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Wednesday 26 August 2015

Confessions of a Fat Girl by Holly Dae ~ Giveaway

Tour Schedule

About The Book



Confessions of a Fat Girl

by Holly Dae



Release Date: August 4, 2015


Smart and ambitious Season Minett was homeschooled, got accepted into college at 16, graduated with a B.A. in English at 20, got a job at a prestigious magazine at 21, and isn’t afraid to go after what she wants. Twenty-two-year-old Season has it made and everyone knows it. Except Season herself.

People can gush over her all day long, but Season knows they’re just being nice. In reality, she’s accomplished nothing. She doesn’t work hard enough, can’t get her book published, and worst of all at 5’6, 180 pounds with a thirty-two inch waist, a forty-four inch hip, and arms too big for her body, she’s fat and ugly. She's such a disappointment that after her mother divorced Season's dad, she went to live with her new, younger boyfriend and left Season to mother the rest of her siblings. So Season is quite bewildered when the guy she sees every weekend at the bookstore shows serious interest in her. And she ends up liking him. A lot.

Season's not naive enough to think love will solve all her problems though. In fact, love seems to be making everything worse because her food obsession is growing more and more out of her control. But that's impossible. There's nothing wrong with counting calories and wanting

About The Author 

Holly Dae


Stuck in the transition between graduating from college and starting a life called no job, Holly Dae spends most of her free time writing raw and edgy Young Adult and New Adult contemporary novels that deal with rape, drugs, sex, and general psychological ills. When she isn't doing that, she's writing fanfiction for fun and obsessively playing Mario Kart Eight and Pokemon Games.

Giveaway  


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Tuesday 25 August 2015

Top Ten Tuesday #32 ~ Syllabus Books for YA Lit


Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke & The Bookish

Top Ten Books That Would Be On My Syllabus If I Taught YA Lit 101


1. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. The Fault in our Stars by John Green
4. Paper Towns by John Green
5. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
6. On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta
7. The Diary of Anne Frank
8. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
9. The Hobbit by Tolkien
10. The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling

Next week @ Top Ten Tuesday

Ten Characters you just didn't click with


Source: Beckoned by Books

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm. Anyone can play along, just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two teaser sentences from somewhere on that page 
  • Be careful not to include spoilers (make sure what you share doesn't give too much away. You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the book info so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR list if they like the teasers. 
"But you like him, right?"

"Yes, Kit, I like him. But I'm in no rush to start a relationship, especially when we're so close to finding Kara. The need to be with both my sisters is consuming me. We need our power back."


The Witches of BlackBrook

by Tish Thawer

Publication Date: June 23, 2015
Publisher: Amber Leaf Publishing
Source: XPresso Book Tours
Format: eARC









Please make sure you leave your linky of either of these memes if you comment so I can come for a blog visit and check your Top Ten and Teasers too. 

Friday 21 August 2015

Jubilee Manor by Bethany Hagen ~ Review + Giveaway

Tour Schedule

About The Book


Jubilee Manor

by Bethany Hagen


Series: Landry Park #2
Publication Date: August 11, 2015
Publisher: Dial/Penguin
Genre: YA Sci-Fi, Dystopian, Romance
Format: eGalley
Buy It Now: Amazon | Kobo | TBD | iBooks





The thrilling conclusion to Landry Park is full of love, betrayal, and murder--perfect for fans of Divergent, The Selection, andPride and Prejudice.

In Landry Park, Madeline turned her back on her elite family, friends, and estate to help the Rootless. Now, in Jubilee Manor, she struggles to bring the Gentry and the Rootless together. But when Gentry heirs—Madeline’s old friends—are murdered, even she begins to think a Rootless is behind it, putting her at odds with the boy she loves and the very people she is trying to lead. If she can’t figure out who is killing her friends and bring them to justice, a violent war will erupt and even more will die—and Madeline’s name, her estate, and all the bonds she’s forged won’t make any difference.

This conclusion to Landry Park, which VOYA dubbed "Gone with the Wind meets The Hunger Games,” is a richly satisfying, addictive read.

Review

Jubilee Manor is the concluding book to this duo-logy that was simply amazing. Bethany Hagen did a magnificent job in securing the world creation in Landry Park and Jubilee Manor just continued through that thread. The series was well written and the suspenseful and surprising ending was certainly worth the read.

