Archive for October, 2014

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I loved the premise of this book so I was thrilled to have a chance to showcase it!

Zoe is a blogger and a fellow word lover so I’m anxious to read her story. See how she does after being transported into a book.

Talk about being absorbed by a story. LOL

Come on in and check out Zoe and the Demon Slayer.

Enjoy the excerpt.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaways. Yep, there’s two!

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Zoe and the Demon Slayer
by Neel Kay
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Publication date: October 6th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult
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Synopsis:
Twenty-four year old book worm and blogger Zoe Graves was looking forward to the fourth and final instalment of her favourite book saga – The Augustin Chronicles. The evening was meant to be spent in line at the local bookstore with hundreds of other fans, getting the book, maybe even meeting the author, and ultimately spending the night with the dreamiest hero of them all, Lucien de Forest and the love of his life Noomi Augustin.

But somewhere someone thought otherwise.

Confused and hurt after a mugging by the bookstore, Zoe is somehow transported to another world, and suddenly finds herself in a snow-covered landscape witnessing a bloody fight far away from the English summer, and is left to rely on the help from the rather reluctant Matis, who just happen to be out to kill none other than Zoe’s favourite hero and heroine, Lucien and Noomi.

Although convinced she might be in some sort of limbo or maybe even in a coma, Zoe figures that her role in the story is to prevent Matis from killing her all-time favourite fictional couple.

Purchase:
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Enjoy this glimpse inside the book.
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His eyes were dark, so very dark, and the equally dark hair, although some of it was braided, didn’t look girly or weird at all. Well, maybe a little weird, seeing as men like him usually only existed in the fantasy books Zoe read and not in the real world. She gaped at the sort of Mohawk the tight braids along the sides of his head and the loose hair on top created.

He squinted. “Stop following me,” he said, practically biting at her. “I don’t have time to save odd damsels in distress.” He picked up a couple of dead rabbits from the ground, turned back around and walked away.

Zoe didn’t move. She could hardly feel her feet anymore. “But what about your cloak?” she yelled after him. “Don’t you need it?”

“Keep it.” He waved a hand in the air and kept up a determined walk on the path that led up to the top of a small hill.

Behind Zoe there was a small piece of forestland. Although she couldn’t be sure, she didn’t imagine anyone lived there. Besides, she wasn’t going back to those dead soldiers, not even to just walk past them. She couldn’t stomach the smell. Everywhere she looked, all that she saw were big black mountains far away in the horizon and the big orangey white sky sending down all that snow.

It was then that Zoe realised that she’d continued her pursuit of the man. She didn’t have any choice really. She’d never been much of an outdoor person, and she wouldn’t last an hour under these conditions.

“You’re still following me,” the man suddenly said. His back was still turned, but he had stopped at the top of the hill. “Even if you’re keeping your distance, you are still following me.” He turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. “Like a damn cat,” he added, sending her a tired glance.

“But maybe my home is in that direction,” Zoe argued. She was out of breath and her dry throat was killing her. “You did tell me to go home. Maybe that is what I’m doing?”

“But it isn’t, though, is it? You said you were lost.”

“Why won’t you help me?” She’d finally climbed the hill, panting like she was completely out of shape, which she actually wasn’t thanks to Jason. Down there, by the foot of the hill, there was a small cluster of houses that didn’t exactly warrant the description of a village. It was just a few houses pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Wherever that was?

The man glanced at her casually and then suddenly did a double take. The brow curled up and suddenly without any warning, he grabbed her cheeks with both hands and tilted back her head.

Zoe tried to pull away, but found that she didn’t have the strength to fight. Instead, she felt a burning sensation behind her eyes, the very eyes that the man kept staring into.

“Your eyes are green?” he said, looking at her accusingly.

She didn’t know how to respond to that. Her nostrils flared and the cold tore at the insides of her nose. What she wouldn’t give for some warm clothes, a roaring fireplace and some hot chocolate. Oh, and that man out of her face. There was a strange familiar charm to his face, but still, he was a cold-blooded killer who was staring at her funnily.

“Is that a common thing where you’re from?” He let go of her while eyeing her suspiciously.

“I-I guess it’s not that uncommon. Why?”

He shook his head. “What’s your name?” He turned around and started to walk down the hill as if he didn’t really care about the answer to his question. But he kept peering back over his shoulder, his eyes squinted, exuding something resembling surprise.

