Release Day Blitz: The Empress Chronicles (The Empress Chronicles #1)

The Empress Chronicles (The Empress Chronicles #1) by Suzy Vitello
Age Group: You Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction
Release Date: September 4th, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

When city girl Liz is banished to a rural goat farm on the outskirts of Portland, the 15-year-old feels her life spiraling out of control. She can’t connect to her father or his young girlfriend, and past trauma adds to her sense of upheaval. 

 The only person who seems to keep her sane is a troubled boy who is fighting his own demons. But all of this changes in one historical instant.

One-hundred fifty years earlier, Elisabeth of Bavaria has troubles of her own. Her childhood is coming to a crashing end, and her destiny is written in the form of a soothsaying locket that has the ability to predict true love. But evil is afoot in the form of a wicked enchantress who connives to wield the power of the locket for her own destructive ends.

When Liz finds a timeworn diary, and within it a locket, she discovers the secrets and desires of the young Bavarian princess who will one day grow up to be the legendary Empress of Austria. It is in the pages of the diary that these two heroines will meet, and it is through their interwoven story that Liz will discover she has the power to rewrite history—including her own…

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Teaser:

Cover Reveal: Willows of Fate (Lands of Sun and Stone Series, #1)

Lola's Book Tours Promotional Event

Willows of Fate (Lands of Sun and Stone Series, #1) by Suzanna J. Linton
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: October 3, 2014

Book Description:

Know thyself...

All her life, Desdemona has seen things others haven't. Dragons, knights, dwarves, kids with three eyes. Heeding her mother's advice, she keeps silent about this and struggles through life, pretending everything is normal.

At her mother's death, Desdemona returns to a home haunted with memories but she is determined to not be shaken from what little normalcy she has. However, when her brother is murdered and she uncovers a family secret, Desdemona realizes that there is more to what she sees. Perhaps a whole other world, one that's willing to kill to have her as its own.

♥ ♥ ♥ Excerpt:
Mall maintenance halls are creepy. Plain and white, with fluorescent lighting, they evoke images of serial killers, hockey masks, and bloody butcher knives. The figure standing at the end does not help matters. He's wearing a brown hood, pulled low over his face, casting the upper half in shadow and exposing only his beardless chin. A long knife hangs from his side, and a quiver with arrows on his back. Dressed in a green long shirt, black pants, and brown hood, he appears ready to attend a Ren Faire. I can't tell if he's looking at me or past me. I assure myself that he's gazing beyond me because that is the more bearable thought.
A gaggle of girls bursts from the bathroom in a cloud of body spray.  They pay no attention to the man, and they wouldn’t.  I step to the side to let them by and slip into the restroom.
After doing my business, I stand at the mirror and concentrate on what I came to the mall for: yarn for a coworker’s baby blanket, a new sketchbook, and a pair of shoes. I remind myself that I need to get home in time to prepare for this night’s class at the technical school. The steel sink feels cool and wet under my hands, anchoring me more firmly in the moment, in what is real.

Book Blitz: Promises Under the Peach Tree

Promises Under the Peach Tree by Joanne Rock
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B&N

Book Description:

The trouble with Heartache

Nina Spencer swore she was done with Heartache, Tennessee, when she left the town—and her sexy ex, Mack—in her rearview mirror. 

But when her bakery business is rocked by scandal, she needs a place to regroup. What she doesn't need is Mack Finley reminding her of peach-flavored kisses and the hold he still has on her.

Mack never forgot Nina—not that he didn't try. Yet between caring for his family and organizing the annual Harvest Fest, he's overwhelmed and he needs Nina's help. They can work together without getting swept up in memories and the rush of brand-new passion…right?

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Excerpt:

“I know you’re not sure about the Harvest Fest, Nina, but can’t we move forward…as friends?” She didn’t look at him for a long moment, her attention fixed on some peeling paint on a low windowsill of the barn.

“It’s a nice idea,” she said finally. “But that’s a lot of layers of hurt, Mack.” For him, too. Not that he was going to say it so many words. She ought to know better than anyone.

“How does the saying go—shoot for the moon and you’ll still hit some stars? We could at least make a stab at forgiving each other.”

“I’d like that,” she said finally, tucking her fidgeting hands into the pockets of loose jean cutoffs. “I’ll try doing some of the baking for the Harvest Fest and we’ll see what happens. I’m here, so I might as well be involved. Besides, it will be good for me to get back to work.”

He was relieved she’d agreed, but her practical reasons surprised him. Nina had changed more than he realized; some of her passionate impulsiveness had been tempered.

Top Ten Female Characters: Television Edition

Top Ten Female Characters

TV Show Edition

10. How I Met Your Mother: Robin Scherbatsky – My love for Robin is like…my love for coffee. Long lasting and never-ending. She was one of the strongest female characters on TV and I adored her ability to totally be one of the guys, but at the same time not one of the guys. She didn’t feel the need to follow certain stereotypes. She was funny, smart, driven and her sass combined with Barney’s was just comedic gold. I will forever love her even if I hate the writers of the show and reject their perfectly planned out ending. *eye roll* perfect my ass.

