Book Blitz: Quanta (The Shadow Ravens #2)

Quanta (The Shadow Ravens #2) by Lola Dodge, Aileen Erin
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: October 13, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Just because Quanta can see the future doesn’t mean she can change it. She’s spent most of her life imprisoned, feeding her captors information to keep herself alive, but she’s finally reached the endgame and her death creeps closer by the moment.

The son of two senators, Altair Orpheus leads a life of privilege that provides the perfect cover for his side job: working with the rebel Shadow Ravens to undermine the ruling Seligo government. Everything is running like clockwork until he crosses paths with Quanta. As he watches her deftly maneuver through life in a perverse prison, his plastic heart melts. A jailbreak would be suicide, but Tair is willing to sacrifice everything to give her a chance at happiness.

Now Quanta senses a terrifying new future brewing. She and Tair are bound together, but every image of them kissing, snuggling, and acting knee-weakeningly happy is balanced by a much darker possibility. They’ll be picture perfect together, but only until time rips them apart. How can she follow her heart when she’s seen how their love plays out?

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Excerpt:

Tair annihilated me on the sim and for once, I didn’t give a flying fudge reindeer.

The timeghosts had gotten bored of kissing and now I was getting full-on caressing, nudity, and a soundtrack of bedroom moans. And I couldn’t not peek. Not when Tair looked that good shirtless, his head tipped back, sucking a breath through his teeth as I—

Whoa horsies.

I shuddered and leaned against the sim room wall. I could not be expected to focus under these conditions.

Book Blitz: My Buddhist Christmas

My Buddhist Christmas by Jeremy Phillips
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Release Date: September 8, 2015
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

It’s not surprising that sixteen year old Chris Jones has no idea where he fits in…

After all, he’s a Buddhist kid in America—during the Christmas season. Add in the fact he plays guitar in a punk rock band called The Dharma Bhumz, and his life is one giant paradox. Caught between the principles of his religion and the influence of his hard-partying bandmates, Chris is in a constant struggle for balance.

An upcoming talent show is his chance to shine—or fail spectacularly…

It’s already hard enough preparing for the show, since his friends are more interested in getting high than practicing. And now Chris has to worry about impressing pretty Mary Simpson. To make matters even worse, Mary’s parents are fundamentalist Christians, a few steps above his family on the social ladder, and they firmly believe Chris isn’t good enough for their precious daughter.

Conflicted about his friends, lying to his family, and still mourning a devastating loss, Chris wonders if being an American Buddhist guitar wizard wanna-be is worth it.

Or does any of it even matter anymore?


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Excerpt:

I take a deep breath, and make a seriously conscious effort to actually go Buddhist on this situation. I think of the first Buddhist thing that comes to mind, which happens to be the thing that seems most appropriate in this situation, as in so many other times in life:

The mind of the past is ungraspable.

The mind of the present is ungraspable.

The mind of the future is ungraspable.

This is from the Diamond Sutra, the only part of it that I actually know right off the top of my head. It’s good stuff, and all it really means is to be here now, in this moment, the moment right here in front of you, because it’s the only time that you’ll ever actually get to live in, ever, in this life.

Book Blitz: Arrows of Darkness (World of Arcas #2)

Arrows of Darkness (World of Arcas #2) by B.I. Woolet
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 2, 2015
Buy Links:

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Book Description:

Jackson returns to Arcas expecting to find peace—a peace greatly lacking within his own home. But when a violent archer takes over as Lord of the White Palace, the future of the ancient kingdoms is shaken.

Frightening creatures have overtaken the beautiful Starling Forest, destroying everything in their path. Jackson and Nekkar narrowly escape the beasts together, but Nekkar blames the Son of Earth for releasing the present darkness in Arcas. 

The rocky, new friendship strengthens as they journey through dangerous lands toward the Free Realms. Can their loyalties survive when the beautifully gutsy Princess Andromeda interrupts their quest and the darkness of war batters their souls?

