Archive for July 17, 2013

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Just check out this cover!

Isn’t he just yummy?

Let’s see,

Great hair: check

Dreamy eyes: check

Sexy mouth: check,check!

Bad Boy: Oh Yea!

Shadow's Son ebooksm

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The Shadow’s Son by Nicole R. Taylor

Series: The Witch Hunter Saga #3

Publication date:  August 1, 2013

Genre: NA / 17+ Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

I am the oldest vampire alive and I am the most feared. Wherever I walk, death follows. The downtrodden have the fiercest fire inside of them. Those are the  vampires I want by my side. The pain they have been through only fuels  their thirst for blood. Those I would ask to kill for me, simply because they bask in the glow of their true nature. The nature I created in my  own image. We are each our own devil and this world is our hell. I was the first of six and now I am the last. My revenge has only just begun. You better start praying, because I’m coming for you first.
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When a mysterious stranger from Aya’s past shows up in Ashburton it’s not  all good news. Tristan, a man she saved almost a thousand years ago,  brings a warning that will affect not just her, but her new family. Regulus is coming. To protect Zac, Aya has to destroy the best thing that has ever happened  to her. She has to pretend that their love has been a lie. But, is it  really the right thing to do? Aya travels to the other side of the  world with Tristan to learn the secret behind Zac’s blood and to hunt  down Regulus before he can find them first. Tristan is her way into the  Roman’s circle, but she might just find that both her quests are more  linked than she ever thought possible. Heartbroken again, Zac must  surrender to the darkest places inside himself if he ever hopes of  coming back. Even if that means aligning himself with his greatest  enemy. Even if that means turning his back on everything he’s worked for and walking away from his brother, Sam. Lovers are torn apart,  friends are pitted against each other and families are splintered. But,  what they find buried under the streets of London will change everything they’ve ever known about their world. Something that should have been  left alone.
But, what Regulus does is the most unexpected of all.

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The first two books in this series
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The Witch Hunter
The Witch Hunter Saga #1
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The Witch Hunter (Witch Hunter Saga #1)
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I was born into the world covered in blood, and that’s exactly the way I left it.
Ever since, I have been damned to walk the boundary between life and death alone. Unwillingly turned and left to my nightmare, I have seen men commit countless horrors and committed many of my own.
My origins shall remain unknown, my true self hidden. I have been called by many names, but in this life I am known as the Witch Hunter. I have been asleep these past 150 years, until I was awoken by a haunting call. Zachary Degaud was twenty-three when he died. The problem was, he didn’t stay that way.
Present day, he’s just another vampire with another unremarkable story. That is, until he manages to provoke a two thousand year old witch named Katrin, who wants to make him pay in the most horrible way imagined.
Along with his brother Sam, newly made vampire Liz and their only witch ally, Gabby, his only chance for survival is to summon the ancient and unpredictable vampire known as the Witch Hunter.
Zac is just looking for a way out of his psychopathic witch problems, but instead will find himself falling head first into a blood feud that has stretched thousands of years.Aya has been asleep for the past 150 years, until she was awoken by a haunting call. The witch she has been hunting for thousands of years, Katrin, has resurfaced and marked a young, annoyingly arrogant vampire by the name of Zachary Degaud. Unless she does something, he will die a slow and painful death. He has given her an opportunity to end the witch, but does she want to help him or leave him to his fate?
Zac will get under her skin like no one else has and she just might find herself making the ultimate sacrifice before he is gone forever. They will both have to choose sides and look deep within themselves before the end. But, what Zac learns about himself, will surprise him most of all.
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The Return
The Witch Hunter Saga #2
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The Return (Witch Hunter Saga #2)
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I’ve wandered my afterlife believing that I was the monster my maker told me I was. It was the only thing I knew. Not even my brother, Sam, could convince me otherwise. Not until her. Not until Aya. She walked into my life like a hurricane of destruction and nothing would ever be the same again. None of us could have known what would happen next. What fate had in store…
I finally grew a heart, only to have it ripped out. Now, I will stop at nothing for revenge. Zac’s afterlife is just going from bad to worse. He grew a heart only to have it torn out by the founding vampire, Arturius. Nobody is sure what he wants, but Zac doesn’t want to know. He’s more interested in finding a way to end him for good. But, it might just be that he’s after Gabby, who’s harbouring a secret of her own, one that Arturius would do anything for.Aya’s past will come back to haunt Zac in ways he never thought possible and what he finds out will alter everything he ever knew about her. He will uncover a deadly secret that should have remained buried. A secret Aya has fought to keep for thousands of years. One she has killed for.
In the end, who’s secrets will betray them to the one man who wants them all dead? Aya’s or Zac’s? They’ll need to figure it out sooner rather than later, because death is not an option.
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AUTHOR BIO:
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shadows son Nicole
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Nicole R. Taylor is an Australian born paranormal, fantasy and contemporary  fiction author. She is a graduate of the University of Ballarat  Professional Writing and Editing programme and is a former music  memorabilia sales person and grocery merchandiser.
She  currently lives in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia with a two year old  rescue cat named, Burger. She enjoys reading, writing (of course!),  traveling and a little too much chocolate. One day she hopes to sky  dive, but has to work up the courage first.
The first in her new paranormal fantasy series, The Witch Hunter Saga is available in e-edition and print from March 20th 2013
Links:

