Book Blitz: The Kingmaker (The Kingmaker Trilogy, #1)

The Kingmaker (The Kingmaker Trilogy, #1) By
Gemma Perfect
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: January 1, 2017
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

“I am sixteen years old and I will die on the morning of my seventeenth birthday. As tradition dictates, I will be sacrificed and my life’s blood will determine which one of my two brothers will be King. 

My blood will kill one and crown one. My name is Everleigh and I am the Kingmaker.”
The legend of the Kingmaker goes back millions of years. Their magic chooses the rightful King of the Realm and they all die on their seventeenth birthday. 

Except this one.
Everleigh is special.

She is the Kingmaker who will live, the Kingmaker who will rule, the Kingmaker who will be Queen. 

But not everyone agrees with an age old prophecy that says that a girl will rule the Realm and soon Everleigh is locked in a deadly battle for the throne.

♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

Halfreda

I have been sleeping so much more than normal. I believe the dreams are sending me messages. I have such a strong feeling about this one – stronger than I have ever had before; I think she might be the one.

I know what people think when they look at me, half of them revere me and half of them fear me.
I admit I exaggerate my persona but never ever my powers. My powers are real. I know things and I see things. I see things that haven’t happened yet but will happen.

I know a person’s heart – I can see greatness and badness, trust or ill will. I know if someone is cursed before they tell me. I know if a woman is with child before she does. I know the private thoughts of people. Some people. Not everyone – some people are good at hiding their true self, blocking off the signals I pick up, but for the most part I can.

My persona is something else. I do have a little fun with the chanting – not all of which is strictly necessary. I enjoy staring at someone and then letting my eyes roll back in my head as if I have been overcome with some secret thing to do with them – that trick gets everyone in a fluster.

Book Blitz: Seasons Within

Seasons Within By Lele Iturrioz
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 15, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Most teenage girls know their name, where they came from, who they are. Not G, a beautiful redhead with unusual markings on her wrist. 

She gets her name from a silver locket she keeps around her neck, unaware the engraved letter “G” on its front holds the secret to her past. 

G’s life before the age of six has been a mystery to her. Each night for the last twelve years she’s been haunted by the same nightmare—a war. 

Horrendous beasts, warriors able to wield the four elements, and a boy who saves her by means of blue fire taunt her memory. 

But on her eighteenth birthday, G’s life begins to unravel. When she meets her new Chemistry professor, a man with an uncanny resemblance to the boy who saves her, she knows there must be more to her dreams. 

It’s dangerous not knowing who you are, what you’re capable of, and what future awaits you. Especially when the darkness that slaughtered your entire world, just found you.

♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

DUST. Everything was covered in dust and ashes.

Nádúr Noc, the main city of Terra was once beautiful and full of life. Not like that night, the night the darkness descended from the far land of Ifreann.

Now, the round city of Nádúr Noc was dark, burned, and destroyed.

Trees were no longer big and full of different green and golden, bright colors. The river Enosi, a river that surrounded the city with its peaceful crystalline water was now a rapid of blood and death.

Book Blitz: The Elf

The Elf By Max Dune
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Fairy Tales
Release Date: October 18, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

This Christmas…it’s war. Grab your weapon and join the fight in this modern Santa Claus retelling with a dark twist. Fans of Guardians of the Galaxy and Avatar will be riveted by The Elf‘s action, humor and romance! 

Elves are dying in the North Pole, and none of their scientists can find a cure. They believe it’s a virus, unleashed by a powerful enemy. 

All signs point to Jack Frost, who’s been biding his time from afar. Watching. Waiting. Plotting. One brave elf, to save his kind, will venture out to meet evil in the eye. 

But he uncovers a mystery more dangerous than he could have ever imagined. Now Lucian must join a group of warriors and fight. Fuego; a flame-wielding pyro. Tiktok; a brilliant bomb expert, Yuriko; a deadly ninja assassin. And Bullets; a hot-headed gun aficionado. 

These unlikely heroes must learn to work together and defeat the rising evil. Or Christmas will soon be lost…forever.

♥ ♥ ♥

BOOK TRAILER

—

EXCERPT:

“Where are you going?” I taunt. “There’s nowhere to hide.”

