Saturday, February 28, 2015

Tempest's Fury by Alicia Michaels

Tempest’s Fury by Alicia Michaels

Release Spotlight + Giveaway



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Title: Tempest’s Fury (The Lost Kingdom of Fallada Book Four)

Release Date: February 28, 2015

Genre: YA Paranormal/Fantasy

Publisher: Marion Press

Blurb: Gretchen Thomas isn’t exactly princess material. She’s not thin, perky, graceful, or refined. So, when a mysterious man claiming to be from another world appears, telling her that she’s royalty, her first instinct is to laugh in his face. However, his assertion that she’s from this strange parallel realm rings true—especially given the freakish abilities she’s had since childhood.

Yet, with that knowledge comes a set of expectations Gretchen isn’t sure she can live up to. With an entire kingdom relying on her to fight for them against an evil queen, and a long lost family hoping to reunite with her, being a princess doesn’t seem like all it’s cracked up to be. One thing is for sure; when the war between good and evil spills over from one realm into another, disrupting her life and threatening the brother who raised her, Gretchen will not hesitate to unleash the powerful storm brewing inside of her.

*A fairytale reboot of Hansel & Gretel*


Download your copy:

Excerpt:
Brooklyn, New York

Moisture coated the air, steam from the showers lingering on the air along with the chorus of Miley Cyrus’ “We Won’t Stop”. Gretchen Thomas scowled. She hated the song with a passion, almost as much as she hated the girl who sang it.

To add insult to injury, the locker room echoed with the constant chatter of high-pitched voices. They sounded like a flock of birds … a flock of tall, leggy, blonde birds with perfect bodies and daddies who gave them everything they wanted.

The goddesses of high school. The banes of Gretchen’s existence.

They giggled together and danced to the music, not at all shy about their various states of half-nakedness.

Turning her back to them, she peeled off the sweatshirt she’d worn to gym class. Beneath it was her not-so-skinny body and nondescript black sports bra.

She tried to be quick about covering herself. Unfortunately, she wasn’t fast enough.

“Whale, ho!” one of the high-pitched voices said from behind her.

She stiffened, her face growing hot as the insult washed over her. Refusing to turn around, she pulled on her long-sleeved black and white striped tee, before layering it with a shorter-sleeved purple one.

“Want some butter for those rolls, porky?” a second voice asked.

Ariana Smith and Jessica Simmons … she recognized the voices as two of her most dedicated tormentors. Their insults sent giggles through the locker room, and now she could feel the stares … the eyes of the other girls boring into her.

Determined to ignore them, she slid out of her sweats and into her jeans as fast as she could. One of the girls muttered something else, but she couldn’t hear it through the anger causing her heart to pound, filling her ears with the sound.

Gritting her teeth, she shoved everything into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Not bothering to put her shoes on, she carried them, making a quick escape.

“Watch out, wide load!” wailed Ariana, giggling and backing out of her path in a dramatic motion.

She glared over her shoulder at both of them, then retreated. She could still hear the laughter as she paused, leaning against the wall outside the locker room and closing her eyes.

Ignore them. They’re just a couple of mean girls who put other people down to make themselves feel better. Be the bigger person. You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. Fitting in is for losers.

Yeah, none of that worked. The more she fought against her anger, the worse her need to lash out became until she felt a familiar heat beginning in her palms. The air around her shifted and moved like a gust of wind, and a bluish-white spark flashed in one hand.

Taking a deep breath, she swallowed past the lump of rage in her throat. She could hear Hayden’s voice in her head, telling her not to act out, not to use her abilities in public. But, her big brother wasn’t here, and her anger won out.

Releasing the emotion on a wave of energy, she grinned as the sound of screams and curses filled the locker room. The staccato pitter-patter of raindrops wasn’t enough to satisfy her, though. Fighting back laughter, she peeked around the corner for a glimpse of her handiwork.

Girls ducked and covered their heads, wailing their distress over the soaked clothes strewn across the locker room floor. Water rained down on them from overhead, drenching them all. Ariana and Jessica stood in their midst, screaming as their ruined hair fell around their heads, and water streamed down their faces, ruining their makeup.

Gretchen grinned, turning away from the locker room. She slid into her Converse sneakers, then reached into her backpack to retrieve her phone. Jamming her earbuds in, she cranked up the volume as Aerosmith crooned “Janie’s Got a Gun”.

Laughter burning in her chest, she made her way to lunch, practically skipping the entire way.




Check out the rest of the Lost Kingdom of Fallada books, a series of YA fairytale reboots!