9. Pretty Little Liars: Hanna Marin – Hanna is another one of those characters who starts off bitchy, but is like a damn onion and has all these layers that you learn about over the seasons. Those are my favorite kind of characters. The ones who you really need to work in order to get to know. And while I have A LOT of complaints about Pretty Little Liars, they definitely do know how to develop a character. Hanna is smarter than she realizes, kind of ditzy in an amusing way, loyal, and sassy. So much sass. I love it.

8. The 100: Clarke Griffin – The 100 is a new show, so I don’t know all that much about Clarke, but from what I learned through each episode I absolutely adore her. She’s strong willed and she takes care of the 100 and I love how she and Bellamy play off each other. They see the world so differently, but together they’re able to keep a whole group of people safe. I like that Clarke always tries to do the right thing and be the bigger person and I like that she see’s good in people and feels so much empathy. She’s an awesome character.

Book Blitz: Docked (Docked #1) & Anchored (Docked #2)

Docked (Docked #1) by Rachael Wade
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 26, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

It’s not water that paralyzes Anya Banks—it’s the ocean. Tumultuous and powerful, sleek and unpredictable, it’s just like Tanner Christensen, owner of Trident Voyager, the cruise ship she’s been talked into boarding by her vivacious, foodie fanatic best friend and co-worker, Lana. Tanner exudes confidence, and his raw masculinity is hard to resist. But Anya came aboard to work, face her demons, and then get the hell back to dry land.

Until Tanner convinces her to take the plunge.

She quickly dives into a fun, carefree arrangement with him and embraces her goal to be brave, no matter how loudly her shaky knees tell her to abandon ship. For twelve days, Tanner’s all hers. For twelve days, she’s his goddess. Once the cruise is over and the ship docks, she won’t be the same. But being brave always costs something, and this time, it might cost her heart.

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Docked (Docked #1) by Rachael Wade
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date:
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Tanner and Anya’s story continues…

Choosing to put aside her reservations about spending more time with Tanner Christensen, Anya said to hell with her instinct and agreed to another cruise. She agreed to take the risk. But now she’s stuck.

Stuck on Trident Voyager.

Stuck with Tanner Christensen, and the woman hell bent on making her pay.

What was supposed to be a fun, careless fling turned out to be something else entirely. Something she wasn’t prepared for and something she certainly can’t take back. The damage is done, and this time, Lana and Brie aren’t by her side to help her weather the storm. There are no escape routes, only ship decks, miles of white sand, and one very self-assured, dominant cruise ship owner determined to get her attention and set things straight.

Lana might still be her partner in crime, but it’s Anya who must fight for—and protect—her heart when all is said and done.

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Excerpt:

My hair blows wildly as Tanner flies down the road, The Neighbourhood’s “Sweater Weather” blaring loudly through the speakers. The road curves and we wind around, little glimpses of the water flashing in between the thickets of palm trees that line the shoulders. We cruise farther and farther from any signs of tourist activity, leaving the cabanas and guest beach in the dust. A few minutes pass and we speed around another corner, peeling onto a long, dirt driveway that leads deep into the tropical brush. A small turquoise house comes into view, its shutters weathered, the paint peeled along the slats.

“What are we doing here?” I finally ask as Tanner brings the car to a stop.

He reaches over and turns the radio off, then flicks the ignition. The windows are still open, and the purr of the smooth machine we’re sitting in dies. “You’re here to learn some more Tanner Christensen 101,” he says matter-of-factly, yanking me over the console and onto his lap. A surprised yelp sends the wind rushing from my lungs. When I collide with him, he finally tears his shades away and tosses them on the passenger seat.

I grip his shoulders, my eyes wide.

Review: Mermaid

Mermaid by Kate O'Connor
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction
Release Date: March 22nd 2013
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

How far would you go for freedom?

Harvesting seaweed for World Food Co. is the only life genetically engineered sea drone Coral has ever known. 

Nothing in her short, monotonous life prepared her for a chance meeting with a boatful of strangers who force her to question everything she is.

When the opportunity arises to change her place in the world, Coral finds herself caught between a powerful company and the family she was so desperate to leave. 

Struggling to unravel the tangle of politics and love, time is running out as she fights to learn the hardest lesson of all – what it means to be truly human.

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I’ve got to say Mermaid by Kate O’Connor isn’t exactly what I expected it to be, but I genuinely enjoyed the Science Fiction twist. This new take on mermaids was clever and original. Instead of being a creature from the sea, these mermaids or rather drones were genetically created with a mixture of human cells and technology.

The eight legged drones, technically they were arms not legs, were created by a company to grow and manage their seaweed and things that are used in their food products. Most drones follow orders and take commands without questioning things or having any thoughts of their own really, except for Coral, later known as Cora.