Saturday, September 22, 2012

.Giveaway + Excerpt: Crossroads Academy Series by J.J. Bonds

Today on the blog....

Welcome to my blog JJ, it's great having you here!
I'm sharing an Excerpt and a Giveaway with you guys today!









Crossroads (Crossroads Academy, #1)
Crossroads (Crossroads Academy #1)


When Katia enrolled at Crossroads Academy she knew things weren’t exactly going to be easy. The sole heir to the worlds’ most powerful vampire, her presence was bound to cause a stir. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Whispers follow everywhere she goes. So does trouble.

Bodies start turning up in nearby Rutland and Katia is sucked into a twisted web of danger and deceit. Haunted by nightmares she can’t explain and a thirst for blood that is never sated, Katia will do whatever it takes to keep her past buried.



Nothing at Crossroads is what it seems and Katia’s secrets may be the darkest of them all.








Red Dawn (Crossroads Academy #2)


Katia’s done running. She’s fought fiercely to protect her identity, her secrets, and those she loves most. And while it hasn’t been easy, she’s finally making peace with the past. Katia’s even looking forward to the start of a new school year at Crossroads Academy.



Too bad things at Crossroads are going to be a little different this fall. There are new rules, new students, and new relationships. Katia quickly discovers that navigating the halls of Crossroads is as complicated as ever.



When a friend’s life is at stake, Katia will be forced to choose between the safety of Crossroads and an enemy more dangerous than any she’s ever faced. Will Katia have the courage to risk it all -including her life- for a friend.








Red Dawn Excerpt




“I thought you’d been practicing?” Nik taunts.

“Shut it,” I growl through gritted teeth as I jump back to my feet. I can’t let him get inside my head. If I do this match will be over before it begins.

I go on the offensive as soon as my feet hit the ground. I surge forward delivering a triple kick that drives Nik backward across the mat. Outside kick, spinning back hook, roundhouse. Although he yields his position on the mat, Nik blocks them all. I drop to the mat and attempt to sweep his feet out from under him, but Nik easily dodges. He flips gracefully over my head and as I spin around, I get an elbow strike to the temple for my effort. The force of the blow causes me to bite my lip and I feel a warm trickle of blood making its way down my chin.

We go at it like this for a while. Punch, kick, block, roll, sweep, kick, dodge. It’s a vicious and brutal cycle. Seeking to end the match, I roll to the left and spring up from the mat, driving my palm into the underside of Nik’s chin. His head snaps back and I follow up with a spinning back fist. He retaliates with a kick to the back of my right knee. I crumple to the mat and just barely manage to block the fist that nearly crushes my throat as Nik descends upon me.

I’m faster and stronger, but Nik’s a more patient and skilled fighter. As Nik and I lay on the mat, arms locked, both struggling to gain the advantage, I contemplate the knife in my boot. Probably not a good idea. Pulling a weapon is likely to be considered bad sportsmanship in hand-to-hand combat. Besides, it’s only training. Nik lets out a groan and I tentatively raise my eyes to meet his.

When our eyes lock I know I’m in trouble. Big trouble. I’ve seen that smoldering look before. In my experience it precedes a smoking hot kiss. Nik’s lids are hooded and his breath is coming hard and fast as the weight of his well-muscled body presses my back into the mat. I’m trapped. My own breath catches in my throat and my grip on his forearm falters. Before I know what’s happening, I’m face down on the mat, arms bound behind my back.

“Do. You. Yield?”

“Bloody hell!” I scream, angry at myself for being a sucker. I should have seen that coming. Nik’s been known to play a little dirty when it comes to me.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” He laughs and releases me. I sit up and rub my wrist, giving Nik the dirtiest look I can muster. I doubt he even notices. He’s too busy gloating, although I’m sure he doesn’t miss the flaming embarrassment painted all over my face.

“I’m so stabbing you next time!”

“I’ll consider myself warned,” he snickers, pulling me to my feet. “Besides, I’d expect nothing less from you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I ask, tilting my head innocently.

“Just that I know how much you hate to lose.”

“You know, for a minute there I thought you were trying to compliment me on my resourcefulness,” I tease.

“Katia, if I were going to compliment you, it would be on those stunningly short shorts,” he purrs.

