Al Stone's Blog, page 14

Book Blitz & Giveaway - I've Watched You Die by Karina Banks

I’ve Watched You DieAuthor: Karina BanksPublication Date: September 22nd, 2023Genre: NA Fantasy
Book Description:A young woman, cursed. A rebellious prince in hiding. A forbidden love that will threaten two worlds…
There are two main things I’ve learned since my life turned upside down. The first is, if you speak of someone’s death before it happens, you’ll be blamed for murder. The second? If the hottest guy you’ve ever seen kisses you, and thanks you for saving his life, don’t argue.
I watched him die, over and over. So many times. The vision is always the same and there is never one damn thing I can do to save him. I don’t know why I can’t dream about normal things, like going to school naked, or spiders. I hate spiders. No, I’m lucky enough to see strangers at the moments of their deaths.
The only thing keeping me sane is knowing the visions aren’t real.
Until the accident. The blood. He dies in my arms.
At least, I thought he did. But now he’s here, telling me I saved his life. Telling me unbelievable stories about monsters and gods and destiny. Promising to protect me.
If none of this is real, why am I afraid of the creatures hunting me? And if I saved his life, why are the nightmares back, stronger than ever? What is this thing lurking inside me, eager to strike?
I don’t know, but I’m freaking out.
I’m afraid what I think is real, isn’t. And what I know is not, just might be.
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Redeeming Rabbit by Harley Stone

Redeeming Rabbit(Dead Presidents MC Book 11)Author: Harley StonePublication Date: September 25th, 2023Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Book Description: Rabbit :They say combat trauma can be the noose you hang from, the cross you bear, or the cliff you scale to survive. But I was a f*ck up long before my Army enlistment and the resulting PTSD. Thanks to the veteran MC that took me in, I’m coping with my condition. Mostly.
Until her.
The Complete Package. She’s way out of my league. I shouldn’t have a chance in hell with Elenore, but I got a peek under her hood and the sexy scientist has a screw loose.
Good thing I’m the best damn mechanic in Seattle.
Elenore :I never once contemplated murder until my sister showed up bruised and bloody on my doorstep. Now, my intellect has overridden my morals to create an extermination plan with a 98.3% success rate.
Relax, I won’t actually kill anyone. Probably.
But he might.
Who knew I’d find a kindred spirit in my self-appointed tattooed biker bodyguard? Rabbit’s alarmingly protective but the most fascinating person I’ve ever met. And the sight of his bare chest just made the lock on my bedroom door spontaneously combust.
A tempest on the outside with a soft, gooey center, he could be the one.
If I’m strong enough to love him.
The Dead Presidents MC is a brotherhood of military veterans formed to help vets reintegrate into civilian society. They’re the good guys… mostly. Complete, standalone HEA love stories. No cheating, no cliffhangers.
Buy Links:Amazon US | UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | Google Play
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Echoes of the Past by Ashley Packard

Echoes of the PastAuthor: Ashley PackardPublication Date: September 20th, 2023Genre: Adult Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Book Description:Anna Wilson is faced with the prospect of starting her first job out of university. She worked hard for this coveted position not for the prestige, but because it paid well, would make her parents proud, and most importantly, the location was close to her grandmother, her only remaining family.
Accepting this job was a seal of fate according to Anna’s grandmother, who grappled with the guilt that Anna planned her life around her.
After graduating from university, Anna’s world gets turned upside down when she receives the devastating news her grandmother passed away, leaving behind an unexpected inheritance, a chest full of old postcards, and tickets for a trip her grandmother planned leaving in a few weeks.
Anna battles the difficult decision – to stay with the job she accepted, or embark on a journey that could uncover truths about herself and the untold stories of her grandmother’s past.
Buy Links: Books2Read
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Six Feet Under by Elice Nange

