Sunday, June 23, 2013

Blog Tour + Giveaway: Angel Creek Series by Ada Adams






ReVamped
Series-Angel Creek Book # 1 
Published on-February 20,2012


Blurb:
A simple mission turned deadly.
Nineteen-year-old vampire Dawn has led a sheltered life within the confines of her father’s presidential headquarters. Upon being sent on a mission to revamp four goofy misfits into guardians of a peaceful little town of Angel Creek, Dawn believes that all her dreams have finally come true. What starts off as a simple task, turns into something unexpected, changing Dawn’s life forever and leading the action-loving, thrill-seeking vampire teen on a path of mystery, danger and intrigue.
When a human girl is kidnapped by a group of rogue vamps, Dawn discovers that there is more going on in Angel Creek than meets the eye. And it all connects to Ethan, the cute newcomer who seems too perfect to be true, Sebastian, the mysterious vampire with a turbulent past, and even Dawn herself. Dawn must not only succeed in revamping the troubled recruits, but must also prevent the vampire race from being overtaken by a malevolent villain who has a strange and obsessive fascination with her. As threat escalates, romance blooms, and ghosts from her past begin to surface, Dawn is sure of only one thing: her life will never be the same.
Get it here:
Excerpt:
A sharp, searing pain pierced my chest as I watched the guy I liked—the guy I was falling in love with—kiss another girl. With every fiber of my being, I willed myself to look away, my vision blurring in a desperate attempt to escape the agonizing scene before me. My mind failed to obey, and my gaze remained firmly glued to the couple.
Helpless, I surrendered to the nightmare, for a brief moment allowing myself to imagine that his muscular arms were, in fact, embracing me. After all, the girl’s face, with its pale complexion, high cheekbones, straight nose, and cupid-bow lips, was identical to mine. Her glossy brown hair cascaded all the way down her back, each wave perfectly matching my own. Even her slender body curved in precisely the same places. Looking at her was like gazing into the surface of a moving, breathing mirror.
She was me.
Or was I her?
She fluttered open her long, dark lashes, jolting me out of the fantasy by revealing the one perceptible difference between us: her emerald green eyes. While hauntingly beautiful, they looked nothing like my pale violet ones. She stared directly at me, tightening her grip on the one person in the world I wanted to be with. Mocking me for being too late.
“Aurora,” he whispered in her ear.
In that instant, I knew with certainty that he was not thinking about me.




ReAwakened
Series-Angel Creek Book # 2
Published-November 27, 2012


Blurb:
Becoming a vampire guardian was Dawn Fairchild’s ticket out of the Scarlet House. Fresh off a successful mission, life in Angel Creek should have been great. But when her sort-of-maybe-boyfriend, Sebastian, disappears on a quest to help a beautiful vampire from his past, Dawn finds herself amidst a web of danger, lies, and deceit.
Joining forces with Razor, an enigmatic rebel lacking both a verbal and a physical filter, and her band of Misfits—Brooke, Sophie, Hunter, and Seth—Dawn is thrust into a race against the clock to solve the mystery surrounding brutal Born kidnappings and come to terms with the sudden discovery of her own unique powers. With time ticking away and Born vampires’ lives in jeopardy, it quickly becomes evident that someone—or something—desperately wants Dawn and is willing to shed any amount of blood to get her.
Dawn has only one chance to face her demons and overcome all obstacles standing in her way as she embarks on the biggest mission of her life—one that threatens a deadly outcome for all involved.

Get it here:


Excerpt:

