Sorcha O'Dowd's Blog, page 52
February 2, 2014
Book Blitz ~ ‘Drowning in Rapture’ by Megan D. Martin.
Drowning in Rapture by Megan D. Martin
(Rapture #1)
Publication date: February 1st 2014
Genres: Erotica, Romance
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SYNOPSIS
I didn’t plan to become a stripper who performs live sex shows.
But that’s what happened. It’s what I do, and I’m good at it.
I was going to go on and do something with my life. I was going to be something more than just a piece of ass.
But that’s not how it worked it out.
Men don’t control me. Not anymore. Not until my best friend left and he came into my life.
I don’t want lose myself and drown in another man. But I’m afraid it’s already too late.
**This book is intended for mature audiences only due to graphic depictions of sex and bad language.
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Giveaway Open Internationally
Enter below for the chance to win:
~ A $10 Amazon Gift Card ~
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Megan D. Martin
Megan D. Martin is a multi-published author, mother, student and editor. In her spare time she enjoys decorating her house with strange things that do not match, playing her old school Nintendo Entertainment System, and buying fish for her many fish tanks.
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~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~
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Book Blitz organised by Xpresso Book Tours.
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February 1, 2014
Blog Tour ~ ‘The Howling Heart’ by April Bostic!
The Howling Heart by April Bostic
Publication date: August 8th 2013
Genres: Adult, Paranormal Romance
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SYNOPSISPaige Donovan is an ambitious college graduate who aspires to reach the top of the corporate ladder. She’s climbing fast when given the promotion of a lifetime at a prestigious fashion magazine in New York City. Her bright future comes to an unexpected halt after news of her father’s death. She inherits his old cabin in the Colorado Rockies, and just when she thinks her luck couldn’t get any worse, she has a car accident in the mountains and awakens in the small, remote community of Black River.Soon, she’s engulfed in the mystical world of Varulv—wolves descended from 13th century Scandinavia and blessed by Norse gods with the ability to appear human. Paige is desperate to return home, but never expects to fall for her rescuer, Riley Gray, a charming young werewolf from England who offers her an alternate future with his pack.
Now, she must choose between the career she’s always wanted and the love she’s always dreamed.
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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Barnes & Noble ~
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Book Review ~ ‘The Howling Heart’ by April Bostic ~ 4 Stars!
I’m ashamed to say I’m always a little sceptical when entering the fictional world of werewolves. Maybe it’s my disdain for Jacob Black in Twilight and everything he represents, or maybe I just don’t find them realistic enough. Nevertheless, I figured it was past time I experimented a little and gave reading a werewolf romance a go.
I loved ‘The Howling Heart’ and knew from the word go that this would be a very different kind of werewolf story. I loved Paige from the start, loving the independent life she had made for herself, despite the glimpses we saw of her slightly dysfunctional childhood in the prologue. I loved the devotion she had to her job and how willing she was to make her own way in the world, not being afraid of the hard work she’d have to do to get there.
The death of her father was heartbreaking, and as we saw a little of his character in the prologue, it made his death all that more poignant for the reader. His death was handled brilliantly, and I understood Paige’s need to go to her father’s cabin despite her mother’s disapproval. The way her mother was scornful of Paige’s inheritance was almost humourous yet April Bostic beautifully contrasted this side of Paige’s mother with the fear and bad memories that were associated with their last holiday at the cabin. The prologue in which this was all shown was hauntingly written.
I adored the way that werewolves were explained in this novel. It have their abilities to shift into wolf forms a more realistic explanation, particularly when it was explained that they were born as wolves, and not as humans, meaning that their genetic makeup is actually that of a wolf but whom had been blessed with the ability to shift into human form. It was a brilliant twist on the traditional humans-become-wolves storyline, and I was intrigued with the idea of genetics being key in the werewolves evolution.
Paige and Riley’s relationship was beautifully written and paced brilliantly, especially when Paige is sceptical at starting a serious relationship, making constant reminders that she has a life she will have to return to. Her independence really inspired me and made me admire her all the more.