Six Feet Under(Sin and Sinuosity, #3)Author: Elice NangePublication Date: September 12th, 2023Genre: Adult Romance / Suspense
Book Description: Everything has a price. A price we all pay — in life and in death.
Determined not to follow in his father’s footsteps, Oscar Hyun carved out his own path in life. On the surface, he has everything. Money, power, and prestige. Except for one thing — his elusive soulmate.
Or so everyone says.
Fueled by the saying ‘once bitten, twice shy,’ he’s busy enough as it is and has no time for such trivial matters.
Until she waltzes into his life.
A woman whose reputation precedes her as the illegitimate daughter of one of the deadliest Mafia families in the Midwest. A woman who leads a privileged and sheltered life, and one he should have no business getting involved with.
Courtney Sotelo.
An innocent she is not. Nor is she the naive tomboy everyone thinks she is. That part of her is long dead, snuffed out of existence by the scars from her past. And in its place is something dangerous. Something deadlier.
A weapon.
His soulmate in more ways than one.
Like him, she wants what she wants — consequences be damned.
Note: This book can be read as a STANDALONE in the  Sin and Sinuosity  series.
Buy Links:Amazon | UK | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
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Blog Tour Spotlight - Crimson Scimitar by S.P. Grogan

 

Action-adventure-romance-political-terrorist-thriller of American television culture versus the War on Terrorism—the Awakening Epic of Our Times…

Crimson Scimitar: Attack on America 2001-2027Author: S.P. GroganPublisher: Addison & Highsmith PublishersPages: 680Genre: Current Historical Fiction / Action / Adventure / Thriller
Book Description:What might happen if a handful of people living in different eras became entangled in time,some intentionally and some accidentally? The nineteenth-centuryscientist, Dr. Wilhelm Gussen, is passionate about improving the welfare of mankind, and so he begins a journey through time in a quest to learn about future advances in epidemiology. Physicist Emory Lynch, from thetwenty-seventh century, studies an old pocket watch, said to be a timetravel device, and accidently stumbles into the twenty-first century. In 2019, Jim Zimmerman, the de facto neighborhood go-to guy, finds himself caught in the middle of a clandestine, future conspiracy. True to hischaracter, he becomes inextricably involved in future affairs thatinvolve saving humanity from itself—dragging his wife and a fewneighbors along for the ride. Thus, begins a time travel adventure thatexamines the stubborn predictability of human behavior and how somethings, even over time, never seem to change.
Praise:“The Five Watches is filled with interesting characters and enchanting tapestries woveninto the fabric of time itself. John explores not only the ravages oftime but more importantly the impact of individual kindness, caring, and selflessness towards others that is heartwarming. I enjoyed thissuspenseful page turner, the connection to everyday people and toimaginable heroes that we can all strive to become. Uplifting! – JimRichards, Beta Reader
Buy Links:Amazon US | UK
 

Book Excerpt  

REEL ONE

EPISODE ONE – Prologue

Scene 1: On That Day, Where Were They?

