragons, for that matter.” She glanced at Leviathan with pride. “It’s seen many battles over the years as dragons grew into their own, but in the end, it’s always been a place of resolution and accord. A place where dragons can act like themselves among their own kind.”
“Impressive.” She meant it too. This place was something else.
She eyed people as they made their way toward an ancient-looking grand staircase leading to a behemoth door flagged by massive torches. Though everyone looked normal enough, Viking to the bone, she could feel the fluctuating animalistic energy in the air. Leviathan nodded at many in passing but said little, his expression hard though his eyes were cordial enough.
“It might be safe, but he still doesn’t want them out in this unnatural weather, does he?” she murmured. “He’s worried about them.”
“Every hour of every day of every year,” Freya said softly. “Endlessly.” Her knowing gaze slid Destiny’s way. “Not many see that so clearly.” She considered her. “Or better put, feel it.”
“My necklace then?” Destiny hadn't missed the shocked glances that went from her face to her collar. Again, she felt the urge to yank it off, declaring her independence, and again, just as swiftly, wanted it right where it was.
“You know better than to ask me that.” Freya stuck close, making it clear to all they were allies. Friends despite having just met. “You knew Leviathan better than most before I put that necklace on you.”
“Perhaps,” she murmured, but Freya was right. Whatever had happened between them had bonded them together in a way she knew damn well he struggled with. She struggled with.
Yet it had happened.
Was part of them.
And it was locking them together more readily than a collar ever could.
The inside of the castle took her breath away with its stark, towering, regal yet gothic beauty. A massive octagonal great hall led to several long, spiraling staircases going in different directions, rising up so high she wondered if there were an end in sight. Endless cathedral-like stained glass windows depicting sweeping dragons were made more magnificent by the shimmering ash beyond.
“Look at this place,” she whispered in awe, not sure what to admire first.
Four behemoth hearths hosted roaring fires, and huge bowls of fire hung like chandeliers as high as the eye could see. The air smelled of smoke, lust, and roasting meat.
“It used to reek of sulfur too,” Freya said out of the corner of her mouth, “but Leviathan whipped things into shape and taught this bunch how to get their dragon breath under control.”
She bit back a smile. “Glad to hear that.”
Everyone might appear Viking with fur cloaks and pagan looks, but there was no mistaking the fire flaring in many a cat-like eye. Dragons peered back at her with such strong curiosity she knew her collar had made a big impact.
Where Leviathan had remained in front of them to this point, now he fell in beside Destiny. Not to introduce her but rather, from what she could tell, to claim his territory. There was no grand introduction that a time traveler had arrived but rather a pointed sweep from his stormy gaze, lingering on select group of males before he gestured that she follow him.
“Seriously?” she said under her breath to Freya. “Was that Leviathan’s way of welcoming me?”
“Yes.” Freya chuckled and linked arms with her, again making it clear to all they were friends. “And I’ve never seen him do it. Not once with anyone.” She winked. “Let alone a woman branded by his scale.”
“Ah, so that’s the official name for wearing this around my neck?” She snorted. “Sounds like ownership if I didn’t know better.”
“But you do know better,” Freya reminded. “You know this is all for show because you and Leviathan don’t do forever.”
About the Author:Sky Purington is the bestselling author of over fifty novels and novellas. A New Englander born and bred who recently moved to Virginia, Purington married her hero, has an amazing son who inspires her daily and two ultra-lovable husky shepherd mixes. Passionate for variety, Sky's vivid imagination spans several romance genres, including historical, time travel, paranormal, fantasy and erotica. Expect steamy stories teeming with protective alpha heroes and strong-minded heroines.
Purington loves to hear from readers and can be contacted at Sky@SkyPurington.com. Interested in keeping up with Sky’s latest news and releases? Either visit Sky’s website, www.SkyPurington.com, join her quarterly newsletter, or sign up for personalized text message alerts. Text ‘skypurington’ (no quotes, one word, all lowercase) to 74121. Texts will ONLY be sent when there is a new book release. Readers can easily opt out at any time.