The only reason that this book didn’t quite reach five stars for me was Paige’s reluctant agreement to one day have sex with Riley when he is in wolf form. I felt really quite cheesed off with Riley at this point and felt like screaming at him that she was human and had made a ridiculous number of sacrifices to be with him, and it was about time he made some sacrifices too. The thought put me off a little, and made mewhich is why I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars, but I do commend the author for raising this issue, especially in the context of the types of werew0lves this story dealt with.
The action scenes were paced perfectly, and had me on tenterhooks throughout. I wanted to hit the other members of the pack, who wouldn’t even consider changing their ways every so slightly to accomodate Paige. I really felt for her as she was doing everything she was so that Riley would be happy, even if it meant she herself was not as happy.
Overall this was a fantastic, exciting read and I look forward to seeing more from this author.
4 Stars!
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Enter below for the chance to win!
Prize (US only):
A pandora bracelet designed by Terri Davis at JewelryforPaws, and a signed paperback of The Howling Heart.
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April Bostic
April Bostic is a New Jersey-based, Adult Romance author who enjoys unleashing her creativity and letting her imagination run wild. Her love of romance books inspired her to become not just a reader, but also a writer. In December 2008, she self-published her first novel, a contemporary romance with a supernatural twist entitled “A Rose to the Fallen”.Her first short story, “Right Here, Right Now”, released in January 2012, is an erotic romance with a dash of S&M. The following year, she released two more short stories: a romantic urban fantasy inspired by the Greek myth of Eros and Psyche entitled “Eros, My Love”, and a sexy romantic comedy entitled “Love Addiction”.
After five years, she released her second novel, “The Howling Heart” in August 2013, a paranormal romance that delves into the mystical world of werewolves and Norse gods. To end her busiest year in publishing, April will release her fourth short story in December 2013, a historical paranormal romance entitled “A Dark Scandal”.
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~ Goodreads ~ Website ~
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Blog Tour organised by Xpresso Book Tours.
Click the banner above to follow ‘The Howling Heart’ tour.
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January 31, 2014
Book Blitz ~ ‘The Hardest Part’ by Heather London.
The Hardest Part by Heather London
Publication date: January 5th 2014
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
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SYNOPSIS
Emily Anderson and Reed Alexander are living with pasts they cannot escape.
Emily moved to New York City seeking a fresh start, intending to focus on her career and to keep a low profile.
Reed returns home to New York City after two years, haunted by the same things that pushed him away years ago.
When Reed and Emily meet, their connection is undeniable, but Emily keeps her feelings hidden. Falling in love is the last thing on her mind and she knows the danger it may bring not only to her, but to Reed as well. Reed isn’t as reluctant, but he knows that the demons he’s fighting could destroy Emily.
The harder they try to resist one another, the deeper they fall in love, and the more complicated their lives become.
In the end, they realize that truly loving someone may mean letting them go… and that’s the hardest part.
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“Here, take this. We don’t have much time.” Mike’s frantic voice was loud in my ear. Still dazed, I glanced up at him and saw he was holding an envelope out for me to take. My eyes stared at the envelope, but I couldn’t make myself reach out for it.
“Emily.” Mike’s voice was soft but firm. “I know this is a lot to take in, but I need you to concentrate. Take the envelope.” He enunciated the last few words slowly, carefully.
My hands shook as I reached out for it. “I’m not sure I can do this, Mike.” I finally found my voice. “This is crazy. I—I don’t know where to go.” Once I had the envelope in my grasp, it felt like it weighed a hundred pounds.
“You can do this. This life you’ve been living, this isn’t a life for you. Anywhere is better than here.”
I felt the darkness closing in around me. I could feel my throat getting tighter. My breaths were short and quick. If I didn’t calm myself down, I was going to have a full-fledged panic attack. My mind was still trying to process what was happening.
The person I trusted most in the world had woken me up in the middle of the night, just thirty minutes ago, telling me to get dressed and be quiet. I didn’t question Mike then. I didn’t question him when he led me out of the penthouse suite, or when we he led me down the hall to the back stairwell and came out at the back of the casino. I still didn’t question him when I saw his car parked at the end of the dark alley, or when we pulled away from the building without an explanation of any kind. It wasn’t until we pulled onto the highway and the bright lights of the Vegas strip were behind us that I finally asked what was going on.
