Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Top Ten Best Book Covers of 2015


I am so excited to be a part of this celebration again this year! I look forward to this every year and can't wait to share my choices with everyone!!! Each day the participating blogs will post their choices for the Top Ten theme for that day. Please make sure and check out all the participating blogs and their choices!!! 

BEST BOOK COVERS OF 2015

Persuasion (The Heirs of Watson Island, #2)


Magonia (Magonia, #1)


Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)


The White Rose (The Lone City, #2)



Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)


Endure (Defy, #3)


Illuminae (The Illuminae Files, #1)



A Madness So Discreet

and my FAVORITE book cover of 2015
 is.........



Reign of Shadows (Reign of Shadows, #1)







Top 10 of 2015

Tasty Book Tours Release Day Blast & Giveaway: Harvest Moon (Sharon Struth)


Enter to Win a
$10.00 Amazon eGift Card


HARVEST MOON
A Blue Moon Lake Romance #2
Sharon Struth
Releasing Dec 22nd, 2015
Lyrical Shine



Getting past the librarian’s guard…
Trent Jamieson isn’t one for virtual romance, but there’s something about the intriguing woman he meets on the Internet he can’t resist. Then the small town bachelor discovers the mystery woman who shares her secrets with him online is the laced-up librarian in his self-defense class! Veronica Sussingham may just be his toughest student yet. Because how can he show the vulnerable beauty that some men areworth letting your guard down for?
Veronica returned to her hometown seeking shelter for her shattered spirit. The last thing she needs is a blue-eyed charmer who wants to show her how to live—and love—again. Then she discovers Trent is not just another admirer, but a man who knows her deepest secrets. Now Veronica must choose between running from her past—or finding future happiness with the kind of man she swore she’d never fall for….

BUY NOW





"Heart-tugging small town romance with real emotion. Struth is an author to watch!" —Laura Drake, author of RITA-award winning The Sweet SpotSharon Struth is an award-winning author who believes it’s never too late for a second chance in love or life. When she’s not writing, she and her husband happily sip their way through the scenic towns of the Connecticut Wine Trail. Sharon writes from the small town of Bethel, Connecticut, the friendliest place she’s ever lived. For more information, including where to find her other novels and published essays, please visit her website.


Monday, December 21, 2015

Top Best Books I've Read in 2015


I am so excited to be a part of this celebration again this year! I look forward to this every year and can't wait to share my choices with everyone!!! Each day the participating blogs will post their choices for the Top Ten theme for that day. Please make sure and check out all the participating blogs and their choices!!! 

BEST BOOKS I'VE READ IN 2015

Salt & Stone (Victoria Scott
Salt & Stone (Fire & Flood, #2)

Persuasion (The Heirs of Watson Island, #2)


Blood and Salt (Blood and Salt, #1)



Six of Crows (Six of Crows, #1)


The White Rose (The Lone City, #2)



Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)


Endure (Defy, #3)


The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn, #1)


Golden Son (Red Rising Trilogy, #2)


Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass, #4)


and my FAVORITE book of 2015
 is.........


A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1)









Top 10 of 2015

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Lola's Blog Tour Book Blitz & Giveaway: Sparked (Sheena Snow)


Sparked banner

This is my stop during the book blitz for Sparked (Metal Bones #1) by Sheena Snow. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 16 till 22 December, you can view the complete blitz schedule on the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

SparkedSparked (Metal Bones #1)
by Sheena Snow
Genre: Science Fiction
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 16 December, 2015

They weren’t supposed to have feelings.
Metal will ClashIn a not-too-distance future, robots composed of metal for bones, electric cords for veins, and synthetics for skin are now available. For purchase. Eighteen-year-old Vienna Avery’s home is going to change forever, now that her mom purchased an Italian Chef Robot to cook and reside in their house.
Secrets will UnfoldThe government claimed robots were indifferent, unthinking pieces of metal and elastic—assistance for the help of humans. Vienna never believed much of what the government said. The pieces didn’t always fit. And now Vienna knows why, because she’s uncovered the government’s secret: that robots have emotions, sucking Vienna into the underground world of feeling, thinking, and sovereign robots.
Sparks will FlyAlec Cypher is everything a robot is not supposed to be: deep, dark, and dangerously human. And for some reason, he wants to save Vienna from the government’s prying, vindictive eyes. Going forward, Vienna will have to learn to trust robots and battle the growing feelings she never thought possible . . . feelings for the green-eyed, soul-searching robot named Alec.