Before I can come up with an appropriately indignant response, he’s running his finger along the waistband of my running shorts. Okay, so maybe Nik is faster than me. But I can’t think about that right now. Actually, I can’t think about anything except the heat blazing along my skin. Nik’s finger leaves a delicious trail of fire in its wake. I should push the roving hand away, but deep down I know I don’t want it to end. I want more. A lot more.



About the Author:

J.J. Bonds is an independent author who writes Young Adult Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy. Her debut novel, Crossroads, was released in fall of 2011. It is the first in the Crossroads Academy series. J.J. lives in Carlisle, Pennsylvania where her love of all things paranormal keeps life interesting. She lives with her husband, daughter, and two rambunctious dogs.




Amazon Buy Link: Crossroads

Amazon Buy Link: Red Dawn













Connect with JJ Bonds

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Join J.J.’s Street Team: Crossroads Academy Coven - Kindle Fire Giveaway & Crossroads Academy Prize Packs

http://www.jjbonds.com/streetteam






  • 1 e-book (Crossroads or Red Dawn - winner's choice) 
  • Red Dawn swag (bookmarks, stickers, button)
  • Giveaway provided by the author
  • Must fill rafflecopter form
  • Open to all -INT
  • Winner will have 48 hrs. to claim winning e-mail.













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Friday, September 21, 2012

.Release Day Blitz: {Giveaway} The Star Child by Stephanie Keys


Today is the release of The Star Child by Stephanie Keys! Check out the trailer, giveaway, and don't forget to come back 9/28 when I post my review of The Star Child.



The world is about to be cloaked in darkness.



Only one can stop the night.



Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.


Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?




Special Teaser Quote!

"Man, can’t this guy get over it already? People get dumped all the time.” Kellen on Cabhan, The Star Child












Stephanie Keyes is a wonderful voice for a new generation of YA readers. She has skilfully blended mythology and faerie-tale into an original and enthralling story. Pure magick! I'm looking forward to more. - Maya Snow, Author of Sisters Of The Snow




About the Author


Stephanie Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems as well as a Master's in Education. A seasoned, facilitator, Mrs. Keyes worked in Training and Development for an international telecommunications corporation for twelve years; spending the first eight years of her career as a Software Trainer and Technical Writer and the last four working in Human Resources and Employee Development.

In May of 2012, Mrs. Keyes left the corporate world to focus on her family and her writing full-time. She also operates a freelance graphic and instructional design business, Sycamore Road Design.
Inkspell Publishing will release her first novel, The Star Child, on September 21, 2012. She is now currently at work on the second book in The Star Child Trilogy, The Fallen Stars.
Keyes lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and Riley the dog.

Contact Stephanie:

Website    Facebook     Twitter



Want to read more of Kellen?
See the complete list of release day party hosts and enjoy the sweet tid-bits!






*EXCLUSIVE BOOK BIRTHDAY DISCOUNT!

Buy the book now at Inkspell Publishing Store and enjoy a special EXCLUSIVE 30% discount! Offer valid only till 30th Sep!


Also, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and The Book Depository amongst others.

Join the twitter party at 7:00 PM EST! - http://twtvite.com/thestarchild



















  • Paperback copy and posters are open to US, UK and Canada only.
  •  Ebook giveaway is international.










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.Official Cover Reveal: OPAL(Lux #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout


WHOOOO! Check out the official cover reveal to OPAL by J. L. Armentrout, I love it, and I really can't wait for this book, which will be released in December!
And, check out the hidden face in the cover, did you see it? It looks so creepy. I almost thought it was a mistake *creeped out* maybe it is....*shutters* 




Expected publication: December 11th 2012 by Entangled Publishing


No one is like Daemon Black.


When he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around. Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Goodreads
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

Follow this link to an ~~~ EPIC CONTEST ~~~ Announcement. You will want to bookmark this page!

http://jenniferarmentrout.blogspot.com/p/october-1-2012.html




USA TODAY Bestselling author, Jennifer L. Armentrout, lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing, she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell, Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She also writes adult romance under the name J. Lynn.

 
Find Jennifer on:
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Goodreads
Website
Blog

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Guest Post: C.C Hunter -Whispers at Moonrise {Shadow Falls Series #4}

Today, on the blog I have the super talented writer C.C Hunter, of the Shadow Falls Series. Check out the 4th book in the series, book trailer, and guest post!






