Emma Michaels's Blog, page 11
June 10, 2014
Breaking Away Release Day!
Title: Breaking Away
Author: Toni Aleo
Series: Assassins #5
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Publication: June 10, 2014
BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.
To Nashville Assassins’ leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy… as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That’s until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his very angry sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.
For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman… and her hot-as-sin uncle.
However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, one night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of “One Last Time” that has the potential to be something more… if only Reese and Claire allow it.
Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?
AVAILABLE ON AMAZON & BN
——————————————————–
2 – Kindles (US ONLY)
- If international and win, you will automatically win a gift card in the amount of the kindle(s).
- The Complete series in paperback and signed. (US)
- The complete series in ebook format. (INT)
- 5 Swag Packs (US ONLY)
Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.
When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.
She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.
Website † Facebook † Twitter † GoodReads
Toni Aleo will be attending Chapter by Chapter Book Rave in NY on September 20th! Over a 100+ authors signing! Check it out!
June 9, 2014
Dead of Night Cover Reveal (ONE OF MINE)!
Title: Dead of Night
Author: Carlyle Labuschagne
Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Romance
Expected Release Date: October 2014
Publisher: Hallowed Ink Press
Blurb:
In a dark and desolated After Earth, love still does exist, but the cost of bearing such a flaw is death.
World War III has left Earth in utter turmoil. People’s beliefs are said to be the cause of the worldwide destruction. After The Clearing new laws are set about – to show certitude in anything besides the law is weak and chargeable as mutiny. To be illogical and have faith in religion is illegal, to be limitless is dangerous. And Illness is seen as a defect – all flaws that are inexcusable.
But to love is the greatest betrayal of all mankind. It is a fault the world has long forgotten and punishable by death, a fatal risk Aecker and Opel are fully prepared to take – because in love there is freedom. But how far can they push back before it claims their lives and of those they care about?
Carlyle Labuschagne is a South African award winning author working her way into the hearts of international readers with her first two books in the Broken Trilogy. Her first young adult dystopian novel “The Broken Destiny” reached top 3 in its YA debut Category. The Sequel Evanescent won YATR literary award for best Sci-Fi book 2013.
Her become a published author prgramme for students launched Feb 2014. She is not only an author, but works as a marketing manager by day. She holds a diploma in creative writing through the writing school at College SA. Carlyle loves to swim, fights for the trees, and is a food lover who is driven by her passion for life. Carlyle also writes for IU e-magazine India, an inspirational non-profit magazine that aims at inspiring the world through words. The drive behind her author career is healing through words. Carlyle is also the founder of the first annual book drive – Help Build A Library in Africa Project. And hopes to launch her very own Indie book festival in Johannesburg March 2015.
“My goal as an author is to touch people’s lives, and help others love their differences and one another.”
Author Links:
Goodreads * Amazon * Twitter * Web * Blog
Goodreads * Facebook * Web * Twitter
June 5, 2014
Unstoppable Book Blitz!
Title: Unstoppable
Author: S. R. Johannes
Series: The Nature of Grace #3
Genre: Young Adult
Publication: June 3, 2014
After everything that has happened, Grace moves to the Everglades to live with her grandmother, Birdee, and hang out with old man Rex, Birdee’s “friend with benefits”. Grace quickly befriends Dylan, Rex’s nephew, and Dylan’s girlfriend, Sadie, who is a die-hard teen activist. Sadie spends her time leading protests against the roadside zoos that run rampant in Florida with a total disregard for animals or the flimsy law.
One day while out in the marshes of the Everglades, Grace and her friends rescue an abused—and endangered—Florida panther. She and Birdee spend time rehabilitating the animal. But when the panther runs off, Grace follows it toUncle Bob’s, a large roadside zoo they all have been protesting. One that is illegally filled with a variety of endangered and exotic animals. Before she can rescue the panther, she and her friends are kidnapped by the ruthless owner and dragged deep into the Everglades for a hunting challenge.
Only this time, Grace is the prey.
During a sick game of cat and mouse, Grace and her friends are offered one chance at survival, but only if they reach civilization before being caught. With a small head start and very little supplies, only time and skill stand between the hunter and the hunted. But out in the Everglades, there may be more dangers than Grace realizes.
Against all odds, Grace must make it out alive and win, or everything she holds dear could be lost.