I really enjoyed reading Landry Park and I was definitely not disappointed with Jubilee Manor. I thought that I was going to wish that it was a trilogy but Bethany did a spectacular job in sealing the ends and concluding this series in such a manner where the readers are satisfied with the ending and with the overall story.

Madeline was fantastic as she was in Landry Park, her strength and her great mind was something that I really enjoyed whilst reading through this series. She wasn't scared about how hard her life would be once she made certain decisions, I just really enjoyed her attitude, she was a wonderful protagonist, smart and brave. She did not just take on board what others said, she analysed it in her own mind, she had her own thoughts and her actions reflected her voice not that of others or her family or friends.

David and Madeline's relationship was really enjoyable to read about because I found it so realistic. They were far from the perfect couple and despite having very similar beliefs they were both so strong minded that they had their own opinions. I think that's what I enjoyed about their relationship, that they remained two separate characters and voices.

The Landry Park series is definitely a must read, it's well written with a fantastic protagonist, and the romance is well written. I thoroughly enjoyed the concept, the world building and the story. It is so easy to imagine the future to be like this, I think the potential realism is what grasped me from Landry Park's first page.

Please stay tuned for my soon to be posted review of Landry Park.

About the Author

Bethany Hagen




Bethany Hagen was born and raised in Kansas City. She grew up reading Charlotte Brontë, Jane Austen, and all things King Arthur, and went on to become a librarian. Landry Park is her debut novel.


Giveaway  


This event is brought to you by
The Fantastic Flying Book Club

Wednesday 19 August 2015

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino Book Blitz & Giveaway




Before We Were Strangers

by Renee Carlino


From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City.

To the Green-eyed Lovebird:
We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House.
You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more.

We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other.
Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding…

I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello.

After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half?







About The Author

Renee Carlino




Renee Carlino is a screenwriter and bestselling author of romantic women's novels. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two sons, and their sweet dog June. When she's not at the beach with her boys or working on her next project, she likes to spend her time reading, going to concerts, and eating dark chocolate. 

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The One You Feed by James Drummond ~ Author Interview + Giveaway

 

About The Author

James Drummond




James is the author of The One You Feed, Something Wiccan, and The Agreement - the first three books of the Out of the Dark series. He lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife Angela and two cats named Tim and Ruby. During the day James is a Senior Instructional Designer for an e-learning development company. A Graphics Designer at the company, Wojtek Batko, designs the covers for James' books.

Author Interview 


1. What was your inspiration for the Out of the Dark series?

I just really like the horror genre. It started as a fun hobby. I wanted to write my own stories using established horror creatures. I started with werewolves in The One You Feed and tried witches and warlocks in Something Wiccan. Vampires are up next in The Agreement, which comes out this fall.

2. What was your inspiration for the book covers for the series?

I’ve always liked illustrated covers in the style of the Harry Potter series or some of the old Lord of the Rings books. I thought it would be fun to recreate scenes from my books for the covers and am very fortunate to have some very talented illustrators as coworkers. One of them was willing to take on the challenge and has come up with some great designs. I’ll explain to him how I envision the cover looking and he’ll use his creative powers to create the scenes and integrate the book titles in creative ways.

3. If you could choose ANY Author, who would you choose as a mentor and why?

I’d love to pick the brains of William Gibson to talk science fiction and cyberspace or Richard Price to learn more about his research process and how he created incredible characters like Ronald "Strike" Dunham and Rocco Klein. Seeing as how I have no access to them, I was actually pretty excited to find a way to hear some stories and learn a few tips and tricks from a multi-best seller when I found the MasterClass web site: https://www.masterclass.com/classes/james-patterson-teaches-writing

4. Do you have any writing quirks?

I often live in the world I’m creating, even when I’m not writing about it. I think that’s something a lot of writers do. When I’m out with friends and there’s a lull in the conversation, I’ll often want to get their opinions on character and stories they know nothing about yet. It’s like wanting to discuss a favorite television show nobody else is watching.