Jack Frost doesn’t answer. Under the canopy of winter-crystallized trees, he crawls across the snow. His tall, muscular body leaves a trail of berry-red blood behind him. He looks desperate to put distance between us.

I begin to whistle softly and draw closer to admire my handiwork. Broken nose. Swollen eye. An arrow buried deep in his leg. Ah, such a beautiful sight to behold. I turn to Blitzen, my most loyal of companions, and smile. “Thank you, friend. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it.”

Blitzen gives an affirmative snort, staying close to our sleigh and supplies. His strong legs and zesty spirit had kept me alive for the last two weeks. The Artic is a cold house for the unwary. Nothing in it ever stirs. Nothing moves. Nothing sings.

Yet he had guided me through it, his hooves detonating like muffled grenades as they crunched the powdery snow. We’d traveled over timeworn mountains, through tomblike valleys and flash-frozen rivers. I plan on rewarding Blitzen with his favorite food once we’re back in Santa’s Village. It’ll be agaric mushrooms for life. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Book Blitz: Acca (Angelbound Origins, #3)

Acca (Angelbound Origins, #3) By Christina Bauer
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: December 13th 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

In just one week, supernatural warrior Myla Lewis must discover enough evidence to send the evil House of Acca to prison…or she’ll end up in jail herself, along with her fiancé, Prince Lincoln. 

No pressure. 

To gather proof, Myla and Lincoln go undercover at an all-girl’s high school on Earth. Lincoln acts as the new gym teacher; Myla becomes the school’s least popular transfer student ever. 

To stop them from getting the goods, Acca releases Hell on Earth. Literally. 

Good thing Myla and Lincoln aren’t afraid of a tough fight. 

This one promises to be the hardest yet. After all, who ever said high school wasn’t hell?

♥ ♥ ♥

—

Interview with Myla Lewis and Prince Lincoln:

Good Morning, Purgatory

December 13, 2016

Susan Smiley: Welcome back. We’re very excited here at Good Morning, Purgatory. Today we have with us Myla Lewis, the Great Scala, and her fiancée Prince Lincoln.
Myla: He’s not my fiancée. We’re married.
Lincoln: (Smirks) We talked about this, Myla.
Myla: (Makes innocent face) We talked about what?
Lincoln: This is a book tour for ACCA. Christina Bauer wrote our story and we’re here to help her sell more novels. You’re not supposed to give away anything that happens in the books. It’s counter-productive.
Myla: (Taps chin.) There’s a loophole, but my brain is fudge right now.
Lincoln: There is indeed. You can say whatever you want as long as you start off by saying SPOILER ALERT.

Book Blitz: Snowed

Snowed By Maria Alexander
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Mystery
Release Date: November 2nd 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary: 

Charity Jones is a 16-year-old engineering genius who’s much-bullied for being biracial and a skeptic at her conservative school in Oak County, California. 

Everything changes when Charity’s social worker mother brings home a sweet teen runaway named Aidan to foster for the holidays. 

Matched in every way, Charity and Aidan quickly fall in love. But it seems he’s not the only new arrival: Charity soon finds the brutally slain corpse of her worst bully and she gets hard, haunting evidence that the killer is stalking Oak County. 

As she and her Skeptics Club investigate this death and others, they find at every turn the mystery only grows darker and more deadly. One thing’s for certain: there’s a bloody battle coming this holiday season that will change their lives – and human history – forever. 

Will they be ready?

♥ ♥ ♥

—

SNEAK A PEEK AT CHAPTER 3:

I can hear Mom and Dad chatting in the living room, asking questions. Another softer voice with a strange accent gives staccato answers.

“Charity?” Mom calls out. She sounds annoyed.

I shuffle through the foyer, inhaling the smell of baking lasagna. When I enter the family room, Mom and Dad are sitting on the couch with mugs, tea bag tags draped over the edges. Some guy I don’t know sits with them in the easy chair. I can’t help checking him out.

He’s my age, average height, with skin pale as cream and wavy ebony hair. His light blue eyes shimmer under long, inky lashes. His wrinkled, striped dress shirt is much too big for his narrow shoulders, and his scuffed black boots with pointed toes peek out from the cuffs of his baggy jeans. He gives off a weird vibe, like he’s been in prison or working for suicide bombers.