Purchase:
Amazon
Other books in the Nature of Grace series:
Untraceable
Book #1
Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
Uncontrollable
Book #2
Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
——————————————————————————————
About the Author
S.R. Johannes is the award-winning author of the Amazon bestselling thriller series, the Nature of Grace (Untraceable and Uncontrollable). Unstoppable (book 3) is scheduled for May/June 2014. S.R. Johannes is currently repped by Lara Perkins at ABLA. For foreign rights on the Nature of Grace series, contact Jennifer Custer at AM Heath (London).
S.R. Johannes is the YA advisor of ALLi and a winner of the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Awards (Young Adult category) as well as a Silver medalist (2nd place) in the IPPY awards for YA Fiction. She was also nominated for 2012 Georgia Author of the Year (Young Adult category), a Finalist in The Kindle Book Review’s Best Young Adult of 2012, and a YA Finalist in the US Book News Best Book of 2012.
After earning an MBA and working in corporate America doing marketing for over 15 years (Spanx and Good hair Products were my fav because of the perks :), S.R. Johannes traded in her expensive suits, high heels, and corporate lingo for a family, flip-flops, and her love of writing. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her dog, English-accented husband, and the huge imaginations of their little prince and princess, which she hopes- someday- will change the world.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest | Newsletter | Bilan Inc
Taken Cover Reveal!
Taken by Koko Brown
Expected publication: July 7th, 2014
The playboy…
Khalid Francois Duïs is a man who isn’t afraid to take what he wants. And what he wants is Olivia Pierce. As his best friend’s sister, she was supposed to be off limits but Olivia quickly becomes a fever in his blood he simply can’t shake. He will do whatever it takes to have her with him and underneath him, even it means kidnapping.
The independent woman…
Olivia Pierce vows to never marry, instead choosing to focus on her career. But a clandestine encounter with Khalid’s threatens her resolve. Though her mind says no, her body screams yes! Her only option is to reject the the arrogant industrialist who believes a woman’s place is in his bed.
When Olivia rejects Khalid’s advances, he takes matters in his own hands and whisks her away to placate his obsession. From the tempestuous passion of their first encounter, across stormy seas, to a beautiful oasis in Africa, Olivia becomes his prisoner and a slave to Khalid’s all-consuming seduction.
——————————————————————————-
About Koko
.gif)
Koko Brown is an USA TODAY Bestselling author and romance junkie who once read over 200 Zebra romance Club novels the summer before her senior year in high school.
Her writing career began at the tender age of nine when she self-published and distributed a newspaper for her fellow classmates. Unfortunately, her grade-school principal Mr. Clark didn’t appreciate the competition and put her out of business after one best-selling issue.
Undaunted, Koko continued to write and read everything she could get her hands on. She honed her writing skills as a staff writer on her college’s newspaper, writing obituaries for the local newspaper, and even teaching American Literature.
One day, while daydreaming in bed, she came up with the idea for her first erotic manuscript. Taking a hiatus from teaching, she had enough time on her hands to flesh out the story in two short weeks. A month later, she cleaned it up and sent it to Ellora’s Cave . By January, she received a revision letter from one of their editors and by March she signed a contract for her vampire erotic novel Charmed.
Koko calls the east coast of Florida home. Even though she’s a multipublished author of interracial erotic romance, she has a life. She loves to travel (three continents, 20+ countries and 38 states so far), shop in thrift stores, ride motorcycles, and volunteering.
Goodreads | Website | Facebook
——————————————————————————-
GIVEAWAY
June 4, 2014
My Best Friend, Maybe Book Blitz and Giveaway!
My Best Friend, Maybe by Caela Carter Published by Bloomsbury on June 3rd 2014
Genres: Contemperary, Young Adult
Pages: 352
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
Colette has been bored and lonely ever since her best friend, Sadie, dumped her the summer before they stared high school. She tries to be perfect for everyone left in her life: her parents, her younger brothers, her church youth group, even her boyfriend, Mark. But Colette is restless. And she misses Sadie.
When Sadie tells Colette that she needs her old friend to join her on a family vacation to the Greek Islands, one that leaves in only a few days, Colette is shocked to hear their old magic word: need. And she finds herself agreeing.
Colette tries to relax and enjoy her Grecian surroundings but it’s not easy to go on vacation with the person who hurt you most in the world. When the reason for the trip finally surfaces, Colette finds out this is not only a fun vacation. Sadie has kept an enormous secret from Colette for years...forever. It’s a summer full of surprises, but that might be what Colette needs.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER
Caela Carter grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ and Baltimore, MD. She’s been writing since she learned how to pick up a pen but before the writing thing got serious she spent six years teaching English to middle and high school students in Jacksonville, FL and Chicago, IL. Her debut novel, ME, HIM, THEM AND IT was published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. When she’s not writing, Caela is a teacher of some awesome teens in Brooklyn, a Notre Dame football enthusiast, and a happy explorer in New York City.
