Feb 10, 2013

2

Honora Book Blast: Promo




Welcome to our stop for Cynthia Woolf's Honora, hosted by Black Lion Virtual Book Tours. As part of the book blast, we've got an excerpt from the novel to share, but if you're looking for more, you can check out the book tour starting on March 4th. I'll leave the schedule for that at the bottom, so make sure you check it our for all of the reviews, interviews, guest posts, and giveaways!



They stole her love, her life and want to steal the secrets secured in her mind. Secrets that could topple world governments and decimate quadrant security forever. Now she’s on an epic quest to find out why and make those responsible pay.Honora Reyestat gave up everything to become a member of the esteemed Gregarian Guard. No family, no friends, no connections--nothing that can ever be used against her. Captured and enslaved, she's become a prized gladiator for her master. Given the task of training a new slave, she recognizes a fellow Zolthor and the son of a tribal leader at that. Her mission changes from discovery of the enemy's tactics and secrets to returning Joridan to his people.

Drawn to this fierce woman as no other, Joridan Dolana tries to explain she is wrong. He's not Zolthor, he's Centauri. He was raised on Centauri with his sister. Faced with proof of a father's ultimate betrayal, he must choose between revenge and the protection of this woman who has sworn to never return his love.

Amazon          B&N          Kobo




Cynthia Woolf was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the mountains west of Golden. She spent her early years running wild around the mountain side with her friends.

She worked her way through college and went to work full time straight after graduation and there was little time to write. Then in 1990 she and two friends started a round robin writing a story about pirates. She found that she missed the writing and kept on with other stories. In 1992 she joined Colorado Romance Writers and Romance Writers of America.

Unfortunately, the loss of her job demanded she not renew her memberships and her writing stagnated for many years.

In 2001, she saw an ad in the paper for a writer’s conference being put on by CRW and decided she'd attend. One of her favorite authors, Catherine Coulter, was the keynote speaker. Cynthia was lucky enough to have a seat at Ms. Coulter's table at the luncheon and after talking with her, decided she needed to get back to her writing. She rejoined both CRW and RWA that day and hasn't looked back.

Website          Goodreads          Twitter




The Excerpt

"“Oww” a woman’s voice awash with pain reached his ears.

“You disappoint me, Honora. You continue to try to escape me. When will you learn?” asked a whiney voiced man.

The whip struck flesh. Again the woman moaned but didn’t scream. She didn’t scream.

When he woke again he was not alone but the man with the whip was gone. Chained across the room from him, hung by her wrists, was a woman. He could see the lash marks on her back. Lash upon lash, new over old. They obstructed the beautiful tattoo of a dragon on her back. The blood hard to see within the red of the dragon.

Crawling to her he released her hands from the chains holding her up. She collapsed in a heap on the floor. He crawled back to his side of the room as darkness overtook him once more.

*****
  The dried blood on her back cracked with each movement, but she worked through the pain as she stretched. Breathed deep and accepted the pain. Her sword weighed heavier in her hand than usual. More evidence of the lashing two nights ago. She looked down at the unconscious man at her feet. A new recruit. A Zolthor, like herself. Another reason Perdor punished her for her attempted escape, her sixth try in as many months.

This last punishment was the worst. Five lashes. Not enough to incapacitate her but enough to make her remember. Perdor wanted her to be able to train the new slave. He wanted them to be a team, good enough to take on all contenders. He’d be the only owner with two Zolthor fighting for him. Not just one, but a team. He was practically wetting himself in anticipation of the beras that he’ll win with a team of Zolthor fighters.

Again she looked down on the naked man. Long brown lashes lay against his cheek. A nice contrast to his golden blond hair. What color eyes did they hide? Blue? Green? Brown perhaps. She’d find out soon enough.

He was a beautiful man. Well formed. Broad shoulders. Trim waist. Long muscular legs. He looked like a warrior. Would be a good fighter. Maybe even a good lover as he appeared well endowed there as well.

He’d awakened from the drug induced sleep long enough to crawl over and release her from the chains. For that she was grateful. Her wrists didn’t hurt as much as usual because of him. Using her blades was easier than it had been after her previous punishments.

Time to wake up the sleeping man and get him trained. Time was short and she intended to make the most of it. He would learn or he would die."












