Blog Tour: Absolution

Absolution by Amanda Dick
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Jack McKenna is a man with two very distinct pasts.

One ended with a car accident involving his girlfriend, Ally, and a split-second decision with horrific consequences. Desperate to escape the guilt, he carved out a new life for himself. 

Four years spent hiding in the shadows, punishing himself for not having the courage to go back to her. Then, out of the blue, a phone call forces him to face up to everything and everyone he left behind.

Ally Connor’s life was split in two - before the car accident that shattered her spine, and after Jack’s sudden disappearance. Abandoning her when she needed him most, she fought hard to make it back from the brink. The face she shows to the world is strong and courageous, but behind the mask, the pain is burrowing deeper.

But fate had more in store for these two broken souls than either could have imagined. A funeral, a homecoming and a journey of self-discovery that would change both their lives - if they let it.

Suddenly, the secrets they want to hide from each other are the very secrets that could make them whole again.

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Book Blast: The Calm After the Storm

The Calm After the Storm by Mya O'Malley
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 23, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Can true love shine through the darkest storm?

The storm of the century raged through the northeast, causing destruction and despair, millions were left without power and hope. Weeks later, countless people were still devastated by the destruction of Hurricane Sandy, Emma Riley among them.

Determined she didn’t need the help of a man, Emma was convinced that she could brave the aftermath of the storm on her own. That is, until Jake came into her life.

After having suffered heartbreak and embarrassment, Jake Mack, a utility foreman, volunteered to travel north from small town, Georgia to assist with the aftermath of the storm. Jake was decidedly done with women. But he didn’t count on meeting Emma or falling in love so quickly. Can he trust this woman or will his past get in the way and ruin the relationship with the one woman he truly loves?


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Excerpt:

Jake and his crew had now been in the suburbs of New York for a few days. His first thought upon entering this area was his surprise at the devastation. Sure, he had heard about the destruction on the news and had seen footage of the aftermath of Sandy, but it still hadn’t prepared him for the actual sight of Sandy’s rage.

Telephone poles were down, trees were snapped in two, and houses were completed destroyed by the storm. Seeing all the destruction only strengthened Jake’s resolve that it had been the right thing to come. He felt proud to be able to help out and be a part of the solution to the horrible aftermath of this disaster.

As the day was wrapping up. Jake and Chris met up with some of their crew in the next town to finish one more area before calling it quits. The chill in the air was something that Jake had prepared for, but was not accustomed to. Clutching the new flannel he had purchased right before his trip, he put it on over his thermal shirt. Thankful for his thermos filled with hot coffee, Jake grabbed it but quickly tossed it aside.

“Come on, Chris! I asked you to stop drinking my coffee. Now there’s none left,” he said as he shook his head, irritated at his friend.

Chris looked up at his boss sheepishly. “Sorry, man. I didn’t sleep well last night. I needed some caffeine.”

Book Blitz: Bittersweet (Faerie Song Trilogy, #2)

Bittersweet (Faerie Song Trilogy, #2) by Michele Barrow-Belisle
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: March 24, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

To save the Faery world and her mother’s life, Lorelei sacrificed everything, and the dangerous bargain she made in Nevermore had lasting repercussions. Now safely back in her own world, Lorelei seems the same to her highschool friends and her supernatural boyfriend. 

Yet love across dimensions is complicated, especially when an invisible Veil between the two worlds—the only bridge that links the pair, is sealing, threatening to separate Lorelei and Adrius forever.

Determined to find a solution, Lorelei resorts to using her new found powers. But when her friends succumb to the same mysterious illness that nearly took her mother’s life, Lorelei can’t help but wonder if her own dark magic is responsible. Still, the nightmares from Nevermore continue their icy hold. 

Someone from Adrius’s past arrives, determined to destroy Lorelei’s world starting with those closest to her, and Lorelei is forced to choose between her family and friends and a love that was ill-fated from the start.

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Excerpt:

My music teacher had described my voice as a beautiful, clear soprano with a haunting lilt. While my mother and others agreed— none of them knew it was because of Zanthiel. My dark faerie of music. He no longer controlled my voice. Yet here I was, on stage sweating at the possibility that I’d been wrong.

The pianist played the intro and I waited for my cue. My hands began to sweat and my heartbeat accelerated. Finally it arrived, and despite my reservations and the nausea that accompanied every stage performance, I began to sing. As the notes swelled the music inside me took hold and for a time I forgot where I was. The melody of “Think of Me” filled my soul, pushing all thoughts of Adrius and the veil and Venus aside. There was only me and the music. Each note in perfect pitch and every lyric remembered.

Mr. Smythe nodded his approval repeatedly, gesturing for me to expand and give even more.

I pushed myself further, and as I did, I felt another presence. As sure as I felt my own. The music took on a shape, a form, and though no one else could tell, I knew that I was no longer alone on stage. Zanthiel was here with me... inside me, adding his touch to my performance, and a depth to my voice. The back door of the auditorium opened and swung closed. Venus strolled in, and slid into a seat in the back row. Immediately, I stopped singing.

Book Blitz: Orenda (Orenda #1)

Orenda (Orenda #1) by Ruth Silver
Age Group: December 5, 2014
Genre: Young Adult
Release Date: Fantasy
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Join forces with a parallel universe.

Dark forces, magical creatures, and the world Lil thought she knew collide when a dream transports her to the strange world of Orenda. 

Stunned and terrified, Lil comes face to face with her doppelganger, Willow, who possesses the ability to travel between the two worlds. 

Everything Lil knows logically says that Orenda can’t exist, but a small clue may be proof that it was more than an ordinary dream. 

With the threat of her sister in danger, Lil crosses dimensions but it may cost her even more than she bargained for.