He must be a stray.

Book Blitz: Weariland

Weariland by Mary Shotwell
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

For fifteen-year-old Lason Davies, it all started with a text.

“HIDING PLACE.”

The last words of her murdered grandmother haunt Lason as she travels to England with her sheltering mother for the funeral. 

The crime is a sensation, but the clamoring reporters and news photographers aren’t the only ones interested in their arrival.

As her mother’s behavior borders on erratic (on a good day), Lason encounters a stranger from Weariland, a dreary world once known as Wonderland. 

He petitions Lason’s help in finding a secret family heirloom, a key to saving his land—and to Lason’s past. 

Lason is swept in an adventure through Weariland’s unpredictable realm, encountering colorful, fantastical characters and discovering her family’s elusive history. But if she isn’t careful, she may never return…

♥ ♥ ♥   

Book Trailer: 

Book Blitz: Guardian of the Way By

Guardian of the Way By Diane Moat
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Release Date: November 7, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

It’s been two centuries since someone murdered the last Guardian of the Way, closing off this world from the many realms of magic and fae. 

Cassiopeia “Cass” Wilson is an eighteen-year-old living on her own for the first time. The only magic she’s interested in is the kind that will help her pay the bills on time. 

Little does she know that a trip to the hospital after a fainting spell will change her life forever. 

Cass soon learns she may be fae, and everything points to her being the next Guardian of the Way. 

There’s just one problem: whoever—or whatever—killed the last Guardian wants Cass dead too. 

Cass quickly runs into problems, and an attack by djinn is just the first. But Cass joins forces with a wrath daemon, were-creatures, and fae on a quest to reach the Lighthouse—the site of the Way. 

Cass soon learns about wizards desperate to keep the Way closed to serve their dark purposes, and she comes to a crossroads: will she take the test to become the new Guardian and leave her normal life behind? Or will the Way remain closed to all who need it?

♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

Adrenaline wiped away all of Cass’s tiredness.

“Get out! I don’t care who you are. Leave now, or I’m calling the police.”

Cass would have to move away from the door for the men to leave. So I’ll just leave. She could call the police from out on the street. As she turned the door handle and shifted around to bolt, the second man spoke.

“Two more of us are posted outside, with more on the way. That’s not a threat…” It sure sounded like one. “…just an explanation. We aren’t…we can’t leave. Short of leaving, we’ll comply with whatever makes you feel safe. We brought your .38 out from the bedroom if holding it would help you.”

Book Blitz: A Bond Of Venom and Magic (The Goddess and the Guardians #1)

A Bond Of Venom and Magic (The Goddess and the Guardians #1) By Karen Tomlinson
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: October 14, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary: 

The Wraith Lord is hunting; his prize, the key to unleashing darkness and Chaos upon the eight Kingdoms. 

For Diamond Gillon the war raging in the south seems a remote danger until her home is brutally attacked. Having lost everything she holds dear, Diamond is catapulted into a terrifying new world in which legendary beasts arise, magic is condemned and half blood fae, like her, have no rights. 

Despite her growing feelings for her saviour, Commander Hugo Casimir, he remains a paradox – not only is he a heartless killer, he is owned by the cruel immortal fae queen; a queen who will murder her own people for magic. 

As Diamond’s circumstances become ever more perilous she is drawn deeper into Hugo’s world and discovers the lengths to which he will go to save what he holds dear. Will Hugo become her friend, her protector, or – an enemy not worthy of her trust? 

A Bond of Venom and Magic is a tale of two people bound by magic and secrets, but trapped in the complexities of love and betrayal. It is the beginning of an epic journey, one that will test Diamond’s resolve and determination to battle an evil that threatens not only her world but that of Eternity, the land of The Guardians and The Goddess.

♥ ♥ ♥

—

EXCERPT:

The window warrior spun swiftly in front of the door, facing Hugo with his sword drawn. Clearly he wanted to give his lord time to escape, even if that meant his own death. Before the door banged shut downstairs, Hugo stormed forward. The warrior flicked his wrist. Diamond gasped. Red magic. No Avalonian had red magic anymore. It ripple across the room like a wave of shimmering heat. Hugo roared, but not in pain.