5. How did you come up with the title?

I don’t remember how I stumbled across the Native American fable of The Wolf You Feed (which, as it turns out, might not actually be a true Native American fable), but I just felt like it was a perfect fit. First off, a couple of the main characters are Native American. Second, the story’s lead, Toby, fits the allegory perfectly. He wants to be brave and take action when needed, but struggles to do so because of fear and self-doubt.

6. Have you always known you wanted to be a writer?

I’ve always known I wanted to tell stories. I started with screenplays because I thought they’d be easier to actually start and finish in the limited free time that falls between work, friends, relationships, feeding the cats, trying to occasionally exercise, etc. My first two books are actually based on screenplays. The scripts were fun to write, but they didn’t feel complete. About a year after I finished them I decided I needed to turn them into novels.

7. What would you say was the hardest part to write The One you feed?

Ugh, it’s such a lame answer, but finding the time to write it. I told myself when I started that it was just going to be a hobby. I’d get around to working on it when I had the time. I wasn’t going to rush the process. I was kidding myself. If I went more than a day or two without working on the book I’d start to feel really guilty, and I would have so much fun when I did work on it. There were plenty of nights when I’d get home from work and be too fried to do much, but I’d always try to write a page or two. It still took me over a year, which was frustrating, but still pretty fulfilling.

8. In hindsight, would you change ANYTHING about The One you Feed?

Well that’s the perk of publishing e-books. You CAN change things. I haven’t altered the story at all, but I have gone back and edited spots where I felt the writing was clunky. I cut my teeth with this book, so there were some rough spots. However, I am planning on publishing all three books as paperbacks during the Halloween season, so I’m going to have to get to a point where I’m happy with all three pretty soon.

Thanks so much for helping me get the word out about the One You Feed and letting me take part in this interview. It was fun. Good questions!

About The Book


The One You Feed

by James Drummond 


Series: Out of the Dark #1 
Date Released: October 2013
Genre: YA Horror







Like most kids who grew up in the small Oregon town of Silver Falls, Toby Hoffman had heard all the scary stories about the monsters living in the neighbouring woods of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Now a teenager, he knows the stories are made up to keep the town’s children from wandering where they aren’t wanted.

Then his best friend, Nate, wakes up covered in blood in the reservation woods, with no recollection of whose blood it is or where it came from. When even more brutal attacks follow, Toby can’t help but wonder if one of the fables he was told as a child might be true. With the help of Rachel, a determined Native American girl who has moved off the reservation and into the house next door, he begins searching for an explanation for the recent carnage. He also develops feelings for his new neighbour, which are put to the test when he and Rachel discover that her uncle may be responsible for the emergence of a legendary monster that does in fact exist.

To make matters worse, there’s evidence that Nate was turned by the beast, and that he has every intention of holding onto his extraordinary new creature capabilities no matter the cost. In order to save Silver Falls from a true scary story, Toby will have to face off against forces he doesn’t fully understand – and his closest friend. 

Excerpt

Henry Jennings wasn’t sure of when he’d first become aware of the squealing. The high-pitched cries might have found their way into his dream at first. After seventeen years as a pig farmer, he often found himself working the paddocks even after falling asleep. Sometimes his high school sweetheart, a Sasquatch, or a renowned historical figure might join him to lend a hand—his dreams weren’t entirely void of imaginative elements—but hogs were frequently the focal point.

However, this time the ruckus in the stables wasn’t merely part of some unpleasant dream. As the stout farmer blinked away the cobwebs and progressed further into consciousness, the frantic oinks and squeals from outside intensified, overpowering the strong patter of rain against his bedroom window.

What the hell was going on out there?

Turning on his bedside lamp, Henry dragged himself out from underneath the covers and surveyed the floor for a suitable pair of jeans to pull on. Kicking a few options aside, he uncovered a pair spotted with dry mud. He looked again at the downpour outside and quickly decided to don the already soiled jeans along with a worn flannel shirt.

The clock above the kitchen stove read 4:35 a.m. Trying to fall back asleep after investigating whatever was going on outside would be pointless. By the time he settled back into a good slumber, his radio alarm would wake him with the day’s weather and the latest country hits. He might as well check the farrowing huts as long as he was up. Maybe Betty had finally had her new litter. Betty, of course, was an exceedingly pregnant pig.