A sword wielding girl, the eternal suit, and a parallel universe come together in this action-packed Young Adult fantasy adventure that will keep readers of all ages turning the pages.


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Swearing in YA Fiction

Teens swear. I think it’s naive to write a YA novel and use “dang”, “heck”, “shut the front door”, unless you are catering to an audience that’s twelve and you’re looking to capture that tween market.

I don’t believe every words needs to be a swear word but I do feel like if it’s natural for the character to say, they shouldn’t avoid it either. Reading the Shadow Falls series, I was constantly annoyed by constant use of polite words for swearing (heck or dang).

There were so many I felt pulled out of the story like I could be sitting there counting them. That series happens to be one of my favorites but I felt like the amount of “polite swear words” made the book geared towards twelve and up, instead of fourteen or fifteen and up.

Book Blitz: Dragon Marked (Supernatural Prison #1)

Dragon Marked (Supernatural Prison #1) by Jaymin Eve
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: January 27, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

There are supernatural prisons hidden across the globe. Contained within these fortresses are some of the deadliest criminals from the five supernatural races: vampire, shifter, fey, magic users and demi-fey.

Jessa Lebron, twenty-two, has spent her entire life in Stratford, Connecticut, one of the gateway towns adjoining these prisons which protect the fortified borders. 

She’s a wolf shifter, and her father leads the town council. She learns that much of her life has been hidden from her, secrets which threaten to tear apart the very fabric of her world. Especially the biggest secret of them all.

She is dragon marked.

Jessa only knows what she’s been told about the dragon marked, that they are dangerous and must be eliminated to prevent the rise of the dragon king, the powerful warmonger who had his head removed a thousand years ago. So now Jessa's on the biggest hit list of all. Dragon mark hunters are lethal and her only hope to evade detection is to keep the energy contained.

As more secrets unfold she finds herself locked up in Vanguard, the notorious American supernatural prison. Thankfully she’s not alone. Braxton, the dragon-shifter has her back. Together they must survive long enough to free themselves and the other dragon marked.

Because it’s time for the dragon marked to rise.

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Excerpt:

I glared at the deadly but visually stunning dragon. He was massive; he’d had to tuck his wings in at his side to have room for movement. The black and blue of his scales shone even in the dying light.

The bright yellow eyes surveyed the room, before locking me in his gaze. He roared again and I decided to take a stand. In general I didn’t think much before I acted, and my plans were often considered to be brave or stupid. Usually both.

“Braxton Compass,” I scolded him, moving right up into his strike zone, my hands on my hips. “Your scaled dragon ass is blocking the doorway.”

Book Blitz: Deep Blue Eternity

Deep Blue Eternity by Natasha Boyd
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: March 26, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Livvy is on the run. And she’s escaped to the one place nobody will ever find her.

But the isolated cottage isn’t empty. Her refuge is home to a troubled stranger, Tom, there for reasons of his own.

In the intimacy of the abandoned cottage, and the remote wilderness of the island, the electrifying connection between them is impossible to ignore. Both running from their histories and shielding dark secrets, their pasts catch up with them and collide in an unimaginable way.

Deep emotions and powerful chemistry face a painful battle with the tangle of lies, and scars of the past. When the truth emerges, hearts will be shattered.



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Excerpt:

He made me feel like such a stupid little girl. He had no idea what it was like for me. None. I wanted to yell at him and slap him, but more than anything, I wanted him not to disapprove of me, and I couldn’t understand why. I’d never cared what anyone thought of me before. In fact, I’d gone out of my way to inspire less than comfortable thoughts in people. It was the way I operated. It was the way I’d survived the last few years in high school.

I realized with a start that I’d begun feeling comforted by his presence. We were building some form of quiet friendship. And the thought that he was disgusted with me caused shame to burn through my gut. But with that came anger. How dare he make me feel this way? Who was he to pass judgment on me? And pulling out what Abby would think had been such a low blow.

I was pacing back and forth, coming up with the words I would hurl at him to get even when I’d caught sight of him through the small kitchen window and stopped dead.

Book Blitz: Fragile Simplicity (Sweet Haven #2)

Fragile Simplicity (Sweet Haven #2) by Tara Neideffer
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: January 29, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

It only took one letter to make every painful memory resurface. But it took Kyleigh Helton thirteen years to bury those memories. The question in that letter will force her to make a difficult decision. Forgive, or continue to let resentment and anger consume her fragile core.

The simple life she craves seems miles away when she’s dealing with an ex who won’t let her go and a boyfriend whose problems mimic a past she’d rather forget.

She realizes it’s time for things to change. But every decision and change she makes has a consequence, and she begins to wonder if she’s strong enough to handle them.

David Madison has been struggling with guilt and grief since his brother’s death and finds comfort in the one thing Kyleigh despises. When a phone call pushes him over the edge and guilt consumes him even more, he breaks a promise to Kyleigh that threatens to tear them apart.

As quickly as things fall back into place, his world shatters again, pushing him to the breaking point, and he begins to wonder how much more he can take before he turns to the one addiction that started it all.

But he can’t. He promised. He needs to stay strong for Kyleigh. Because now she needs him more than ever, and he won’t let her down again.

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Excerpt:

Bringing her gaze up to his, the smile she wore took away all the pain from a few moments ago. “I love you, David.”

Clasping her cheeks in each hand, he gave her one last look as he pressed his lips against hers. His kiss was slow, his tongue moving against hers in a rhythm that mimicked a slow dance, where the music that played was the sound of their racing hearts and rapid breathing.

With one hand gripping the small of her back, the other tangled in her brown waves, he began taking small steps forward, directing her backwards to the couch. Once the back of her legs hit the cushions, they found themselves falling onto the black leather. He leaned back on his legs, staring down at the heavy rise and fall of her chest, and finding it hard to take his eyes off the fullness of her lips.