“Zoe. What’s yours?” She followed him, feeling accepted somehow, and it was such a relief that her chin started to wobble.

He nodded and then stopped peering over his shoulder. “I’m Matis,” he said.

Zoe swallowed and fought hard to keep the tears at bay. “It’s nice to meet you, Matis.”

He stopped abruptly and turned. “Is that it?” he said. But before Zoe had a chance to say anything, he made a low grumbling sound, something resembling an ironic scoff, and then continued marching away.

Zoe was confused. “Um, does that mean you’ll help me?” She had to yell it after him, his long strides making the gap between them grow quickly.

“I’ll get you thawed up,” he yelled back, sounding annoyed again. “And get you into some other clothes, something a bit more seasonally appropriate.”

“Oh my god, you don’t know how happy that makes me.”

“You do know that I’m a killer, don’t you? You saw me kill those soldiers. If I were you, I wouldn’t be so fast to rejoice.”

“It’s either death by you or by hypothermia, and I figured you’d have killed me by now if you wanted to.”

Matis scoffed and then shrugged as if she had a point.

“Besides, I have a sneaking suspicion that I’m already dead and in some sort of purgatory or limbo. Or maybe I’ve just lost my mind.”

“Wonderful,” Matis exclaimed sarcastically, apparently not really paying too much attention to her. Zoe couldn’t be sure, but he actually seemed offended somehow.

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Author Neel Kay
Zoe Neel
Introvert, creative, awkward.
Neel Kay lives with her husband and two kids in rural surroundings in the south of Denmark, not far from the German border. She’s a trained milliner, studied English at university, and now works a day job as a web editor. But she’s been writing always.Love coffee, scarves and sea views. Oh, and butt-kicking heroines who know how to swing a sword and aren’t afraid to get a little dirty.
Author Links:
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I have two giveaways!

The first is for an eBook copy of Zoe and the Demon Slayer

To enter, please leave your email address and answer this question:

“If you could be transported into any book, which would you choose?”

The second giveaway:

A pair of little book earrings.

Zoe earrings

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

Event organized by Xpresso Book Tours.

Click on the banner to learn more and become a host!

Xpresso Book Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome ya’ll.

Today I’m revealing the cover art for The Future Without Hope.

This is Author Nazarea Andrews Third Book in her The World Without End Series.

Releasing November 20th.

I find the cover chilling yet serene.

The tracks seem to refer to the future or the end. Yet the colors seem almost calming.

Of course, the scars make me think, not so nice as I know this book has zombies in it.

What do you think?

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Book Blurb

Separated from Finn, captive of the Order, Nurrin has no hope left. But she has survived twenty years of zombies–and she has the unshakable faith that Finn will find her.

But Finn is a long way away. The Order’s influence runs deeper than was ever suspected, and politics are shifting–and zombies may not be the most dangerous thing she’s facing.

Finn always thought the war stripped him of all he had to lose. But with Nurrin missing and doors closing in his face, he realizes there is always more for the world to take–and he will drag the remains of civilization down with him before he gives up on the only promise that matters.

FWH teaser 1

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Enjoy the excerpt!

Each of has a moment where we hit rock bottom. Where nothing makes sense, and going on—fighting to live—is just too much. Each of us have faced that kind of devastating loss.

Before Emilie, and everything changed, life was easy. Not for everyone. There was disease and poverty, abuse and death and war. There was loss, in it’s way. But for so many, it was easy, and difficulties, when they came, faded just as quickly. Life was good.

And then the dead rose, and Atlanta fell, and nothing—not a fucking thing—was the same.

We tried. We tried to build our cities with the Haven walls, tried to keep life what it was with our false government in 1, and companies that tried to pretend that life wasn’t shattered beyond repair.

But it was. And when the dead are screaming, there is no pretending. When you have the very last thing you believe in stripped away, there is no way to look at our pretty falsehoods and see anything but the fucking lie that we’ve built out of the ashes of our dead.

We all have that moment.

And sitting here, in an empty train. This is mine.

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Pre-Order your copy from Amazon HERE.
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NAZAREA ANDREWS – BIO & AUTHOR LINKS:

Nazarea Andrews is an avid reader and tends to write the stories she wants to read. She loves chocolate and coffee almost as much as she loves books, but not quite as much as she loves her kids. She lives in south Georgia with her husband, daughters, and overgrown dog.