Leaning into the onslaught of power he grinned with fiendish delight, darkness rippling around him. A shroud of silver-flamed shadow devoured the red wave, even as his powerful body charged forwards.

The warrior swore, desperately raising his sword in defence. Clearly he had expected a different reaction to his magical attack. Hugo’s wrathful bellow filled the room as he drove his sword down. Metal jarred and sparked.

“You took her from me! I can smell her blood. Now you will die!” he promised, his voice nothing like his own. It was more animalistic than Diamond had ever heard.

Book Blitz: November Rain (Bad Bloods #1)

November Rain (Bad Bloods #1) by Shannon A. Thompson
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 18th 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Serena isn’t human. She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. 

In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. 

His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them. 

Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. 

But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote. Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. 

United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.

♥ ♥ ♥

EXCERPT:

“She used to tell me that a full moon is when mysterious things happen and wishes come true.” I stared at the little paper in my hands. “Do you think she tells my sister those stories?”

Daniel didn’t respond. He only listened. I had told him before I had a sister. He had probably assumed I lied, but I hadn’t. It was the truth, and it tumbled out like a story my mom created before bedtime. I tried to picture her telling stories to my sister, but nothing came. I only saw the little girl, with Mom’s hair and Dad’s eyes, standing in the road, saying my name.

“I’ve never met her,” I confessed, staring at the writing bleeding through the folded end. “I think her name is on this, but I can’t read.”

Daniel reached for it. “I can—”

Book Blitz: Somniare (Somniare, #1)

Somniare (Somniare, #1) by D.T. Dyllin
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Release Date: July 19, 2016

Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Remy Novem was murdered…
But she didn’t die. 

Forced to escape to Somniare, a dream landscape, Remy must somehow survive living nightmares, and endless torment without using her magic. 

Her only hope for freedom is to hitch a ride with a human back into reality, tricking the poor creature into believing no harm will befall them. 

Remy isn’t troubled by the fact that she must kill to live… 

Until love changes everything.

♥ ♥ ♥

Book Blitz: The Carver

The Carver by Jacob Devlin
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 19, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary: 

THE GIRL IN THE RED HOOD has been looking for her mother for six months, searching from the depths of New York’s subways to the heights of its skyscrapers . . . 

THE PRINCE looks like he’s from another time entirely, or maybe he’s just too good at his job at Ye Old Renaissance Faire . . . 

THE ACTRESS is lighting up Hollywood Boulevard with her spellbinding and strikingly convincing portrayal of a famous fairy. Her name may be big, but her secrets barely fit in one world . . . 

Fifteen-year-old Crescenzo never would have believed his father’s carvings were anything more than “stupid toys.” All he knows is a boring life in an ordinary Virginia suburb, from which his mother and his best friend have been missing for years. 

When his father disappears next, all Crescenzo has left is his goofy neighbor, Pietro, who believes he’s really Peter Pan and that Crescenzo is the son of Pinocchio. What’s more: Pietro insists that they can find their loved ones by looking to the strange collection of wooden figurines Crescenzo’s father left behind. 

With Pietro’s help, Crescenzo sets off on an adventure to unite the real life counterparts to his figurines. It’s enough of a shock that they’re actually real, but the night he meets the Girl in the Red Hood, dark truths burst from the past. Suddenly, Crescenzo is tangled in a nightmare where magic mirrors and evil queens rule, and where everyone he loves is running out of time.

 ♥ ♥ ♥

EXCERPT:

“Welcome to Sirenetta’s Diner, gentlemen. You boys ever dined here before?”

Liam cut right to the chase. “Are you Mr. Bellamy?”

The man’s face fell into a tight frown, but Crescenzo assumed by the figurine that the frown was just his natural expression. “I am he. The Lord of the Diner.”

Book Blitz: November Rain (Bad Bloods #1)

November Rain (Bad Bloods #1) by Shannon A. Thompson
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 18, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

Seventeen-year-old Serena isn’t human. She is a bad blood, and in the city of Vendona, bad bloods are executed. In the last moments before she faces imminent death, a prison guard aids her escape and sparks a revolt. 

