Friday, May 20, 2016
Book Blast - Giveaway - Asleep by Krystal Wade @KrystalWade @chapterxchapter @BlazePub
Hello readers!
Are you looking for your next read?
Well, let us help make things easier for you!
Welcome to the Book Blast for
Asleep by Krystal Wade
presented by Blaze Publishing!
Check out the teaser below,
and be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!
As a special treat, we've got another book that may tickle your fancy...
What is it? Read on, dear reader, read on!
"To cure fear, you must use fear."
Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be.
Asleep by Krystal Wade
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Blaze Publishing
What Readers Are Saying:
"This was hands down one of the best thrillers I've read in a long while." - Martina McAtee, Author
"It's amazing how this book can bring so many emotions out of me and leaves me being a sobbing mess in the end!" - Gina, A Thousand Books
" It is 100% a book that you need to experience completely for yourself." - Lauren, Wonderless Reviews
“Hey,” Rose said, feeling stupid and idiotic for even trying to
start a conversation with someone in a mental institution. “My name’s Rose.”
The guy didn’t respond. He merely stared at her the way she would
a model in Life Drawing class, his intense brown eyes hooded by his forehead
and lined by thick black lashes, soaking her in, memorizing her, making Rose
feel raw and exposed. Every now and then his jaw clenched and popped. So much
emotion simmering just below the surface, so much insanity. He’d make a perfect
model himself with all that silent misery, hair swept to the side, broad
shoulders and muscles stretching the sleeves of his white, cotton shirt,
muscles he’d never get to use because he was stuck in here. Rose could almost
envision him in one of her drawings, this guy standing in the background,
still, hands in his pockets, staring at a girl in the foreground.
Shaking her head, Rose snapped out of her daydream. Drawing was
part of the past that no longer mattered.
“Lights out,” Nurse Judy called, startling them both so badly they
bumped into the table and left it quaking. She laughed. “Didn’t mean to scare
you, dear.”
“It’s okay,” Rose said, rubbing her sore knee. “Keep it up,
though, and I’ll have bandages everywhere.”
“My eldest daughter Isabel tells me I’m always sneaking up on her
too. I insist she must have a guilty conscious to be so jumpy, but with you,
I’m not so sure.” The nurse smiled again, kindly, her eyes glazed over, and
Rose knew the woman was thinking about her daughter. “Well, I’ll try to be more
careful in the future. But for now, off you go, to your room.”
“Good night,” Rose said to the guy.
But he didn’t respond, not that she expected him to. He gave Judy
a long, hard glance, then got up and marched to a door on the opposite side of
Hall A. Judy didn’t pay any attention to him as she wrapped her arm around Rose
and ushered her off to bed, holding out a pill cup.
“Here you go. Meds and rest, Rose. Meds and rest. The best thing
for you, aside from being open and honest with Dr. Underwood.” The nurse smiled
in a way that said she knew open and honest hadn’t occurred earlier today.
The horrid commute gives me plenty of time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town (I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe me). I’ve been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?). I hope you love my stories (or just like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love while surrounded by people you love.
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Eight weeks after sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton gives her virginity to her best friend, “the stick” says she’s pregnant.Her friends treat her like she’s carrying the plague, her classmates torture and ridicule her, and the boy she thought loved her doesn’t even care. Afraid to experience the next seven months alone, she turns to her ex-boyfriend, Neil Donaghue, a dark-haired, blue-eyed player. With him, she finds comfort and the support she desperately needs to make the hardest decision of her life: whether or not to keep the baby. Then a tragic accident leads Andie to discover Neil’s keeping a secret that could dramatically alter their lives, and she's forced to make a choice. But after hearing her son’s heartbeat for the first time, she doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to let go.
Because I Love You by Tori Rigby
Publication Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Blaze Publishing
Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!
