Friday, January 27, 2017

Life Is But a Nightmare by Erin Hayes ~ Cover Reveal


Life is but a Nightmare
Erin Hayes
(The Elysium Legacies, #2)
Publication date: February 28th 2017
Genres: Adult, Mythology, Urban Fantasy
The sequel to the genre-bending, hugely imaginative Death is but a Dream. 
“There must always be a God of Wealth…” 
Former police detective Callie Saunders shouldn’t be alive, but she’s been thriving with her new lease on life away from the machinations of the ancient Greek gods and goddesses. 
Yet there’s always been someone missing from this little piece of paradise. 
When a vengeful god kidnaps her son, she travels back to a world she barely understands to find him. A world where she must face humanity’s greatest enemies and her former lover. If she’s not careful, she’ll lose her soul again. And, maybe, even her heart.

Sequel to:


Author Bio:
Sci-fi junkie, video game nerd, and wannabe manga artist Erin Hayes writes a lot of things. Sometimes she writes books. 
She works as an advertising copywriter by day, and she's an award-winning New York Times Bestselling Author by night. She has lived in New Zealand, Hawaii, Texas, Alabama, and now San Francisco with her husband, cat, and a growing collection of geek paraphernalia. 
You can reach her at erinhayesbooks@gmail.com and she’ll be happy to chat. Especially if you want to debate Star Wars. 

XBTBanner1

Thursday, January 26, 2017

The Lunam Deception by Nicole Loufas ~ Cover Reveal


The Lunam Deception
Nicole Loufas
(The Lunam Series #2)
Publication date: May 12th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Urban Fantasy
Pregnant with the future leader of the pack, Kalysia is determined to change the archaic traditions that threaten people she loves before her child is born. Uncovering the truth about the pack could expose her darkest secret and jeopardize her relationship with Dillan. Will she choose to bring down those that conspire against her or will she work with them to spare Dillan’s heart and keep her family together.

Sequel to:



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.


XBTBanner1

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Day Zero by Kresley Cole ~ Review


Title: Day Zero (The Arcana Chronicles 3.5)
Author: Kresley Cole
Genre: Young Adult, Dystopian, Paranormal
Length: 174 Pages
Publisher: Valkyrie Press
Release Date: August 1, 2016
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Arcana means secrets, and these Arcana Chronicles short stories from #1 New York Times bestselling author Kresley Cole are filled with them. Experience firsthand the beginning of the end and behold the apocalypse through the eyes of characters you only thought you knew. 

Ashes to ashes . . .
Evie Greene’s story of the Flash is just one of many. All over the world, those connected in some way to the lethal Arcana game—like Death, Jack, and Fortune—must first survive a horrifying night of blood and screams. 

We all fall down.
Some will have to grapple with new powers; all will be damned to a hellish new existence of plague, brutality, desolation, and cannibalism. Find out who they lost, why they endure, and what they sacrificed in order to live past Day Zero. . . .


**********
The first thing to note is that this isn't really a book. This is a look into the notes and stories of the characters we've met so far - with some redactions to keep from giving too much away. Although, The Fool's section had me grinding my teeth! I need to know more about this kid!

I enjoyed seeing how the other cards prepared and survived Day Zero, stories that were 2 or 3 pages and gave a bit of background that helped me understand where they came from a little bit more.

A good addition with some fun facts, but don't go in thinking this is a novella or short story.


The Arcana Chronicles

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Harmful Rush by Debra Doxer ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway


Harmful Rush
Debra Doxer

(Remedy #3)
Publication date: April 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Young Adult
Skylark Samuels has a secret. She’s not a normal teenager, although she plays one in real life. Pretending to be something you’re not isn’t easy, especially in high school where gossip is gold. For years, Sky manages to hide her uniqueness, until one fateful day when she exposes her gift, her curse, and all her fears come to pass. Now instead of going to college near home like she planned, she has to leave town and go someplace where the rumors can’t follow. The plan when she gets there: keep to herself and stay under the radar. 
But blending into the background is impossible when local heartthrob Dylan Parks notices her. Even though Sky keeps her distance and doesn’t act like one of Dylan’s adoring fans, he goes out of his way to talk to her. Her. The girl who wants to be invisible. 
Sky isn’t immune to Dylan’s charm, but getting close to him is a bad idea. It goes against the promise she made to herself. Besides, if Dylan knew the truth, he wouldn’t want her. If he discovered her secret, he’d treat her differently and possibly fear her. It’s happened before. But the more Sky gets to know Dylan, the harder it is to resist him, until fate intervenes. 
A tragic event forces Sky to reveal herself to the one person she’s come to care for, and his reaction is unexpected. For the first time, she doesn’t feel so alone. But what she doesn’t realize is that she’s never been alone. When she finally lets her guard down, someone comes along who threatens to unravel everything, because being normal was never Sky’s destiny. 
Harmful Rush is a standalone, full-length novel set in the Remedy world. You do not have to read the first two books to read this book. (Keep You from Harm, Remedy #1, To Have and to Harm, Remedy #2)