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Book 1: Daughter of the Red Dawn
A FREE Read!
Blurb: On the outside, seventeen year-old Selena McKinley is like any other teenage girl. Yet Selena has always felt as if she doesn’t belong and is counting the days to graduation and her freedom from the small town that makes her feel so out of place, when the arrival of a stranger turns her world upside down. Selena will learn just how different she is and the truth of where she comes from.
A lost princess, they call her, the catalyst for a war involving a world that Selena was taken from as a child. An evil queen obsessed with her own beauty with a plan to enslave the human race.…the notion seems so silly, yet Selena knows in her heart that it is true. Then there is Titus, the shape shifter whose blue eyes and claims of destiny hold her heart captive. Can Selena find the strength to do what she must while following her heart?
*A fairytale reboot of Little Red Riding Hood*
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Book 2: Child of the Sacred Earth
Blurb: Get a degree, get a job, save adorable foster siblings from the clutches of the evil foster mom …
These are Jocylene Sanders’ top priorities as she enters her sophomore year of college. The last thing she expects is to find herself the champion of an entire kingdom. However, that is just what happens when the mysterious Faerie, Rothatin Longspear, appears to her, tasking her with saving a parallel world full of creatures from her wildest dreams.
Jocylene journeys with him into the world of Fallada, hoping for answers about her birth parents and background. What she finds is a mystifying past, and an even more uncertain future, as her heart becomes entangled with the stoic, battle-hardened Rothatin, as well as Eli, the untroubled Panther Shifter with no loyalties and no home. With her heart and soul pulled in so many directions, can Jocylene find the strength needed to become the savior one nation so desperately needs?
*A fairytale reboot of Rose Red*
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Book 3: Rise of the Tide
Phaedra Jones’ life is perfect. She loves her small coastal town and the beach, graduation is just a year away, and she’s in love with the boy of her dreams. Unfortunately, everything changes when Phaedra’s boat goes down in a storm. Luckily, Phaedra survives, finding herself in a world beyond anything she could ever imagine. Not only does she discover that she is a Mermaid shifter of the underwater kingdom of Zenun, but the kingdom of Fallada—where fairytale creatures live and breathe—is depending on her. Phaedra risks losing everything: her perfect life, her family, even the boy she loves … all for a cause she has no stake in.
Arrian Riverleaf, Elf prince of the Riverleaf Clan, has been shunned by his people for over a century. After his arrogance caused him to be cursed, he became a hideous creature, only a shadow of his former self. When Princess Phaedra arrives in Fallada, he does not intend her to steal his heart. With her lost love to compete with and his own insecurities over his unattractive face, Arrian fights his feelings, knowing she could never look beyond his curse to love him.
As the two fight together to save Phaedra’s people, the realm of Fallada and the world of men will both hang in the balance as the battle between good and evil rages on.
*A fairytale reboot of The Princess and the Frog*
Beyond Full 3
Prequel: Beyond the Iron Gate (Zara’s Journey)
In the year 1845, before the mystical land of Fallada was separated from the realm of men forever, the two worlds coexisted in harmony. Man could mingle freely in the world of the Elves and Faeries at will and peace reigned.
In the hills of Shropshire, England, just miles from the gate separating the village of Ludlow from the world of mystical creatures, farmer’s daughter Zara Wells longs for answers. It is not only the golden hair that trail feet behind her, or the strange hue of her violet eyes that separates her from the other girls her village. There is something inside of her, something touched by magic that longs to know more about what lies on the other side of the gate.
In Fallada, darkness has begun to spread. As the youngest and most beautiful girls of her village begin to disappear, Zara comes closer to discovering the true circumstances surrounding her birth. Little does she know, that the closer she comes to the answers she so desperately desires, the closer she will come to being ensnared in the dark queen’s web of growing treachery.
*A fairytale reboot of Rapunzel*
Download now:

*GIVEAWAY*

Enter to win these awesome items:
Gray, hand-crocheted infinity scarf
Read More Books silver bracelet
Set of signed postcards, bookmarks, and vanilla-honey lip balm
Tempestgiveaway
Giveaway ends March 14th!

US, UK, and Canada residents only.