Blast + #Giveaway: Narine of Noe by Danika Dinsmore @Danika_Dinsmore @toobusyreading
Narine of Noe (Faerie Tales from the White Forest Book Four)
Narine of Noe should have had her whole life to train to take her father’s place as High Sage. But when a mysterious force falls from the skies, sending the world into elemental chaos and her father into mortal danger, the fate of every living creature lands on her shoulders . . . including that of the Eternal Dragon. Without the Dragon it is impossible to regain the Balance of All Things. An elaborate plan to save the world must be hatched, and Narine is forced to take charge in a world gone mad.
Before the White Forest was born, before the Great World Cry, the story that started it all. . .
Praise for Narine of Noe and the White Forest series
A charming, magical journey... ~Cassandra Rose Clarke, Author, The Assassin's Curse series
Dinsmore weaves a coming of age story through a world that is both fantastic and believable. ~Rise Reviews
I was hooked before I finished the first chapter . . . I fell in love with Narine and you will, too. ~Brenna D'Amico, actor, Disney’s Descendants
Excerpt
Narine dropped to the sand from the force of the Eternal Dragon’s energy. Never could she have imagined the power of Its presence. There was no resisting or competing with that power; the Dragon commanded the elements like no other. Each bit of earth, air, fire, water inside of Narine blew open, mere seeds popping over a fire.
The Dragon glanced at her with Its eternal eyes, no more than a flick, but in that flick she plummeted deeper inside herself than she had ever known. Her existence in that eternity lasted less than a moonsbreath before she was back, gasping for breath.
Her father, perched at the edge of the dock, caught her eye, a look as eternal as the Dragon’s. He smiled at her, gestured with open hands, and then fell from the pier. Before she had time to react, to digest what had just happened, the Dragon opened Its mouth and inhaled. The world froze. She felt the Dragon’s great inhale pulling at her heart, but she could do nothing as It drew that breath and absorbed Thorze’s corporeal energies as Its own.
As It exhaled, Narine felt her own cells fill back up with her Father’s Knowing. His Transitioning of himself into her. She could feel it rooting, thin tendrils weaving themselves through the miniscule spaces within her being.
But it was too fast; it was too much. There was no way she could contain it all.
She wasn’t ready! It wasn’t her time!
“No!” she cried and grasped at the wet sand. “Father, no!”
The world popped back into place, her cries became those of Vendra’s, reaching her great flipperpaw after Thorze’s body as it plummeted into the water’s darkness.
Vendra leapt to the side of the pier, the waves shook the world, and she slammed into a silver pillar.
The great Dragon huffed and knocked Thorze’s scepter away with Its thick sea green tail. The scepter flew across the water and landed on the shore before Narine with a
heavy, wet thud. No! It couldn’t be!
“Father!” she cried, searching the waters, tears streaking her cheeks. “Father!”
The Dragon dipped Its head back into the lake, and, in one fluid motion, arced Its massive body after it. The tail of the great serpent flicked out from the water like a tongue, and the serpent was gone. The World Sages stared at the water in silent shock. Waves lapped at Narine’s feet, dragon-sized ripples.
She looked down in her daze. The scepter. She picked it up from the sand, and her body immediately seized up. A white light tortured her vision, and then streaks of blue and silver blended within the reassuring voice of her father, Yes, Narine. Take the Dragon’s Gift.
Author Danika Dinsmore
Danika Dinsmore is an award-winning author, performance artist, and educator. Over the past 25 years she has developed content for the page, stage, screen, and web. Danika currently works in literary and speculative fiction with an emphasis on juvenile & young adult literature. Author of children’s fantasy adventure series FAERIE TALES FROM THE WHITE FOREST, she often takes her interactive Imaginary Worlds Tour on the road, performing and teaching world-building & creative writing at schools, conferences, and festivals across North America.
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 5/30/16
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code 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.
Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Forestium by Christopher D. Morgan @portallasbooks @XpressoTours
Forestium
Christopher D. Morgan
(Portallas #1)
Publication date: February 28th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
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.
