Book Blast & Guest Post: (Leopard Moon by Jeanette Battista)

To help spread the word about the fact that Jeanette Battista's LEOPARD MOON, the first book in the Moon series, is available for free at Amazon for the Kindle until the end of the month we've invited the author to the blog to share a guest post about her experience writing the book.

The Moon series consists of four books - LEOPARD MOON, JACKAL MOON, HYENA MOON and HUNTER MOON - and is a series author Melissa Marr says, "... is filled with action and romance, shape shifters and strong heroines."

To check out all the books in the series on Goodreads, CLICK HERE.

The guest post follows below, but first here's some information about the awesome book and author and places you can find them both online!

About the Book

Title: LEOPARD MOON (Moon Series #1)
Author: Jeanette Battista
Publisher: CreateSpace
Release date: March 7, 2012
Pages: 204
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
***Kindle format free at Amazon - HERE***
Description:
How do you disappear when you come from a family of predators?

A wereleopard, Kess is forced to flee her home and family in Miami once her brother's obsession with her turns violent. She runs from city to city, trying to stay one step ahead of the investigators her family has dispatched to bring her home. Kess ends up in the mountains of North Carolina and attracts the attention of Cormac, a young man with a secret of his own. As she attempts to live as normal a life as her were-nature allows, her brother Sek continues to hunt for her. He believes she is the key to revitalizing their weakened clan and is driven to extreme measures to ensure their continued existence. As Kess' relationship with Cormac deepens, Sek closes in, threatening Cormac's life and Kess' freedom.

When the moon rises, the hunt is on….

Dimitri Williams Photography
Source: Author's website

About the Author
Jeanette Battista graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains her possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. She spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb her obsession. To satisfy her adrenaline cravings—since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times—she rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. She gave up the bike when her daughter came along, although she still gets pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When she’s not writing or working, Jeanette spends time with family, hikes, reads, makes decadent brownies, buys killer boots, and plays Pocket Frogs. She wishes there were more hours in the day so she could actually do more of these things. She lives with her daughter and their ancient, ill-tempered cat in North Carolina.

Find her: Goodreads | Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

I'll be honest--I wasn't planning to write a book like Leopard Moon. I had an entirely different story in my head at the time, but it just wasn't coming into clear focus. That's the funny way writing works though: there I am, sitting at a red light on my way to meet my friends for a birthday martini and pedicure, listening to Florence + the Machine and WHAM! The song Howl comes on and this whole lovely scene just starts unfolding in my head. There was Kess, running through the woods, ripping off of her clothes as she triggered a change into a black leopard. And there was Cormac, standing in a different part of the woods being beaten mercilessly by the villain. I didn't know Sek was going to turn out to be Kess' brother, but I did know who he was as a character and what he wanted.

It was truly a gift: the entire final fight scene just unspooled itself along with the song lyrics. Each beat of the song matched a key point in the fight. The more I listened, the more I realized that the lyrics could apply to all of the characters in the main triangle at some point in the story I suddenly wanted to tell. And I wanted that story to be more than just boy meeting girl--I wanted that story to be about girl saving boy, but more importantly about girl saving herself. The song Howl gave me Kess first and Sekhmet second, so a lot of what I tried to do with them was to show them as two halves of a whole, two sides of a coin. Howl, at least to me, wasn't a love song at all--it was a song about possession and obsession and all of those things that show up in our animal drives. that we'd like to forget exists.

So when I began to craft Kess and Sek, Howl played on a continuous loop. And though the song speaks of wolves, I knew these two had to be cats. Wolves have a more social nature and are more easily understood by us--I think it comes from them being a a precursor to our beloved dogs. Cats are an unknown quantity, strange and separate, even if they choose to share space with us. I wanted real darkness there, not just a brief bit of danger that would be easily resolved. Obsession and mental illness gave Sek that scariness, but also--I hope--a bit of sympathy. He really does love his sister and wants what is best for her and his clan. I never intended to excuse his behavior, but I did want to try and understand it.

Just like the song made me understand that narrator of that story. I can only hope I did half so well.

***

To meet Kess, Cormac and Sek in this first book in the Moon series, head over to Amazon to download the Kindle eBook for free until January 31st.

It can be found HERE!

A big thanks to Rockstar Blog Tours for hosting this blog tour!!! Thanks!!!