Other books in the series:



Author Bio:
Debra Doxer was born in Boston, and other than a few lost years in the California sunshine, she has always resided in the Boston area. She writes fiction, technical software documents, illegible scribbles on sticky notes, and texts that get mangled by AutoCorrect. She writes for a living, and she writes for fun. When her daughter asks when she’ll run out of words, her response always is, “When I run out of time.” 

GIVEAWAY!

XBTBanner1

Distant Thunder by Larissa Ione ~ Review


Title: Distant Thunder (Rising Storm: MidSeason 2)
Author: Larissa Ione
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Length: 79 Pages
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc
Release Date: April 5, 2016
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Secrets, Sex and Scandals … 

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming. 

As Sebastian and Marylee plot to cover up Sebastian’s sexual escapade, Ginny and Dakota continue to reel from the fallout of Dakota’s announcement. But it is the Rush family that’s left to pick up the pieces as Payton, Brittany and Jeffry each cope with Sebastian’s betrayal in their own way… 


**********
And the fallout continues! Dakota had no idea the trouble she'd bring down on the entire town with her not so little revelation. The Rush matriarch, Marylee, continues to try and make Dakota's life a living hell while at the same time trying to "cover up" and "explain" why the Senator slept with girls the same age as his daughter - one of those girls was even his daughter's best friend.

The Senator's family is still reeling, and the kids are forced to realize their parent's marriage wasn't quite what they had thought all these years. His wife, Payton, seems to be moving in a direction that is a bit unexpected, but I'll have to wait and see if anything plays out with that.

Another wrap-up, bridge type of episode. Setting the stage for season two and getting all the players in place for something big to happen.


Rising Storm
Season One

Monday, January 23, 2017

After the Storm by Lexi Blake ~ Review


Title: After the Storm (Rising Storm: MidSeason 1)
Author: Lexi Blake
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Length: 81 Pages
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc
Release Date: March 29, 2016
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Secrets, Sex and Scandals …

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming.

In the wake of Dakota’s revelations, the whole town is reeling. Ginny Moreno has lost everything. Logan Murphy is devastated by her lies. Brittany Rush sees her family in a horrifying new light. And nothing will ever be the same… 


**********
Midseason one picks up the aftermath of Dakota's big Founders Day revelations. Lives were torn apart, notably the Rush kids and Ginny Moreno. Ginny's lie of omission (sort of) has the entire town turned against her.

But, this might be a good thing for Ginny's maturity levels. She turns around quite a corner and does what needs to be done - even though it had to be incredibly hard. Some of her apologies go well - so not so well. But none of them seem to repair the rift between her and Logan.

Dakota, on the other hand, continues to think that everything revolves around her. As the Rushes rally their forces against her, her life takes a turn for the worse and she blames the results of her actions on everyone but herself.

I nice pick up, but I felt that things stalled just a tad. But you can see more clouds on the horizon, and you never know what's going to happen next.


Rising Storm
Season One

Friday, January 20, 2017

Thunder Rolls by Dee Davis ~ Review


Title: Thunder Rolls (Storm Rising: Season One: Episode 8)
Author: Dee Davis
Genre: Adult, Contemporary
Length: 110 Pages
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts, Inc
Release Date: November 12, 2015
Source: Purchased
Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Secrets, Sex and Scandals … 

Welcome to Storm, Texas, where passion runs hot, desire runs deep, and secrets have the power to destroy… Get ready. The storm is coming. 

As Hannah Grossman grapples with the very real possibility that she is dating one Johnson brother while secretly in love with another, the entire town prepares for Founders Day. The building tempest threatens not just Hannah’s relationship with Tucker and Tate, but everyone in Storm as dire revelations threaten to tear the town apart.