—
EXCERPT:
Prologue
Melachor and
Veloria stopped just long enough to catch their
breath.
Melachor felt
Sandor’s forehead with his palm. The skin was
still damp and
hot to the touch. The infant’s breathing had
become
increasingly laboured and he was now gasping for breath.
Melachor stared
at the tattered map, his hand shaking.
“Please,
Melachor, we must rest.” Veloria leaned against a
grungy building
with the infant limp in her arms, barely able to
stand. Her fatigued
toddler whined as he clung to her.
Sandor continued
whimpering. Time was running out.
Melachor shook
his head and heaved a sigh as he caught his wife’s
eye. She clutched
a protective arm around Jared’s shoulders. Both
of them feared
their toddler might also catch this plague.
They peeked up
and down the filthy alleyway. Screams rang out
from all
directions. Pandemonium in the distance wrenched at
their attention
but Sandor’s wellbeing was all they could focus on
right now.
“This way, Vel”
he said, leading his exhausted family further
into the maze of
backstreets.
People had been
running for cover, and the winding alleys were now all but empty. The sun’s
rays didn’t penetrate into these
narrow passages
and a foul stench hung in the air. Shady figures
lingered in the
shadows, and he felt eyes staring at them from
hidden corners.
The rickety,
wooden buildings gave no outward sign of what lay
behind each door.
Melachor knew it was unsafe to bring his family
here, but if
Sandor were to stand any chance of surviving the
illness, he
needed to find a Metamorph and quickly. The pox had
claimed so many
lives already and time was running out for
Sandor.
Although no
longer a Trader, Melachor had spent many years
travelling from
village to village and was a good listener. It was by
no means clear
whether the legends were true or just tales told by
drunks and
con-artists. But these were desperate times. The map
was the only clue
they had to help them find the mythical creature,
and it had led
them to these backstreets. Melachor had risked his
life to get his
hands on the map and he hoped it was not in vain.
Veloria clutched
Sandor in one hand and clung to Jared with
the other. She
shuffled closely behind her husband as he led them
through the muddy
alleys.
The family
reached an intersection. Melachor looked in all
directions,
trying to find a familiar landmark, but his search was in
vain. It had been
too long since he was last here in the Southern
Tip. Already one
of Forestium’s largest settlements, it had grown
considerably in
recent years.
—
Q&A with Christopher D. Morgan:
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?
Oh yes. Typically, I’ll kick off a chapter with brief one-liners that describe the events to come sequentially. There could be anywhere up to 50 or more of these for a given chapter. I do this to map out the scene or chapter and then convert each one in turn into a paragraph or two. This process is repeated until all the one-liners are gone. That’s actually the hardest part, I think. I’ll then scour what’s written repeatedly, fixing and adjusting. Of course, that last part is never truly finished – ever.
Where did you come up with the name Portallas?
Initially, it started quite literally from the word PORTAL. This quickly led to the word Portallas and the idea of having some sort of portal that would link worlds together. An interesting aside is that Portallas actually started out life as Portallus. Unfortunately, portallus.com was already taken, but portallas.com was still available, so a hasty name change took place. Despite the master plan I have in my mind, I wrote Forestium: The Mirror Never Lies deliberately to stand on its own merits as a standalone book.
Do you have a favourite amongst all your characters?
I have a real soft spot for Sarah, as do many others. She embodies many of the characteristics I’d wish for in my own daughter. She’s a strong, independent, resourceful and brilliant young woman – not to mention absolutely beautiful. Of course, she has her flaws. She tend to ramble on a bit (much to the annoyance of Andrew).
Do you have any advice for other aspiring authors?
I’m still learning as I go but there are some things that I can advise others that may wish to follow in the path: - Go for it. Really, just do it. You may be pleasantly surprised. Even if you fail, it’s better to have tried and failed than to wonder for the rest of your life whether you could have done it or not. - If you are going to publish a book on a budget, don’t scrimp on the editing or the book cover – at least, make those your primary focus. Everything else is expendable when push comes to shove. - Don’t get conned. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done, as there will always be people looking to take advantage of someone with a need.