My two-story fall was cushioned by a sturdy, muscular torso. The owner of the muscles—a vampire, I realized—groaned as I landed on top of him, forcing him into the muddy ground. I reached for my dagger, but he was quicker. He slipped out from underneath me, flipping me over in the process so that he was quickly astride me. His firm body pressed tightly against mine as his hands pinned my wrists to either side of my head. As a bolt of lightning struck a nearby tree, I was greeted by a mischievous smirk dancing across perfectly-shaped full lips.
“Quite feisty, aren’t you?” he chuckled, bending forward to examine me. Deep, charcoal eyes overflowed with amusement.
He was actually enjoying this.
“I don’t wanna hurt you,” he whispered in a deep, throaty voice. “I’m gonna release you now. Don’t do anything stupid.”
He lifted his arm, removing his right hand from my left wrist. The moment I felt some freedom, I leaped forward, attempting a left hook at his jaw. He blocked my hand, once again pushing it toward the ground.
“I said I wasn’t going to hurt you!” he growled, pinning me even further into the soft, wet earth.
“But I never said that I wouldn’t hurt you!” I snapped.
He brought his face toward mine. “I’d like to see you try,” he whispered.
Challenge accepted.
Now I just had to find a way out of the vampire’s tight grasp. I raised my head—the only part of me that wasn’t restrained by his body—inching my lips closer to his. He tensed for a moment, his eyes searching mine, as if surprised by my sudden change in behavior. Drops of rainwater slid down his chiseled jaw, pausing briefly on his lips before they plummeted down to mine. Then, a slow, smug smile spread across his face. I felt his body relax and he leaned even closer. His breath caressed my skin as his lips drew near.
It was exactly what I needed. Summoning all my strength, I twisted my hips to the side, shooting them up and out, then launching my legs off the ground. Thrown off-balance, my captor groaned and released one of my arms to brace for the fall, giving me the chance to free my dagger. In one smooth move I was quickly behind him, securing him in a headlock with the blade of my weapon aimed directly at his heart.
“Who are you?” I demanded when I was certain that he couldn’t escape my grip.
“I’m a twenty-four-year-old Taurus who enjoys long walks on the beach.” Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his arrogant grin.
“You have ten seconds to explain yourself,” I ordered. “Or I’m really going to hurt you.”
“Oh, come on! Can’t we get back to the kissing? You can’t tease a guy like that.”
“Ten, nine…” I pressed the dagger deeper into him, nicking the leather of his jacket.
“Hey! Watch it!”
“Eight…”
“Oh, alright. You’re no fun,” he sighed. “My name is Razor.”
“What kind of a name is that?”
“It’s a nickname.”
“What kind of a nickname is that?”
“Spike, Blade, Fang—all the good, deadly objects were already taken. It was the best I could do.”
About the author:
"Many people sing in the shower. I write scenes in my head and act them out."
In her career as a writer and an actress, Ada spends most of her days immersed in imaginary worlds. Much like the kick-butt female characters she enjoys playing and writing about, Ada is a martial artist with a Black Belt in Shotokan Karate. She is also a big proponent of lifelong learning and has attained a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology (it aids in creating characters with unique quirks!) as well as a Masters of Science in Education.
Ada began her writing career at age three with a string of short stories that only a mother could love, and has been inventing quirky characters and imaginary worlds ever since. Her readership has now grown to include people who aren't directly related to her. A passionate advocate for the arts, Ada is also an editor-in-chief of VEUX Magazine - a fashion/literary publication which showcases up-and-coming talent from all over the world. Amongst other things she enjoys are zombies, chocolate, and bubble tea.
Ada lives in Toronto, Canada, and when she's not writing you can find her on an adventurous nature hike with her puppies, Caramilk and Oreo. Or deep in a jar of Nutella.


Check her out:


Facebook Event-Tour- https://www.facebook.com/events/178234595678881/ 

 Buy any of the series?? Get it signed with a personal message here:

Get a free Authorgraph from Ada Adams

GIVEAWAY!!

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Friday, June 21, 2013

Blog Tour: Vampire Elite by Irina Argo

Paranormal Romance
Date Published: 6/7/13

Blurb:

Vampire Elite is a new vampire series
The first two parts are released in one volume
Vampire Elite
Part 1. Prophecy
Part 2. Keepers of the Key
What will he do if saving his people means destroying the woman he loves?
A millennia-long war between two immortal races is about to come to an end. Long ago, the Vampire Elite began capturing the immortals called the Amiti, attracted by their unique blood properties. Now most Amiti live in underground cells, forced to serve as vampires’ bloodstock. The few surviving free Amiti, preparing a final strike, have declared their Queen a traitor. Her execution makes possible the rise of a new Queen, her young daughter Arianna, who will inherit her mother's mystical powers. Working with the Keepers of the Key, Arianna may be able to eliminate the vampires, once and for all, from the face of the earth.
The new Queen is the last hope to save her dying race
and she's ready to fight to the last drop of her blood.
 But the King of the Vampires has other plans.
 What neither expects 
is the passion that erupts between them.

Vampire Elite is an epic story of a bitter conflict between two immortal races, and the effect of that conflict on everyone living in its grip. The characters are driven to love and betrayal, vengeance and sacrifice in a world without easy black-and-white answers.
            Based on an ancient Egyptian legend, packed with action and intrigue, Vampire Elite will pull you into the entrancing world of immortals and open new portals into their hidden universe.