Dad pulls up to the curb outside the international terminal.
When he looks at me, his eyes aren’t so wild anymore. They almost look sad. “You ready?”
“what’s going on, Dad?” I ask. It hits me that he somehow snuck me out of the house and now he’s ready to push me onto an airplane to some distant island, but he still hasn’t said anything real.
He shrugs. “Mom’s not always right,” he says.
But she is.
His eyes fall to his lap. “Neither am I,” he says. “Call your mother. Say good-bye.”
My hands shake as I finally turn on my phone.
She answers before the first ring. “Don’t get on that airplane, Colette,” she says, “Know that I don’t approve of this.”
“You know?” I ask.
“Your father left a note. Colette…” She trials off. “You heard me tell you not to go, right?”
“Yes,” I say.
“Well if you go anyway, be safe. Protect your body and your soul. I changed your phone plan so you can only call home, okay? It’s too expensive for you to call Louisa and Mark willy-nilly.” Mark. “But call when you arrive, okay? So we don’t have to worry.”
“Okay,” I say.
My hands aren’t shaking anymore. I’m relieved to hear her sound like any-old-mom.
“And, honey?” she says. She says it so softly I think she’s going to tell me to have a nice time. Or that she loves me.
“Yeah?”
“I hope you understand what a terrible choice you’re making.”
She hangs up.
I stare at the phone in my palm.
“She okay?” Dad says finally.
I shrug.
We get out of the car and I spot Sadie and her family climbing out of a limo curbed fifty feet away. She jumps up and down as soon as she sees me, her now purple-and-blond hair waving across her face. I can’t help smiling. I can see her mouth moving even from here. “You came! You came!”
I give my dad a quick hug, pull out my suitcase, yank up the handle of my rolly bag, and take my first step as the new, imperfect Coley.
“Colette?” Dad says.
I turn around, ready for him to sit me back in the car, to tell me this was all a test that I failed. Instead he holds out his hand and shoves a stack of bills into my fist. “For whatever you need, little lady. Have fun. I—we. We love you.”
Then he’s gone.
“Coley!” Sadie is running toward me so quickly that I only have a second to open my phone and click on my good-morning text from Mark.
“One more day! I love you!” the message says.
My heart beats faster and salt water threatens to escape from behind my eyeballs and I know he deserves so much better than this, so much more explanation, so much more of me. And me, too. I know I deserve a better good-bye than I’m going to be able to give him. But I only have ten seconds before she reaches me, before it’s time, before the bell rings on my perfect life and I dive into the drama with Sadie.
I type the seven letters i-m s-o-r-r-y. Then I press Send.
Here we go.
June 2, 2014
Dark Metropolis Tour!
Dark Metropolis by Jaclyn Dolamore Published by Disney-Hyperion on June 17th 2014
Genres: Young Adult
Pages: 304
Format: eARC
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
Cabaret meets Cassandra Clare-a haunting magical thriller set in a riveting 1930s-esque world.
Sixteen-year-old Thea Holder's mother is cursed with a spell that's driving her mad, and whenever they touch, Thea is chilled by the magic, too. With no one else to contribute, Thea must make a living for both of them in a sinister city, where danger lurks and greed rules. Thea spends her nights waitressing at the decadent Telephone Club attending to the glitzy clientele. But when her best friend, Nan, vanishes, Thea is compelled to find her. She meets Freddy, a young, magnetic patron at the club, and he agrees to help her uncover the city's secrets-even while he hides secrets of his own.
Together, they find a whole new side of the city. Unrest is brewing behind closed doors as whispers of a gruesome magic spread. And if they're not careful, the heartless masterminds behind the growing disappearances will be after them, too.
Perfect for fans of Cassandra Clare, this is a chilling thriller with a touch of magic where the dead don't always seem to stay that way.
I didn’t read up much on this novel before I started reading so I didn’t make the connection to the film Metropolis until I was quite a ways in. Watching Metropolis was a very special experience for me. It was the first movie of its kind I got a chance to experience and ended up being unbelievably amazing. I am not surprised this novel was inspired by it because the novel follows suit as an unbelievable amazing experience.
