Book Blitz: Cloaked in Blood (The Wulfkin Legacy #3)

Cloaked in Blood (The Wulfkin Legacy #3) by T.F. Walsh
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Parnormal
Release Date: May 9, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

The daughter of a sultan alpha, Selena Kurt agrees to an arranged wulfkin mating to protect her sister from a dangerous alpha from the enemy clan. 

To her surprise, her match is Marcin Ulf, the next in line for the Hungarian throne . . . and the wulfkin who broke her heart years ago.

Marcin is just as shocked to learn he'll be matched to the enemy's daughter and the woman he's never forgotten. 

Before they can be paired, however, they're drawn into a tournament where Marcin will compete to free his estranged imprisoned brother, while Selena battles for the life of another wulfkin alpha. Both intend to seize this chance to save those they're fighting for - even if it means facing off with one another just as their romance rekindles.

Will tribe loyalty triumph, or will they realize they're better off as a team before it's too late?

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

Selena

My response wouldn’t come at first. It was jammed inside my libido, too consumed by the temptation to have my way with Marcin. Alone in a cavern. No family nearby. Yet, the truth of the upcoming battle of innocence, and me having to go back home afterward, sat on my mind like an unmovable mountain. I wanted it gone.

“Well, I hope me saving you doesn’t make you feel emasculated.”

His hand slipped a strand of hair behind my ear, his touch sending goose bumps down my back. “Never. If anything, I was wondering how I could ever repay you.” A devilish grin split his mouth.

A tingle spread below my stomach. The kind of repayment I had in mind might make even Marcin blush, though considering the mischievousness behind his eyes, I somehow doubted it. Still, it went against everything I’d been telling myself to do.

Book Blitz: The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1)

The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element #1) by Kat Ross
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

They are the light against the darkness.

The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.

And they use demons to hunt demons….

Nazafareen lives for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King’s elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.

Scarred by grief, she’s willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he’s possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other’s emotions, and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.

As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius’s past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…

♥ ♥ ♥



Despicable You: Writing Great Villains

I have a confession to make—one that some of you might share. My favorite characters are usually the awful ones. The ones who do terrible things without a shred of remorse. The ones that I'm dying to see get their comeuppance, but not before they push our beloved protagonist to the very edge and nearly destroy everything in the story we care about. Yes, I'm talking about the villains.

Think the viscerally creepy Mr. Croup and Mr. Vandemar from Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. The icily elegant Mrs. Coulter from Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Elizabeth Wein's SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden in Code Name Verity, who we only meet second-hand but is terrifying nonetheless.

Villains can make or break a book. When they're boring or one-dimensional or clichéd, there's no tension and the plot deflates with that sad wheezing noise balloons make when you stick with them with a hatpin. But when they're done right, meaning that they are an actual character and not simply a clunky device to test the hero, they help keep the stakes of the story high and the reader turning pages late into the night.

Book Blitz: Shot to Hell

Shot to Hell by Cynthia Rayne
Age Group: Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 9, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Love thy enemy.

Steele spent his high school years under the Friday night lights in Poteet, Texas. He went from hometown hero to jarhead in a matter of weeks, taking his best buddy, Abe, with him. After Abe died in combat, Steele quit the Corps and became a member of the Four Horsemen MC.

Now his brother and best friend, Coyote, has been taken by a rival MC and Steele fears the worst. To save his brother, he calls in Ashton Calhoun. She works as a security contractor and specializes and kicking asses and crossing off names.

As a teenager, Ash fell hard for Steele. But that went south when his carelessness led to Abe’s death. They’re now bitter enemies and there’s plenty of unfinished business between them. Can Ash and Steele find Coyote before it’s too late? And will these enemies become lovers?

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

“Ashton Calhoun,” Steele whispered.

He couldn’t believe it. He hadn’t seen her since Abe’s funeral. Abe Calhoun’s younger twin sister. Abe had been born three minutes earlier, so he’d taken on the role of big brother.

“I ain’t seen you in a month of Sundays.” Steele stood and dragged her along with him.

He examined her more closely in the hazy light. He’d know Ash anywhere, even if she’d changed over the years. She stood about five and a half feet tall with brown hair pinned tight to her head and the same vivid green eyes.

Most noticeably, she now had a long jagged scar on the right side from her hairline to chin. While the skin must’ve knit together long ago, it’d left a deep groove in her pretty face. Ash stared right back at him, studying him. “As I live and breathe, Jack Steele. I thought you looked familiar, but I wondered if my mind was playin’ tricks on me.”

Book Blitz: In Irina's Cards (The Variant Conspiracy Trilogy, #1)

In Irina's Cards (The Variant Conspiracy Trilogy, #1) by Christine Hart
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Science Fiction, Romance
Release Date: May 4, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

Irina Proffer leaves mundane small-town life behind when she experiences visions inspired by a strange deck of tarot cards. 

To get answers, she travels from her northern British Columbia home to the province’s coastal capital. She quickly discovers a world of fringe genetic science and supernatural mystery.

Working for Innoviro Industries, Irina is drawn in by a powerful first love and compelling, yet dangerous questions about the nature of the company’s business. 