Site ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Street Team

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So what do you think? I really want to know!
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

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This is my weekly book haul and all things new on fuonlyknew.

Another fun way to share your book news and enjoy others is The Sunday Post

hosted by Kimba The Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

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I finished my Halloween decorating. Didn’t use everything for outdoors. I mostly just did some decorating of the front porch. I don’t get any trick-or-treaters this far out from town but you can see my stuff from the road.

The weathers back up in the high 80s so I’ve been doing some reading by the pool and taking a few dips now and then. I dread when it gets too cold to swim. Last year our winter was harsh. We had freezing rain that closed down everything for a couple of days. My plants were covered in sheets of ice, lost a bunch of them. And I had to chip my way into my car. It was completely encased in ice. I sure hope it isn’t that bad this year.

I’ve been watching Survivor. This year is a strange one. I don’t like any of the players and can’t seem to get into it. Anybody watching it?

And I’ve been feasting on a bunch of horror flicks. Caught a couple on Syfy and Chiller and then some on Netflix. I also pulled out some treasured DVDs.

And it’s official. I was in Walmart and they were putting out the Christmas stuff. We don’t even have winter clothes on the racks yet, but you can get all kinds of pretty Christmas baubles. I don’t buy much anymore. Have so much already. But I do wait until the after sales and buy a few things. It’s fun to get out my decorations and discover those little jewels I forgot I bought!

Now let’s get to my book haul and news!

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Books for review

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These are some I picked up just for me!

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And I picked up this free on Amazon. Never too soon to add to my Christmas reading list.

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And I’ve been wanting to get back into some non-fiction and this was a good place to start.

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And here are some freebies for ya! Click on the covers to get yours.

And remember to make sure they’re still free before clicking that buy button.

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Reviewed this week.  Click on the covers for my reviews.

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Scheduled Reviews next week. You can read my review on Wednesday, October 15th.

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I’ll be reviewing these from my Halloween reading list on my Monday Minis Reviews post.

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And these will be spread out through the week.

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What I won this week!

I won these goodies from a giveaway organized by Prism Book Tours. Thanks Laura and Tressa and thanks so much Tony!

I left these covers larger so you could get a good look.

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And I won this signed eBook from a giveaway on Diane’s blog Oops I Read A Book Again. Thanks so much Lillian and thank you Chrissie.

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Other posts this week.

Monday Minis Reviews #33 ~ The Abyss Above Us

Teaser Tuesdays #84 ~ The death of Death

Cover Reveal and Giveaway ~ Shamrocks & Secrets

She found the body….Dead in a Dumpster ~ Spotlight and Giveaway

An exciting urban fantasy ~ Fading Light ~ Excerpt and Giveaway

Aqua by M.A. George ~ I was completely absorbed!

Thursday Theatre #27 ~ I dare ya to watch this!

Did they go too far? Supergirls ~ Guest Post, Review, and Giveaway

…so she ran. Breathing Black ~ Cover Reveal and Giveaway

The Friday 56 #40 ~ The Rain

Friday First Chapter Reveal and Giveaway ~ The Night House

Releasing soon ~ Desert Bound ~ A Cambio Springs Mystery ~ Promo and Giveaway

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For all of my 2014 reviews go HERE

For a list of free books go HERE

For all of my giveaways go HERE

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So, what did you get to read this week?

Got any recommendations?

I’d love to know and thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

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Author Elizabeth Hunter announces the release of her new novel, Desert Bound.

This is Book #2 in The Cambio Springs Mystery Series and will be available Tuesday, October 14th.

In celebration, she has a wonderful giveaway, so don’t forget to enter!

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Desert Bound

by Elizabeth Hunter

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Release Date: October 14, 2014

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Summary

Can you turn the clock back on your first love? Would you even want to try?

Alex McCann and Teodora “Ted” Vasquez left Cambio Springs together. Ted came back. Alex didn’t.

Now, years later, the future alpha of the McCann wolves has returned with plans to bring new life to the dying desert community. Plans that could change everything for the isolated enclave of shapeshifters in the California desert. Some love the plan. Others hate it.

As the town’s doctor and one of the strongest daughters in the cat clan, Ted has her own concerns about exposing her community to outsiders. The two former lovers are at each other’s throats. And everyone is watching to see what happens.

But when murder once again strikes Cambio Springs, can they overcome their past to help the community they both call home? And can the love they shared once burn again when so many stand against it?