“You’re getting out of here, Emily. You’re going to get as far away from here as possible,” he’d told me.
It was only then that it hit me. He was helping me escape. He was helping me get away from Jake. I was too stunned to say anything then, and I was too afraid to say anything now.
“Emily, are you listening to me? We don’t have much time.” Mike’s voice was louder now, more demanding. I blinked away my thoughts and looked up at him. He stood a good foot and a half taller than me, his gray hair receding almost to the point of baldness. He was old enough to be my father, and truth be told, he was the closest thing I’d ever had to one.
As I stood here now, I felt like a scared little girl—not sure what to do, looking up at him for the answers.
“The bus should take you to the main station downtown. From there, you choose where to go. You choose how to live your life.” He frowned and then his face twisted into something else entirely—tortured and sad. He and I both knew this was probably the last time we’d ever see each other.
“There’s a passport, social security card, and twenty thousand dollars in the envelope. It should be enough for you to get on your feet and start a new life, one far away from here.” His voice cracked on the last couple words. He cleared his throat, trying to cover up his weakness.
“I don’t want his money, Mike.” I shoved the envelope back out to him to take. I didn’t want any part of him near me.
“It’s my money, Emily. Money that I’ve earned and saved. It’s mine and I want you to have it.”
“It’s still a part of him.” I shook my head. “And I can’t take your money.”
“All those years I looked away. Let him treat you like nothing. All those times I should have helped you. I’ll never forgive myself for letting him hurt you for so long.” He closed his eyes and paused for a moment, his lips forming into a hard, tight line. “Take it. I need you to take it.”
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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Barnes & Noble ~
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Heather London
Heather London is a young adult author who loves to write stories full of fantasy, romance, and science fiction. She is a lover of only the finest of coffee and premium craft beer, but will settle for anything chocolate, regardless of its quality. Heather lives with her husband in Dallas, TX where she is currently working hard on her next project.
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~ Facebook ~ Website ~
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Book Blitz organised by ‘Xpresso Book Tours.
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January 29, 2014
Blog Tour ~ ‘Silver Heart’ by Victoria Green.
Silver Heart by Victoria Green
Publication date: July 25th 2013
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
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SYNOPSIS
There comes a moment in everyone’s life when they must decide which road leads to personal happiness. For Dylan Silver, this is that moment…
For the past twenty-two-years, Dylan has been living in her parents’ carefully crafted world, always putting her own dreams on hold to play the role of a dutiful daughter.
So when her best friend coaxes her into a winter getaway to a mountain cabin, she sees it as a chance to forget about the responsibilities waiting for her at home. At least for a little while.
But then her past catches up to her–in the form of sexy snowboarder, Sawyer Carter.
Six years ago, Dylan bid goodbye to the only boy she ever truly loved. Now he’s standing right in front of her, bringing up bittersweet memories and igniting suppressed desires as he dares her to be the person she has always wanted to be.
Dylan and Sawyer’s unexpected meeting is a second chance, but will a girl who doesn’t believe in fate and taking risks be able to overcome her fears of losing control and finally embrace the life she desperately wants?
Only one thing is certain: after a week in Whistler, Dylan’s world will never be the same.
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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~
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There’s some books that you like, but you’re constantly looking down at the percentage mark to see whether it has gotten any closer to 100%, and then there’s books where you are so engrossed in the story, so invested in the characters, and so unable to put the book down long enough to eat, that you get to the words ‘The End’ and think “Wow! What an incredible book.”
Silver Heart is one of those books that just blew me away. The combination of flawed yet beautiful characters attempting to make up for past mistakes, a great setting which you feel as though you yourself are in as you read, and a fantastic writing style which was easy to read yet still conveyed all of the necessary emotion and humor associated with this genre, was just perfection.
I adored Dylan’s character and really sympathised with her family situation and her fear of saying no to her parents wishes, even if it means she will spend the rest of her life doing something that she doesn’t love. Her holiday of a week in a ski resort with her best friend and brother, is on shaky grounnds before they even arrive with her mother calling her to exact promises and to basically tell her where she will be working the next term.