Back on the streets determined to destroy her kind, Serena is spared by a fellow bad blood named Daniel. His past tragedies are as equally mysterious as her connection to them. 

Unbeknownst to the two, this connection is the key to winning the election for bad bloods’ rights to be seen as human again. But Serena is the only one who can secure Vendona’s vote. 

Now, Daniel must unite with her before all hope is lost and bad bloods are eradicated, even if it means exposing secrets worse than death itself. United or not, a city will fight, rain will fall, and all will be threatened by star-crossed love and political corruption.

♥ ♥ ♥

EXCERPT:

“She used to tell me that a full moon is when mysterious things happen and wishes come true.” I stared at the little paper in my hands. “Do you think she tells my sister those stories?”

Daniel didn’t respond. He only listened. I had told him before I had a sister. He had probably assumed I lied, but I hadn’t. It was the truth, and it tumbled out like a story my mom created before bedtime. I tried to picture her telling stories to my sister, but nothing came. I only saw the little girl, with Mom’s hair and Dad’s eyes, standing in the road, saying my name.

“I’ve never met her,” I confessed, staring at the writing bleeding through the folded end. “I think her name is on this, but I can’t read.”

Daniel reached for it. “I can—”

Book Blitz: Bottled

Bottled by Carol Riggs
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: July 7, 2016
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

At seventeen, Adeelah Naji is transformed into a genie and imprisoned in a bottle. For a thousand years, she fulfills the wishes of greedy masters—building their palaces, lining their pockets with gold, and granting them every earthly pleasure. 

All that sustains her is the hope of finding Karim, the boy she fell in love with as a human. When at last she finds a note from her beloved, she confirms he has access to the elixir of life and that he still searches for her. 

But someone else also hunts her. Faruq—the man who plots to use her powers to murder and seize the life forces of others—is just one step behind her. 

With the help of a kind master named Nathan, Adeelah continues to search for Karim while trying to evade Faruq. To complicate matters, she begins to experience growing fatigue and pain after conjuring, and finds herself struggling against an undeniable attraction to Nathan.

As Faruq closes in, Adeelah must decide just how much she’ll risk to protect Nathan and be with Karim forever. How much power does she really have to change her future, and what is she willing to sacrifice for an eternity of love? If she makes the wrong choice, the deaths of many will be on her hands.

♥ ♥ ♥

im

Except:

A disturbance scrapes the edge of my awareness.

I stop twisting the rings on my fingers and concentrate on the intrusion rather than my new master who sits in front of me. Five humans have reached this shabby Arabian hotel, clustering like scorpions in the street far below our room. A niggling sense of them rises up in my mind.

They make their way closer, feet scraping on pavement, their eager breaths rapid and shallow. I get the impression it’s me they want.

Book Blitz: The Last of the Firedrakes (The Avalonia Chronicles #1)

The Last of the Firedrakes (The Avalonia Chronicles #1) by Farah Oomerbhoy
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: August 15, 2015
Buy Link: Amazon
Summary:

16-year-old Aurora Darlington is an orphan. Mistreated by her adopted family and bullied at school, she dreams of running away and being free. But when she is kidnapped and dragged through a portal into a magical world, suddenly her old life doesn’t seem so bad. 

Avalonia is a dangerous land ruled by powerful mages and a cruel, selfish queen who will do anything to control all seven kingdoms—including killing anyone who stands in her way. 

Thrust headlong into this new, magical world, Aurora’s arrival sets plans in motion that threaten to destroy all she holds dear.
With the help of a young fae, a magical pegasus, and a handsome mage, Aurora journeys across Avalonia to learn the truth about her past and unleash the power within herself. 

Kingdoms collide as a complicated web of political intrigue and ancient magic lead Aurora to unravel a shocking secret that will change her life forever.

♥ ♥ ♥

**Grab it for only 99¢! For a limited time only!**

EXCERPT:

For a second that felt like a lifetime, everything stopped; I felt like I was floating in nothingness. Then I blinked, and, when I finally opened my eyes and focused again through the tears, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

I found myself standing at the mouth of a small cave situated on a hill and overlooking a quiet, moonlit valley. On my left, a dark forest stretched out as far as the eye could see, treetops glistening silver in the light of the full moon. The hills around us undulated into wildflower-filled meadows that lay sleeping in the dewy night.