Get it here:






Meet VE Character: Simone, Vampire Princess

As the offspring of Tor and the former Amiti Queen, the vampire princess Simone is Arianna’s half-sister, and she is often torn between loyalty to her sister, on the one hand, and loyalty to her father and the Vampire Elite as a whole, on the other. Simone also feels extremely insecure because of the Amiti blood in her veins. Despite being raised as a pampered child in the royal household, she has always suspected that her vampire King father and her family, the Royal pride, never loved her wholeheartedly because she was born defective. Simone is starving to be loved and believes that she can earn this love she perceives to be missing if she can just make herself powerful, strong, and self-sufficient enough—that is, if she can prove without a doubt that she has all the qualities vampires value the most. Unconsciously she becomes convinced that she can fill her emptiness and compensate for her lack of personal power by falling in love with and mating a top-ranking male in immortal society: Antar, the Alpha of the Legacy of Tyr, the immortal police force. She will do anything to win his heart, even if it means betraying someone she loves. But stepping on this path does not bring her the desired result; it just entangles her further in her own vulnerability and insecurity. She creates what she believes to be irreversible damage that will bring the entire Amiti race to the verge of annihilation.

From the Authors

We had lots of fun following Simone’s down the path of adventure and inner development she’s living. She’s spoiled rotten and stubborn, but also very vulnerable, and she tries so hard to prove herself as a real full-blooded vampire, to win the affection of others, or to do the right thing that she overdoes it, with often outrageous outcomes. That’s what makes her a compelling and often funny character: the feeling of wanting to fill an inner void, propelling her to do crazy things in the hope that that is what will make her feel complete. But deep within, as much as she tries to push it away, she knows the truth, which is that in order to find her true self she has to embrace both sides of herself: the vampire and the Amiti. At this point she’s not yet ready to do it; she’s still too bound by the opinion of vampire society—and too afraid that they’ll reject her. Here again, immortal struggles provide a perspective on our own human ones. Hasn’t each of us, at some point, sacrificed a part of our self—even perhaps a part that we hold sacred—in order to feel a sense of belonging or love?




About the authors:

Irina Argo

Irina Argo is a combined pen name for two authors, Irina Kardos and Jo-An
Torres.



Irina

Irina’s world is dark. She works as a clinical psychologist in a Juvenile
Correctional Facility dealing with the extremes of human behavior on a
regular basis and takes care of her paralyzed husband who suffered a stroke
several years ago. To bring light into her life she writes. Writing has always
been her passion. She is originally from Russia where she was employed as
a TV journalist.


Jo-An

Jo-An is a Leo, a lioness who has emerged to follow her dream, to someday
write a book of her own. She owned a costume shop for 15 years and was
able to satisfy and excel in her creative nature. She is an over-achiever and
believes that anything is possible if you believe in yourself and ignore the
nay-sayers. Her philosophy is based on Shakespeare "It is not in the stars to
hold our destiny, but in ourselves." She currently resides in California with
her 5 cats and 1 husband.


Check them out:
Facebook.com/VampireEliteSeries
Twitter: @TheVampireElite




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Thursday, June 20, 2013

Cover Reveal: Summer of Frost by L.P. Dover

Summer of Frost by L.P Dover


 Blurb:
The Land of the Fae is strong with all four courts banded as one, but yet, uncertainty still remains as they all work together to end the dark sorcerer’s evil reign. Sorcha, the one and only Winter Court princess, has a secret, a secret that she has enjoyed keeping for the past six months, but when a much awaited announcement brings her to the Spring Court, and face to face with the man in her dreams, will she be strong enough to keep up the façade of her icy exterior, or will she melt into his arms like she does in her dreams?
After formally meeting Sorcha at the Winter Ball, Drake, Summer Court prince and army leader, knew there was a fiery passion underneath her winter skin, a passion he wanted desperately to ignite with his own, but with her frigid responses towards him he’s decided to keep his distance, except how can he when his dreams feel real. Seeing her again only ignites his interest, and this time he’s not going to let his arrogance or her frosty heart stand in his way.
Through unexpected tragedy, Sorcha discovers the one thing the dark sorcerer has spent his whole existence trying to protect, but what makes it more difficult is that only one of the Four is strong enough to retrieve it. The tides have now changed, and with Drake’s help, will Sorcha find what she’s searching for, or will the dark sorcerer beat them to it, shattering all hope of finding out the one thing that could save the Land of the Fae … how to destroy him.