I loved Dylan’s best friend Maddie. She is the friend that everyone wishes they had. She was amazingly supportive of Dylan without pushing her too far about making her own way in the world. In some ways the two were complete opposites and I really admired the rapport the author had between the two despite their differences.
Our first introduction to Sawyer was full on sigh worthy. I loved him from the word go, and felt so invested in his relationship with Dylan, or as he calls her ‘Silver’ *cue the swooning*. I’m a sucker for a good ‘best-friends-turned-lovers’ storyline, and this one is up their with the best as we see their turmoil over their painful pasts which led them to losing years together due to outside pressures.
The storyline was paced perfectly with the romance plot simmering beautifully throughout, with some gorgeously written flashback scenes where we see Sawyer and Dylan as children together. But when their romance came to the boil, oh boy was it hot!! I loved the strength they gave each other to do the things they wanted to, like Dylan telling Sawyer not to let anything get in the way of his snow-boarding career, even her, whilst Sawyer gently encourages her to do what she loves, namely photography, and stand up to her parents.
I laughed so much at Preston’s storyline, and despite thinking I’d hate him for getting in the way of Dylan and Sawyer’s romance, I actually declared him one of my favourite characters in this book. Both him and Dylan were in a relationship purely on the basis of keeping their parents off their backs, and the fact that he proposed to Silver, stating that it would keep their parents happy, despite his romantic interests laying elsewhere, I honestly shook my head fondly when his whole story came out, and I really wanted the best for him, knowing that announcing this to his parents was going to be a painful process. Bless him! (You’ll see what I mean.)
This was a gorgeous, fun, romantic and thought-provoking read, reminding us to make time for the things that we love, and live life for ourselves.
5 Stars!
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Enter the ‘Silver Heart’ Tour Giveaway below for the chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card
(Open Internationally).
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Victoria Green is a New Adult author who enjoys writing about unspoken love and second chances. She’s a travel junkie and a huge photography enthusiast. Her experience growing up in a war-torn country has helped teach her the importance of living life to the fullest and appreciating every single day. She believes in true love, good chocolate, and great books. She lives in Canada with her high school sweetheart (though he’s graduated to a fiancé now) and their pack of puppies, and also writes Young Adult novels under a different name.
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Tour organized by Xpresso Book Tours.
Click the banner above to follow the ‘Silver Heart’ Blog Tour.
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January 28, 2014
Book Review ~ ‘Layers’ by Sigal Ehrlich.
Layers by Sigal Ehrlich
Stark #1
Genre: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult
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SYNOPSIS
According to Hayley love is a subject of ridicule, a myth created by hopeless romantics.
When Hayley makes a resolution to declare her loose lifestyle era R.I.P, it’s all good in theory…
That is until she meets Daniel Stark, a well-respected, mid-thirties business man who is known for his short temper, lack of steady relationships as well as his strict preserve of his private life.
Opinionated, sharp tongued Hayley accidently steps into his office leaving Daniel resolved to put Hayley in her place and have her in his bed.
Both Hayley and Daniel can’t avoid the immediate instigation of the attraction between them.
In a unanimously agreed upon verdict by Hayley and her two best friends, Ian the gay self-absorb, aspiring model and Natasha the witty, borderline neurotic soul mate, Daniel Stark is to be Hayley’s pure physical attraction, emotions aside era closure.
Will it indeed be a closure, or a beginning to something neither Hayley nor Daniel ever bargained for…
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Book Review ~ ‘Layers’ by Sigal Ehrlich ~ 5 Stars!
I’m not new to the fictional world of rich business men and strong girls who keep them on their toes, but there was something about ‘Layers’ that made this book seem so much more real to me than some of the others like it in this genre. ‘Layers’ was a really well crafted story that brought into play a number of real-life issues that made the storyline seem more realistic and relatable to the reader.