Monday, February 23, 2015

The Way You Are by Carly Fall

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While patrolling the jungles of Guatemala, Marine Garrett “Honey” Bloom found his life changed forever after an explosion, the blast leaving him with the strange supernatural ability to shape-shift into a bear. When a clandestine operative with many secrets offers him an irresistible job offer with his agency, Garrett finds his place in this organization where the rich go for protection and to have their problems solved.
Ruby Rose McDermott, daughter of an oil tycoon, is in need of protection after just barely escaping a kidnapping attempt. When her billionaire father enlists help to find and “handle” the kidnappers, Garrett is tasked with the job of keeping Ruby safe. Expecting a spoiled, egocentric brat, Garrett is shocked to meet the shy, down-to-earth Ruby. The attraction between them quickly grows, but they soon come to realize they come from different worlds and their romance will be short lived. An explosive event reveals the identity of Ruby's kidnapper, turning their world upside down and exposing them to surprising danger. If Garrett and Ruby survive, can they find a way for their worlds to mesh in harmony?   “Can I ask you a question?” His voice sounded barely above a whisper. She nodded, unable to speak, her breath caught in her throat. “Have you ever wanted something so bad, but knew you shouldn’t?” She shrugged, thinking the only thing she had ever really longed for was independence from her family. All of her other needs and wants had been met without any effort on her part. “I don’t know.” “Well, let’s say you did. Would you try to take it even if you shouldn’t?” She cleared her throat, unsure of where the conversation was going. “If I did, would I be breaking any rules? Would I go to jail?” He grinned. “No jail time, but maybe bending some work and personal rules.” “I guess it would depend on how bad I want it. If the reward outweighed the consequences, then yes, I would take it.” Garrett nodded and leaned forward, placing his hand behind her neck, threading his fingers through her hair. His lips lightly brushed hers, and he whispered, “I think the tradeoff will be worth it.” His mouth claimed hers, his tongue urging her lips to part as her head spun. What in the world was going on? The big, bad, drop-dead-gorgeous Marine wanted to kiss her? Apparently so. Her mind reeled with the consequences of their actions. Certainly, there had to be rules established by Joe he was breaking, and what about her feelings, her delicate ego? What did he want from her? She acquiesced and parted her mouth, their tongues engaging in a slow dance. Sighing, she let go of all her questions, fears, and doubts, shut her eyes and laced her arms around his neck, giving herself over to the experience. Her whole body shuddered as he pulled her closer. He tasted of mint and coffee, and she explored the hard planes of his shoulders and biceps as they embraced, their kiss quickly heating. Gently, he laid her in the snow and stretched out next to her. He took her hands in his right and pulled them up above her head, holding them there. As their tongues dueled, she quivered at his touch, his hand running down her ribcage, to her hip and over her thigh. She moaned as desire bloomed in her belly, her need for him exploding within her. Gently, he kneaded her breast through her sweatshirt as he peppered her face with slow kisses. Despite lying in the snow, her body heated further, and she wouldn't have been surprised if she opened her eyes to see the snow around them had melted. He let go of her hands, and she immediately touched his chest, feeling the warmth of chiseled muscle beneath his turtleneck. "Holy hell, Ruby," he whispered against her mouth. "I've wanted this since the second I laid my eyes on you, and it's even better than I'd imagined."
Available now at:
a Rafflecopter giveaway Carly Fall is a wife, a mother and a slave to the dog, Nicky. She loves to laugh, thinks chocolate and wine should be considered their own food group, and wishes Christmas happened twice a year. She is the author of the the award-winning and Amazon best-selling series, the Six Saviors. She is also the author of the Supernatural Renegades series, and other paranormal and contemporary romance. Links: www.carlyfall.com Twitter: CarlyFall1 FB: http://www.facebook.com/CarlyFallPage Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/CarlyFall Buy links: Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QCOFD50 Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00QCOFD50?*Version*=1&*entries*=0 iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-way-you-are/id949726503?mt=11 Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/499967 KOBO http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/the-way-you-are-2

Friday, February 13, 2015

Chapter One reveal of Slumber

As promised every Friday will be a sneak peek into Slumber.
Today is the first chapter for you to read. The book will be released very soon! Enjoy and share. 
xoxo,
Christy