Expected publication: October 2nd 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin





 
“It’s not often that I love a series as much as Shadow Falls. I find myself thinking of nothing else!  This has been one of my favorite series of all time.” –Open Book Society










Shadow Falls Camp is back in session with the most explosive installment yet. A shocking new threat will rock Shadow Falls—changing it forever and altering Kylie’s journey in ways she never imagined.

Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf. With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.


As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante. Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway. Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever. In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure. Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.





















Ten Things You’ll Learn from Whispers at Moonrise


1. Kicking your boyfriend’s father’s butt might not be good for the relationship.

2. Sometimes following your heart means breaking some rules.

3. Getting trapped in a grave with three dead girls is not a walk in the park.

4. Your parents breaking up sucks. Your mom having a boyfriend, and kissing him in front of you, sucks BIG TIME.

5. When your boyfriend says one thing, but does another, what do you believe? His actions or his words?

6. You can’t always protect the ones you love. Sometimes the only way to protect them is to tell them the truth—even if it hurts.

7. When you are in love, you usually want to talk a lot more about your boyfriend than your girlfriends care to hear.

8. You shouldn’t mess with magic if you don’t know what you’re doing. Especially when someone could end up sterile.

9. Sometimes it is the little choices we make, and not the big ones, that define who we are.

10. Be careful what you wish for or you might end up turning a bright shade of red in the boys’ bathroom.



Shadow Falls Series-
Books 1-5 including the Short Story Bonus Turned at Dark, with the soon to be released Whispers at Moonrise and the anticipated release Chosen at Nightfall, due April 2013.

Click on book covers for direct link to Goodreads



Turned at Dark: A Bonus Shadow Falls Short StoryBorn at Midnight (Shadow Falls, #1)Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2)Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls, #3)
Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls, #4)Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5)





Great news you can pick up Turned At Dark for FREE on Amazon and you can pick up Born At Midnight #1 for only $2.99!! 











                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

.Review + 2 Giveaways: Incarnation by Emma Cornwall





Incarnation

Incarnation

by:
Paperback, 352 pages
Expected publication: September 18th 2012 by Gallery Books
ISBN:1439190356 (ISBN13: 9781439190357) .

*ARC copy provided by Publisher










In the steampunk world of Victorian London, a beautiful vampire seeks out the author of Dracula–to set the record straight . . . If one is to believe Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire tale, Lucy Weston is Dracula’s most wanton creation, a sexual creature of the night who preys on innocent boys. But the real-life Lucy is nothing like her fictional counterpart—and she demands to know why the Victorian author deliberately lied. With Stoker’s reluctant help, she’s determined to track down the very fiend who transformed her—from the sensual underworld where humans vie to become vampires, to a hidden cell beneath a temple to madness, and finally into the glittering Crystal Palace where death reigns supreme.


Haunted by fragmentary memories of her lost life and love, Lucy must battle her thirst for blood as she struggles to stop a catastrophic war that will doom vampires and humans alike. Ultimately, she must make a choice that illuminates for her—and for us—what it means to be human.







Engrossing, paranormal read that had me whisked away into our heroine's adventure, within the historical streets of London, and the creatures of the night. 


My first thoughts when I received this book? Gorgeous cover with sassy cover model, great Victorian setting, with steampunk elements. What we find between the pages is more of  a paranormal, historical with a smart heroine set in the Victorian era of the streets of London. Rich with details of this time period, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The Prologue, will have you right from the start, as we find our heroine, Lucy, trapped underground in a coffin, with a stake through her chest, digging, and clawing her way out of her trap, as she is re-awakened. Confused about what has happened to her she makes her way out with an unknown hunger, and determination to find out what has become of her and her family, with only bits of pieces of her memory haunting her. She makes her way to her home, but it's not the home she remembers from her past, although memories still remain, it is deserted and a lonely place that unveils secrets about what has now become of her.
Once again, our heroine sets off to find the link to what and why she is now a deadly, immortal. The streets of London open her mind to a different world as she learns about her "new" life, and what will become of her and all of society and what piece of the puzzle she plays within this mystery.