March 4th - Introduction at Black Lion Tour Blog
March 4th - Review & Guest Blog at Love in a Book
March 5th - Review at Second Book to the Right
March 7th - Guest Blog at Oh, Chrys!
March 8th - Guest Blog at Synchronized Reading
March 9th - Guest Blog at Books, Books the Magical Fruit
March 10th - Live Interview at A Novel Idea Live
March 11th - Guest Blog at Reading A Little Bit of Everything
March 12th - Guest Blog at MK McClintock
March 13th - Guest Blog at The Bunny's Review
March 15th - Interview & Guest Post at Deal Sharing Aunt
March 16th - Interview at Fictional Candy
March 17 - Review at Classy Me Books
March 18th - Wrap Up at Black Lion Tour Blog



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Feb 9, 2013

2

The Boys of Summer Book Blitz: Promo & GIVEAWAYS




Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours, run by the wonderful Giselle of Xpresso Reads, we have to opportunity to talk about the awesome new book by C.J. Duggan called The Boys of Summer. And to make things even better, we've got two (count them, two!) giveaways to share with you at the end of this post. One is tour wide, but the other is just for our blog and our blog only, making your chances for winning very high. So let's get on with it!



It seemed only natural to nickname them the ‘Onslow Boys’. Every time they swaggered in the front door of the Onslow Hotel after a hard week’s work, their laughter was loud and genuine as they settled onto their bar stools. I peeked through the restaurant partition, a flimsy divider between my world and theirs. I couldn’t help but smile whenever I saw them, saw him ... Toby Morrison.

***

Quiet seventeen-year-old Tess doesn’t relish the thought of a summertime job. She wants nothing more than to forget the past haunts of high school and have fun with her best friends before the dreaded Year Twelve begins.
To Tess, summer is when everything happens: riding bikes down to the lake, watching the fireworks at the Onslow Show and water bomb fights at the sweltering Sunday markets.

How did she let her friends talk her into working?

After first-shift disasters, rude, wealthy tourists and a taunting ex-boyfriend, Tess is convinced nothing good can come of working her summer away. However, Tess finds unlikely allies in a group of locals dubbed ‘The Onslow Boys’, who are old enough to drive cars, drink beer and not worry about curfews. Tess’s summer of working expands her world with a series of first times with new friends, forbidden love and heartbreaking chaos.

All with the one boy she has never been able to forget.

It will be a summer she will always remember.

Amazon          B&N          iTunes






C.J Duggan is an Australian author who lives with her husband in a rural border town of New South Wales, Australia.

The Boys of Summer is Book One in her Mature Young Adult Romance Series.

Website          Goodreads          Facebook          Twitter





The Excerpt

"“Don’t you dare.” I grabbed his arm, pulling him backwards. His eyes darted to where my hand rested on him. I didn’t move my hand, I couldn’t physically bring myself to break the contact; all of a sudden there were no smiles, no jokes, just him and me and our space on the couch. I could only hear the music and be aware of the heat of his skin and the rapid rise and fall of my chest in this moment.

The only thing that snapped me out of my daze was Toby’s words which seemed low and raspy.

“Is Adam your boyfriend?” His gaze flicked over my face as he waited for my answer. My mouth gaped open; I couldn’t hide the fact I was dumbfounded by the question.

I blinked quickly and took my hand from his arm. I struggled to construct a legible sentence.

“Oh – um, no, we’re just friends, it’s not like that.”

His stony expression didn’t falter, didn’t reveal any kind of emotion. He was so hard to read, and I wanted to read him so badly. He gave a small nod and handed me the CD cover. “Better go and make sure these guys aren’t cheating.” And without another word, he got up and headed towards the pool table."







The Giveaways

So we've got two giveaways going on for this book. The one with the Rafflecopter form is tour-wide, and the other one is just for this blog. Go ahead and sign up for both to increase your chances!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

And this one is just for us. We're giving away one eBook copy of The Boys of Summer. Just leave us a comment telling us:
  • why you want to read The Boys of Summer
  • the e-mail address we can contact you at if you win
If you'd like an extra entry into our giveaway, just follow Marked By Books. RSS, GFC, e-mail, we don't really care. Just let us know in your comment which it is and you'll be entered twice.