Inventive, imaginative, and unforgettable. Some of the aspects I enjoyed most are a bit too spoilery to go into detail on here. Needless to say, it was the fluid writing style and mystery that first pulled me in. As the characters developed I enjoyed watching their interaction and the darker concepts involved. I find that many mysteries lack a truly dark element and that is what draws me in and makes me curious. This had that element and it added to the effect and impact the novel had on me.
Overall, loved the twists and turns, the different perspectives and the overall story arc. A novel well deserving of a full five stars. Would I recommend it? YES 100x yes. This novel wasn’t afraid to take risks and in my humble opinion, every risk paid off. The result is simply spectacular storytelling and a hauntingly memorable novel.
Looking forward to book two!
Jaclyn Dolamore was homeschooled in a hippie sort of way and spent her childhood reading as many books as her skinny nerd-body could lug from the library and playing elaborate pretend games with her sister Kate. She skipped college and spent eight years drudging through retail jobs, developing her thrifty cooking skills and pursuing a lifelong writing dream. She has a passion for history, thrift stores, vintage dresses, David Bowie, drawing, and organic food. She lives with her partner and plot-sounding-board, Dade, and two black tabbies who have ruined her carpeting.
May 31, 2014
Whiskey Prince Cover Reveal!
Take a risk.
Do something drastic.
Fall in love.
When Amberlyn Reilly loses her mother, her whole world comes crashing down. Having been caretaker to her for most of her teenage years, Amberlyn is inexperienced in many aspects of life. She hasn’t had time to live, have fun, or enjoy even the little things. It’s only when a letter from her mother, asking her to fulfill three things, sends her off to Ireland to live a life she never thought possible that she begins to heal.
Declan O’Callaghan was born and raised in Ireland and has his family’s legendary whiskey in his veins. He’s shy and not a fan of the pressure and spotlight that comes with his family name, or the title he was given at birth—the Whiskey Prince. Declan knows just what he wants and that is to take over the family dynasty, but when his father gives him an ultimatum, everything he’s worked for could come undone in the blink of an eye.
With six months to get married, the reclusive Declan spots Amberlyn across a lake and instantly feels the need to know her. Soon, the two find themselves traveling down a path neither expected. However, like any road, there are bumps and side streets to derail them. Can Declan help find the pieces that will make Amberlyn whole again? And will Amberlyn stay or run when she learns of Declan’s deadline of marriage?
>>ADD TO GOODREADS<<
Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.
When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.
She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.
Website † Facebook † Twitter † GoodReads
May 30, 2014
Anna Silver (Otherborn Revamp) Cover Reveal!
Otherborn by Anna Silver Series: Otherborn #1
Published by Sapphire Star Publishing on April 4, 2013
Genres: Dystopian, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Pages: 290
Amazon • Barnes & Noble • Goodreads
London and her teenage friends live in a reprocessed world.
Confined within Capital City’s concrete walls, London has done the impossible and the illegal. She’s created something New- a song. But her mentor, club owner Pauly, is not impressed. Since the historic Energy Crisis forced everyone behind walls generations ago, the Tycoons have ensured there is truly nothing new allowed under the sun. Pauly warns London to keep her song to herself, if she knows what’s good for her.
What he doesn’t know is that London is keeping an even bigger secret: she dreams. And she’s not alone. London’s band-mates and friends have begun dreaming as well, seeing themselves in “night pictures” as beings from another world. As Otherborn, they must piece together the story of their astral avatars, the Others, in order to save their world from a dreamless, hopeless future.
When Pauly is murdered and an Otherborn goes missing, London realizes someone is hunting them down. Escaping along the Outroads, they brave the deserted Houselands with only their dreams to guide them. Can they find their friend before the assassin finds them? Will being Otherborn save their lives, or destroy them?
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | GoodReads | Pinterest | Publisher
Anna Silver is an author and artist living in the greater Houston area with her family, pets, and overactive imagination. Her art has been featured in the Houston gallery Las Manos Magicas. She studied English Writing & Rhetoric at St. Edward’s University. She’s freelanced for private clients and small publications like the Hill Country Current. OTHERBORN, her first published novel, has been featured on 2 of Amazon’s “Bestsellers” lists. ASTRAL TIDE is her second published novel.
“Anna Silver weaves a dark new world full of taut suspense and characters that leap off the page.” –Sophie Jordan, NYT bestselling author of the Firelight trilogy
“Travel to a world where dreaming is a radical act that can save the world… Anna Silver’s post-apocalyptic vision is rich with imagery and metaphysical ideas, grounded by vivid, three-dimensional characters. A truly fresh take on dystopian.” –Nina Berry, author of the OTHERKIN series
“Silver built the right amount of conflict and tension to draw readers into her dystopian world, and created characters who are leery, yet determined to embrace New.”–Natasha Hanova, author of Edge of Truth
May 26, 2014
Crane Book Blitz and Giveaway!