You can find Sparked on Goodreads

You can buy Sparked here:
 Amazon




Sheena Snow
Sheena Snow, contrary to her name, lives in South Florida and has only seen snow once. But she would love for it to land on her eyelashes and sparkle in her hair. She loves painting, candle making, orchid shows, tattoo conventions, hockey games and library book sales! After college she landed a full time job but kept serving pizza on the weekends and writing stories about characters she wished really existed, characters who never gave up no matter the obstacles life threw at them. At the age of twenty-six, she sold her first book and bought her very first puppy, a wonderful Yorkie named Aladdin.

You can find and contact Sheena here:
 Website *  Facebook *  Goodreads * Instagram



There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Sparked. These are the prizes you can win:
- a pair of steampunk earrings from the etsy shop RogueJewels (US Only)

steampunk earrings


For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

Friday, December 18, 2015

Good Choice Reading Book Release Blitz & Giveaway: Bloodcraft (Amalie Howard)




Bloodcraft by Amalie Howard
Series: Bloodspell #2 
Genre: Upper YA/NA (mature content), Fantasy
Publication: December 15th, 2015


All magic has its price, and no one knows that better than Victoria Warrick. Gifted with a centuries-old blood curse, Tori has finally learned to master her blood’s demands and has emerged triumphant with Christian Devereux, a vampire overlord, at her side.
But the worst is yet to come …
In the infamous City of Lights, home to both the Witch Clans and the Vampire Council, Tori enrolls at the exclusive Belles Fontaines school in Paris, where she is faced with a devastating choice: choose Christian and be an outcast, or choose the coven and secure her place with the witches.
When the fate of the supernatural world is targeted by a sinister new threat, Christian and Victoria must unite their two warring species to defeat it. Their bond will be tested, twisted, and sorely weakened, and Tori will find herself in uncharted territory—a dangerous place to be when her blood’s magic has its own dark agenda.
But to save them all, she may have no choice but to invoke its deadly power.

PURCHASE
Amazon | Kobo | B&N

----------------------------------------------------

Book #1, Bloodspell



AVAILABLE ON

Amazon | B&N | Book Depository | Kobo

for 99¢!

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Excerpt
     With a frustrated growl, he gently but firmly separated their bodies, composing himself with a harsh breath. Victoria sighed and leaned back against the table, watching a muscle work in his jaw. It should be getting easier, but it only seemed to be getting harder—and riskier—for them to be together. Every touch, every look, every kiss drew them closer to the edge of the abyss from which there would be no return—one mistake and one of them would die. Victoria took his cool hands in hers.

     “I love you,” she said as his hands trembled in hers. Touching his cheek, she climbed off his lap, putting some space between them. Despite the distance, she could feel her blood churning wildly, tempting him, inciting him to take it, and she shivered at the volatility of it. Her blood’s siren call was near impossible to resist, and she knew how hard it was for him. He’d once told her that he’d risk the consequences of her blood’s appeal because he couldn’t deprive himself of never being able to touch her.

     Seeing the savage transformation in his face and the tips of teeth pressing into his lower lip, she wondered whether he still thought the same. Christian stood and kissed her fingers, and with the ever-present apology in his eyes, excused himself from the room. Victoria watched him leave, his long, lithe body loping with an easy grace across the back gardens into the forest beyond.

     The château sat at the edge of the Fontainebleau forest, which, as in the days of old, continued to fulfill its function as a royal hunting park, for Christian’s purposes anyway. She pressed a finger to her lips, the impression of his lingering on them. Sometimes she felt like the vampire, as if she were the one who couldn’t get enough of him. And most times, she didn’t know if those feelings were hers or those of her blood. Given the chance, her blood would devour Christian’s very essence until there was nothing left.

     It thrummed in her veins as if sensing her ominous thoughts, its hunger unabated and ever-present. It, too, was voracious and would consume anything to sate its dark thirst—even the one she loved. Victoria shivered, wrapping her arms about herself and staring toward the forest lost in thought. She wasn’t afraid of Christian or the fact that he was a vampire. After all, she was more of a monster than he could ever be.