While Rigel, Otava, and Merope work together to rescue the six sisters trapped at the White Palace, Sephdar returns from shadowy crusades to find White Wings’ army leaderless. The new self-proclaimed ruler has a plan for the Seven Sisters and a plan for The Bridge to Earth. But when his ambitious arrows pierce the peaceful kingdoms, an unlikely force confronts the dark lord and the future of the crowns is changed forever.

Hold to your axe and hold to your lass as you join Jackson to combat the darkness spreading through the world of Arcas. But remember, the most powerful arrows do not pierce the body but the soul.

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Excerpt:

“Mark the door!” Scruuutch. “The queen’s not in this room!” Scruuutch. An axe scraped across a heavy wooden door each time a room was cleared.

“Someone’s alive! Come quickly!” another shouted for help.

King Alderamin squeezed the handle of his axe until his knuckles blanched. He could no longer control the passion inside him. Water flowed to his eyes while anger fought like a dam to hold back the flood of sorrow. With no destination in mind, he began running, running, running through the glass and the blood and the toppled bricks. He had arrived too late to outrun the enemy, but perhaps he could outrun the guilt.

Suddenly, the scenery changed. Everything felt untouched as he reached the back hallway. Every mirror was still perfectly intact, every wall still standing. And there was his light brown face in image after image with blood-shot, yellow-brown eyes looking back at him.

Book Blitz: Dreamwielder (The Dreamwielder Chronicles #1)

Dreamwielder (The Dreamwielder Chronicles #1) by Garrett Calcaterra
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: September 29, 2015
Release Date:
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

In a world shrouded by soot and smoke, young Makarria has literally been forbidden to dream.

Legend has foretold the demise of Emperor Thedric Guderian at the hands of a sorceress with royal blood, and the Emperor has made it his legacy to stamp out all magic from the Sargothian Empire in favor of primitive coal fired smelters and steam powered machines. 

When Guderian’s minions discover a Dreamwielder on a seaside farmstead, a chain of events forces Guderian’s new threat—the young Makarria—to flee from her home and embark upon an epic journey where her path intertwines with that of Princess Taera, her headstrong brother, Prince Caile, and the northman Siegbjorn, who captains a night-flying airship.

Dogging their every step is the part-wolf, part-raven sorcerer, Wulfram, and Emperor Guderian himself, a man who has the ability to stint magic and a vision to create a world where the laws of nature are beholden to men and machines. 

Only by learning to control the power she wields can Makarria save her newfound companions and stop the Emperor from irreversibly exterminating both the magic in humans and their bond with nature.

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Excerpt:

Caile pursed his lips and pushed his way forward past the four men to peer farther down the corridor. A torrent of flames spat forward in the distance, and for a brief moment Caile could make out Talitha’s form huddled behind a stalagmite twenty yards ahead and Kadar a little farther beyond her.

Then the flames were gone and he saw only shadows again. Caile stepped back safely out of sight. “He’s got her cornered, and he’s too far away for me to get a clean look at him,” he whispered to Makarria. “How is it you think we’re going to get him into one of those caves?”

“I’ll get him into the open,” Makarria said. “When I yell, start shooting.”

“I don’t see how—” Caile started to say, but before he could get the rest of the sentence out Makarria strode forward into the middle of the corridor.

Book Blitz: Shopping for a CEO (Shopping for a Billionaire #7)

Shopping for a CEO (Shopping for a Billionaire #7) by Julia Kent
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

I’m thrilled to be the maid of honor in my friend’s wedding, but the best man, Andrew McCormick, is a chauvinistic pig with a God complex.

And I can’t stop kissing him in closets.

(Don’t ask.)

He’s the brother of the groom and the CEO of my biggest mystery shopping account, but suddenly he’s refusing to be in the wedding. He won’t talk about it. Won’t see reason.

He’s such a man.

And he still won’t stop kissing me in random closets.

(Thank goodness.)