Setting: September 11, 2001, New York, Chicago, Jalalabad

Booker Langston, defense attorney

He was angry with her. Not really. His Tuesday schedule went into flux with his fiancée’s casual request (non-negotiable demand) for a mutual shopping appointment before his afternoon court session, where he was set to deliver his closing argument, defending the accused. Judy said it would be a quick decision on her final choice of the wedding gown design. But he knew women. Maybe he didn’t. He did know that he was in love with investment banker/trader Judith Yu, her brilliance of mind, her beauty, the warmth of her smile, and her malleable body. The perfect cultural match: 3rd generation Chinese, she a math whiz, to merge by wedding vows to a 2nd generation African, his family political refugees, the elite of the previous regime, from a civil war in Liberia. Now, totally Americanized, successful though not yet rich, ‘Bookie’ was gaining a rep as a savvy defender of the legally entangled downtrodden of New York City. Complacent in his happiness within this work day, he had agreed to meet her in the lobby of the World Trade Center, North Tower. She would ride the elevator down from her currency exchange executive position in the financial trading office of Cantleigh & Fitzpatrick on the 103rd Floor. He checked his watch. 8:40 am. He picked up his pace, grinning. This time he would be early. Surprise her. He had flowers in his hand, a small bouquet.The shadow of an aircraft momentarily darkened his steps. A grumbling scream filled the skies above his head, and then….Hugh Fox had done it. A little fakery, not fraudulent, but the bankers would not have loaned the funds to a 19-year-old kid, who some called an ‘erratic genius,’ where others colored him as wild and driven, tinged with unpredictability. The bankers were under the impression that the product he was developing and marketing was ‘transistor type’ because one of the contracts he had signed was with Radio Shack, giving comfort for a relationship with a major retail corporation and thus credence to an asset valuation to support the collateral…Hugh Fox felt, no, knew that with this lending capital, he could now succeed. He was in a buoyant mood. Then, just as his finger hit the elevator’s down button, he looked out the hall window to see American Airlines Flight 11 hit the North Tower.A hole-in-the-wall office, on the second floor, in the Garment District. The name on the glass kept simple. S. Carlisle, Creative Fashions. Sam, as she was known to amiable friends, Sammie to her family, wasn’t satisfied with the moniker for a future fashion trademark. She would scribble out words, match, and juggle, but nothing screamed, ‘famous apparel stylist works here.’ Sam was smart, smart-alecky, with a natural dose of ambition. One had to be bold, if not brash, if not outlandish, to succeed in this world of couture glam.Eve, one of her two seamstresses, arriving late, rushed in, slurring out her sentences.“A plane hit the World Tower. And not a small plane, a big jet. You can see the smoke from the street.” So, all three of them did just that. Sam, Eve, and Madeline, the other seamstress and the occasional part-time bookkeeper. She saw others were straying outside, glancing, peering down to the end of the island. And yes, black smoke appeared from not just one but both towers. ‘How could one plane set both buildings on fire?’ thought Sam, now hearing the emergency sirens from all directions heading towards the ‘accident.’… She turned her attention back to the television. Good God, it is Dante’s Hell, as she saw ‘ghosts’ coming out of a tsunami cloud of grey ash. Her eyes focused on two men, stumbling toward the camera, neither one recognizable, even to what ethnicity they might be. Leaning, holding each other up, strangers clinging. Aloud, to no one, shaking her head, she mourned, “Everyone is grey confusion, like amnesiac ghosts.” Then thinking as a fashion designer might, seeing the perspective of all people now running. “No ethnics; no discerning tribes, no stuffy cliques, no Benetton colors of culture. The world has gone drab.” No one was around to hear what she later called her epiphany. She threw in a couple of curse words to emphasize a world gone crazy. And then, thinking more, she gained direction, “I will use a grey-black fabric background with minimalist color slashes, walking art of a chained political statement, of starkness representing sadness personified. Disturbed Valentino embraces nihilist Versace.” And Samantha Carlisle began to sketch, ignoring the wail of distant sirens.For his part, Barack Obama, Illinois State Senator, remembered it beginning as probably an ‘unremarkable day.’ He was driving on Lake Shore Drive on his way to a required yet probably tedious Illinois Legislative Committee Meeting on Administrative Policy. The radio’s music channel switched to ‘Breaking News,’ and he first learned of a plane crash into one of the World Trade Center buildings in New York. By the time he arrived at his meeting, it had been canceled, and people were milling outside, many of them staring at Chicago’s Sears Tower, wondering, as he put it later, ‘Would this building go from workplace to target’?Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, Pan-Islamic al-Qaeda leaderHe had called his mother the night before. “You might not be able to reach me for some time.” She asked no questions. They had a pleasant visit about her life, his wives, and children. “No, they will not be coming with me for a month or so.” His mother did not ask why. He ended the call, both of them exchanging endearing goodbyes. Neither said they loved the other. That was not a ritual done in the bin Laden tribal clan. Yet, the call placed him in a good mood, as did other events yet to be. 

 