________________________________________________________________

About the Author



AMALIE HOWARD grew up on a small Caribbean island (Trinidad & Tobago) where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.
An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published in a University of Warwick journal. At fifteen, she was  a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed simultaneous Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude/Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for research and criticism in Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation. She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, marketing representative, teen speaker and global sales executive.
agold-authorShe is the author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller and a Seventeen Magazine Summer Read. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. She is represented by the Liza Royce Agency and is a member of SCBWI.



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Giveaway
Kindle Fire giveaway is open to US residents due to shipping restrictions. 
Paperback copies of BLOODSPELL & BLOODCRAFT are open to US and INT readers.
This giveaway is sponsored by Amalie Howard. 
Leading up to the release of BLOODCRAFT, more entries/options will be added to the rafflecopter to double your chances! 






FFBC Blog Tour, Guest Post, & Giveaway: Half In Love With Death (Emily Ross)




Half in Love with Death
by Emily Ross
Publisher: Merit Press
Release Date: December 18th 2015
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction


It's the era of peace and love in the 1960s, but nothing is peaceful in Caroline's life. Since her beautiful older sister disappeared, fifteen-year-old Caroline might as well have disappeared too. She's invisible to her parents, who can't stop blaming each other. The police keep following up on leads even Caroline knows are foolish. The only one who seems to care about her is Tony, her sister's older boyfriend, who soothes Caroline's desperate heart every time he turns his magical blue eyes on her. 
Tony is convinced that the answer to Jess's disappearance is in California, the land of endless summer, among the runaways and flower children. Come with me, Tony says to Caroline, and we'll find her together. Tony is so loving, and all he cares about is bringing Jess home. And so Caroline follows, and closes a door behind her that may never open again.
Inspired by the disturbing case of Charles Schmid, ‘the Pied Piper of Tucson’, Half in Love with Death is a heartfelt thriller that never lets up.

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Thinking back to the beginning, what’s the most important thing you have learned as a writer from then to now?

The most important thing I’ve learned is how much other people can help you with your writing. When I first started writing I filled notebooks with barely legible hand-written stories mostly about my broken heart, and never showed them to anyone. I was terrified at the thought of getting critiques from actual living human beings. But when I finally took my first writing workshop some cool things happened: people liked my work, I got good advice on how to improve it, and made new friends.

Since then I’ve been in many workshops and have learned how to give and take constructive feedback (as opposed to the kind that makes you want to jump off a bridge), what feedback to ignore (an important skill if you ever want to finish anything), and made more friends. But I didn’t realize how much help I could get from other writers until I tried to write a novel. I’d already written short stories and figured a novel was just a longer short story—right? Wrong. 

I’d been working on Half in Love with Death for seven years and was as tangled up in it as a cat with a yarn ball, when I found out about the yearlong intensive Novel Incubator program. In Novel Incubator you receive feedback on your entire novel not once but twice, and learn about the craft of novel writing. It sounded like just what I needed but to apply I needed a finished draft. Amazingly, after seven years I still didn’t have one, and I literally wrote the last 60 pages of my novel in three weeks so I could apply. I’m glad I did! 

I learned more about how to write a novel from my Novel Incubator instructors than I had since I first scribbled stories in a notebook. And I learned from the other people in the class as well. We learned from each other’s triumphs and mistakes. We supported each other when we were struggling with things like revision, and celebrated our successes. By the end of the program I had a near final draft, and had gained a community of lifelong writing friends.

Writing a novel requires me to spend a lot of time alone with my words. But learning from other people has made me a better writer, and a happier one. I’m grateful for that!



Follow the Half In Love With Death by Emily Ross Blog Tour and don't miss anything! Click on the banner to see the tour schedule.




Emily Ross's YA mystery/thriller HALF IN LOVE WITH DEATH is forthcoming from Merit Press(12/2015). She received a 2014 MCC Artist Fellowship finalist award for fiction, and is a graduate of Grub Street's Novel Incubator program. When not writing she works as a web developer and is the mother of two millennials. Find out more at http://www.emilyrosswrites.com/ or https://twitter.com/emilyross816.




US ONLY