Most folks were surprised when they found out Henry named his swine. They assumed that by doing so he was just increasing his chances of growing attached to them, making it harder to slaughter the animals when the time came. Henry figured that people assumed this because that’s how they would feel, and because at fifty-two years of age, he hadn’t developed many relationships outside of the ones he had with his pigs.

But Henry didn’t name them out of a need for companionship. That wasn’t it at all. He named them simply because they deserved names.

They were intelligent animals that would provide for folks in innumerable ways. Pork was obvious, but most people didn’t realize that weed killers, rubber, makeup, and antifreeze all came from hog fatty acids. Their glands and organs sometimes supplied insulin for diabetics and ventricles for certain heart surgeries, while the skin of a pig could be used for gloves, shoes, and various types of clothing.

These were just a few instances of how Henry’s hogs might one day benefit society, and already far more examples than he could come up with for most people he knew. That being said, his precious animals were just being a raucous pain in the ass at the moment.

Snaring his jacket and a flashlight from the hall closet, Henry headed outside. A blaze of lightning and the boom of thunder greeted the gruff farmer as he stepped out into a torrential rain. He flipped on the flashlight and jogged over to the stable. The door was securely locked, just as he’d left it. Cursing the downpour, he dug out a set of keys from his front pocket and, shining the light on them, thumbed his way to the one he needed. He then slid the key into the padlock and opened up the stable.

Once inside, he became instantly aware of how the stable’s usually close, pungent odours were diminished, almost replaced, by the fresh smell of rain. That was when the gaping hole in the structure’s side wall became apparent. Henry shone his flashlight through the large, splintered opening. The rainfall outside sparkled as it passed through the beam.

Stunned, he moved the light to the ground, expecting to find tire tracks. It would have taken one drunk or reckless driver to veer this far off the road, but Henry couldn’t think of another explanation for the damage he was seeing. To his surprise, there were no tracks in the mud.

Henry then spotted one of his hogs, Milton, toddling for the breach. For all he knew, the exterior fence had been damaged too, and he couldn’t afford to lose half his stock out in the surrounding forest. He moved toward the makeshift exit to keep the pig from escaping, but only made it a couple of steps before a low, muffled growl stopped him dead in his tracks.

A predator.

And just like that, Henry’s main concern was no longer preventing his hogs from getting out of the stable, but determining what had gotten in. Spinning around, he shone his flashlight into a nearby stall, then another. All he found were squealing pigs. He caught only a glimpse of the intruder, out of the corner of his eye, just before the animal struck. It was powerful, whatever it was. The creature knocked the hog farmer off his feet and sent him sailing across the stable. As he tumbled to the ground, Henry felt a sharp pain shoot up his left side. At first, he thought it was strictly the result of a hard landing, but when he brought his hand to his ribs, he discovered his jacket and shirt had been torn open by the animal’s strike. And although he couldn’t make out anything in the darkness, his fingers were now covered in a sticky wetness Henry could only assume was his own blood.

He spotted his flashlight laying several feet away and considered scrambling for it. Then, out of the shadows at the far end of the stable, appeared two glowing yellow eyes. They were all Henry could see of the creature that had attacked him. They were all he wanted to see.

No longer caring about the flashlight, he rolled onto his hands and knees and began crawling for the door, adrenaline overtaking any pain. After a yard or two, he lurched onto his feet. The ache in his side returned with the effort, and his hand instinctively went back to the wound. His clothes were now soaked with blood.

Henry heard the heavy patter of the animal’s footfalls on the dirt floor behind him, just prior to feeling its teeth gliding through his calf. The beast’s jaw clamped down like a bench vise. It then yanked him back, and before he’d even really registered the attack, Henry found himself soaring though the air again. He hit the ground hard, skidding across hay and manure. When he finally he came to rest, he was lying beside the hole the massive beast had created in the stable wall.

He had to get through that opening. Maybe this thing had decided to claim Henry’s stable as its own and was simply defending it. If he could just pull himself out into the pen, maybe he’d be safe. He reached out and grabbed at the splintered wood with his bloody hands, his muscles straining as he pulled himself through the breach.