About the Author S.P. Grogan in 2008 gained recognition with his first novel, Vegas Die, a Quest Mystery, in which the writing were clues that led the 'Questor' to seek out adagger hidden somewhere in the Vegas Valley to be redeemed for $25,000cash. Launching a fan-based treasure hunt Vegas Die became abest-seller, and an award for 'Best Regional' fiction. S.P. Grogan calls himself an eclectic storyteller in that he seeks out blending historyand romance into various genres to create unusual plotting. In 2019,academic publisher Histria Books negotiated to acquire the author'sexisting catalogue of four novels for re-issuing and an option on thenext several stories he might create. Lafayette: Courtier to Crown Fugitive tells the coming-of-age story of the young Marquis de La Fayette,'France's richest orphan' and delves into his quest to revenge the death of his father, and his unbridled ambition to escape the intrigues ofthe court of Queen Marie Antoinette and go to the American colonies tofind glory. In 2022, Captain Cooked, A Hawaiian Mystery of Romance, Revenge and Recipes won "Best Novel" from Gourmand International Cookbook Awards. Here, the author writes from the first-person perspective of a twentyish LA woman who is filming her father's top cable cooking show when she stumblesinto the murder of a famous Hawaiian singing star (think 'Iz'), andstruggles with romantic 'love on all the wrong beaches' when she has tochoose between a thief, a king, and a murderer. Best-selling author Anne Hillerman said of Captain Cooked: "It reads like Janet Evanovich morphing into Rachel Ray while filming a remake of Perils of Pauline. Coming out in August 2023 is Atomic Dreams at the Red Tiki Lounge, an elaborately crafted Hawaiian fantasy-thriller set in post World War 2 Honolulu with the gods fighting against mutated demons, star-crossedromance, where future famous people pass through the doors of the RedTiki. There's even Russians seeking to steal an Atomic Bomb. Artworkillustrations provided by famed surrealist artist, Brad 'Tiki Shark'Parker. Finally, is Crimson Scimitar, which has been describedas 'the awakening epic of our times' to be released September 2023.Multiple story lines including Hollywood Culture takes on Terrorists.The reader will be amazed how the author can take current history andgive it resonance to today's events and still provide a thriller withunusual twists including the warning: '9/11 can happen again.' AuthorS.P. Grogan lives in Henderson, Nevada, and is working on his nextnovel.
Author Links:Website | Facebook | Goodreads

 
 


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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Cusp of Redemption by Olivia Preya

Cusp of Redemption(The Cusp Series, #2)Author: Olivia PreyaPublication Date: August 28th, 2023Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance / Crime
Book Description:Salvatore de Marco
It was always about her.Taking care of her.Making sure she had everything she needed.School. Apartment. Living expenses.I took care of it all. For her.And I’ll never regret the decisions I made to keep the smile on her face.
But she left me once, and I’ll be damned before I let her leave again. As the Cafarelli family enforcer, I can provide her with more than I could before–money and protection. I’ll do everything in my power to protect her from whatever demon made her run the first time. But what if it turns out the demon was me?
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that our connection is undeniable; I can feel how hot she is for me.Even if she won’t admit it.Yet.
—
Naya Okpara
It took a long time to get to where I am now.From foster kid to private investigator, I do whatever it takes to get the job done.Even if that means working for the Cafarelli family.
I thought he was long gone—a distant memory tainted by a figure from our past. But time and distance did nothing to ease my hunger for his touch. Nor did it erase the betrayals that shattered me.
When the man who lights my skin on fire appears before me, I’m forced to face the realities I spent years avoiding. Now, Salvatore and I are working for the same family, and I can’t let the connection of our past ruin my future.
But what if he is my future?
Cusp of Redemption is book two of the Cusp series but can be read as a standalone. It has a guaranteed HEA, swoon-worthy anti-hero, and badass heroine. This is an interracial mafia romance containing explicit sex scenes, graphic violence, and is recommended for readers 18+.
Buy Links:Amazon US | UK
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Fighting for the Truth by A.B. Medley

Fighting for the Truth(Finding the Truth, #4)Author: A.B. MedleyPublication Date: August 18th, 2023Genre: Adult Romance / Suspense
Book Description: You’ve always been mine to love and to hate…
Small towns have a way of making you face your past.
And there’s two sides to every story.
Hawk and Brittney met as kids in a time when they both needed someone.
Their worlds were already in a state of unrest when an unexpected betrayal stripped them bare.
Words of hate were uttered and promises broken, leaving them bitter enemies.
One is left fighting for the truth, while the other is left with nothing but a dream.
But time and distance can’t separate them forever and fate seemingly intervenes.
Lines blur as they realize things may not have been what they seemed, and old feelings are resurrected.
But amid salvaging their connection comes another fight.
Hawk’s murky past catches up to him and Brittney is thrust in the middle, leaving him no choice but to fight once more to save the girl he realizes he’s always loved.
Even if it means destroying her dreams and wrecking her heart.
Fighting for her is the only thing that matters, and this is one battle he won’t lose.
Winner takes heart.
Buy Links:Amazon US | UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Rogues And Redeemers: A Zasra Press Anthology