Blog Tour & Giveaway: Fighting To Survive (Rhiannon Frater)

First of all I was BEYOND excited to join this Blog Tour! As The World Dies was my first ever Zombie book experience and I read the first two books in a week and pre-ordered Siege immediately. This series is PHENOMENAL!!Yes it is a zombie book...yes it has blood, guts, etc...But you are so absorbed in what is going on with the characters that you really dont even notice. Rhiannon has a true gift when it comes to writing and her characters are so full of passion. This is definitely one series you MUST read!!!!

It’s time to clear the hotel.
The fort has grown crowded as survivors of the zombie apocalypse have found safety between its walls. Winter is coming; soon it will be too cold to live in tents and other makeshift shelters. The leaders of the survivors—Katie, Jenni, Juan, Travis, and Nerit—decide it’s time for an assault on the zombie-occupied hotel that looms over the town square.

A pitched battle in the banquet room is the start of a harrowing, room-by-room struggle from Reception to roof. As the sun sets, the people of Ashley Oaks gather in the hotel’s rooftop ballroom and gazebo to celebrate their survival. Gazing out over the beauty of the surrounding Texas countryside, it’s hard to believe that death and danger lurk around every corner.

The fort’s search and rescue teams have attracted unwanted attention from bandits who see the fort as competition for food . . . and as a ready source of women. The first attacks are minor, but everyone knows there is worse to come.

And beyond the fort’s walls, the zombies shamble, moaning, eyes fastened hungrily upon the living.

Fighting to Survive by Rhiannon Frater (As the World Dies, #2)
Adult Zombie Series
Paperback Release: January 29th 2013
Tor Books

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15792856-fighting-to-survive

Purchase: 

Barnes and Noble * Amazon

Rhiannon Frater
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of the As the World Dies trilogy (The First Days, Fighting to Survive, Siege,) and the author of three other books: the vampire novels Pretty When She Dies and The Tale of the Vampire Bride and the young-adult zombie novel The Living Dead Boy and the Zombie Hunters. Inspired to independently produce her work from the urging of her fans, she published The First Days in late 2008 and quickly gathered a cult following. She won the Dead Letter Award back-to-back for both The First Days and Fighting to Survive, the former of which the Harrisburg Book Examiner called ‘one of the best zombie books of the decade.’ Rhiannon is currently represented by Hannah Gordon of the Foundry + Literary Media agency.

Author Links:

Website * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Women, Society and the Zombocalypse

By

Rhiannon Frater

I honestly didn’t set out to write a feminist take on the zombocalypse when I started writing AS THE WORLD DIES as an online serial. I just wrote about the sort of people I that exist in my everyday life.  The characters all evolved naturally as I wrote, as did their complicated relationships and sometimes disastrous choices.  It was only later that I fully began to understand how ground-breaking having two female leads in the genre actually was.

Admittedly, Jenni and Katie were born out of my desire to read a zombie story that was from a woman’s perspective. AS THE WORLD DIES was born as online serial in 2005. At that time zombie fiction was inundated with the lone gunman wandering across the zombie-infested lands. Women, children, and men who weren’t Rambo in disguise were merely zombie fodder.  The women played the roles of the love interest (who often died), the victims, and the zombies.  It became demoralizing to read over and over again stereotypes that bore no real resemblance to any of the women in my life.  So when the characters of Jenni and Katie invaded my mind one day at work, I wanted to write their story and share it with others.

When I started the serial, I wanted to write about real men and women with flaws and strengths struggling to rebuild society in the zombie wastelands.  If history has shown us one thing, it’s that humans survive in communities. I didn’t want to create a world of alpha males and subservient women, or vice versa.  I wanted to write about real people dealing with real life issues while facing the undead hordes. I didn’t want to shy away from the difficulties of creating a new community. Differences of opinion, religion, culture, etc. were definitely going to cause problems at some point. Little did I realize that the issues my characters tackled in the online serial (which ran from 2005-2007) would become hotbed issues in 2012.  Religion, gay rights, and gender equality are all topics the people in the fort are forced to deal with while still dealing with bandits and zombies.

STRONG FEMALE CHARACTERS

Oddly enough, I never thought about any of the females in my story as being “strong” or unusual. The positive feedback to the characters was definitely a reaction to all the stereotypical women in these kinds of books. People were genuinely surprised to read such positive portrayals. The readers weren’t surprised that the women were strong and competent; they were surprised to see an accurate portrayal of themselves, their wives, their girlfriends, mothers, and sisters. Quite a few male friends have told me that they loved how certain female characters reminded them strongly of the women they love.  Female fans have also shared how refreshing it was to see women doing the types of things they would do in the zombocalypse—like killing zombies.