**********
Thunder Rolls is the season one finale for Rising Storm, and it does what any good season finale does. It goes out with a bang and leaves you wanting more.

Everyone's storyline seems to converge at the Founders Day celebration. the Senator is set to give a big speech, a betrayed brother will go off the deep end, and some really big secrets are exposed in a very public way. And as one secret is revealed, it unravels several more. Relationships are forever altered and nothing will be the same.

I think this was a fantastic way to wrap up the season. Much of the drama is wrapped up in a way, but where one drama-door closes, two more open. And who knows what will happen next in Storm.


Rising Storm
Season One

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Crossroads by Laney McMann ~ Cover Reveal


Crossroads
Laney McMann
(The CrossWorld Chronicles #1)
Publication date: Winter 2017
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
Hawk Holland is dead—he just doesn’t know it. 
At seventeen, Hawk is a professional Motocross rider. Hot, badass, smart—with a drug problem—and a death wish. Winning is what he does best. Being in the spotlight is second nature. But after his best friend dies of an overdose during a televised race, Hawk goes down a road that leads to a similar fate—and that’s just the way he wants it—or so he thought. 
Fawn Marchat is a CrossWorlder. Her lineage stems from her greatest of grandmothers, the Goddess Hecate. Fawn has many gifts, including the ability to see into the Afterlife and save souls on the Crossroads of death. But between her over-bearing grandfather insisting she follow the path of her elders in Wiccan Craft and assume her birthright, her uptight private Catholic school, and her mom always on her case about the only positive diversion in her life—Fawn has no desire to save anyone but herself. 
When the world of the living collides with the world of the dead, Hawk Holland realizes a choice he made while under the influence set him on the fast-track to the Crossroads, a waylay station for lost souls with a one way ticket to Hell—and Fawn is the only one who might be able to save him.


Author Bio:
Young Adult Dark Fantasy Writer, Myths and Legends Believer, Voracious Reader, Music Snob, World Builder, Poet, Quote Junkie. My thoughts on Writing, Social Media, Reading, Books, Publishing, and Music. Generally. Author of The Fire Born Novels TIED, TORN & TRUE Author of The Primordial Principles CRYSTALLUM 2015, DAEMONEUM 2016 Author of The CrossWorld Chronicles CROSSROADS (2016) Pub'd by J. Taylor Publishing, Jagged Lane Books, and formerly by Booktrope Editions Publishing. 

XBTBanner1

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Wolves and Roses by Christina Bauer ~ Cover Reveal


Wolves & Roses
Christina Bauer

(Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #1)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: March 28th 2017
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Seventeen-year-old Bryar Rose has a problem. She’s descended from one of the three magical races—shifters, fairies, or witches. That makes her one of the Magicorum, and Magicorum always follow a fairy tale life template. In Bryar’s case, that template should be Sleeping Beauty. 
“Should” being the key word.
Trouble is, Bryar is nowhere near the sleeping beauty life template. Not even close. She doesn’t like birds or woodland creatures. She can’t sing. And she certainly can’t stand Prince Philpot, the so-called “His Highness of Hedge Funds” that her aunties want her to marry. Even worse, Bryar’s having recurring dreams of a bad boy hottie and is obsessed with finding papyri from ancient Egypt. What’s up with that? 
All Bryar wants is to attend a regular high school with normal humans and forget all about shifters, fairies, witches, and the curse that Colonel Mallory the Magnificent placed on her. And she might be able to do just that–if only she can just keep her head down until her eighteenth birthday when the spell that’s ruined her life goes buh-bye. 
But that plan gets turned upside down when Bryar Rose meets Knox, the bad boy who’s literally from her dreams. Knox is a powerful werewolf, and his presence in her life changes everything, and not just because he makes her knees turn into Jell-O. If Bryar can’t figure out who—or what—she really is, it might cost both her and Knox their lives… as well as jeopardize the very nature of magic itself.



Author Bio:
Christina graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School with BA's in English as well as Television, Radio, and Film Production. Her day job is in marketing for companies like Microsoft, Cisco, and Zerto. Back in the go-go 90′s, she founded her own software start-up, Mindful Technologies. Christina believes that, upon close examination of Tolkien's text, it's entirely possible that the Balrog was wearing fuzzy bunny slippers.