The sensation of rain pelting his face lasted only a second. Then Henry felt the beast’s razor-sharp teeth chomp down once more. He cried out as the creature jerked him back inside the stable. There would be no escape. The squealing of his hogs grew louder, but their commotion was no competition for Henry’s own terrified screams. He felt the sensation of claws cutting through him, but no pain. Henry could no longer feel pain. In the next few moments, he’d stop feeling altogether.

Giveaway  

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Saturday 15 August 2015

Sunday Post #15

The Sunday Post
Sunday Post is a weekly feature hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Reviewer. It's main purpose is similar to that of a Sunday newspaper; recap of the week gone by, additions to your library and what is going on in the book blogging community.

Library Additions


Inspired by The Stacking the Shelves hosted by Tynga's Reviews

I won this from Snowdrop Dreams. Yet to read it but so excited and it's oh so pretty in pink. I absolutely adored Eleanor & Park so I'm sure I'll love Landline too. 


Got this from the store I mentioned here, it's a second hand book store that does buy back, but I don't really buy printed books unless I have the entire collection thus far, so most if not all of these won't be getting returned, but I do love the concept. 

Personal News

I haven't been as constant on my blogging the last week or two because my son's been sick and I've just started my Diploma again, only have to do one core unit and one elective and I'll have my Diploma, but I needed the week or two to get back into my groove. I've also had a bit of problems with my Scheduled posts not posting on schedule, so please comment below if it's happened to you and what you did to fix it as I'm not getting much help from Blogger.

Around The Blogosphere 



The Secret Sister Project has commenced and the lovely girls that organise this event has opened it Internationally! Yay! So I was fortunate enough to have been able to participate which I'm so excited about. I've already sent my Sister the August package, and I've also purchased the following month's package already. It's been so fun and exciting to plan and shop for my Sister. This is such a fantastic event! For those that would like to participate but didn't get to sign up on time, follow the organisers on Twitter and their blog so you can start getting to know them as that's one of the requirements to be able to join. 

Bout of Books

Bout of Books Read-a-thon starts this Monday, so don't forget to sign up! Here's the Schedule for the coming week.


Beat the Heat Read-a-thon commences next week, so don't forget to participate in this one too. This, like Bout of Books is also a lot of fun. Check it out! 


Lord of the Demons by Jeff Gunhus ~ Review + Giveaway

Lord of the Demons
Tour Schedule
Welcome to my tour stop for 

Lord of the Demons by Jeff Gunhus 

the 5th book in the Templar Chronicles Series

This is a Middle-Grade Adventure book which I love; check out my review for book 1; Jack Templar Monster Hunter and an Interview with the amazing Jeff and check out my review of book 2; Jack Templar and the Monster Academy and find Jeff's Top Ten Classic Monster Movies

Stay tuned for my reviews of book 3 and 4 which will be coming shortly. For now let's celebrate the release of book 5 in this fantastic series; The Templar Chronicles and don't forget to enter the giveaway. 

About The Book

Jack Templar 5

Jack Templar and the Lord of the Demons 

by Jeff Gunhus 

Series: The Templar Chronicles #5
Publication Date: August 4, 2015
Publisher: Seven Guns Press




With two of the Jerusalem Stones in hand, Jack and his friends must race the clock to find the remaining Stones as Ren Lucre's Creach forces gather strength. With two of their group now with Creach blood flowing in their veins, the team will be tested as never before. They must unite together if they have any hope of surviving their journey to the Underworld and their battle with the vicious Lord of the Demons. The fate of the entire world hangs in the balance.

Review

Jeff Gunhus did it again! The 5th book in The Templar Chronicles; Lord of the Demons is a fantastic, fast-paced adventure that both kids and Adults would enjoy. Jack Templar and his group of Monster Hunters (some are slightly changed but alas they are hunters at heart) have set off to gain the third Jerusalem stones, as usual, their paths are rarely smooth sailing and they encounter many bizarre and dangerous beings on the way. 

Lord of the Demons is like all the other Templar Chronicles, it's fast-paced, adventure-filled, nail-biting and scary at the best of times, what makes this series so much more enjoyable than some is the great characters that we get to know through their adventures. I love how I've seen the growth of the characters, how they've grown as a group and also individually. I really love the dynamics between their little group and found myself laughing out loud when they were bickering amongst each other. 