Jenni and Katie aren’t wonder women or superhuman like Alice in the Resident Evil films. They aren’t perfect either. Each has to deal with the aftermath of the destruction of their lives and they don’t always make the right choices.  But they aren’t afraid to fight for their own lives and those they love. They step up and take part in the planning of the new community and fight for the survival of everyone.

THE REGULAR GUYS

Though I get a lot of kudos for my female characters, I don’t feel that any of my male characters suffer from standing alongside competent women.  I didn’t want to resort to the alpha male stereotype with my male characters, but I also didn’t want to weaken them. Travis and Juan play vital roles in the story and are just regular men facing horrible circumstances.  They understand that to survive everyone has to work together and have their own strengths and weaknesses.  One of my greatest compliments was when someone told me that he could totally see himself hanging out with my male characters because they were just “dudes.”

THE BIGOTS

There are, of course, men that don’t like the women playing such a strong role. One of them, Shane, becomes a dangerous foe to Katie when she has to kill his brother after he becomes infected.  It’s in Shane and his cohort that we see a more dismissive attitude toward women and other people in general.  Shane and Phillip are great at entering the zombie-infested towns and salvaging for supplies and serve the community well, but their attitudes toward women, especially bisexual Katie, creates serious problems for the burgeoning society in FIGHTING TO SURVIVE.  Shane and Phillip challenge the rules of the new society with their behavior. One particularly upsetting scene between Shane and Katie immediately causes a rift among the people in the fort as people take sides in a “he said, she said” battle.

FRIENDSHIPS

One of the things that’s often missing in fiction, especially post-apocalyptic fiction, is the strong friendship bonds that exist among people.  Often the survivors are not really friends, but people thrown together that just barely get along.  In AS THE WORLD DIES, I enjoyed portraying various types of friendship bonds. There are best buddies, Juan and Travis, BFFs Ken and Lenore, and Jenni and Katie’s strong, sisterly friendship. 

Though people comment on all three friendships as being refreshing and similar to ones they share in their real lives, the one that stands out the most is the friendship between Jenni and Katie. Women are not often portrayed as being friends in fiction. In fact, a lot of heroines are often the only women in the book.  Jenni and Katie’s friendship was one of the things my editor at Tor really enjoyed. It’s so rare to see female best friends who love and support each other. Usually women are portrayed as rivals. Since I have close female friends in my life it felt only natural to have Jenni and Katie be close.

In Cclosing…I am very happy that readers embrace the characters and feel they are an honest, realistic version of people they have in their own lives.  I am also pleased that readers have enjoyed the dynamics of the new and growing society in the middle of the zombocalypse.

  

The As The World Dies Series by Rhiannon Frater

Giselle Cormier
Xpresso Book ToursXpresso ReadsXpresso Design

Jack Templar Monster Hunter Book Blast

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 descendant 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.

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.

Website: www.jacktemplar.com
Twitter: @JTMonsterHunter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackTemplarmonsterhunter




Kirkus Reviews

"Gunhus brings young readers a monster-filled romp to read at their own risk. In the first few pages, Jack, the storyteller and main character, warns readers not to read about these real-world monsters that would seem to only exist in fiction. The tone is set--sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek and likable; rooting for Jack is easy...Gunhus masterfully introduces fully realized characters with whom readers can connect almost instantly. The pacing is quick but not rushed, and events seamlessly progress, complete with action, cliff-hangers and surprise reveals. "


Amazon Reviews

Watch out Percy Jackson here comes Jack Templar


Move over Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, there's a new kid in town - Jack Templar, and he will take you on a wonderful adventure of good vs evil, with friends and enemies at every turn. The twists and turns keep the reader on a roller coaster of entertainment in the way of JK Rowling and Rick Riordan. - Penny Brein


Fast paced adventure through and through


Written for middle school aged students, this book is action-packed from the beginning and will hold the attention of young readers. Not only that, as an adult reader, it was hard to put down, so parents will enjoy it as an easy read. -bluejellybean


Kids will love it!