Starting with the main characters, I clicked with them straight away, which really highlights Sigal Ehrlich’s talent as an author, for she was able to have the main characters do things that we may not agree with, but still sympathise with them afterwards. We are first introduced to Hayley when she leaves a club with her planned one-night stand, and although I felt saddened that Hayley was acting in such a way, knowing already that she deserved better, I really felt her pain when her senses returned to her and the obvious emotional scarring from her past left her unable to follow through with going home with the man. I empathised with her immediately, and liked how we saw her emotional issues fight against her mind, causing her to retreat home on her own, fearful of continuing on the path she’d set out on. Natasha was a great best friend who gave some of the more emotional parts of the novel become slightly more light-hearted, bringing reprieve to the reader and to Hayley, which I absolutely adored. The author has exceptional talent in creating a perfect balance of raw emotion and heart-warming humour.
And now I come to Mr. Stark. Oh, well what can I say about our lovely Daniel. At first he started off as the egotistical company owner which I hoped I would grow to like, but I had no idea how much I would connect to him as a character. I loved how well matched he and Hayley were despite their obvious differences. From the start, the sarcastic yet flirty rapport they had with each other had me laughing and swooning in equal measure.
But there was something about Daniel as a person that really drew me in. He originally makes his intentions clear to Hayley by having sex with her whilst purposely avoiding kissing her, and I really admired Hayley for telling him that she wouldn’t accept his proposal of no-feelings-of-any-kind-allowed-at-all-EVER sex as I really loved her sticking up for herself and basically telling him that she deserved better than that. But despite all this, the reason that I held out hope for Daniel was because of his determination to make his relationship with Hayley right again. It’s all too often in books that the sexy alpha male hero seduces the heroine with sweet words and ‘sexy time’ that the issues that caused the separation are just ignored for a while. But Daniel made a real attempt to understand Hayley’s feelings. He moved past some of his own barriers and issues and tried his hardest to make it up to Hayley on her own terms. I really admired him for that which is why I know that these two are the perfect couple.
The drama in this novel was perfectly paced. Little issues cropped up throughout and I liked that Daniel and Hayley mostly worked them through as they came up, not letting them grow into pointless arguments. Being vague to avoid spoilers, I really liked how Hayley stood up for herself after a horrible incident happens between her and Daniel and tells him that under no certain terms that she deserves someone who trusts her wholly. It gave the ending to the first book of the series a wonderful starting point for the future, in which they must build up their trust in each other, as that is the most important thing to them.
And wow, that ending! I was absolutely heartbroken for Hayley, as the only person she needed in her utter devastation was Daniel. I can’t wait to see Daniel come to save the day… and I know he will. He HAS to…umm…right?? Please? 
‘Layers’ was the start of a beautiful love story, and I cannot wait for the next book in the series.
5 Stars!
ARC kindly provided by the author through Xpresso Book Tours Review Opportunity in exchange for an honest review.
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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ B&N ~
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Sigal Ehrlich
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January 27, 2014
Cover Reveal ~ ‘Captivate Me’ by S.J. Pierce.
Captivate Me by S.J. Pierce
Publication date: April 1st 2014
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
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SYNOPSIS
“My mom had always told me – when you meet “the one”, you’ll know; they’ll captivate your heart the moment you lay eyes on them. I had always wondered, though, if my mom’s words of wisdom were finite – if they applied to everyone. Maybe those who had found their one great love were the lucky few, and maybe the rest of us would have to settle for less than earth-shattering.”
Seventeen-year-old Kat Walsh is a Gifted – a human with paranormal abilities. With her mom a former Angel and her dad a dream prophet, it’s always been in her genetic make-up to be extraordinary. Unfortunately for her, the world can’t handle the strange or unusual. So when she slips up and uses her powers at her high school in Ireland, the entire student body treats her like a freak – even the ones she thought were her closest friends.
Broken, but hopeful for a fresh start, she allows her parents to enroll her in a boarding school buried deep within the forests of a small Colorado town. At Midland Pines, School for the Gifted, she feels as though she can finally be herself; she makes new friends and even has the attention of the most popular guy in school – Levi. Everything feels normal again… or does it?
Not long after her arrival, weird dreams of an alluring boy whom she’s never met surface during the night, and the eerie, shadowy trees encircling their school seem to call to her. As these disturbing, yet enticing developments intensify, other bizarre occurrences happen – students and staff turn up missing, and mystery visitors leave gifts while she sleeps. With all of these other things vying for her attention, a desperate Levi has to fight even harder to keep her interest. But with the dreams of the attractive boy slowly captivating her heart, Kat has to make a choice – will she settle for ‘great’ Levi, or will she search for her elusive dream visitor, possibly stumbling across ‘amazing?’