Check out the first two in the series: 
About the author: 

L.P. Dover lives in the beautiful state of North Carolina with her husband and two wonderful daughters. She’s an avid reader that loves her collection of books. Writing has always been her passion and she’s delighted to share it with the world. L.P. Dover spent several years in college starting out with a major in Psychology and then switching to dental. She worked in the dental field for eight years and then decided to stay home with her two beautiful girls. She spent the beginning of her reading years indulging in suspense thrillers, but now she can't get away from the paranormal/fantasy books. Now that she has started on her passion and began writing, you will not see her go anywhere without a notebook, pen, and her secret energy builder….chocolate.

 Check her out:
Amazon
Goodreads
Twitter

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Release Day + Giveaway: Love, Exactly by Cassandra Giovanni

Love, Exactly
By-Cassandra Giovanni
Genre-New Adult
Publication Date-June 20, 2013


Blurb:
Emma Walker was a writer who'd lost herself to someone else's anger--who had given up on ever feeling like herself again.
Evan Levesque was a rock-god--the one all the woman wanted, but he'd never gotten used to the loneliness between the stage and real life.
With just one cup of coffee they'll begin a journey of self-discovery at each others sides, but can Emma handle Evan's fame while dealing with her own demons? Emma's checkered personal past, a bad relationship that haunts the edges of her memories, threatens to make everything implode on them when Evan takes matters into his own hands.
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but your words...they'll destroy my soul--Can Emma handle being put back together and facing who she's become because of it?

Love Exactly
Get it here:



About the author: 
Cassandra doesn't remember a time when she wasn't writing. In fact, the first time she was published was when she was seven years old and won a contest to be published in an American Girl Doll novel. Since than Cassandra has written more novels than she can count and put just as many in the circular bin. Her personal goal with her writing is to show the reader the character's stories through their dialogue and actions instead of just telling the reader what is happening. In 2012 she became a published Young Adult author, releasing In Between Seasons (The Fall, #1) and Walking in the Shadows. In 2013 she branched out by using her artistic illustrating talents to publish her first Children's novel, The Adventures of Skippy Von Flippy: Tales of Friendship (Skippy Tales, #1). Cassandra will also release her first New Adult novel, Love, Exactly , in the Spring of 2013.


Cassandra is a freelance professional photographer known for her automotive, nature and architectural shots. She is the owner of Gio Design Studios, a photography and publication marketing company that designs covers and marketing materials for authors utilizing the company's photography. She is currently studying to receive her associates degree in Marketing. Cassandra is happily married to the man of her dreams and they live in the rolling hills of New England with the other loves of her life their dogs, Bubski and Kanga.




Facebook Event for Release Day - https://www.facebook.com/events/117936041710168/ 



GIVEAWAY!


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Blog Tour: The Reluctant Goddess by A.F. Firebird

Metaphysical Fiction
Date Published: March 2012



Blurb:
Ellena Ripley is a bookshop owner from a rural town in the south of England - or so she thinks. But lately, she has a growing sense that life is not as it seems. At night, she dreams of a serene man who appears to be trying to tell her something; In the day, she can't shake a feeling of expectation. But of what?

Meanwhile Hector, servant of LIFE and the man from Ellena's dreams, has a dilemma. How do you tell someone they are a goddess? His previous attempts have met with disaster so he must be cautious, particularly when his new trainee, Boudica, formerly Queen of the Iceni tries to help. The question is can they succeed before it is too late? 
Get it here:


About the author:
A.F. Firebird is the alter ego of a sociologist/psychologist turned web developer from the UK. While A.F. Firebird has worked in several fields her primary focus is the exploration of six virtues: appreciation, forgiveness, compassion, humility, understanding and valour. Her first novel, The Reluctant Goddess, numerous short stories and children's books, all investigate aspects of these virtues. 

Check'em out:
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Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Cover Reveal: Hearken by Kristen Day

Hearken
Series-Daughters of the Sea Series # 4 
By- Kristen Day 
Expected Publication Date-September 17th, 2013



Blurb:
Sometimes our souls hear what our minds and hearts refuse to accept. It will whisper its continuous cadence until we're strong enough to glimpse the truth. When the soul's whispers morph into screams, we're forced to gaze into the mirrors of time and see ourselves for who we really are. Would you be able to handle what gazes back?







Check out the first three books in the series as well:

Forsaken
Daughters of the Sea Series-Book #1
By Kristen Day

Blurb:
Once you’ve been touched by darkness, it never leaves you…

Abandoned by her parents as an infant; seventeen year old Hannah spent her childhood wading through countless foster families until being adopted by the Whitmans three years ago.

Unfortunately, Atlanta’s high society wasn’t quite ready for Hannah…or the strange events that plague her.
Chilling visions of murder, unexplained hallucinations, and  dark, mysterious guy who haunts her nightmares all culminate to set in motion a journey of self-discovery that will challenge everything she’s ever believed; not to mention her sanity.