Chapter 1
Rory

I got here in the middle of the night. It was raining like crazy and the first person to meet me was Nurse Mary. She is a short and stout older lady who couldn’t control biting her lip—she still can’t. Rushing me inside, she pulled me into a bright white room. Rain dripped from my head and onto the floor making a small puddle at my feet. I stood there for a while shivering while she filled out the necessary paperwork. When she was done, Nurse Mary stripped off my clothes, but found it hard to do so with my shackles fastened.
“Please,” she begged. “Can’t we take off her chains so I can get her dressed?”
The man who shackled me nodded and got to work unlocking my hands then moving to my feet. It felt freeing to not hobble when she asked me to walk to the scale so she could weigh me in.
Once I was weighed, she led me to the showers, where she scrubbed my naked body with a stinging antiseptic soap. I cried not because the soap burned my skin but because the act was humiliating. No one likes to be naked in front of strangers. I would have rather stood all day in shackles than be scrubbed down like a dog.
After my shower, she towel-dried me and dressed me in a fresh pair of underwear and my white nightgown. Watching my old clothes being thrown into an incinerator, I got one last look at the blue dress I wore into the asylum. It didn’t strike me as odd until months later that I wore a fancy dress on the day of my arrival. Many questions went through my head on the first day, but what I was wearing was not one of them. Now I wonder what I was doing in that fancy dress.
After I was clothed, Nurse Mary led me to another room. This room was not as bright as the first, instead it was dark and dank.
I sat alone in the room, in a single chair waiting for someone to come inside. Fighting sleep, I sat in the dark, but it was coming and there was no stopping it. I fell asleep with my head against the wall. Finally, the door opened in a rush. I awoke and found myself drooling onto my knees. Dropping them down, I stood facing the woman who I would regard as the most terrifying woman I had ever met.
She exuded confidence, holding her head high as she stood in front of me. In her large hand she held a tiny cup as she smiled wickedly at me showing me that she was in charge. I got all of that in one evil smile and trembled at the sight of her as a light came out of nowhere and shone on her face. She had hair as black as coal and her eyes were just as dark. She looked exactly as a woman should if she worked in an asylum; she fit in here nicely.
“Rory, do you know why you’re here?” she asked coldly. I nodded as I stared at her dark plum lips. They were almost as dark as blood. I couldn't help but picture her eating hearts just before she came into the room.
“Rory, focus!” she snapped.
I nodded. I knew why I was here. My escort to the hospital informed me—although I don’t remember where or when he told me. He advised me to stop my sniffling that I deserved my punishment when he banged on the front door.
“Yes. I think … I think I killed someone,” I answered.
I still couldn't believe it was possible. How could I kill someone? I didn't remember my life before, so I wasn't sure of the circumstances. I didn't know the why’s, how’s, or who’s just yet. How did a girl who was popular and happy murder someone? I had hoped that I would find that out soon.
I hoped the fog in my head would clear and I would get answers. 
“Killed someone,” she laughed. “You murdered your own boyfriend! You stabbed him brutally twenty times. Afterwards you claimed insanity, and that’s why you are here. If you asked me my opinion, I would tell you that you had murderous tendencies all throughout your life. It’s just a shame no one caught it before that poor boy was killed.”
            “I didn’t ask you,” I whispered as the tears streamed down my face.
She leaned forward, placing her face so very close to mine. “What did you just say?”
I looked up and swallowed. She was intimidating, but how much worse could my life get? I was already in an asylum. What did I have to lose?
“You heard me. I didn’t ask you if I was crazy.”
The slap that came after struck me so hard it knocked me off of my chair. I lay on the ground with the woman standing over me. “Next time you mouth off, it will be worse than that,” she said. “Now get up and sit down.”
Standing on wobbly legs, I sat in the chair like a well-trained dog. I learned my lesson; back talking this woman was not to be tolerated. My sudden bravery was wiped out of existence with one slap.
“You’re sentenced to life in Spindle Ridge Asylum. You will be here for the remainder of your pitiful existence. So my suggestion to you is to do as you’re told. Got it?”
My head throbbed from the slap, but I managed a nod.
“Can I go to my room?” I asked, not looking her in the eyes.
“Of course you can. But first, your medication.”
She handed me the small plastic cup that contained three red pills and a small glass of water that sat on the table next to me. I took the cups and stared at them in wonder.
Would they help me get better? Or hinder my memories further?
“Look, we don’t have all damn day. Take the pills or we will force you to take them,” she warned.
I took the pills, chasing them with water. They went down slowly, dragging down my throat on the way.
“More water, please?” I begged.
“They’ll work their way down. Stick out your tongue,” she instructed. I did so, and she checked to make sure I swallowed the pills like a good little girl.
“All right, now let me formally introduce myself,” she began. “I’m the head doctor here at Spindle Ridge. My name is Dr. Malisa Fenwick, but you may call me Dr. M. I don’t expect that you and I should see too much of each other because if that were the case then it would mean you’re causing trouble. And trouble, Miss Rosenblum, would be most unfortunate. I hope you understand what I’m trying to say.”
She looked at me and placed her slender and extremely long finger along my cheek.
“Yes, ma’am. I understand,” I mumbled.
 I could feel the effects of the medication taking a toll on me already. Either that or I was getting very drowsy from the pure torture of my day.
“I just don’t understand what I’m doing here, Dr. M. Why did I kill my boyfriend? Why don’t I remember that?” I asked her as confusion swirled around in my head.
I could hear myself slurring the words like a drunkard.
“Well, that will be visited in your sessions with your doctor; you can visit with him first thing in the morning. For now I ask that you follow Nurse Raven here to your room. Goodnight, Rory,” she said as a tall, slender girl entered the room and took me by the arm. She had jet black hair that was cut very short and her make-up was worn excessively thick. Her eyes were rimmed in black, and when she smiled at me, it made her look like an animal.
“Good night,” I returned.
“Sleep well, my pet.”
I stumbled through the room following Nurse Raven, but before I left completely, I looked back at Dr. M who had just referred to me as her pet. She waved to me with her long fingers and her red nails. And just before the door to the room closed, I saw her laughing. The sound it made was not happy laughter, but completely diabolical.