Not only will kids love it, adults will too! I don't want to give the plot away but this is a book worth reading. This book is creatively written drawing in the reader to be a participant in the story. There is lots of action with enough blood and guts to be interesting without being gross. Girls will like it too with the strong female role models and the hint of romance. Even though this is a children's book, I couldn't put it down. I will definitely be adding this to my classroom library. I am looking forward to reading the book in this series and sharing it with my students. Awesome book! -pixiep

Book Trailer

 



WARNING:

Yeah, you read it right. I’m a monster hunter. Back before I actually became one, I would have thought that sounded totally awesome. And don’t get me wrong, in a lot of ways it is. But most of the time, I’m either running for my life or hiding in the shadows, praying the monster chasing me doesn’t pick up my scent. And I’m almost always scared to death. In a few pages, I think you’ll see why.


But there are a few things I need to warn you about before I tell you my story.


First, this isn’t a cartoon. These are bloodthirsty creatures who will stop at nothing to kill. They are scary. Very scary. Second, the only way to stop them is to kill them first…and that gets gross and messy. Third, this is all real.


You think I’m kidding, don’t you? I can almost see you smirking as you read this. But this isn’t a joke. Monsters are real and the story I’m about to tell you really happened. If you’d rather walk through life believing that monsters are only found in books or on the movie screen, then you should shut this book right now and go do something else.


I give you these warnings because the story I’m about to tell you isn’t for everyone. Not everyone can handle it. The blood. The gore. The monsters.


This life was thrust onto me. I had no choice but to take up a sword and fight. But you can still walk away and pretend this dark world doesn’t exist. Or you can walk through the door that I’m about to open and find out the truth about the world around you.


But I warn you (and this is a big warning), if you read this book, if you learn about the monsters that roam among us and the hunters who fight them, if you decide to learn the truth, then you will become fair game for the monsters to chase.


Make sure you understand what I’m saying.


If you read this book, you will be part of this world and the monsters will come after you too. You will start to see things that no other humans can see. The shadows will move when you walk near them. The creatures of the night will seek you out, testing the doors and windows of your house, looking for a way in.


And, at some point, they will find you, just like they found me, and you will be forced to defend yourself.


So, think carefully before you turn the page, because once you do, there’s no turning back.


Ever.


Once a monster hunter, always a monster hunter.


See you on the other side.

If you’re brave enough.

Purchase

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule

January 29th

I Am A Reader, Not A Writer - Interview

Cuzinlogic - Interview

Emily Unraveled - Review & Tens List


January 30th

Oh, Chrys! - Interview

Love. Pray. Read. - Review

Magical Manuscripts - Review & Author Interview


January 31st

Books for Children - Review

Peace from Pieces - Interview

WTF Are You Reading? - Tens List


February 1st

Delirious About Books - Spotlight

~Oh, The Books You'll Read! - Review

Four Sisters and a Book - Spotlight


February 2nd

The Read-a-holic - Review

Books Beside My Bed - Spotlight

Forever Young Adult - Spotlight

Sher A Hart Writing Art - Spotlight


February 3rd

Amy Jarecki Writes - Spotlight

Joyous Reads - Shelf Envy

Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf - Review


February 4th

Mom with a Kindle - Review

Laurie's Thoughts & Reviews - Character Interview

Book Worm Brandy - Review

Spellbindings - Review


February 5th

Deal Sharing Aunt - Review & Tens List

Sweeping Me - Spotlight

Paperback Princess - Review & Interview


February 6th
The Cover Contessa - Review

Sab The Book Eater - Tens List

Curling Up With A Good Book - Review & Tens List


February 7th

Mythical Books - Review

Indie Author How-to - Spotlight

Christy's Cozy Corners - Review


February 8th

Reader Girls - Tens List

Froze8's Blog - Interview

Musings of a Blogder - Review & Tens List


February 9th

Brooke Blogs - Review

My Devotional Thoughts - Review

Reading with ABC - Review


February 10th

A Dream Within A Dream - Spotlight

Le Vanity Victorienne - Review & Tens List


February 11th
Book Sake - Tens List

Bending the Spine - Review

Literarily Speaking - Interview

Girl *Hearts* Books - Review


February 12th

Crossroads Review - Guest Post & Review

The Solitary Bookworm - Review


February 13th

Bookworm Lisa - Review

From the Bootheel Cotton Patch - Spotlight

Sher A Hard: Writing Art - Review


February 14th

Pieces of Whimsy - Interview

Moosubi Reviews! - Review

Min Reads & Reviews - Review

Mother Daughter Book Reviews - Review


February 15th
Jean Book Nerd - Guest Post

An Avid Reader's Musing - Review

Review: The Prey (Andrew Fukuda)

For Gene and the remaining humans—or hepers—death is just a heartbeat away. On the run and hunted by society, they must find a way to survive in The Vast... and avoid the hungry predators tracking them in the dark. But they’re not the only things following Gene. He’s haunted by the girl he left behind and his burgeoning feelings for Sissy, the human girl at his side.
When they discover a refuge of exiled humans living high in the mountains, Gene and his friends think they’re finally safe. Led by a group of intensely secretive elders, the civilisation begins to raise more questions than answers. A strict code of behaviour is the rule, harsh punishments are meted out, young men are nowhere to be found—and Gene begins to wonder if the world they’ve entered is just as evil as the one they left behind. As life at the refuge grows more perilous, he and Sissy only grow closer. In an increasingly violent world, all they have is each other... if they can only stay alive.