Sent to live at The House of Lorelei on Bald Head Island, NC for ‘kids like her’, Hannah quickly realizes things are not what they seem. Her fellow ‘disturbed’ teens are actually the descendants of mythical Sea Gods and Goddesses. And so is she.

But when Finn, the ghost from her dreams, appears in the flesh; her nightmares become reality and her dark visions begin coming true. Inexplicably drawn to him, she can’t deny the dangerous hold he has on her heart. 

The deadly secrets he harbors will ultimately test her courage and push the boundaries of her love.
She must decide if she is ready to embrace the ancient legend she is prophesied to be a part of. The fate of all the descendants will forever depend upon it.
Get it here:

 

Awaken
Daughters of the Sea Series Book #2
By Kristen Day

Blurb:
 The sacrifices we make have the power to shift the very fabric of who we are, and ultimately who we are meant to be…

After learning of her true destiny as the intended Leader of the Tydes, Anastasia Whitman must now embark on a perilous quest to the Underworld before the age of eighteen in order to plant the seed of immortality and complete her essence to become a true Sea Goddess. But before she can make her legendary journey, an unexpected new student transfers to Lorelei; initiating a sequence of events that will unravel Stasia’s new life, and test the boundaries of her relationship with the mysterious, dark, and sexy Finn Morrison. The line between the Underworld and the Living begins to blur as gruesome ghosts, morbid reveries, and pure evil haunt her waking hours as well as her sanity. Once the details of Finn’s own startling destiny are revealed, the dangerous secrets he’s been hiding will threaten the very love Stasia believed to be indestructible. As time begins to run out, she will be forced to choose between the one she loves and the destiny she cannot escape.
Get it here:


Chosen
Daughters of the Sea Series Book #3
By Kristen Day
Publication Date: January 29, 2013

Blurb:
The essence of who we are lies not in what we have, but in what we are willing to give up.  Because in the end, Time and Tide wait for no one.

After sacrificing all that she had, the evil princess of the Underworld is still successful in her bid to tear Finn from Stasia’s life.  In the midst of her search to reclaim him, Stasia is summoned to the island nation of Cyprus to take part in an age-old ritual; unveiling the missing pieces of her ancestry and re-igniting an ancient war.  As she struggles to both save Finn’s soul and free Carmen’s mind, Stasia’s bravery and determination will be pushed to its breaking point.  A dark storm is forming on the horizon, and the forces who are vying to destroy her may be much closer than she thinks.  Destiny weaves a sticky web of evil, betrayal, and revenge that can only be undone by the purity of love and the soul’s unyielding will to survive.  In the last installment of the Daughters of the Sea trilogy, the past will collide with the present as Stasia’s future hangs in the balance.  The prophecy that paved the way for her new life may indeed be the very thing that strips her of the ones she loves the most.
Get it here:



About the author: 
I am a southern belle at heart with a crazy streak that desperately tries to escape at every opportunity. I love all things nostalgic, rustic, and quirky. I've been told I see the world through rose-colored glasses, but I prefer to think of them as kaleidoscope glasses - swirling and morphing reality into something I can digest (who hasn't pretended those pasty lima beans were really kiwi strawberry jelly beans?).

I am the author of the DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA trilogy, which includes FORSAKEN, AWAKEN, and CHOSEN (Winter 2012). I love all books, but really enjoy writing young adult, paranormal romances. I've loved to write for as long as I can remember. My first published work was my poem RED in second grade (you guessed it - it was a poem about the color red - life altering, I know) that won me 5 gold stars and a spot in my elementary school's poetry book. That's when my addiction to the written word officially began. I was the only kid in fifth grade that actually enjoyed diagramming sentences. Go ahead and laugh – it’s okay.
When I'm not writing I'm making jewelry, painting, drinking sweet tea, watching the discovery channel, or going on random adventures in the mountains of North Carolina with my amazing husband. I graduated from Appalachian State University and dream of becoming a full time novelist.

Check her out:

 Facebook Cover Reveal Event for Hearken- https://www.facebook.com/events/478534278882423/




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Blog Tour: Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy(Book 2) by Jeff Gunhus

  monster hunter tour

 


Jack Templar and the Monster Hunter Academy (Book 2)

 After barely surviving the onslaught of monsters that tried to kill him the day before his fourteenth birthday, Jack Templar leaves his hometown on a quest to rescue his father and discover the truth about his past. Joined by his friends Will and T-Rex, and led by Eva, the mysterious one-handed monster hunter, Jack sets out for the Monster Hunter Academy where he hopes to find answers to his questions. Little does he suspect that the Academy is filled with dangers of its own, many of them more terrifying than anything he’s faced so far.
   