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April 10, 2021
Now Available - The Underworld Library: Hellbrary Book One by Laura Bickle #DarkFantasy #Hellbrary #UnderworldLibrary
The Underworld LibraryHellbrary Book OneLaura BickleGenre: Dark FantasyPublisher: Syrenka Publishing LLCDate of Publication: 4/1/21ASIN:B091JKK3CPNumber of pages: 304Word Count: 90,426
Cover Artist: Pretty in Ink Creations
Book Description:
Whoever possesses the Great Library of the Underworld rules Hell itself…and threatens the destiny of both the Heavens and Earth.
The Great Library contains the most deadly magic tomes penned since the beginning of time. This magic is both wondrous and terrible, kept under lock and key by witch-librarians serving the king of the Underworld.
Eve is one of those faithful librarians. She doesn’t recall her life prior to the Hellbrary, and unlike her fellow Hellbrarians, she has very little magic to speak of. When a dangerous book is stolen, she must recover it with the help of a Gorgon librarian, a hellhound, and a mysterious shapeshifting royal envoy. This daemon, Azarr, has a serpent tongue and the heart of a man – can he be trusted?
King Caldrius’s court has fallen under siege. Caldrius’s cruel son, Ral, has returned from exile with an army to assassinate his father. But his father’s crown alone does not guarantee Ral the throne. He needs the library, and he will take it by force. His ambitions don’t end with the Hellbrary – he means to take Earth and the Heavens beyond.
Eve knows there’s only one way to defeat Ral: they must use the recovered book to awaken the Queen of the Witches. Caldrius imprisoned Viridia millennia ago when she grew too powerful to control. Then, he offered the witches a choice: serve him or die. They served, until now…but will awakening Viridia summon an evil greater than Ral?
Time is running out, and all the forces the Underworld must unite to wage war for the library and control of all of existence.
#DarkFantasy #FantasyBooks #KindleUnlimited
Free with Kindle Unlimited
https://amzn.to/3du2jXU
Excerpt 5.
“My daughter, Thalla…I sent her to the Abbey of Shadows. Please. Find her and bring her to the Heavens, where she will be safe.”Llythria’s wings were badly damaged, and Eremiel could smell blood.
“I—” Eremiel began, stunned that the Queen of the Underworld had flown up to the Heavens to ask for an angel’s after all this time.
“Find her. My father cannot deny her citizenship to the Heavens. She is partly of the Heavens, no matter the sins of her mother. It is the only place she will be safe.” Blood bubbled over her teeth as she spoke. She pressed an amethyst stone into his palm. “This is Thalla’s. Use it to find her.”
“Llythria,” he began, “I will find a healer, and—”
Llythria grasped his shirt with a grip that could have broken stone once upon a time. Her breath was shallow and her voice thin. “Eremiel. You are the only one I can trust. Promise me that you will find my daughter and bring her to safety.”
Eremiel could deny her nothing, even now. He swallowed. “I promise.”
April 9, 2021
A Bewitching Friday
Music Soundtrack for Goddess of Everything by Paul DeBlassie III #ParanormalThriller
https://bewitchingbooktours.tumblr.co...
Spotlight & Excerpt: Darkness Awaits + Giveaway #bewitchingbooktours http://sadiesspotlight.com/darkness-a...
A captivating reincarnation romance of redemption and forgiveness.
Karma Series by Laura Simmons
https://amzn.to/3dsP8X1
#Reincarnation #PNR #Romance #Paranormal
Darkness Awaits Virtus Academy Book 2 by Jamila A. Stone - Urban Fantasy, Contemporary Fantasy, LGBTQ - Unexpected secrets stand to change two witches’ lives forever... #bewitchingbooktours http://ow.ly/fMDB50EjAQi
Whoever possesses the Great Library of the Underworld rules Hell itself
& threatens the destiny of both the Heavens & Earth.
The Underworld Library: Hellbrary Book One by Laura Bickle
Free with Kindle Unlimited https://amzn.to/3du2jXU
#DarkFantasy #FantasyBooks #KindleUnlimited
INTERVIEW WITH LAURA SIMMONS (Little Bits of Karma Series)
https://supernaturalcentral.blogspot....