Author Bio:
Christopher Morgan is an author, blogger, IT Manager, graphics artist, businessman, volunteer and family man living in Melbourne, Australia. Much of his time is spent volunteering for his local community. He creates visual learning resources for primary school children, which are marketed through his company Bounce Learning Kids. He is also involved in local civics and sits on various community & council committees.
Christopher was born in the UK and grew up in England’s South East. At age 20, he moved to The Netherlands, where he married Sandy, his wife of 28 years. Christopher quickly learned Dutch and the couple spent 8 years living in the far South of that country before they moved to Florida in 1996. After spending 7 years in Florida, Christopher and Sandy sold their home and spent the next 2 years backpacking around the world. Christopher has visited around 40 countries to date.
Whilst circumnavigating the globe, Christopher wrote extensively, churning out travel journals. He and Sandy settled back in the UK at the end of their world tour, where their two children were both born. In 2009, the family moved to Melbourne, Australia, where they now live.
FORESTIUM is Christopher’s debut novel and is the first in the PORTALLAS series.
GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
Book Blitz + #Giveaway: Gagged by Aubrey Parker @AubreyParker11 @XpressoTours
Gagged
Aubrey Parker
Publication date: May 17th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance, Suspense
“I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do,” Caspian tells me. “I’ll just force you to do as you wish.”
I’ve always been a good girl. Partly by choice, partly because of my mother’s shame and my father’s belt.
Caspian White is strong. Handsome. Powerful. Frightening. The world knows his name, envies his wealth, suspects his kinks, and fears his wrath.
I’ve kept myself pure, and that’s drawn Caspian to me like a predator to prey.
I don’t want to do what he wants me to. I just want to conclude my business with Caspian and go.
But Caspian seems to have been watching me for a while. I’m a target, and he knows me too well.
I’m afraid he’ll force me to do things I’ll regret … and that if he does, my shameful half will enjoy it.
—
EXCERPT:
Aurora has reason not to trust me right now, and I’ve only told her a corner of what I’ve researched, what I know, what I’ve already dug up. She doesn’t know my connections, or how much money can expose. Truth is, I’ve been watching Aurora for months — since well before my trip to Colorado, where Bridget Miller unknowingly gave Aurora a run for her money.
But Bridget didn’t fascinate me the way Aurora does. Nobody does.
I watch her now, fighting a strange urge to tell her exactly what I have in mind. There’s an odd nervousness in my core, as if I haven’t sufficiently purged. I was just upstairs; I just spent my time decompressing. And yet Aurora has me riled again. She’s looking at me with those cool blue eyes, that halo of blonde hair that I find stunning even though she’s tried to ugly up, to bury its luster. Her slim, sloping nose, her slight features, her flawless skin.
I want more than anything to touch her.
To hold her in my hands.
To make her mine.
To show her how she’s wrong, and how I’m right.
There’s a small voice in my mind that threatens dissent, but it’s hard to understand. Whereas most of me wants to conquer Aurora’s naiveté for her own good — and mine, in the doing — a small part of me feels wounded by her quiet beauty. It’s like she holds a weapon against me, and wields it simply by existing before my eyes.
The dissenting voice inside me doesn’t want to show her she’s wrong.
That voice doesn’t want to correct her. Or dismantle her. Or break her so I can rebuild her.
No. That voice prickles at the back of my neck, urging me not to do this.
It’s the same feeling I had walking away from Lucy earlier, thinking about Aurora and how long I’ve pursued her before finally tricking her into chasing me into the coffee shop last week. It’s the same disturbing, uncomfortable, vaguely painful feeling I get every time I look at her private photos. The same quiet pain I feel now, as she watches me with eyes that don’t trust me — but that must, in a sense, if she chooses to stay.
Which she will.
And for some reason, right here and now, I don’t want to betray her. I don’t want to do this.