From the author of the Alyx Rayer Chronicles, comes a refreshingly different Young Adult series with plenty of love, suspense, and a new take on the Paranormal.
Recommended for readers 16 and up due to mature content.
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S.J. Pierce
Susan James Pierce has a degree in Marketing Management, works for a Fortune 500 company in Atlanta, Georgia, and devotes her precious, spare time to writing Fantasy and Sci-fi novels. Even though her full-time career has nothing to do with books at all, she has always enjoyed complex storytelling with fascinating characters, and has had a penchant for the written word since grade school. As a matter of fact, her first publishing credit was a poem she wrote at the age of twelve. Why her love for writing never translated into a career, she can only attribute to ‘life happens’, but her wish is that she can redirect her career path into something that satisfies her creative inner-self.
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~ Facebook ~ Goodreads ~ Website ~
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Cover Reveal organised by ‘Xpresso Book Tours’.
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January 25, 2014
Book Blitz ~ ‘The Life & Death of Jorja Graham’ by Brynn Myers.
The Life & Death of Jorja Graham by Brynn Myers
Publication date: January 21st 2014
Genres: Adult, Paranormal Romance
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SYNOPSIS
A dark paranormal romance.
Jorja Graham was the quintessential southern bell: blonde, stunningly beautiful, and overtly enchanting. That was the face she shared with the world and no one would ever know the hell she had endured.
After returning to Savannah, Jorja had everything she’d ever wanted: a new home, a handsome suitor, and the job of her dreams as an antique dealer. Little did she know that the choice to move on with her life would be the last decision she’d ever make.
THE LIFE & DEATH OF JORJA GRAHAM. Not every romance has a happy ending.
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Enter below for the chance to win!
Prizes: Signed copy + Swag
Open internationally
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The Author’s Dream Cast
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Brynn Myers
Brynn Myers is an adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy author. After considering writing a hobby for years, she’s finally decided to turn her passion and talent into a career. She came into the paranormal book genre later than most but has always loved fairy-tales and all things magical. She uses that love to create her own charmed worlds by writing stories involving passionate, strong willed characters with something to discover. Brynn lives with her family in the Brevard County, Florida area.
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Book Blitz hosted by Xpresso Book Tours.
January 24, 2014
Blog Tour ~ ‘Tick to the Tock’ by Matthew Turner.
Tick to the Tock by Matthew Turner
Publication date: January 8th, 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult
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SYNOPSIS
Dante King is a young twenty something who discovers he’s dying. He won’t live to see his next birthday and time is ticking away to live life before it’s taken from him. With the help of his eccentric and wild-free friend, Wilbur Day, and stubbornly rational cousin, Ethan Knight, the three friends embark on a trip that takes them across Europe, Asia, Australia and beyond.
Dante clings to his past though and the many regrets he has, yearning for acceptance and finally understanding faith. He’s only loved once, and when Daniella Adams comes back in to his life, the pair realise how in love they are – but must battle what they previously did to one another.
This is a heart pulling journey of amazing scenery and adventurous ways, but built on a life that is soon to end. It follows the love of Danii and Dante, finally realising how much they mean to each other but having it ripped away before their eyes. It’s about love and hardship between friends, family, and a dying son’s regret of not being better.
It’s a roller coaster ride of laughs and tears and making the most of life before it’s too late.
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~ Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Barnes & Noble ~
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Book Review ~ ‘Tick to the Tock’ by Matthew Turner ~ 5 Stars!
There are some books that stay with you for a long time after you finish reading them. ‘Tick to the Tock’ is up there with the best of them with the author succeeding in creating an emotional, intriguing, engaging, heartwarming and spiritual story about a young man having to come to accept his mortality at an age where he should be embracing the start of the rest of his life.