Jack Templar: Monster Hunter

Orphan Jack Templar has no memory of his parents and only the smallest details from his Aunt Sophie about how they died. The day before Jack's fourteenth birthday, things start to change for him. At first it's great: A sudden new strength helps him defend his nose-picking friend "T-Rex" from the school bully, and even his crush, Cindy Adams, takes notice. But then a mysterious girl named Eva arrives and tells him two facts that will change his life forever. First, that he's the descendent of a long line of monster hunters and he's destined to be in the family business. Second, that there's a truce between man and monster that children are off-limits...until their fourteenth birthday! Jack has only one day before hundreds of monsters will descend on his little town of Sunnyvale and try to kill him. As if that weren't enough, things get even more complicated when Jack discovers that the Lord of the Creach (as the monsters are collectively known) holds a personal grudge against him and will do anything to see that Jack has a slow and painful death. To stay alive and save his friends, Jack will have to battle werewolves, vampires, harpies, trolls, zombies and more. But perhaps the most dangerous thing he must face is the truth about his past. Why do the other hunters call him the last Templar? Why do they whisper that he may be the "One?" Why do the monsters want him dead so badly? Even as these questions plague him, he quickly discovers survival is his new full-time job and that in the world of monster hunters, nothing is really what it seems.
 
Awards for Jack Templar Monster Hunter
Book of the Year Finalist by Forward Magazine  
Next Generation Indie Book Finalist
gunhus award             Indie Excellence Finalist   gunhus award 2         Parents Choice Recommended Book Award gunhus award 3                  
Author Jeff Gunhus Jeff Gunhus grew up in Cyprus, Greece, and Saudi Arabia where there was a distinct lack of television. He quickly found books were the gateway to incredible adventures, fascinating characters and unbelievable discoveries. Now, with five children of his own (all who watch too much television, in his opinion), he has enjoyed revisiting his old books and reliving those adventures all over again.

Tour Giveaway 
 $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 7/8/13 a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Blog Tour + Giveaway: Above Rubies by Jaclyn M. Hawkes

above rubies tour  

above rubies

Above Rubies

His chivalry was strangling her. He thought he was helping her—and in truth, he was. She was in desperate straits. But as honorable as he was, he was also breaking her heart. Her attraction was drowning him. When World Champion rodeo cowboy Rossen Rockland and his friends rescue a young runaway who has been abused by her foster father and take her home to his parents’ ranch, he expects her to turn out to be a pain in the neck. And sometimes she is. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that she has way more than her allotment of troubles—and far more than her share of gifts. Lovely, talented, and ravingly brilliant, Kit Star is too young, unbelievably humble, and oh, so loveable. Knowing that she needs his protection and time to grow into her potential, Rossen also figures out that what she really is, is a pain in the heart. Watch for more of the Rockland Ranch Series!  