Hardcover, US, 304 pages
Expected publication: January 29th 2013
Genre: YA/ Dystopian
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Both books are available in Audio Format
Received book from publisher for honest review

Links to Purchase The Prey

Barnes & Noble * Amazon * Indigo * St Martin's Press

Born in Manhattan and raised in Hong Kong, Andrew Fukuda is half-Chinese, half-Japanese. After earning a bachelor's degree in history from Cornell University, Fukuda worked in Manhattan's Chinatown with the immigrant teen community. That experience led to the writing of Crossing, his debut novel that was selected by ALA Booklist as an Editor's Choice, Top Ten First Novel, and Top Ten Crime Novel in 2010. His second novel, The Hunt, the first in a new series, was bought at auction by St. Martin's Press and will be published in May 2012. Before becoming a full time writer, Fukuda was a criminal prosecutor for seven years. He currently resides on Long Island, New York, with his family.

Contact Andrew Fukuda 

Website * Email * Facebook * Twitter

Where do I even begin? If you loved the Hunger Games, Twilight, or just love to read a dystopian book with heart-pounding, non-stop action and suspense then this series IS FOR YOU!!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would and I would put it in BOLD numbers!!! WOW! This sequel is just intense. There are no other words except INTENSE!!!!!!!!! I started this book and finished it in 3 days.

Andrew Fukuda weaves an breath-taking, suspense filled story that keeps you turning long into the night. I loved everything about this book. It has everything from horror to mystery to a tale of survival and family. The characters are written perfectly in every aspect. Gene and Sissy are both strong, intense, driven characters and I felt as though I was living every moment with them. They have a sense of family and care for their other friends as though their lives depend on it. 

Gene is by far one of my most favorite characters in this novel. He has survived and overcome so much. In The Hunt he lives within a horde of vampires and somehow manages to blend in and survive. He finds Sissy and the others and together they overcome the odds and become free. 

Out of all the scenes in The Prey, my most favorite is when they are on the river. Their vulnerability and survival techniques are fascinating. They manage to live and survive on the boat with each other and each night when the vampires arrive and try their might to reach them, it just makes you cringe. Andrew Fukuda's writing style is incredible. I cringed and felt  emotions as I was reading just as though I were there with them. The horrific way they vampires are described is wild. Their lust and greed for the "hepers" is intense. 

I love how "The Scientist" is still so involved in this story even though he is not living each account with them. He is so involved in this story even though he is not there in person. He gives the group a sense of hope and security and this is what they hang on to that keeps them going and fighting.

In The Prey the group are introduced to a new "experience," I call it an experience because that is exactly what it is...A life experience that the group will have to live through to survive and thrive. The "cult" they come into is filled with so many mysteries and puzzles. As they delve into this new "town" the discover so many more horrors and answers start to come to light. 

I think one of the reasons why I am so drawn to this series is because everything in the story means something. Its a mystery waiting to be solved with little clues introduced along the way. I could not draw myself away from this book...I could not wait to get all the clues and put them together and discover the mystery. Along the way you find out several key pieces that makes everything start to make sense yet keeps you hanging on to learn more. 

Needless to say, this fast paced story is fantastic, incredible, heart-stopping, creepy, and so much more. I cant wait to read the conclusion and to see where and how this story ends. I have a feeling that Gene, Sissy, Epap, Jacob, David, and Ben have a lot more turns and surprises that they have yet to face and I cant wait to live every moment with them......

Spotlight & Review: Siege & Storm (Leigh Bardugo)

Darkness never dies. Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

Release Date: June 2013
Hardcover, 448 pages
Expected publication: June 4th 2013 by Henry Holt and Co.