Shudder by Samanth Durante Blog Tour - June 15th to Sept 1st

I am beyond thrilled to be a part of the tour for Shudder, Book 2 of the Stitch Trilogy

I have an exciting sneak peek for you, along with my review!

And, a giveaway! Don’t forget to enter.

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Genre/Keywords: Dystopian, Paranormal Romance, Post-Apocalyptic, Young Adult, New Adult, Psychic Abilities, Empath, Clairvoyance, YA, NA
Length: ~80,000 words (348 pages)
Sample Chapters: Ch1-4 (31 pages)
Release Date: June 15th, 2013

Shudder Synopsis

It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Shudder Purchase Links

Amazon (Kindle $2.99, print $8.99)

Barnes & Noble (Nook $2.99)

Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $2.99) Also available ($2.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold

Buy Stitch on Amazon!

EXCERPT

Alessa looked back to Isaac, who was crouched and picking among the broken glass.  She watched him slip something into his pocket, but before she could ask what he’d found, a loud bang echoed from down the hall ahead of them.

Isaac looked up at her at once and they both froze, waiting.  The tension of the silence clotted in the air as Alessa held her breath in suspense.

When no other sound came, Isaac stood tentatively and inched over to Alessa, placing a gentle hand on the small of her back and motioning ahead with a nod.

She pointed the flashlight in the direction of the sound and they set off with quiet footsteps in search of its source.

As they reached the department store at the far end of the hallway, they paused, staring into the blackness beyond the threshold.  Alessa gripped the flashlight and felt Isaac’s hand slide on top of hers, the pressure of his fingers pointing the torch downward and flicking off the light with a click.

They were plunged into night.

They stepped tentatively into the dark room and gave their eyes another moment to adjust.  From what Alessa could tell, it seemed the clothing racks had all been pushed to the sides, leaving a big open space in the center of the room.

She took another few steps to get a better look.

And that’s when it hit her – an abrupt slam in the face as if she’d pivoted into a wall of brick, and the full-body crash of a tidal wave of pain.

Alessa sunk to her knees, a soul-crushing rush of sorrow and terror flooding her consciousness and draining every ounce of strength from her body.

Like a blow to the gut, the air raced from her lungs and she crumpled over, her face smacking against the cool linoleum of the floor.

A thousand images flashed before her eyes, people and places she didn’t recognize jumbled with thoughts and feelings that she knew were not her own.  Alessa squeezed her eyes shut, her mind pressing outward against the onslaught barraging her senses, but it was no use.

The torrent pounded through her, raging.  Helpless against it, Alessa poured her concentration into the only thing she could think to do – the simple act of breathing.

In, out.

In, out.

In, out.

She drank each shallow breath and waited in agony for the deluge to end.

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My Review

Alessa and Isaac set off to find a secure base for all of those wanting out of Paragon.

They worry that the virus may still be out there, but soon discover they are being stalked by creatures, swift moving things that remain in the shadows of the forest, shrieking their rage.

As they escape an attack, something happens to Alessa. She is frozen in place as her mind is overpowered with fear, frustration and fury. She doesn’t know how it’s happening, but she’s experiencing these creatures feelings and it terrifies her.

They have to hurry. People are waiting for them to return with a location for their safe haven and Alessa has to get her sister, Janie, out of the clutches of the Ruling Class.

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I finished reading Shudder in one sitting, never taking a break.

I could feel it in the authors writing, I was nearing the end of the book. No, not yet!

I needed to know why Joe featured so strongly in Alessa’s mind, what happened to her sister, and where the virus came from.

Samantha started to wrap up the ending while subtly layering in leads to the finale, Stuck. the last book in this trilogy. I liked that. Sure, I didn’t get all of the answers I wanted, but I did get a lot of insight into what the ‘stitch’ was and why and how it was used.

I also learned about the Ruling Class and their reasoning behind the stitch, even though I suspect some, if not most, of them were lying.

It’s no surprise that humanity didn’t learn its lesson. You’d think after all that has been written and studied, all of the wealth of info there is, they would know better. But no, the Ruling Class do the same things as before, believing they know what’s good for all. They buy into their own lies and block out the moral compass screaming stop, and do whatever is necessary to benefit the greater good. And we wonder why we don’t trust our government. Too many chiefs.