Far down in the valley, I could see a little village, its lights twinkling in the distance. To my right, a waterfall splashed playfully into a small river that ran down into a lake, next to which the little village was built. The moon here was fuller and larger than I had ever seen it, and the night sky was awash with a fantastic array of glittering stars.

Book Blitz: Bound by Birthright

Bound by Birthright by Janeal Falor
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: June 6th 2016
Buy Link: Amazon ♥ B&N
Summary:

Elven princess Arabella is set to marry the human Prince Phillip but her countrymen do not hesitate to express their anger with her parents' attempt to improve relations with the humans. With death threats plaguing her, Arabella is forced into hiding.

When her sanctuary is usurped by pirates, Arabella goes on the run with humans who vow to help and keep her safe. She finds herself drawn to one of the humans, the dashing Robert, who steals her heart.

Arabella would like nothing more than time to get to know Robert better, but with pirates attacking and her wedding date approaching, time is one thing she doesn't have. Arabella's on a flight for her life and must reconcile with the truth—she can never be with the one she wants.

If only her heart would agree. 

♥ ♥ ♥

Excerpt

My hand brushes his.

I should pull away. I will pull away.

Only, before I can do so, he leans closer.

My breath becomes shallow and catches in my throat. A flame kindles in my heart. It’s small at first, but then bursts into a blaze coursing through my body. I tilt my face toward his, and time ceases to exist as I’m aware of nothing but him.

My own breathing matches the rapid rise and fall of his chest. I can't help but take him in, from his chiseled jaw line all the way to his distinguished brow. From his angular nose to a small scar above his mouth—a sharp line that cuts across a portion of his upper right lip. I'd noticed it before, but never paid much attention to it.

Book Blitz: Smoke and Mirrors (Blackhollow Academy #1)

Smoke and Mirrors (Blackhollow Academy #1)  by Jess Haines
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Release date: May 1st 2016
Buy Link: Amazon ♥ B&N
Summary: 

A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she’s just like all the other magi.
A dragon who sees through her lies.
Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both. 

Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she’s got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can’t afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.
The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate. 

As an illusionist, she doesn’t have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems… 

Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.

♥ ♥ ♥

EXCERPT:

Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”
Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.

“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”

His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.

Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”

Book Blitz: Forestium (Portallas #1)

Forestium (Portallas #1) by Christopher D. Morgan
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Publication date: February 28, 2016
Buy Links: Amazon ♥ B&N
Summary:

Joshua’s life is on the line, as he attempts to navigate through the magical world of Forestium to find the truth about his father. 

He and his companions will need to use all their cunning to stay alive and avoid the dark forces of the Goat. 

Will he find the magical orbs and open the Portallas, a magical gateway to other worlds, before he’s killed? 

Joshua sets out to learn the truth about his father. Along the way, he finds friends, enemies, adventure, romance and himself.

♥ ♥ ♥

Q&A with Christopher D. Morgan:

When did you first discover your love for writing? 

Actually, not until quite late in life. In fact, I was never very good at English when I was in school and writing was always a chore to be avoided at all costs. Being blessed with unintelligible handwriting wasn’t helpful either. Later in life, however, articulating myself through the written word became something I really started to enjoy.

Do you have a favourite place to write?

Not really, but it does have to be in a quiet environment. I’m very easily distracted. When I’m in the zone, I tend to quietly slip off to a cosy spot and get my nose down into the keyboard. I wrote Forestium: The Mirror Never Lies entirely from the family home. Often on the sofa, but sometimes on the bed or at the computer desk. I haven’t tried going to a writer’s retreat yet. Perhaps I’ll reserve that for a special occasion.

Do you have a writing routine or process that you adhere to? 

Book Blitz: The Neverland Wars

The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse
Genre: YA Fantasy/ Fairytale Retelling
Release Date: May 9, 2016
Buy Links: Amazon│Barnes & Noble
Summary:

Magic can do a lot—give you flight, show you mermaids, help you taste the stars, and… solve the budget crisis? That's what the grown-ups will do with it if they ever make it to Neverland to steal its magic and bring their children home.