I really love the camaraderie between them, and it was so easy to forget how young they are. They had maturity at the best of times but also the purity of a child's mind and I think that's what I love about the book, children aren't afraid to say what they think, and I like those dialogues when one of them would say things lacking filter, things that adults could only dream about saying out loud. 

As usual the journey is tumultuous and dangerous and like all the books in the Templar Chronicles they are all fast paced and filled with adventures. Its definitely a series that you find yourself flipping through the pages and constantly saying "just one more chapter" and then at the end you find yourself breathless and unable to fully articulate in words how damn awesome the story was! I love this series and I could only imagine how much more fantastic it would have been if I read it when I was a child, this is certainly a series that can be enjoyed and appreciated by all age groups. 

One of my favourite parts of the books still remain to be the "Warning" at the beginning, I find it really sets the mood and tone for the tumultuous and adventurous journey that anyone that continues to read the book will find themselves in. 



Excerpt  

Just then, Eva stepped out from the brush directly into the forest path, straddling it with her feet set wide apart like a gunslinger in an old Western. For the life of me, I don’t know how she got that close without me seeing her, but she did.

“Hey,” she called out. “Wolfboy. Where do you think you’re going?”

Even as a vampire, Eva retained her English accent. Usually that took the edge off what she said, but she managed to deliver the challenge to Daniel with so much condescension and mockery that I thought he might charge at her.

Daniel spun around, lips curled back, every tooth showing. What I thought was a snarl before was no more than a tiny growl compared to the vicious sound that now came from his mouth. The skin on my arms and across the back of my neck turned to gooseflesh. I was, after all, a monster hunter. That snarl activated every instinct I had to pull my sword and fight. But I held steady, knowing that if they attacked each other, it was going to be up to me to pull them apart.

“I’m right here,” Eva hissed, barring her teeth to show her vampire fangs. “Come and get me, you dog.”

The words were barely out of her mouth before Daniel launched himself toward her. She crouched low where she was, her face twisting into a terrible mask of hate, her fangs extending out of her mouth past her lower lip, her hands held in front of her like claws.

Daniel took three enormous steps, landing the third immediately beneath the rabbit still desperately kicking to free itself. The second Daniel’s paws touched the ground, the forest floor gave way and he fell out of sight.

The cloth covering the hole we’d dug fell into the trap with him, dragging a layer of dirt and leaves in with it.

About The Author

Jeff Gunhus


Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter

jeff
Jeff Gunhus is the author of the Amazon bestselling supernatural thriller, Night Chill, and the Middle Grade/YA series, The Templar Chronicles. The first book of the series, Jack Templar Monster Hunter, was written in an effort to get his reluctant reader eleven-year old son excited about reading. It worked and a new series was born. His book Reaching Your Reluctant Reader has helped hundreds of parents create avid readers. Killer Within is his second novel for adults. As a father of five, he and his wife Nicole spend most of their time chasing kids and taking advantage of living in the great state of Maryland. In rare moments of quiet, he can be found in the back of the City Dock Cafe in Annapolis working on his next novel. If you see him there, sit down and have a cup of coffee with him. You just might end up in his next novel.

Jack Templar awards
$25 Blog Tour giveaway
Jack Coins  
$25 Blog Tour Giveaway + 3 Templar Coins $25 Amazon eGift Card or Paypal Cash (Open Internationally) 3 Templar Coins (US only) Ends 8/31/15 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com eGift Card or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

Thursday 13 August 2015

Beat The Heat Read-a-thon


Beat the Heat (BtH) Read-a-thon is in it's 3rd year running hosted by Jessi at Novel Heartbeat and Reanna at Phantasmic Reads. This is a low-pressured 3-week Read-a-thon so set your own goals and read away! Sign-ups are now open and if you'd like to enter the Grand Prize Giveaway make sure you Sign-Up BEFORE August 28th! Now onto the official stuff...