Rogues And Redeemers: A Zasra Press AnthologyPublication Date: August 8th, 2023Genre: Adult Fantasy
Book Description:It would take such a selfless act, to reverse what you have done… from “Turning A New Leaf”
I didn’t become the frog. The frog became me… from “A Frog Among Princes”
Justice served with a dash of poison was justice served well… from “Path Of The Righteous”
Descend into the darkness or rise up to the light as you explore eight original stories themed ‘Corruption’ and ‘Redemption’. You’ll find something for everyone, from dark magic, covert ambition, and war to ghosts, royalty, and beasts!
~
A. M. Dilsaver — The Devil In The Ashes
Born of lust and fueled by hatred, Aschelle is determined to make her stepmother pay for the cruelties of her childhood. With the prince throwing a ball to seek a wife, victory is only a wish away…
Barend Nieuwstraten III — Turning A New Leaf
When a plan to summon and trap a demon to gain power goes fatally wrong, a bargain must be struck to ensure the summoner does not leave the exchange empty handed.
Christiana Matthews — The Bequest
Gemma doesn’t believe in ghosts–until she meets her dead grandfather, Jock, and uncovers a family secret. In order to move forward with her life, she must persuade Jock to move on as well.
Christiana Matthews — A Frog Among Princes
When Prince Robert refuses to marry a magician’s daughter, he’s turned into a frog in retaliation. Years later, he must seek out the mage in order to save a friend.
Eleanor Owen — The 205th
As a marionette soldier, Faith-7 is given a chance to redeem the condemned soul inside of her by fighting against a heretical empire.
Emma O’Connell — Happy Ending
Waking in a sea of dead bodies, Jacob realises that he has no idea what happened to him. But can he really trust the girl who says she can help?
Ine Gausel — Remnants Of Light
Silencer Osvalt Fell is haunted by his past. To move on, he must learn to let go, even if it breaks his heart.
S. K. Sayari — Path Of The Righteous
Tanith, Imperial Official by day, covert vigilante by night, believes in justice—no matter the means. She must outwit those who suspect her before she loses everything.
Illustrations appear in the print version only.
Buy Links:Amazon US | UK
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Year of the Fledgling by Linda Kage

Year of the FledglingAuthor: Linda KagePublication Date: July 29th, 2023Genre: YA Fantasy / Romance
Book Description:Theron, the Eradicator, has one job: to protect the people of Starcast by killing the deadly creatures that attack them. That’s it.
Being an Eradicator comes with a heavy price, however, for he’s strictly prohibited from having any kind of personal contact with the villagers.
But one night, he sneaks into the town’s harvest festival, anyway, and meets the lovely, young healer’s apprentice.
As Theron grows close to her, it becomes harder to tell what’s more dangerous: risking a fatal injury while battling dark ones or risking fatal punishment by beginning a secret dalliance with a forbidden girl.
In either case, doom seems to be the only outcome, and tension mounts as love and danger blur across the reach of this fantastical, seaside landscape.
Buy Links: Amazon US  | UK
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Book Blitz & Giveaway - Saving Piper Moonlight by Joann Keder

Saving Piper Moonlight(Piney Falls Mysteries, #2)Author: Joann KederPublication Date: July 13th, 2020Genre: Adult Thriller
Book Description:Piper has lived her entire childhood on the run. She’s about to uncover the deadly reason why…
In the second book of the Piney Falls Mysteries series, Piper Moonlight is tired of constantly looking over her shoulder, afraid of the remaining Fallen Branch cult members. She decides the best place to land is in Piney Falls, Oregon, where the cult originated. At least everyone there knows her story and she’ll be safe.
When she arrives, she finds employment under the watchful eye of Cosmo Hill, also a former Fallen Branch member, at his bakery. Cosmo doesn’t trust Piper or her story. He enlists the help of his fiancé , marketing wonder and super sleuth Lanie Anders to uncover the truth of Piper’s past.
Lanie and Cosmo soon discover there are still shocking secrets buried within the layers of the former cult. As those secrets come to light, those who keep them will stop at nothing to stay hidden. The ugly truth of Fallen Branch will force Lanie, Cosmo and Piper to make unthinkable choices to save themselves and the life they know in Piney Falls.
Buy Links: Amazon US  | UK
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