Copyright © Christy Sloat
Slumber
Published by Anchor Group Publishing
March 16, 2015


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Valentines love from me to you

I decided since it's Valentines Day in a few days, that I would share a little bit of my romance novel with you all.
Who We Were was a very different story for me to write. I've never written outside of paranormal projects and this book spoke to me in a way that brought me back to my high school days.
I sat back and envisioned when I myself when to summer school one year and then BAM, a story was born.
The characters are so very much like people I once knew or could have known back then. But they're original.
Sadie is a lot like me in the way that she leans on her best friend for everything. But she's so different in many ways.
I touch on more than just romance in the book. I also wrote about things that are not in a lot of contemporary novels for teens; teen drinking, abuse, disabilities, cancer. These are just a few of the things that are wrapped up in Who We Were.

My tag line is simple; Reinvent Yourself. But it comes with a huge impact. These teens started off their summer knowing who they wanted to be, but by the end of the book they changed dramatically. It's those changes that make the book what it is and I hope you pick it up and read it this V-day.
Fall in love with Nolan like all the other girls did.
Buy Your Copy Today
Read one of my favorite scenes

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Bionics by Alicia Michaels









Author Bio: 

Ever since she first read books like Chronicles of Narnia or Goosebumps, Alicia has been a lover of mind-bending fiction. Wherever imagination takes her, she is more than happy to call that place her home. With several Fantasy and Science Fiction titles under her belt, Alicia strives to write multicultural characters and stories that touch the heart. V-Card, the first book of the Sharing Spaces series, was her first Contemporary Romance.
The mother of three and wife to a soldier, she loves chocolate, coffee, and of course good books. When not writing, you can usually find her with her nose in a book, shopping for shoes and fabulous jewelry, or spending time with her loving family.

Connect with Alicia @ www.fantasybyalicia.com

The Bionics 
The Bionics Novel Book 1
By Alicia Michaels

Published February 10, 2015
Publisher:  Crimson Tree Publishing


Book Blurb:
All Blythe Sol ever wanted was to be a normal girl. Yet, her dreams of following in her father’s footsteps by joining the military after graduation are crushed when nuclear war comes to the United States in the year 4006. Tens of thousands are killed in a series of attacks on many major cities, while thousands more are left injured from the devastation of the blasts, or terminally ill from the effects of radiation.

When the government offers the sick and injured a second chance as part of the Restoration Project, how could they refuse? Hoping to put her life back together after the blasts take both her arm and her eye, Blythe enrolls in the program filled with hope. She never expects that the bionic additions will change her life so drastically. When it is discovered that those outfitted with the robotic parts have become enhanced beyond the limits of ordinary human ability, normal can never exist for her again.

The Bionics become targets of the government, as fear of them spreads across the nation, further enflamed by media propaganda and political conspiracy. Forced to go into hiding or face execution, society’s outcasts band together to form the Restoration Resistance—an underground rebellion which Blythe becomes a part of in order to survive. She could never imagine that joining them would thrust her at the forefront of an imminent revolution, or that it would put her in a confusing tug-of-war between two of her fellow soldiers—Gage Bronson, the mysterious new addition to the Resistance, and Dax Janner, her best friend. Even though Gage is rapidly capturing her heart, she is forced to face the possibility that her feelings for Dax might just go beyond friendship. However, with impending war and the threat of death hanging over her head, Blythe hardly has time to worry about anything as trivial as a love life...


The Resistance Giveaway: http://bit.ly/1Jmkc30

Monday, February 2, 2015

Slumber Cover Reveal Christy Sloat

Not all princesses get their happily ever after... The highly anticipated new YA Fantasy from Christy Sloat is hitting virtual bookshelves March 16th. Today is the reveal of the beautiful cover.If you love fairy-tales then you'll want to get this re-telling of Sleeping Beauty. It's unlike anything you've ever read before!





Not all princesses get their happily ever after...
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.
I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.
I’m crazy. I’m not a princess.
They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am.
When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?
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 *Designed by K.C Designs. Photography by Georgia Skies Photography, model Kirsten Ledford.