I imagine my father, dead in his grave.
I think of my mother, cowed to his every whim.
I think of Becky Jeffries. Myself all those years ago. The wax. The blades. The pleasure and the pain.
And for the first time in decades, I doubt myself.
“What are you talking about?” she asks.
No hesitation. No intimidation. To me, she looks as lovely and frail as one of my flowers, but there’s strength behind her. I see an inch of the woman she was on the dance floor. An inch of the woman she was when she pushed me against the restroom wall and took what she wanted. I doubt she knows her strength, or how beautiful it makes her to me.
I have to take a moment. I have to look away, then at her again. Five seconds later the odd flurry of emotions are gone and I am myself again: her instructor, ready to give her a truer education than she ever hoped to find. An education that will set her free.
“A wager,” I repeat. I pace, to distance myself from Aurora’s assessing stare. It’d hard to meet her eyes, as much as they excite me. I’m aware of my erection, but there’s nothing to do about that now. My arousal and anticipation have unmasked at least that much, but I’m hardly the only person in this room who’s dying to fuck. “A bet. A gamble. A game of stakes.”
“What’s the bet?” she asks.
“Your worldview against mine.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Of course you do. You believe in fairy tales and happy endings. I believe in reality. You believe in light and optimism, whereas I’ve seen proof, in abundance, that the opposite is true. You think we can teach children out of who we are as a species. That we can change their futures with facts and figures.”
“Of course we can! Every study ever conducted has shown — ”
I wave my hand, less than dismissive. “Studies. Investigations. Reports. All conducted by people imbued with their own biases. It’s like setting out to see blue but doing so in red-tinted glasses. Every study ever conducted — on education or anything else — fails at the start because they all make one fatal assumption: that people are capable of being civilized. But it’s a lie. We’re all puppets for the animals we are deep down.”
Aurora is shaking her head at Jasmine, who hasn’t spoken since I yelled at James to stop doing what I instructed him to do. For now. And the results are plain, making my point for me. Jasmine’s not paying attention to me, only to her beating heart and sensitive nipples. She’s not considering my argument even though she’s supposed to be the reporter; she’s thinking about her sopping-wet pussy. Jasmine knows perfectly well what’s acceptable and what’s not — what’s wise and what isn’t, what will help versus hinder her, what she’ll regret tomorrow and what she won’t — but Jasmine’s civilized nature isn’t in charge. It’s the wild beast beneath.
I can practically smell her lust. Like a bomb waiting to explode.
Even as Aurora challenges my gaze — sure she’s right and that I’m fucked up, jaded, and wrong —
Jasmine is preparing to offer me all the proof I need.
I look at the recorder.
I look at Jasmine and see her stiff nipples. Her dilated pupils. James has turned her body into a furnace, warming my office to the tune of over 300 BTUs per hour.
In a minute, I’ll play my ace, and make the first move in this chess game.
But not yet.
“What happened to make you this way?” Aurora asks me. It’s more an accusation than a question.
“When you were dancing. When you were touching yourself in front of everyone, how did it feel?”
She rolls her eyes. Shakes her head.
“When you touched the vibrator to your clit,” I say, “how did it feel?”
“I threw it away. You’re lucky I didn’t call the cops and report you as a sex offender.”
I smirk. “When you slipped it inside yourself, how did it feel? With your eyes closed, did you think of me?”
She reaches for Jasmine, whose hand has strayed into James’s lap, now sitting on the couch beside her. “Let’s go, Jasmine. Grab your recorder.” When Jasmine doesn’t grab it, Aurora does, her stare challenging me to try and take it away. “Let’s give the press the best story they’ve ever had on Caspian White.”
“What made you put my cock in your mouth, Aurora? And when we came together, how did that feel?”