We're going to choose a winner via Random.org on Monday, February 18th, so you have until then to enter. The winner will be contacted and allowed to chose what format of eBook they'd like. If they don't respond within 48 hours, a new winner will be chosen.


Good luck!



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Feb 7, 2013

0

Cover Lovin' #3: Soul Screamers


Loss. For. Words. This thing is GORGEOUS. It's just so.... I don't know, I can't even describe it. Perfect. Then again, all of the Soul Screamers covers have been absolutely perfect. Not too long ago, I fawned over the cover for With All My Soul over here, and I'm still trying to come to terms with that one.

According to Rachel Vincent, the people that do her book covers for this series are Mira Ink, or something like that. Wherever they are, I just like to say thank you for all of the beautiful pieces of pure art you've put out there through these books. I absolutely love them all.




Don't even try to ask me which is my favorite. I'm trying.... and failing. Pretty pathetically. They're all so amazing. Though the cover for With All My Soul.... it's pretty high up there. But don't even get me started on the foreign covers.

What do you guys think of them? Do you have a favorite?



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Feb 6, 2013

0

Watcher Trailer Reveal & GIVEAWAY




Yes, I know that little button up there says "February 4, 2013," but that obviously didn't happen. As you may have noticed, there were so many other awesome books I've been able to spotlight this week, so this one may have been pushed back a tad. Still, it looked awesome enough that I wasn't about to let it pass me by, so without further delay, here's the brand new trailer for Watcher!




Everybody ready to dance after listening to that music? Just me? Well, fine then....



Millennia ago, he fell from heaven for her.

Can he face her without falling again?

Fascinated with ancient civilizations, seventeen-year-old Mia Crawford dreams of becoming an archaeologist. She also dreams of wings—soft and silent like snow—and somebody trying to steal them.

When a horrible creature appears out of thin air and attacks her, she knows Michael Fontaine is involved, though he claims to know nothing about it. Secretive and aloof, Michael evokes feelings in Mia that she doesn’t understand. Images of another time and place haunt her. She recognizes them—but not from any textbook.

In search of the truth, Mia discovers a past life of forbidden love, jealousy and revenge that tore an angel from Heaven and sent her to an early grave. Now that her soul has returned, does she have a chance at loving that angel again? Or will an age-old nemesis destroy them both?

Ancient history is only the beginning.

Watcher Releases March 4th


Amazon          B&N          Inkspell          Kobo          The Book Depository






A Canadian-born author, Lisa Voisin spent her childhood daydreaming and making up stories, but it was her love of reading and writing in her teens that drew her to Young Adult fiction.

When she's not writing, you'll find her meditating or hiking in the mountains to counter the side effects of drinking too much coffee.

She lives in Vancouver, B.C. with her fiance and their two cats.

Website          Facebook          Twitter          Blog








"Instead of saying more, he brushed his fingertips along my cheek, and his halo glimmered. I could hear the waves slapping the rocks behind us, the wind driving them in. That same wind whipped against my skin, but the touch of his hand on my face was all I could think about. It sent a current through both of us and filled me with longing for something I wasn’t sure I understood.

 “I’m sorry.” He stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets as the light around him faded. “You don’t know what it’s like. Being near you now, remembering those moments we had…” His hair blew into his eyes, but this time he didn’t move. I wanted to brush it back, but I didn’t know how he’d react. Would touching him be bad?

 “You want to know who you were?” he asked. “You may look different, but you’re the same. I look into your eyes and see you.” He took in a deep breath, fixing his attention on the horizon. I’d seen and heard so much now that the logical part of my brain had long since given up arguing with me. I could feel what he was saying was true. All of it."



a Rafflecopter giveaway



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Feb 5, 2013

2

Destiny Gift Cover Reveal & GIVEAWAY



Oh. My. Gosh! Isn't this cover beautiful?! It looks like the picture of the girl is just black and white, but there are actually a lot of subtle details put in behind this. The kept her eyes green and left little shadows of a faint purple highlight around her eyes, mouth, and hairline. This is extremely intricate, and so beautifully done.

And the full cover sleeve is just as beautiful!




Awesome job, Okay Creations!