Excerpt:
At the studio, Kit was surprised at the level of security they had to go through to get into the building.  There was a cluster of people outside the main doors waiting to get a glimpse of whomever would be recording that day, and Kit and Joey were almost overwhelmed by the jostling they received when their group tried to walk through.  Nick smiled at the fans as they pushed through with the help of two security guards, but the smile never quite reached his eyes.  Cameras popping in her face left her nearly blind momentarily and Nick took her elbow and put up a protective arm as one of the others helped Joey get through the crush.  When they were finally safely inside, they were greeted by yet another set of locked doors guarded by armed men.  This time they were escorted through without the physical mobbing.
As they emerged into the safety of the interior of the building, Nick apologized, “Sorry about that.  We usually just drive into the underground parking, and no one can bother us inside the car, but they're doing some kind of maintenance on the concrete and we’re stuck going in the front doors for awhile.  The press is having a good time with it.”  
Nick was still jovial, but it was obvious that the hassle had been frustrating and once inside, he wanted to get right to business.  Dr. Mitchell settled Joey in a booth with a man named Ian who wore a headset and sat in front of ten thousand lighted buttons.  Then he took Kit into the actual studio and fitted her with her own headset and electric guitar.  They were off to one side and he quickly went through the music they were going to be playing that morning.  Kit tried to just focus on the music and ignore her nerves.
Shortly, the other musicians and a backup singer came in and got set up.  There was Nick on the guitar, as well as Kit and Dr. Mitchell, and Mrs. Mitchell on keyboards.  One of the two men who had come in with Nick was his drummer, Shane, and the other was a singer named Joss who played a number of instruments.  Before the day was out he played six different things ranging from the mandolin to the alto sax.  Shane was about half kooky, with a perpetual smile and enough energy for ten people.  Kit liked him instantly and enjoyed his nutty enthusiasm as he mixed a passion for music with a screwball sense of humor.  As they worked, it became apparent that he both tempered the work atmosphere and kept up the intensity at the same time.
Joss was so mellow she almost wondered if he was on something, except there was no way he could have been drugged and so utterly with it musically, at the same time.  Kit didn’t hear him make a mistake the whole day.  He was a machine, just a very low key one.
As they began Kit was sickeningly uptight, but within just a few minutes, as she became confident she could do everything they needed, she loosened up.  She decided being a part of a band was much more fun than just playing alone.  There was something about working together to create the music.  The complexity and depth were immensely satisfying.  The all-encompassing sound and the rhythm and passion of the musicians fed an emotion that was almost a physical high.  She soon found herself immersed in the music and was dancing and playing along with Nick as they worked.   
She knew he’d been watching her.  She would have expected nothing less from any boss.  And when he came and stood beside her, she looked to him for suggestions and instruction just like the others did.  Once in a while, if he got too close, she would back away from him, and a time or two she saw something in his eyes she wasn’t completely comfortable with.  When that happened, she dropped her own eyes to focus on her instrument for a moment.  
They played consistently through three different songs, working until they were near perfect enough for Ian, the sound guy in the booth with Joey.  It took a few times through, but Kit was surprised that they could polish a song in such an amazingly short time.  Her respect for the musicians around her grew as the hours passed.  
They began to have trouble on the fourth song, but it was with the back-up singer, not the instrumentalists.  Kit could sense that Nick and the others were frustrated with the woman, who became more and more put out as they asked her over and over to sing it the way they wanted.  Kit couldn’t even read music, but she understood what they were asking long before the finicky vocalist.  Finally, Nick raked his hand through his messy do and asked Kit quietly, “You don’t by any chance sing do you?”
Kit glanced at the woman who was now glaring at her as she replied, “A little.”  
“Do you understand what we’re after here?”  Kit wordlessly nodded her head.  “Okay.  Let’s try it with Kit singing and see if we can get past this.  From the top.  One, two, three, four.”
Kit began to sing the part, her clear voice a perfect blend with Nick’s and Joss’s, and the piece came together on the very first run.  Nick gave Joss a silent glance that held some meaning Kit didn’t understand, and spoke over his headset to Ian.  The pouty backup singer snarled something unintelligible, glared at Kit and left, leaving Kit as slightly unsure of herself as she had been at first.  Nick gave her a reassuring smile, struck a chord and they continued on as before.    Kit didn’t figure out until that night when she and Joey had a chance to talk, that the singer had been sacked and sent home.  And, it was a day or more later, before she understood that they intended to keep her singing if she would.  
They played until six-thirty California time, when they decided to call it a night.  As they pushed through the crowd at the doors and climbed into the limo for the ride back to the hotel, Kit suddenly realized she was tired to the bone.  The intensity of the work, coupled with her initial nerves, had worn her out and as she settled into the plush seat of the luxury car, she felt her weariness kick in.  
Nick and the guys asked them all if they wanted to go to dinner together, and then out to a club after.  The four of them said yes to dinner, but declined the night on the town later.  Kit was tired enough as they pushed through another bunch of cameras and fans to get into the restaurant, where they were rescued discreetly by the staff and led to an out of the way table, that she wished she would have declined dinner and gone back to the hotel hungry.  
Nick and Joey realized she was tired and kept the conversation going on around her at dinner without a lull, content to let her eat and watch in relative silence.  She still had little appetite and struggled to eat even a minimal meal.   
Walking back out to the limo with both a superstar and his entourage of fans, Kit marveled at how far away this morning in Wyoming felt, and even how normal the crush of onlookers had become.  This time as she was seated next to Nick in the limousine, the brush of his shoulder and thigh against hers didn’t even seem out of place.  She'd come a long way in one day.

Nick helped them out of the car himself at the hotel with a tired smile.  “See you at eight.”  His and Kit’s eyes held for a brief moment and then she turned to walk away into the revolving door.  She made it to their room, showered, prayed, and talked to Joey for a few minutes before nodding off with thoughts of Rossen and Mimi in her head.