‘Tick to the Tock’ tells Dante King’s story as he travels the world with his closest friends after receiving news that he has an inoperable brain tumour and has only a few months to live. I adored Matthew Turner’s very poignant writing style with his narrative voice created to be realistic and sometimes blunt that brilliantly reflects Dante’s dilemma as he comes to terms with the very real pain that comes with accepting his life as a dying man.
The characters in this novel were such so engaging and relatable, not created to be perfect, loveable sidekicks, but to mirror human beings whose flaws are brought out in the stress that they experience whilst watching their friend deteriorate before their eyes, and being unable to do anything to help. I loved that I didn’t connect to Dante’s girlfriend Danni straight away. As strange as it sounds it made me appreciate Matthew Turner’s style more as he had me conflicted when I began to warm to Danni, despite feeling bitter about her treatment of Dante early in the book when he told her of his illness. He created conflict for the reader in a clever, subtle way that connected me to the story on a deeper level, as though every part of the story was being unconsciously imprinted in my mind.
Seeing Dante’s travels and experiences as he awaits the end of his life was heartbreaking, as well as being a real eye-opener. It reminded me to experience life to the full. For a week after reading this book I felt this heaviness in my heart at the reminder of my own mortality, and felt a burning desire to go out and experience the world I live in, and to make the most of every day I’ve been given.
There’s one of Dante’s memories that particularly resonated with me. Dante muses on his inability to take what he wants, and how in the past he wished he’d been brave enough to go after something that he wanted. We see Dante’s memory of the connection he shared with a girl who sat opposite him on the train, and he laments what could have been more confident and spoken to her. It gives a real insight into the real world and the connections we make with strangers.
This was a heartbreaking, yet beautiful tale which will stay with me forever and will always be there at the back of my mind to remind me to appreciate the good, move on from the bad and live everyday like it’s your last.
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In celebration of ‘Tick to the Tock’s’ launch, Matthew Turner has set a huge giveaway with over 50 prizes and including several authors.
Enter below for the chance to win!
You can see the list of prizes here.
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Matthew Turner
What would you do if you had three months to live? That’s what Dante King faces, the indecisive twenty-two-year-old who must finally learn to embrace life and love.
Tick to the Tock is a Contemporary New Adult Novel about Dante coming-of-age during turbulent times. A story inspired by love, but with the gritty realities of regret, missed opportunity, and understanding life’s meaning under dire circumstance. But a single mind isn’t affected on this journey, as an eclectic group comes to terms with the past, present, and what lies ahead.
Dante must confront and accept his fate, but can he let go of Danni: his lost love and kindred dreamer? With his rationally stubborn cousin, and eccentric best friend, Dante witnesses a life of dream and wonder: embarking across Europe, tackling Tibet, travelling Australia, and defeating each lifelong wish one-by-one.
Follow this coming-of-age roller coaster as four lives change forever. We’re only given one, but it’s never too late to understand faith, discover acceptance, and uncover the true meaning of love and happiness. Dante will die, but not before Danii, Ethan, Wilbur and he undertake an intense and heartfelt journey.
Smile… Cry… Ask yourself what you would do with three months left… Because Love & Living Begins Now.
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Tour hosted by ‘Xpresso Book Tours’.
Click the banner above to follow the ‘Tick to the Tock’ blog tour.
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January 23, 2014
Book Review ~ ‘Unbound’ by Georgia Bell.
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Unbound by Georgia Bell.
All Good Things #1
Publication date: November 2nd 2013
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
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SYNOPSIS
After her father dies, Rachel realizes she is scared and stuck. Scared of heights, of cars, of disasters harming the people she loves. Stuck in a life that is getting smaller by the minute. Stuck with a secret she has kept all her life: Someone has been watching over her since birth. Someone who tends to show up when she needs him the most. Someone she believes is her guardian angel.
Eaden is a 1,500-year-old immortal who wants to die. Drained by a life stretched too thin, he has requested his final reward – a mortal sacrifice bred specifically to bring him death. But something went wrong. Rachel’s ability to grant death has mutated in ways that threaten to upset the uneasy alliance between mortals and immortals. And utterly beguiled, Eaden discovers that although Rachel is the key to his death, because of her, he no longer wants to die. And he will do anything to protect her.