XBTBanner1

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Quanta Rewind by Lola Dodge ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway


Quanta Rewind
Lola Dodge
(The Shadow Ravens #4)
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: April 25th 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult
With more and more Red Helixes turning up missing or dead, the Shadow Ravens are ready to take their fight to Doctor Nagi himself. 
But breaking into Alpha Citadel is no cakewalk, and Quanta isn’t so sure about this whole “teamwork” thing. 
If she and the Ravens can’t learn to work together, no amount of rewinding time will save them from the inevitable. 
And if the Seligo win, everyone loses.



Author Bio:
Lola Dodge is a compulsive traveler, baker, and procrastinator. She earned her BA in English from Stonehill College and MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University—and hasn’t stopped moving since. When she’s not on the road, Lola spends her time indoors where the sunlight can’t melt her, writing or bingeing on anime and cherry soda. She can be summoned in a ritual involving curry, Hello Kitty idols, and a solid chocolate pentagram. 

GIVEAWAY!

XBTBanner1

Monday, January 16, 2017

As You Lay Sleeping by Katlyn Duncan ~ Cover Reveal


As You Lay Sleeping
Katlyn Duncan
Published by: HQ Digital
Publication date: February 20th 2017
Genres: Thriller, Young Adult
I did it all for you… 
Cara’s boyfriend is dead. 
When fingers start pointing at her, she knows she’s in more trouble than she originally thought. Because Cara can see that something isn’t right. 
As her carefully constructed life begins to crumble, Cara isn’t sure who she is anymore. 
But maybe that’s exactly what someone wants her to think…









Author Bio:
Katlyn Duncan was born and raised in a small town in western Massachusetts. Her overactive imagination involved invisible friends, wanting to be a Disney Princess and making up her own stories. Her bibliophile mom always encouraged her love of reading and that stayed with her ever since. Even though she works full time in the medical field Katlyn has always made time for books, whether she is reading or writing them. 

Katlyn now lives in southern Connecticut with her husband and adorable Wheaten Terrier and she is thrilled to finally share her stories with the world. 

XBTBanner1

Friday, January 13, 2017

The Hundredth Queen by Emily R King ~ Cover Reveal


The Hundredth Queen
Emily R. King

Published by: Skyscape
Publication date: June 1st 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
As an orphan ward of the Sisterhood, eighteen-year-old Kalinda is destined for nothing more than a life of seclusion and prayer. Plagued by fevers, she’s an unlikely candidate for even a servant’s position, let alone a courtesan or wife. Her sole dream is to continue living in peace in the Sisterhood’s mountain temple. 
But a visit from the tyrant Rajah Tarek disrupts Kalinda’s life. Within hours, she is ripped from the comfort of her home, set on a desert trek, and ordered to fight for her place among the rajah’s ninety-nine wives and numerous courtesans. Her only solace comes in the company of her guard, the stoic but kind Captain Deven Naik. 
Faced with the danger of a tournament to the death—and her growing affection for Deven—Kalinda’s only hope for escape lies in an arcane, forbidden power that’s buried within her. 
In Emily R. King’s thrilling fantasy debut, an orphan girl blossoms into a warrior, summoning courage and confidence in her fearless quest to upend tradition, overthrow an empire, and reclaim her life as her own.


Author Bio:
Emily R. King is a reader of everything and a writer of fantasy. Born in Canada and raised in the USA, she has perfected the use of “eh” and “y’all” and uses both interchangeably. Shark advocate, consumer of gummy bears, and islander at heart, Emily’s greatest interests are her four children. She’s a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and an active participant in her local writers’ community. She lives in Northern Utah with her family and their cantankerous cat. 

XBTBanner1

Age of Order by Julian North ~ Trailer Reveal and Giveaway


Age of Order
Julian North
Publication date: February 2017
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult
What if the people who thought they were better than you… really were?
In this world, inequality is a science. Giant machines maintain order. And all people are not created equal. 
Daniela Machado is offered a chance to escape the deprivation of Bronx City through a coveted slot at the elite Tuck School. There, among the highborn of Manhattan, she discovers an unimaginable world of splendor and greed. But her opportunity is part of a darker plan, and Daniela soon learns that those at society’s apex will stop at nothing to keep power for themselves. She may have a chance to change the world, if it doesn’t change her first. 
Age of Order is a novel that explores the meaning of merit and inequality. Fans of the Red Queen, Divergent and Red Rising will enjoy this world of secrets and deadly intrigue, where the downtrodden must fight for a better future.




XBTBanner1