Praise for Above Rubies:

I absolutely could not put this book down. It had me laughing, crying, angry and pretty much every other emotion. I can not wait for the next one in the series to come out. Keep them coming!!! ~Addicted to Books

This is the second book in the Rockland Ranch Romance Series.  It can be read as a stand alone or copies of Peace River can be supplied if you would also like to review it.  


peace riverPeace River (Book 1)

The police didn't understand the danger, but she did. Her father had always been abusive, but now, with a ten million dollar Thoroughbred farm on the line, and a powerful bookie leaning on him, her father had become out of control. But how do you get away and take a world famous stallion with you? Carrie was getting desperate when a handsome and honorable but thoroughly cynical rodeo cowboy from Wyoming happened to show up with a horse trailer. He didn't ride a white horse, but he was definitely a knight in shining armor. He'll protect her from the mob, but can she survive falling in love with a bull rider?  

Praise for Peace River

"Give me a clean romance, humor and a good looking cowboy and I'm a happy girl. LDS fiction isn't always my favorite but I really enjoyed the characters and adventure in this book." ~Carol - Goodreads

 "There was plenty of action, adventure and danger to keep me guessing just how everything was going to turn out. I didn't want to put it down until I finished! Jaclyn Hawkes is one of my favorite LDS romance authors. You really can't go wrong with any of her books that you pick up!" ~Cathy -Goodreads

 

Author Jaclyn M. Hawkes

jaclynJaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.



  Blog Tour Giveaway 
 $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 6/26/13  a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Review: Blog Tour + Giveaway: Keeper of the Dragon Sword by Linze Brandon

Keeper of the Dragon Sword - The Dragon Masters by Linze Brandon
Genre:  Fantasy Romance (adult)
Release Date: April 1st, 2013
Goodreads


Blurb:
It was definitely not her week. Her uncle had been murdered, her life had been threatened, an old school friend had re-appeared, she had two body guards and a new home. Elizabeth L'Emery was not having a good time as the new owner and chief executive of the largest fabric manufacturer on Xa'an.

Randall Storm had missed his best friend from school, but he had so many secrets that staying away from her had seemed to be the only solution to keep her safe from the uncontrollable lust for blood of his dragon half. But when he was assigned to her protection detail, he didn’t want to be anywhere else.

As they search for ways to control his magic that didn't enslave him - and didn't kill her - more threats came to try and pull them apart. When the opportunity arises to put a weapon of incredible power into her hands, Elizabeth has to decide if the violence of the blood ritual would be worth the sacrifice of becoming the Keeper of the Dragon Sword.

Get it here:
Smashwords
Review:

  I must say I was taken by surprise while reading Keeper of the Dragon Sword.

  I expected a fantastic tale of lords and ladies with the majestic dragon being thrown in there. I got all of that, but also so much more. There is a nicely balanced Sci-Fi side to the story with futuristic computers and different alien races combined with the fantasy to really make a remarkable story.

 We meet Elizabeth in the most alarming of periods of her life. Her father and Uncle are murdered and her husband is accused of placing hits on them to gain control of their company through forged documents. Of course, he can't get anything with her alive so the next hit was on her. Enter Randall, the sexy cop from her childhood memories that is there to protect her from whatever is going to happen next but the pull they feel towards each other is more than either can resist for long...
I'm not going to give anything away but the coolest part of the book was the world around Elizabeth and Randall along with their own "dragon halves", the literal dragon and dragon mare that live within them and on their skin in the form of a tattoo. (Including a hilarious scene where Elizabeth's tries to bite him!) Between figuring out what they feel for each other and keeping her alive, they have quite the action packed story, but the world makes it even better! We are on a different planet, which can be disorienting at first getting used to terms and settings, but after a while it's more fascinating with all the technology running around and the way people live.

 At first, I had a problem connecting with Elizabeth and Randall, but as they developed over the course of the story, I warmed up to them immensely. If I had to pick one reason for you to read this book it would that it is simply interesting. The entire book will take you on a journey far, far away and give you a love story that will stay with you for a long time.- My Opinion: Buy it!



About the author:
Linzé Brandon is the pen name of a South African engineer and project manager who taught herself to read before she went to school. She started writing in a time period of her life when she was self-employed as an export consultant, and had much better time management skills. Focusing on writing what she loves to read, fantasy and paranormal romance, she does dabble in SF, erotica and erotic romance when writing short stories. It is her dream to write novels full time, but until then she divides her time between work, writing, marketing her books, cross-stitch, archery and painting mixed media abstracts.

 Check her out:
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Butterfly on a Broomstick
Pinterest

Smashwords

GIVEAWAY!!

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