She stares at me with eyes like ice. The hatred turns me on. The hatred crushes me. The hatred makes her fascinating. I let my mind flit back to last night. I put myself in front of her, but it was only a guess as to how she’d behave, once turned on. I thought we might make out a little. I thought she might let me touch her. But what happened proved just how much more tightly bound life has made her, and how delicious she’ll be as an adversary.
“Aurora?” Jasmine says.
“We’re leaving.”
“Aurora, did you … ?”
“You know I’m right,” I answer first. “You know it felt good. All those things — those were your choices. I made you do nothing. I simply gave you a reason. An excuse. Nobody would have known, or seen. It was you being you, with your good girl mask removed.”
“Everyone makes mistakes,” she says. But I can see I’m upsetting her.
“You don’t have to believe me. You don’t have to admit anything. We’ll make a bet. I’ll donate another hundred thousand dollars to the school of your choice at every stage of the bet . And if you win, I’ll donate another million.”
“Fuck off.”
“Five million.”
“Jasmine, come on.”
“Ten million. In your name, if you’d like. Consider the good that much money could do. Just think of all the futures my money could change.” I say the last bit ironically, smirking as if there’s not a word I believe.
Aurora hesitates. She almost answers.
“I’ll put it in escrow so I can’t back out. You can choose the agent. I’ll transfer the funds into a holding account today.”
Her jaw moves. Her eyes fix on me.
“What’s the bet?”
“We’ll take turns. You take a day to show me you’re right. I’ll do whatever you want, so you can convince me. But then it’s my turn. And on my days, you will do what I say.”
“I’m not an idiot — I won’t agree to a blank check.” But she still hasn’t turned away, or gathered her bag. Proving my point, she’s intrigued — but won’t let herself admit it.
“I’ll add a condition. You don’t have to do anything. Just face it. I’ll let you show me the light, if that’s what you believe. Then I’ll show you the darkness.”
She’s considering my offer. Wheels turning. I don’t have to convince her; she’s already convinced. I just have to make it impossible to say no, because deep down she’s dying to agree.
“Ten million dollars,” she says. “Held by a third party. With one hundred thousand dollars for each of our ‘challenges.’”
It’s a ridiculous bargain. An impossible bet. One a good girl like Aurora would never, ever make — but that the real Aurora beneath is dying to discover.
I take my tablet from the end table. She watches as I authorize the transfer, then seems convinced I’ve done as I promised.
“Fine,” she says. “Convince me. Convince me that the world is a terrible place and that everyone is dark deep down.”
But I don’t answer. I turn to Jasmine instead.
“Jasmine,” I say. “I’ll pay you ten thousand dollars to delete what you’ve recorded.” I pick up the tablet. Jasmine’s bank information is already entered as the recipient, but this particular peculiarity goes unmentioned.
“Not everything and everyone is for sale. You can’t buy her.” But Aurora’s voice seems uncertain.
“Fifty thousand,” I say.
Jasmine reaches for the device, barely herself as she pushes buttons and makes the incriminating audio file disappear.
I smile at Aurora, initiate the transfer, and watch hate fill Aurora’s eyes, my first demonstration of cash over ethics established in seconds.
Then I look at James.
“Now fuck her,” I say, “while Aurora watches.”
Author Bio:
I love to write stories with characters that feel real enough to friend on Facebook, or slap across the face. I write to make you feel, think, and burn with the thrill that can only come from getting lost in the pages. I love to write unforgettable characters who wrestle with life's largest problems. My books may always end with a Happily Ever After, but there will always be drama on the way there.
GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
Book Blitz + #Giveaway: The Lunam Ceremony by Nicole Loufas @NicoleLoufas @XpressoTours
The Lunam Ceremony
Nicole Loufas
Publication date: May 20th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Born from a curse that allows her kind to shift from human to wolf, Kalysia won the genetic lottery. She is the offspring of an original, born to lead and bound by her duty to produce an heir to continue their bloodline she must leave the only life she has ever known to take part in The Lunam Ceremony. This ancient ritual will solidify her place in the pack and determine who she will love for the rest of her life. There’s just one problem – Kalysia doesn’t believe in love.