***

About the Book

Thirty years in the future, a sinister New York City exists in permanent darkness.

A student at the secured NYU, nineteen-year-old Nadine has visions of Victor Gianni, an imaginary guy she has real feelings for. Afraid of being truly insane, she explains the visions away as simple daydreams, but she can no longer deny them when she bumps into Victor in real life. But this Victor doesn’t know her, and turns her away. 

After the encounter, Nadine’s visions change to those of eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions.

To discover if she’s losing her mind, Nadine follows the vague directions—with the real, rude and reluctant Victor—leading to a man who knows it all: Nadine can restore an ancient creed by unveiling the clues on her visions, and bring sunlight and peace to the world again. But that’s only if the demons and the other evil forces behind the darkness don’t stop her first.

Destiny Gift releases April 9th



About The Author



While Juliana Haygert dreams of being Wonder Woman, Buffy, or a blood elf shadow priest, she settles for the less exciting—but equally gratifying—life of a wife, mother, and author. Thousands of miles away from her former home in Brazil, she now resides in Connecticut and spends her days writing about kick-ass heroines and the heroes who drive them crazy.

Website          Goodreads          Facebook          Twitter





This is the first book in the new series Everlast by Juliana Haygert. I LOVE the blurb for this novel, it makes it sound so mysterious. "Eerie fates, gods she’s never heard of, demons with sharp claws they are not too timid to use … and instructions." Oooooo..... I'm definitely going to have to read this one!


The Giveaway




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Feb 4, 2013

17

Dream Slayer Blog Tour: Excerpt & GIVEAWAY




Welcome to our stop of Jill Cooper's The Dream Slayer book tour, hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions

When your dreams come true, sometimes you get more than you bargained for...

Natalie Johnson has always dreamed she’s someone else; calm, beautiful, in control. A chosen warrior with a maniacal arch nemesis and a dreamy boyfriend, the type that can make your knees melt and your heart quiver.

Real life is much different. She’s tormented by a bully and endures the sharp tongue of her father, but finds solace in her dreams.

When her bully ends up dead, de ja vu from a dream hits her hard as everything around her begins to fall apart.

Whatever killed Sarah in her dreams is now in reality, hunting her from the shadows. And it wants her dead.

Somehow as the lines between reality and nightmare blur, Natalie must discover hidden strength to pull her friends and family back from the brink of madness.







e will be two different prizes given away to two individual, randomly drawn commenters during the tour.



February 4 - Marked By Books
February 6 - Books in the Hall
February 7 - Lindsay's Scribblings
February 11 - Read My Mind
February 12 - K.W. McCabe
February 14 - Long and Short Reviews
February 15 - See Jane Publish

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0

Volition Cover Reveal & GIVEAWAY



Perception has been on my To-Be-Read list forever. Ever since reading Uglies by Scott Westerfeld, I've been in love with the very idea of a medically altered dsytopian future. Those "perfect" people who don't know of a life outside of the flawless one created for them, and then the normal ones who despise them just because of how they were created.

I thought that Perception took it a step higher than Uglies by bringing in all of the genetic manipulation so that these people aren't just perfect, but they can life that way nearly forever. Sounds great right?

Well, we'll just have to wait and see....


Book One


Eternal Life is To Die For.

Seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along-side other equally beautiful people with extended life spans.

Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.


Amazon          B&N          Kobo          iTunes



Book Two

What doesn't kill you....

Zoe Vanderveen is on the run with her captor turned rescuer, Noah Brody.

They're in love.

Or at least that’s what he tells her. Her memories have returned but her feelings are dreamlike—thin and fleeting. Her heart can’t be trusted. Just look at what happened with Taylor Blake.

Senator Vanderveen’s new team of cyborg agents are in hot pursuit, and a reward for their capture is broadcast nationwide. Record breaking cold and snow hinder their escape. Someone dies helping them.

And their fight for survival has only begun.


Volition releases April 16th!!!!





About the Author


Lee Strauss writes historical and science fiction/romance for upper YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun stuff under the name. To find out more about Lee and her books check out her Facebook page. Follow her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/elle_strauss. To find out about new releases, sign up for her newsletter at www.ellestraussbooks.com.




The Giveaway

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