I’m a fixer. That’s what I do. I can fix anything if given the chance. But when the game is fixed there’s only so much I can do.

The ball’s in his court now.

Game on.

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Excerpt:

“Will the guys go commando?” Marie calls out. “True highlanders don’t wear underwear.”

“The wedding is in July, Mom,” Amy calls back. “In Massachusetts. If you’re going to make all those men wear wool kilts and socks, they’ll probably gratefully go without underwear just to prevent heat exhaustion.”

Marie nods. “Good point.”

“But then there’s the issue of ball sweat,” Amy adds.

Marie frowns and jots down notes on a sticky pad. “Ball sweat? That’s a real thing?”

Amy nods. “They make a special product for it.”

“There’s a product to cure ball sweat? Balls have sweat glands? Where do they hide the pores? And how do you know this?”

Book Blitz: Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #1)

Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper (Ellie Jordan, Ghost Trapper #1) by J.L. Bryan
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery
Release Date: August 27th, 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

Ellie Jordan’s job is to catch and remove unwanted ghosts. Part detective, part paranormal exterminator, Ellie operates out of Savannah, Georgia, one of the oldest and most haunted cities in North America.

When a family contacts her to deal with a disturbing presence in the old mansion they’ve recently purchased, Ellie first believes it to be a typical, by-the-book specter, a residual haunting by a restless spirit. 

Instead, she finds herself confronting an evil older and more powerful than she’d ever expected, rooted in the house’s long and sordid history of luxury, sin, and murder. The dangerous entity seems particularly interested in her clients’ ten-year-old daughter.

Soon her own life is in danger, and Ellie must find a way to exorcise the darkness of the house before it can kill her, her clients, or their frightened young child.

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Excerpt:

The host of creeps closed in around us. I’d heard at least three distinct voices, but there could have been more specters than that. It felt like a dark cloud of them, a cluster of ghosts that had more or less lost their individual identities, their yearnings merging into a combined pool of hunger, anger, pain, or whatever emotions motivated them to stick around instead of moving on. A “cluster haunting” is Calvin’s term for this.

We pushed through the thick, dark air and passed through another doorway. We should have seen at least one of the glowing green arrows I had drawn, but we didn’t. The darkness was like heavy, cold smoke, crushing in to choke us while we walked blindly through it. Then the groan sounded again, followed by the other voices.

 They grabbed at us from every side, with hands that were invisible and insubstantial until they clawed into you. I felt icy fingers on my legs, another hand grabbing at my stomach, and another seized the back of my neck. That one made me scream.

Review: The Lilith Links (The Avalon Relics #1)

Lilith Links (The Avalon Relics #1) by J.L Clark
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Release Date: 2014
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Sophia Bennett is looking forward to celebrating her eighteenth birthday with her best friend Angie.  

After graduating high school and enjoying the last days of her summer vacation the most important things on her mind are getting ready for college and catching the eye of her high school crush Jake...at least, until the night of her birthday party.

Suddenly, Sophia is thrust into a world that she never knew existed and finds herself in the middle of an ancient struggle between good and evil. 

Time is against her as she and her new friends struggle to take possession of a powerful magic before it falls into the wrong hands.

Can Sophia solve the mystery of the Lilith links in time to save her loved ones, or will the
enemy triumph and destroy all that she holds dear?


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My favorite type of fantasy is the type where the main character is new to the fantastical elements in the world. This way, the character is able to learn all about this new world that he or she has been introduced to, and the reader is able to learn about it right along with them. The author is able to build the world and make all of the rules for it in a natural way that doesn't seem forced or artificial in any way.

This is how J.L. Clark's first book in her Avalon Relics series, The Lilith Links is. Sophia Benett has lived a normal life for eighteen years, until her world gets flipped upside down at her eighteenth birthday party. All of a sudden, these beautiful strangers are in her life, her best friend isn't who she thought she was, her parents are missing, and Sophia is forced into a whole new world.