That changes when she falls into the hands of Dillan Dukes. The attraction is undeniable. The connection unbreakable. He is everything love at first site is supposed to be, suddenly her future doesn’t look that bad.
Unwilling to give up hope on going to college and having the life her and Dillan fantasize about outside the pack, she reluctantly takes on the role as pack leader. When an unexpected proposal is made that will grant both Dillan and Kalysia their freedom she is willing to put her ego, and her heart aside, to make her dream come true.
One night.
One act of selflessness.
For the life she’s always dreamt about.
Only things are not what they seem.
Can Kalysia and Dillan find happily ever after with the consequences of that night haunting them forever?
Will one fateful night destroy Kalysia’s future along with the future of the pack?
EXCERPT:
I see Bonnie and Jessie carrying out the white garments. It’s almost time. I move towards the woods and I spot Cassie looking for me. I flatten myself against the wall and slide across it until I reach the end of the building. I round the corner and take off in a full sprint towards the woods. I make it three steps and then I trip.
That hurt. I spit dirt from my mouth as I push myself up to a sitting position. I look down at my knee and hear someone laughing. When I turn my head, I see Dillan Dukes leaning against the wall.
“Slow down there, speedy,” he quips.
In moments like this, there is nothing you can say. All you can do is laugh. I burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter. Dillan joins me on the ground.
“Are you laughing with me or at me?” I finally ask.
“A little of both.” His voice is deep and sexy. He smells like sage and cigarettes. “I’m Dillan, by the way.” He holds his hand out to me and I shake it.
“I know who you are. I’m Kalysia.”
“I know who you are.” He smiles and turns my hand over. “Don’t worry about this.” He swipes his fingers across the scrapes on my palm. “After Lunam, you’ll be all healed.”
“So I’ve heard,” I say as Dillan springs off the ground and helps me up.
We stand face to face in silence. I feel his heart beating between us and suddenly something sparks inside of me. This time the burning begins in my chest. My breathing becomes erratic. I taste his breath on my tongue, and I want to kiss him. I edge forward until we are chest to chest. He steps back. I reach for his hand, and he pulls away.
“Kalysia, we can’t,” he whispers into the space between us. “Lunam is beginning.” He brushes his lips across my hand and walks away.
Author Bio:
Nicole was born and raised in California. She claims to be a San Francisco native, however she’s lived in both Northern and Southern California. She credits her creativity to the fact that she attended 12 schools between kindergarten and her senior year in high school. Her nomadic childhood allowed her to reinvent herself often. Some might say she was a liar. While others see the stories she told as a coping mechanism. Twelve schools, in six cities, in twelve years – give her a break. Today she channels her storytelling ability into writing novels. Long story short – kids that lie become writers.
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Cover Reveal: Leaving Me Behind by Sigal Ehrlich @Sigal_Ehrlich @XpressoReads
Leaving Me Behind
Sigal Ehrlich
Publication date: May 24th 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
He was supposed to be a personal challenge. A Spanish lover – younger and sinfully attractive. A daring, wild experience for one night.
My liberation from my self-oppressed lifestyle was planned out carefully down to the last detail.
Everything except . . .
HIM.
I didn’t see it coming, not by a long shot. My plan was safe. I was going to quit my job, say goodbye to the restraints of the life I had known, and follow my dreams.
I rented a house halfway across the globe in an exotic Spanish town on the coast. I made some new friends. I reveled in luscious food and a stunning landscape. Most of all I savored my new found freedom.
That is until I met HIM.
It was supposed to be a night of lost inhibitions, soon to become a sweet memory. That was my plan.
He had something different in mind.
Author Bio:
By teen age, Sigal already lived in three different continents where she was lucky enough to experience and visit varied places, meet unique people, which only helped fuel her overly developed imagination. Currently, Sigal calls Estonia home where she lives with her husband and three kids.
Not exactly sure where they will end up next...
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