The Rules

  1. The Beat the Heat Readathon runs from August 24th at 12:00 AM to September 6th at 11:59 PM. 
  2. There will be mini-challenges throughout the Readathon for participants, along with a grand prize giveaway at the end! 
  3. Sign up at Novel Heartbeat or over at Phantasmic Reads. You may join whenever you like, but to be eligible for our grand prize giveaway, you must sign up by August 28th. 
  4. To join, all you have to do is make a sign-up post – even if it’s just a “Let’s do this!” thing – and add your post URL to the linky! You can put your goals and progress (will be required for the final giveaway) in your sign-up post, or you can make it separate. Totally up to you! (You are welcome to use the template we provide in the kick-off post as well.) 
  5. In order to enter for the grand prize, you must have a post to keep track of your progress so we can see that you participated. 
  6. Follow along on Twitter and share your progress with the hashtag #BtHReadathon!

Goals

  • Read at least 6 books in the duration of BtH so an average of 2 books per week OR 50 pages/day
  • Participate in at least 2 challenges
  • Visit at least 20 participants of BtH weekly
  • Participate in a Twitter chat if time zone conversion permits

Progress

Please stay tuned as I will update my progress on this post. 

Bout of Books Read-a-thon

Bout of Books

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 17th and runs through Sunday, August 23th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 14 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Goals

  • Read 3 books this week or at least an average of 70 pages/day
  • Participate in at least 2 challenges
  • Visit at least 20 BoB participants throughout the week
  • Participate in a Twitter chat if time conversion permits
Please stay tuned on this page as I'll update this post throughout the event. 

Wednesday 12 August 2015

Pretty Dark Sacrifice by Heather L. Reid ~ Review + Giveaway

Tour Schedule

About The Book

Pretty Dark Sacrifice

by Heather L. Reid


Series: Pretty Dark Nothing #2
Publication Date: July 28, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books LLC
Buy It Now: Amazon | Kobo | TBD | iBooks




It’s been five weeks, two days, and eight hours since the demons forced Quinn to throw herself into the raging river, since Aaron sacrificed himself to save her, since his body disappeared without a trace.

Everyone wants Quinn to move on, but she can’t, not after a spirit appears to her at Aaron's memorial, convincing her he’s still alive.

When a mysterious box materializes on the very spot Aaron disappeared, Quinn finds she’s at the center of an ancient prophesy of betrayal, revenge, and sacrifice that takes her to the depths of the underworld to face Lilith—Adam’s first wife.

If Quinn can stop Lilith from unleashing the demon horde Eve, trapped inside the box during the Battle of Eden millennia ago, she will save the human realm and free Aaron from an eternity in torment.

All it will cost is her blood.

Review


Pretty Dark Sacrifice is the sequel to Pretty Dark Nothing and I enjoyed that it was unlike each other, I'm unsure which I like better but the latter is a lot more emotional whereas the former, Pretty Dark Sacrifice, is a lot more action-packed. 

Quinn gets some answers and whilst both her and Aaron are separated they come to each others new identity pretty well. I felt that Quinn grew into her character and she slowly develops her new identity and she matures as well, she was a lot more likeable in the sequel. I was sad though that Aaron and her were not together in this book as much, I missed the chemistry between them when they are present together, but I do love how Quinn never gives up on him. 

I really enjoyed where Heather L Reid went with this series! It's absolutely fantastic! I love the whole concept of Eve being trapped in a Pandora box and how Quinn must release her to be able to save both Aaron and the whole world. I love the waging war between good and evil, I can go on and on about how much I love the plot of this series, but I won't bore you all with my fangirling, but I must say this is a unique take on YA paranormal, so if you want something fresh this is a must read! 

I enjoyed the writing, it was mysterious in all the right places, but there was no lack of descriptions either. I enjoyed Pretty Dark Sacrifice a tiny bit more because I enjoyed the characters better, both the old and newly introduced, I also felt that the sequel was more fast-paced and I couldn't read it fast enough. I hope that the series will be a trilogy as I cannot wait to get the explosive ending that I just know this series will have. 


About The Author 

Heather L Reid




Heather L. Reid is both American and British and has called six different cities in three different countries, home. Her strong sense of wanderlust and craving for a new adventure mean you might find her wandering the moors of her beloved Scotland, exploring haunted castles, or hiking through a magical forest in search of fairies and sprites. When she’s not venturing into the unknown in her real life, she loves getting lost in the worlds of video games or curling up by the fire with good story. For now, this native Texan is back in the Lone Star State, settling down with her Scottish husband and writing new tales of fantasy and horror.

Giveaway  


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