You can Pre-Order Siege & Storm here:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Indigo

Her debut novel, Shadow & Bone (Holt Children's/Macmillan) is now a New York Times Best Seller.  Leigh Bardugo was born in Jerusalem, raised in Los Angeles, and graduated from Yale University. These days, she hides out in Hollywood and indulges her fondness for glamour, ghouls, and costuming in her other life as makeup artist L.B. Benson.

You can contact Leigh Bardugo here:

Twitter * Web Site * Facebook

Five stars does not even touch how amazing this book is...WOW...Leigh Bardugo has created an breath-taking, phenomenal world...As you are reading you feel as though you are living every moment with the characters. Alina is such a strong heroine. Her drive to fight the Darkling and save Ravka makes me want to fight with her and she deals with so many emotions along the way. Several new characters are introduced as well as the return of some of my favorites and I loved every one of them. I wont give away too much since this book does not release until June but I wanted readers to know that Leigh Bardugo does NOT disappoint with this sequel. Usually it is hard to love a sequel more than the first but with this one YOU DO!! You learn so much more about each character and there is non-stop action. The Darkling is as "dark" as ever and it just made the story more momentous. So needless to say...I COMPLETELY LOVED this book and cannot wait to read the conclusion. Alina & Mal are some of my most favorite characters ever written. Well done, Leigh Bardugo....Well done....

Cover Reveal: Kiss of Fire (Rebecca Ethington)

Joclyn Despain has a scar. In fact, it is almost like a brand on her skin. She doesn’t know why it appeared on her neck, but she doesn’t want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won’t let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.

The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; but he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.

Find Rebecca Ethington...

Twitter, Facebook, and Website

Books Available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble

GIVEAWAY: Paperback copies (US ONLY) of Kiss of Fire and Eyes of Ember, or, if you live outside the US and you win this giveaway, you will automatically win ebook copies. :) 

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

J.K. Accinni Book Blitz (Echo)

About the Author

J. K. Accinni was born and raised in Sussex County before moving to Randolph, New Jersey, where she lived with her husband, five dogs and eight rabbits, all rescued and currently resides in Sarasota, Florida. Mrs. Accinni’s passion for wildlife conservation has led her all over the world, including three trips to Africa, where ten years ago she and her husband fell in love with a baby elephant named Wendi that had been rescued by a wildlife group. That baby is the inspiration for the character Tobi, the elephant featured in her fourth book titled Hive.

The character of Caesar is inspired by a real life iconic tiger from Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary in Sarasota. A portion of the proceeds from her third book, Armageddon Cometh, will be donated to the sanctuary in support of the enormous expense required to house and feed the displaced wildlife in their care. Mrs. Accinni invites her readers to visit bigcathabitat.org to view the astounding facility and plan a visit with your family.

Echo by J.K. Accinni

FREE TO DOWNLOAD ON JAN 22nd & JAN 23rd

Download Your Copy Here

Netty’s influence transcends a full century as the United States evolves to a point of politically driven economic collapse. The year is 2033 as a young mother, abused by her shiftless husband, heroically decides to remove her two sickly children, Scotty and Abby, from the mean streets of their government subsidized tenement town of Short Hills, New Jersey to the hills and old farmland of Sussex County. There they unite with a Latino family that adopted Jose, a young boy from Costa Rica, traumatized at the age of seven by the brutal murder of his parents and the kidnapping of his infant sister.The two families unite to pool finances, creating the love and bonds that will enable them to survive the psychotic attention of Armoni, a soul damaged beyond redemption, discovery of Baby’s miraculous offspring, Echo; and their subsequent body changes. Through the efforts of Echo who develops an unexplained passion for the curly haired dog, Barney, they flee the clutches of Armoni after the murder of Armoni’s sidekicks by Echo, to Sarasota, Florida, one of the last remaining enclaves of wealth in the U.S.Scotty learns to utilize Echo as a co-conspirator in his intrigue to thwart the efforts of heinous people that prey on the lives of creatures in their environmentally rich new home, where the insidious miscreant, Armoni, tracks them; dragging along Ginger Mae, a New York City prostitute looking for opportunity with her mute child, Daisy; bringing brutality and violence to all.Having fallen in love, the young  Abby and Jose draw close, only to be separated by the transcendental Netty, who tries to use Abby as a conduit in her plan to rescue as much wildlife as they can before despicable political events bring on the specter of Armageddon.

Author Links

Website

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

Amazon

There are several giveaways RIGHT now on facebook!!! Check the following group to see!

Species Intervention 6609



and a special THANK YOU to RaeBeth Buda for putting together this great book blast!!! 

RaeBeth's Website