Swept into a world of legends, caught between the warring political factions of immortals, and carrying the future of mortal kind in her flesh and bone, Rachel must risk everything to save her world and the man she loves.
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Book Review ~ ‘Unbound’ by Georgia Bell ~ 5 Stars!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
As a Psychology graduate, the mention of emotional, psychological issues in the blurbs of a book always draws me in. I love real characters with real emotions and feelings, and I need them to have these basic human traits to connect with them as real people rather than as a character I’m just following for the sake of the story.
Rachel’s character was one that I connected with immediately. Her deep desire to face her demons, yet the debilitating fear that makes it more difficult to do showed her to be just like any other young girl who was struggling with psychological disorders, or overwhelming emotion. I adored her for the strength she drew from sources very different to many other young people. All too often I read about young people turning to alcohol and sex to dull their emotions and feel safe, but I really admired her for the more healthy way that she dealt with her issues. Even though her ‘angel’ (the yummy Eaden) did actually exist, I really liked how her therapist explains to her that her vision of this guardian angel was not crazy, but a natural and healthy way to feel safe in a world that she struggled with. I think that’s why I loved so much when she met Eaden and listened to his story, and his explanation of what he was, with an open and honest mind.
The way that the relationship between Eaden and Rachel developed was done beautifully. I loved seeing her flashbacks to how he had helped her in the past, which had me thinking back to my own past and of the people who helped me when I was in need. Throughout ‘Unbound’ Georgia Bell has this breathtaking ability to make you question what is actually possible in life. I was thinking about whether or not I would have somebody watching over me as I grew up to make sure I was safe, and I enjoyed this wonderful sense of peace, both Rachel’s and my own.
The mystical scenes were written to perfection. I adored the way that myths and legends were entwined so closely with the real world and how we saw some familiar legendary faces only in different forms, which brings the realisation that myths and legends have been tweaked so much through the years that even famous people and places are very different to what they would have originally been.
Unbound just blew me away with its absolutely stunning storyline. I was expecting a Vampire Story from the blurb, but what I actually got was so much more original and exciting than any Vampire book I have read in a very long time. Unbound was unique in its vision of immortality and with its intriguing explanation of the genetics involved in immortality, I just jumped up and down in delight at the realistic explanation to how somebody could live forever. I need this realism in fantasy to stay grounded and to find the story relatable, and my word does Georgia Bell deliver a cracker of a story that had me drawn in until the last page. I had no idea how the story would end with all the twists and turns the characters took, and just had to get to the end to know what happened.
‘Unbound’ was a real stunning emotional rollercoaster of a journey that had me gripped throughout. 5 Stars and a definite recommended read!
ARC kindly provided by the author through Xpresso Book Tours.
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Cover Reveal ~ ‘Of Sea and Stone’ by Kate Avery Ellison.
Of Sea and Stone by Kate Avery Ellison Publication date: February 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Cover Designer: Kate Avery Ellison
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SYNOPSIS
All her life, clever Aemi has been a slave in the Village of the Rocks, a place where the sea and sky meet. She’s heard the stories about the fabled People of the Sea, a people who possess unimaginable technology who live below the waves in the dark, secret places of the ocean. But she never dreamed those stories were true.When a ship emerges from the ocean and men burn her village, Aemi is captured, and enslaved below the waves in Itlantis, a world filled with ancient cities of glass and metal, floating gardens, and wondrous devices that seem to work magic. To make matters worse, her village nemesis, the stuck-up mayor’s son Nol, was captured with her, and they are made servants in the same household beneath the sea.
Desperate to be free, Aemi plots her escape, even going so far as to work with Nol. But the sea holds more secrets than she realizes, and escape might not be as simple as leaving…
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Kate Avery Ellison
I’ve been making up stories since I was five years old, and now I’m thrilled to be able to do it as a full-time job. I have an obsession with dark fantasy, dystopian futures, and Pride and Prejudice-style love stories full of witty banter and sizzling, unspoken feelings. When I’m not writing, I’m creating digital art, reading funny blogs, or watching my favorite shows (which include TVD and BSG). I live with my geeky husband and our two bad cats in Atlanta, GA.
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