Archive for January, 2013

Thanks to AToMR for letting me be a part of this amazing tour.

The Crimson Hunt Cover V Smith JPEG HI RES.jpg.0x675.egrvsvxhlfupu8fr03ak313rvqme7b9

Title: The Crimson Hunt (Book One: Eldaen Light Chronicles)

Author: Victoria H. Smith

Release date: November 7, 2012

Genre: Science Fiction Romance

Age Group: New Adult

Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Buy Links:  Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Smashwords | Print

Book Description:

College junior Ariel Richmond is working on year three of Project Normalcy.

Her house reeks of keggers past and her bestie is just a slight bit vulgar. But the thing is—they both aid in making life refreshingly uneventful.

So much for hard-earned mediocrity when Luca Grinaldi appears on the scene.

Luca’s sudden presence on campus is hard to ignore. Those bright eyes act like a beacon to unsuspecting females, and with features like his, he’s got to be moonlighting for GQ. Luca hopelessly captivates Ariel with his confidence and charisma, but the mysteries surrounding him make him nearly untouchable. And just when Ariel grows close enough to unlock his secrets, a tragic event sends her life in a downward spiral.

That steady life is no longer an option and allies quickly become scarce. The mysterious Luca seems to be the only one willing to help her—but with that trust comes the burden of his secrets. He has a dark mission of otherworldly proportions, and is willing to sacrifice as many lives as it takes to see it completed.

Gone are the days of simply maintaining normalcy, and if Ariel isn’t cautious with her trust, so soon may be her future.

The Crimson Hunt is a New Adult Science Fiction Romance.

Excerpt

I continued my rigorous review of the material. But as the night went on, I didn’t gain much ground. There were about fifteen chapters in the first half of the semester’s lectures. I was only up to chapter eight. There’d never be enough time for me to get them down pat before the midterm tomorrow. I wanted to cry at the thought. Laying my head in my textbook, I hoped the words would materialize into my brain.

“I think the book works better if you are actually reading it.” A gentle laugh accompanied the words.

I jolted, startled by Luca’s sudden appearance. I quickly raised my head, hoping to God there weren’t any page marks indented into my face. I rubbed my eyes, and Luca’s beautiful face appeared before me. “Don’t be so mean. I’m stressing out here. The midterm is tomorrow.” I said this though I didn’t really mind that he poked fun at me. It was really cute to see him joke.

I couldn’t help but notice how hot he looked tonight with his strong build lining his t-shirt. He should never cover his beauty with clothes and such things. He also wore a heather-gray carpenter jacket. I hoped my cardigan was enough for the weather when I left tonight.

“I was not trying to be cruel. I was just stating a fact.” He laughed again and sat on the edge of the table.

I smiled, his laugher bringing my anxiety down a bit.

“What are you caught up on? May I be of any use?”

There were a lot of things he could help me with at this point, but none of them had to do with Zoology.

About the Author

Victoria H. Smith

Victoria H. Smith has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. She puts it to good use writing romance all day. She resides in the Midwest with her Macbook on her lap and a cornfield to her right. She often draws inspiration for her stories from her own life experiences, and the twenty-something characters she writes give her an earful about it.

In her free time, she enjoys extreme couponing, blogging, reading, and sending off a few tweets on Twitter when she can. She writes new adult fiction romance in the sub-genres of science fiction, urban fantasy, and contemporary, but really, anywhere her pen takes her she goes.

Author social media links: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway

 (1) eBook copy of The Crimson Hunt (Book One: Eldaen Light Chronicles).

Open International.

eBooks will be in mobi, epub, and pdf formats gifted from Smashwords.

All winners will be sent to the author at one time after the Jan. 25th date.

  • If a winner does not have an e-reader they can download the Kindle app for free to their computers on Amazon.

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question, “What did you think of the excerpt?”

Contest ends Jan. 16th.

Thank you and Good Luck!

I am doing some author spotlights this month and one of them is the amazing Ella Medler. Each week I’ll be doing a review for one of her books and there will also be a guest post and some giveaways.

Blood Is Heavier

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Nick is living the American dream. He has a successful business, a beautiful home, he’s married to the love of his life, Maxi,  and has a 4-year-old son, Cameron, who steals his breath when he hears his laughter.

He never dreamed he’d settle down and be in such a rush to get home every day. It was his whole world now.