With a hauntingly calling within her dreams, we learn of her maker and what has become of him, and his unfortunate event has Lucy needing to rescue him. With the help of the mysterious, Marco di Orsini. A talented human known as a Protector who defends humans and humanity against vampires and other paranormal beings that stalk the night. Marco is a great hero as well, and without spoiling the whole setting let's just say he is a great match for Lucy.

                                                                   
                                                 

Miss Cornwall not only incorporates a wonderful tale, with a intriguing plot, she manages to fill your mind with wonderment of walking the streets of London reliving society during these times, she also places your mind into our heroine's and you really have a sense of learning everything through the eyes of Lucy bit by bit. Sprinkle in a list of paranormal elements which include wolves, unicorns, trolls, and of course vampires, an impending war, and mystery with a light romance we have a winner with Incarnation.


4/5 Stars





















The publisher has graciously offered two paperback copies of Incarnation to two lucky readers!
  • US only
  • must fill out rafflecopter form
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Waiting On Wednesday #12

Hosted by Jill @ Breaking The Spine





My WOW for this week actually features two books.
The Collector, a debut by Victoria Scott features a hottie named Dante, just reading the blurb, "He makes good girls....bad" definitely has me excited for this one and the cover is HOT!!
My second Wow is Solstice, by P.J. Hoover is a book that was first published May 4th 2011, but I guess itill be re-released by Tor/Macmillian, with it's kick-ass cover that I really love and with the mix of mythology and dystopia with monsters it should be a winner for me.









The Collector
Expected publication: March 2013 by Entangled Teen

 



Dante Walker is flippin’ awesome, and he knows it. His good looks, killer charm, and stellar confidence has made him one of hell’s best—a soul collector. His job is simple, weed through humanity and label those round rears with a big red good or bad stamp. Old Saint Nick gets the good guys, and he gets the fun ones. Bag-and-tag.


Sealing souls is nothing personal. Dante’s an equal opportunity collector and doesn’t want it any other way. But he’ll have to adjust, because Boss Man has given him a new assignment:

Collect Charlie Cooper’s soul within 10 days.

Dante doesn’t know why Boss Man wants Charlie, nor does he care. This assignment means only one thing to him, and that’s a permanent ticket out of hell. But after Dante meets the quirky, Nerd Alert chick he’s come to collect—he realizes this assignment will test his abilities as a collector, and uncover emotions deeply buried.













Solstice
Expected publication: June 21st 2013 by Tor Teen/Macmillan





Piper's world is dying.

Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover






                                                                                                               


 



Tuesday, September 18, 2012

.Book Tour: Review- Dancing With Death by Andrea H









Murders have plagued the woods in the past, making them a place of fear. Eighteen year old Wendy and her friends become worried when a new string of murders come to their high school. After a horrible car accident, Wendy returns to school, going from wallflower to popular overnight. As the murderer edges closer to Wendy she realizes things are changing. She is afflicted with nightmares that are all too real and she herself is undergoing unnatural changes. Learning the truth about her past, could be the key to saving her future.







Author Link:








High School senior, Wendy is in a near fatal car accident right in the middle of the woods, the same woods where murders have been occurring. Coincidental or not? Wendy's life is forever changed. Having gone from being unpopular to popular overnight, with not one, but two new guys in her life, that she really has a hard time deciding over which one she wants to be with.
Strange dreams and nightmares, start to plague Wendy. Dreams of Wendy's foreseen death, but could the dreams she is having help her or hurt her in the end, is something that you will need to see for yourself...

I found Wendy's character to be somewhat annoying at times, having wondering what she will be wearing to be more important than what's actually going on around her. She also has trouble deciding between the two "love interest" in this story and we find her jumping back and forth with make-out sessions, that tend to be a little on the mature side of YA genre.
 We find out the reasons why she did the things she did,  as the mystery unfolds, your left with wondering which of the two "love interest" is truly good, and which is the bad guy. 
With Death haunting her at night and these two guys vying for her attention we slowly learn how the paranormal aspect falls into place. Overall this book was a good read, but I did have issues with the writing style and how too much emphasis was spent on wondering what she will wear, look like etc.

3/5 Stars



  









  • Two signed copies of Dancing With Death (Open To US Only)
  • Five ecopies of Dancing With Death (Open International)







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