Crane by Stacey Rourke
Publication date: May 26th 2014
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal
GoodReads | Amazon | B&N | Smashwords
The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.
What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?
Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.
But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides?
Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter
RONE Award Winner for Best YA Paranormal Work of 2012 for Embrace, a Gryphon Series Novel
Young Adult and Teen Reader voted Author of the Year 2012
Turning Pages Magazine Winner for Best YA book of 2013 & Best Teen Book of 2013Stacey Rourke lives in Michigan with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and two giant, dogs. She loves to travel, has an unhealthy shoe addiction and considers herself blessed to make a career out of talking to the imaginary people that live in her head. Mark your calendars! Her latest literary adventure, Crane, will release May 26, 2014. She is currently hard at work on the continuations of this thrilling Legends Saga, as well as other literary projects.
The plush terry cloth robe slipped from Ireland’s shoulders with a whispering caress before pooling in a heap around her ankles. Marble tiles chilled her bare feet as she stepped into the walk-in shower. The tips of her fingers slid across stainless steel. With a flick of her wrist, the trio of showerheads flowed to life. Welcoming heat came at her from all angles, pulsating over her curves with a rhythmic seduction. Ireland turned, a groan escaping her as the streams massaged all the right places. Steam rose, fogging the handle and creating a cloud of humidity that hugged her frame. Tipping her head back, she let the droplets rain down on her face and across her closed lids. Her lips parted, welcoming the rush of warmth that flooded between them. Until it assaulted her tongue with a rush of coppery warmth that clamped her throat shut with a wretched heave. Her hands cupped to catch the droplets, her eyes widening as thick crimson pooled in her palms, seeping between her ivory fingers. Formerly white tiles were now smattered and smeared with blackish-red gore that sprayed from the nozzles. Ireland threw herself from the shower, her feet slipping beneath her. She reached out to steady herself, but found nothing to hold on to. Nothing there to pull her back from the brink, except her own need for self-preservation … and a shadowed silhouette in the corner. Instinctively, she covered herself with her arms. Squinting, she craned her neck to see the figure that was slowly turning to face her.
“Mason?” Her voice echoed around her before she could even speak it.
He stared straight ahead with fixed, unseeing eyes. Blood trailed down his face from various points of origin, soaking the front of his shirt. “Cloak of night, brings Horseman’s plight. His pricy toll, will be a soul.”
“Mason? Are you okay?”
A hard blink and his eyes found focus on her. A desperate panic flared his nostrils, forcing his breath to come fast and ragged. “Help me, you have to help me,” he pleaded, his teeth pink with the blood that streamed past his lips.
Her trembling hand reached for him, then recoiled at her own inept state of confusion. “H-how? What do I do?”
“You have to save us,” Mason’s words became more garbled by the fresh rush of gore that bubbled up the back of his throat. His once handsome face contorted in rage. Leaning forward he balled his fists and screamed with a force that bulged the tendons of his neck, “Save us!”
May 24, 2014
Top 6 Covers of the Week!
Wow. Just… wow.
These six covers nearly have me speechless… nearly. From the concepts to the fantastic execution these beautiful covers are mind blowing! Darkworld (Cara Lynn Shultz) captivated me from my first glance. Dreams in her Head (Clare C. Marhsall) has so much dynamic and emotion! My love affair with all things Kat Zhang somehow continues on and grows. Her writing is phenomenal and I am so thrilled that the covers of her books have such a wonderful and eye catching feel. The continuity has continued on with the striking cover for Echoes of Us (Kat Zhang).
Missing Me (Sophie McKenzie) is part of a series that has covers that make you want to add the entire collection to your shelf purely to see them standing next to each other. The concept and feel match the unique concepts for the series. Speaking of sequels, Empire of Shadows (Miriam Forster) is a fantastic follow up to the first cover in the series. I can hardly wait to see the full series lined up. Stitching Snow (R. C. Lewis) is actually a cover a friend pointed out to me. She had noticed it while looking through releases and I can help but imagine it looking amazing in hardcover with embossing and gloss.
So… maybe my version of speechless isn’t very quiet. :p Loving these six amazing covers matches with wonderful reads! I shall now head off to go swoon over my latest read. Got to love Saturdays! Happy reading and may a good book always find its way to you!