Then, it was all gone in an instant. With one phone call, his world comes tumbling down.

His wife calls him on his cell to remind him to pick up their son from a birthday party. She tells him his friend JB is at the house with her, waiting for him to return.

JB is a bad man, one he never hoped to meet again. He’s a part of Nick’s past. A past filled with killing. That JB was there with his wife sent chills down his spine. Nick knew him for what he was. Killers always recognize each other.

Nick wrestles with whether to pick up his son first or rush home to deal with JB. In the end, his decision doesn’t matter. It’s been taken out of his hands. The trap was too well set.

In a blinding flash of light, his hopes and dreams explode. One moment he sees Maxi waving at him in the window. In the next, the house disintegrates with a loud whoomp.

This scene made me think of the movie The Punisher. The part where they come and kill his whole family. The scenes don’t read the same but the feelings I had were as powerful. First there’s the shock and horror. Then there’s disbelief and sadness. Who could do such a thing?

I could see this scene play out in slow motion, like tunnel vision, Nick racing to his house, but there’s nothing left of it but a fiery pile.

The sharks from Nick’s past have caught up with him, and this is their warning to him. They now have his son, and he’ll do what they want or he’ll never hear his sons laughter again.

The last time Nick saw his wife she was smiling and waving to him, right before the house exploded. This vision would replay over and over in his mind, fueling the fires for the reckoning to come.

What becomes of one half when the whole gets ripped to shreds? When you have no hope, how do you continue to exist?”

They murdered his heart and now they’ve stolen his soul, his son. You know what follows. Rage and a deep, aching need to spill blood. And blood will be spilled.

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I loved the pacing of this book and how the author flashed back to different times in Nick’s past.

It was fun to read about how Nick and Maxi met and the pickle they got in. Their connection was quick, but that’s only natural when you might be about to die.

The author takes you to the past and back again, keeping the story flowing smoothly and filling in the details. She keeps you entertained and builds the mystery, dropping in hidden clues, making you go this way and that way like weaving through heavy traffic.

Make sure you set aside plenty of time before you settle in. You’ll have a hard time stopping before you reach the end.

Five smoking guns for the thrilling action and tantalizing suspense of Blood is Heavier.

       

Giveaway

Ella is graciously offering 5 e-books of Blood is Heavier for the giveaway!

Entry is easy. Just leave your email address and answer this question, “What would you do to protect your loved ones?”

Good luck!

Contest ends January 15th.

You will be seeing a lot more about Ella and her books here on fuonlyknew!

About the author

Ella Medler

I live in Cornwall with my husband and our two teenage daughters. Together, we care for a large assortment of pets, some small enough to fit in a fish tank, and some capable of causing you significant injury on impact. I was born in Transylvania but got chucked out due to my inability to grow fangs and reluctance to sleep in coffins.

My first book, MARTIN LITTLE, RESURRECTED is a lighthearted fantasy novel full of action and unique takes on life. It’s total escapism. Heartened by positive reviews on my first book, I published BLOOD IS HEAVIER, an action thriller, which is an explosive and emotional struggle to save a father’s most treasured possession. ETERNAL ISLAND, a paranormal romance, is now live. I have co-written it with a brilliant American author, Kristie S. Haigwood. My next release is book two in the Hunter Series, BLOOD IS POWER, which should be out before the end of the year. In the pipeline are sequels for all of the above and a spin-off from Blood is Heavier – Tequila’s story.

Future works

Blood is Power (Book Two in the Hunter Series)

Martin Little Takes Epic Action (Book Two in the Martin Little Series)

Deal With It – Tequila’s story

In collaboration with Kristie.S. Haigwood

Eternal Immorality

Eternal Inception

Contacts

Blog

Website

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

To purchase these books, click on the covers.

Books by Ella Medler

Books written with Kristie .S. Haigwood

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
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My teaser for today is from Swords & Sails
The Legacy of the Red Lion by David McAvoy II
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Swords & Sails: The Legacy of the Red Lion
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“Edward.” The Pirate Hunter said, glaring at him. “A shame for such a promising young man to throw in his lot with pirates. I will get out of this Edward, and believe me, when I do I’m going to make sure you hang right beside Wolfgang.”
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Having a great time reading this one! I can smell the briny scent of the ocean and taste the salt from the water’s spray on my lips. A good thing I don’t get seasick!
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