Meeting other ‘variants’ brings Irina closer and closer to the dark truth about her origins. She finds herself at the heart of two overlapping love triangles as she scrambles to escape her employer’s grip.

Before she leaves the city, Irina realizes she has merely scratched the surface of a frightening conspiracy on a global scale.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

We reached the end of the Harbour and the coastline opened up around the corner. I saw a sign for ferries to the US in front of a giant concrete breakwater and a pub decorated with a helm wheel and a mural with starfish and orcas.

The hazy soft blues of the ocean and sky were broken by the jagged edges of American snow-capped mountains on the horizon. The seaside sidewalk had a mix of young families, dog-walkers, and spry seniors in trendy windbreakers.

“You know what they say about the people here in Victoria, right?” said Jonah, as he watched me watch everyone else.

“No, I can’t say that I do. More money than they know what to do with?”

Book Blitz: Tone Deaf

Tone Deaf by Olivia Rivers
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

His world is music. Her world is silent.

Ali Collins was a child prodigy destined to become one of the greatest musicians of the twenty-first century—until she was diagnosed with a life-changing brain tumor. 

Now, at seventeen, Ali lives in a soundless world where she gets by with American Sign Language and lip-reading. She’s a constant disappointment to her father, a retired cop fighting his own demons, and the bruises are getting harder to hide.

When Ali accidentally wins a backstage tour with the chart-topping band Tone Deaf, she’s swept back into the world of music. Jace Beckett, the nineteen-year-old lead singer of the band, has a reputation. He’s a jerk and a player, and Ali wants nothing to do with him. 

But there’s more to Jace than the tabloids let on. When Jace notices Ali’s bruises and offers to help her escape to New York, Ali can’t turn down the chance at freedom and a fresh start. Soon she’s traveling cross-country, hidden away in Jace’s RV as the band finishes their nationwide tour. With the help of Jace, Ali sets out to reboot her life and rediscover the music she once loved.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

I take a deep breath and close my eyes, just for a moment, just long enough to regain my composure. When I open them, I’ll be calm. I’ll forget about Jace’s insults and the memories he stirred up. I’ll take the check and run far, far away.

Something lightly touches my shoulder, making me yelp in surprise. I snap my eyes open and find Jace in front of me. He has his hands nervously stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, and he’s wearing a long-sleeved shirt now.

Why did he change into that, of all things? It’s still like eighty degrees outside, and his forehead is already covered in sweat. Maybe the dude is some sort of masochist; he hurts everything and everyone, including himself.

Book Blitz: Scarred (Lost Series #2)

Scarred (Lost Series #2) by LeTeisha Newton
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance
Release Date: May 4, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Description:

They told me about Ethan.

He’s no good.

He only knew darkness.

He’s a killer.

But that’s exactly what I need.

Only a monster can turn me into one. I’ve bled and screamed. I’ve been the victim too long. The scars that are visible only conceal the more painful ones on the soul. 

If he could help me save myself and learn to fight again, then he can have whatever he wants from me. My body. My soul. My heart. Later, he’ll realize that I had the better end of the bargain.

WARNING: This is a dark romance. It contains violence, filthy words, dubious consent, and potential triggers for readers. Please be aware of that when purchasing this book. This story is about being careful what you ask for, because you’ll get exactly what you need, instead of what you want.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

“Does he have protection? Connections?”

River shook her head. “I don’t know. He kept me out of a lot. That’s why I was always so careful with new people or trying to get close to anyone.

He could have them on his payroll and I’d never know. I do know he has some cops and judges in his pockets. The few times I tried to press charges, everything fell through quickly, if they even filed any paperwork. He’s untouchable.”

“No man is untouchable, River. Remember that. This changes things.”

“Why?”

“It’s enough that I’ve told you that. Let me worry about the rest.”

“This is my life, Ethan.”

Book Blitz: What Love Is

What Love Is by Emma South
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Release Date: April 29, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

In this epic romance collection that spans eighteen years, the lives of six people will be changed forever.

Ask a million people what love is, and you’ll get a million different answers. None of them are wrong.

What makes a Marine take a bullet for a Hollywood starlet?

What makes a singer with a deep-seated hatred for the wealthy find herself smiling for the first time with a billionaire?

What makes a small-town princess defy death to be reunited with her small-town prince?

The answer is love.

Contains the full books:

Writing Our Song
Breaking Surface
Remember Our Song
The Last Thing You See Coming Back

Arranged as a continuous story, plus an additional TEN chapters that further expands and intertwines the lives of Beatrice, Jeremy, Harper, Nick, Christie and Dean.

♥ ♥ ♥
Excerpt:

I hadn’t been held quite like this ever before, so tenderly yet with an unmistakable undercurrent of lust. I’d had embraces in the past, in another lifetime, that meant all kinds of things. Celebrations, commiserations, I-was-just-jokings, they’d provided so much I didn’t even realize until they were gone.

One minute they were there and then all of a sudden there were no more shoulders to cry on. The shoulder that I should have been able to turn to was busy with other things, things that weren’t me, and that had maybe done the most damage of all. That had hurt a lot.

“Are you going to hurt me too?” I whispered without even consciously willing it, so quietly that I didn’t think Jeremy would hear, but he did. Jeremy stopped moving and I could feel him looking down at me.