I felt twinges of The Matrix and Aeon Flux while reading this. Shudder reads like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic science fiction story. The author did an amazing job of blending these genre into an exciting, addictive series.

It makes me wonder. If Stitch and Shudder are so great, what is Stuck going to be like? I’m sure it’ll be thrilling.

5 Stars

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Haven’t read the first book in the series? Check out my review here

Just $0.99 at Amazon!

Stitch (Stitch Trilogy #1)

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 Blurb

Her heart races, her muscles coil, and every impulse in Alessa’s body screams at her to run… but yet she’s powerless to move.

Still struggling to find her footing after the sudden death of her parents, the last thing college freshman Alessa has the strength to deal with is the inexplicable visceral pull drawing her to a handsome ghostly presence. In between grappling with exams and sorority soirees – and disturbing recurring dreams of being captive in a futuristic prison hell – Alessa is determined to unravel the mystery of the apparition who leaves her breathless. But the terrifying secret she uncovers will find her groping desperately through her nightmares for answers.

Because what Alessa hasn’t figured out yet is that she’s not really a student, the object of her obsession is no ghost, and her sneaking suspicions that something sinister is lurking behind the walls of her university’s idyllic campus are only just scratching the surface…

The opening installment in a twist-laden trilogy, Stitch spans the genres of paranormal romance and dystopian sci-fi to explore the challenges of a society in transition, where morality, vision, and pragmatism collide leaving the average citizen to suffer the results.

Stitch Purchase Links.

Amazon (Kindle $0.99, print $8.99)

Barnes & Noble (Nook $0.99)

Smashwords (multiple e-book formats $0.99) Also available ($0.99 e-book) in the iTunes store, Kobo, and wherever e-books are sold!

Buy Stitch on Amazon!

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A little birdie told me the third book, will be releasing in 2014!

Stuck (Stitch Trilogy #3)

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Book 3 in the Stitch Trilogy.  Expected Publication: Summer 2014.  More information coming soon!

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I have an e-book copy of Shudder to give away!

To enter, click on the rafflecopter link below.

Rafflecopter Giveaway

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 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series.

— Social Media Links —

Facebook: Stitch Trilogy | Author Samantha Durante

Goodreads: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

Twitter: @SamanthaDurante | Hashtag suggestions: #Stitch, #StitchTrilogy, #Shudder

LibraryThing: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

Shelfari: Stitch | Shudder | Author Samantha Durante

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways go HERE.

WWW Wednesday

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Hosted by MizB at Should Be Reading

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?

• What did you recently finish reading?

• What do you think you’ll read next?

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What are you currently reading?

 Written All Over Her by Mia Darien

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One word can change the story of your life forever.

Abduction. Torture. Surrender.

Eleven months from her adolescence have framed thirty-one years of Detective Nykk Marlowe’s life. Despite the trauma of her past, and the unique physical scars it left her with, she’s built a career as a detective for the Adelheid Police Department.

Her personal life might only consist of caring for her sister and a pet rabbit, but she accepts that.

She accepts that she’ll never be able to be like “normal” people, even the supernatural ones. As long as she can keep the past where it belongs, she’s okay.

But when the body of a teenage girl shows up with the same scars that Nykk sees in the mirror every day, her “okay” life gets turned upside down and she’s forced to confront the past she’s been looking away from for sixteen years.

And when it turns out there’s already more than one victim, the pressure’s on to stop the killer before any more girls are tortured, mutilated, and murdered.

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What did you recently finish reading?

The Hunger Chronicles by Tes Hilaire

The Hunger Chronicles: A collection of shorts

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If you remember nothing else, remember this…

The nightmare is here. There is no way out. Even death isn’t an escape because it is death. And chances are it’s already taken everyone you know.

…You’re on your own.

Just because the face is familiar doesn’t mean they won’t kill you. Hiding won’t help. And it’s past time to run. They’re already here. And hunger is the only thing they feel.

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What do you think you’ll read next?

Flesh and Bone by Jefferson Bass

Flesh and Bone (Body Farm, #2)

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Anthropologist Dr. Bill Brockton founded Tennessee’s world-famous Body Farm—a small piece of land where corpses are left to decay in order to gain important forensic information. Now, in the wake of a shocking crime in nearby Chattanooga, he’s called upon by Jess Carter—the rising star of the state’s medical examiners—to help her unravel a murderous puzzle. But after re-creating the death scene at the Body Farm, Brockton discovers his career, reputation, and life are in dire jeopardy when a second, unexplained corpse appears in the grisly setting.

Accused of a horrific crime—transformed overnight from a respected professor to a hated and feared pariah—Bill Brockton will need every ounce of his formidable forensic skills to escape the ingeniously woven net that’s tightening around him . . . and to prove the seemingly impossible: his own innocence.

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So, whatcha readin?

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