However, Gwen doesn't know this. She's just a sixteen-year-old girl with a place on the debate team and a powerful crush on Jay, the soon-to-be homecoming king. She doesn't know her little sister could actually run away with Peter Pan, or that she might have to chase after her to bring her home safe. Gwen will find out though—and when she does, she'll discover she's in the middle of a looming war between Neverland and reality.

She'll be out of place as a teenager in Neverland, but she won't be the only one. Peter Pan's constant treks back to the mainland have slowly aged him into adolescence as well. Soon, Gwen will have to decide whether she's going to join impish, playful Peter in his fight for eternal youth… or if she's going to scramble back to reality in time for the homecoming dance. 

Excerpt:

Hey landed and moved slowly through the jungle for the last few hundred feet, giving Peter time to explain to Gwen as she walked at his side.

If you’ve never met a mermaid before, there are a few things you should know about them.ȑȐLike what?ȑȐLike they are the most cunning and conniving creatures you will ever cross paths with.ȑȐReally?ȑ Gwen asked, astounded.

I would have thought mermaids would be... I don’t know, beautiful and sweet.ȑȐSirens, all of them. They’ll do anything to get what they want. Mermaids have no qualms about the means to the end, so long as it’s their end they get to. Well, what do they want?"

It’s always some kind of trouble... not that they’ll ever tell you what they want.ȑPeter barreled through a clump of vines, hanging low in his way. Gwen followed after him, her curiosity compounding with every moment. ȐAre they dangerous then?ȑȐTerribly,ȑ Peter responded. ȐSo there are three rules for whenever you confront mermaids. 

Book Blitz: A Criminal Magic

A Criminal Magic by Lee Kelly
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy
Release Date: February 2, 2016
Buy Links:

Amazon ♥ B & N

Book Description:

THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE PEAKY BLINDERS in Lee Kelly’s new crossover fantasy novel.

Magic is powerful, dangerous and addictive – and after passage of the 18th Amendment, it is finally illegal.

It’s 1926 in Washington, DC, and while Anti-Sorcery activists have achieved the Prohibition of sorcery, the city’s magic underworld is booming. Sorcerers cast illusions to aid mobsters’ crime sprees. Smugglers funnel magic contraband in from overseas. Gangs have established secret performance venues where patrons can lose themselves in magic, and take a mind-bending, intoxicating elixir known as the sorcerer’s shine.

Joan Kendrick, a young sorcerer from Norfolk County, Virginia accepts an offer to work for DC’s most notorious crime syndicate, the Shaw Gang, when her family’s home is repossessed. Alex Danfrey, a first-year Federal Prohibition Unit trainee with a complicated past and talents of his own, becomes tapped to go undercover and infiltrate the Shaws.

Through different paths, Joan and Alex tread deep into the violent, dangerous world of criminal magic – and when their paths cross at the Shaws’ performance venue, despite their orders, and despite themselves, Joan and Alex become enchanted with one another. But when gang alliances begin to shift, the two sorcerers are forced to question their ultimate allegiances and motivations. And soon, Joan and Alex find themselves pitted against each other in a treacherous, heady game of cat-and-mouse.

A CRIMINAL MAGIC casts a spell of magic, high stakes and intrigue against the backdrop of a very different Roaring Twenties.

♥ ♥ ♥
QUIZ:

What Role Would You Play in A CRIMINAL MAGIC?

Lee Kelly’s A CRIMINAL MAGIC takes place during the Roaring Twenties, the age of guys, dolls, molls and crime bosses. But in this story’s Jazz Age, magic instead of alcohol is prohibited. Sorcerers work hand in hand with gangsters in every aspect of their illegal dealings – from hiding robberies and murders to underground performance magic shows – as Prohibition Unit agents struggle to uphold the letter of the law.

If you were around during the Prohibition of magic, which type of player would you be? Take our quiz and find out!

QUIZ

1. Which one of these vacations most appeals to you? 

a. A week at an all-inclusive resort in Hawaii with my family, with beautiful beaches, golf courses and lots of down time.
b. A long weekend in Las Vegas with a handful of my closest friends.
c. A ten-day backpacking trip by myself through New Zealand.

2. Most Friday nights I can be found: 

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.