Buy Links

Amazon ~ Barnes&Noble ~ iBooks ~ Smashwords

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Author Elizabeth Hunter

Elizabeth Hunter

Elizabeth Hunter is a contemporary fantasy, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance writer. She is a graduate of the University of Houston Honors College and a former English teacher. She once substitute taught a kindergarten class, but decided that middle school was far less frightening. Thankfully, people now pay her to write books and eighth-graders everywhere rejoice.

She currently lives in Central California with her son, two dogs, many plants, and a sadly dwindling fish tank. She is the author of the Elemental Mysteries and Elemental World series, the Cambio Springs series, the Irin Chronicles, and other works of fiction.

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Social Networking Links

Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

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Five Digital copies of Shifting Dreams, Book One in the Cambio Springs Mystery Series.

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Raffle button

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are revealing the first chapter for

The Night House by Rachel Tafoya

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

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Bianca St. Germain works at a Night House, a place where vampires like the aristocratic Jeremiah Archer, pay to feed on humans, and she doesn’t much care what others think of her. The money is good, and at least there, she’s safe. Bianca also doesn’t care that the Night House is killing her. All she cares about is: nauth, the highly addictive poison in vampire bites that brings a euphoria like no drug ever could.

But when Bianca meets James, a reclusive empath who feels everything she does, for the first time, she considers a life outside of the Night House and a someone worth living for. But Jeremiah has decided to keep Bianca for himself; he won’t allow her to walk away.

As she allows her feelings for James to grow, she struggles to contain nauth’s strong hold on her life. If they are to have a future, James must make her see what she’s worth, what she means to him, before Jeremiah and nauth claim her for good.

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add to goodreads

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Title: THE NIGHT HOUSE
Publication date: December 9, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Rachel Tafoya

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Excerpt

Enjoy Chapter One! Happy Reading!

The Night House
 Rachel Tafoya

 

Bianca

It’s been one day since I last had nauth.
A chill is starting to set into my bones. As some giant carelessly spills orange and red over the sky, I hurry back to the Night House. This tiny black pillowcase that I call a dress is tighter than it should be, and I’m in heels that force me to walk on my toes. I never took ballet, but I’m pretty sure I’ve been walking on pointe since I came to Philly.
When I reach the building, the sun is long gone. My boss, Finn, waits behind the black double doors. I can’t see him, but I can feel him—or maybe I’m just used to his grimace greeting me. My shoes click against the stone steps. I love that sound. Sometimes I spend my days just listening to everyone walk by. The click, thud and slap of shoes are the real soundtrack of the city.
But the Night House is quiet.
Finn opens the door for me with a scowl. He could be beautiful like the others, if he tried, but he is the laziest vampire I have ever met.
“Bianca St. Germain.” His voice is bored, as usual. “You’re late.”
“Figured you’d rather I take my time than break my ankle in these shoes.” I breeze past him. The chilly night air follows me in, pawing at my back like a neglected pet.
“I can fix ankles,” Finn is still facing the door like I haven’t moved. “Your pitiful lack of manners, however … ”
I shrug him off. “It’s a couple of minutes, cut me some slack.”
“This isn’t high school, Bianca. You’re not a teenager when you’re in here.”
“Sorry, I’ll start investing in stocks or something. That’s what old people do, right?”
He huffs in my direction as I feel my way around the darkness. The whole place is pitch black until the thin hallway forks. To my left, pale blue lights beckon the customers. I go right, through the heavy curtain that leads to the girls’ rooms. Vampires with their night vision don’t need guidance, but I’m fairly certain every girl has tripped at least once down here.
The doors are nearly invisible except for the strips of space at the bottom where they don’t quite reach the floor. Those spaces cast light on my feet as I teeter past on these impossible heels. They’re new, and I’m still breaking them in, but I’ve never felt this tall before.
I hear scuffling and shifting behind those doors. The other girls hide in their rooms all day. They don’t understand why I still crave the sunlight, why I don’t make my room my little home and never leave until I’m called. That’s what Finn wants me to do, what the girls think I should do, but I would rather sleep on the cracked unyielding sidewalks of Philly than in the Night House. I would rather be homeless than call this place home.
When I find my room, I turn the knob and bump my hip into it. It opens with a groan. My door has been broken for at least three months. Finn keeps saying he’ll fix it, but he couldn’t care less and we both know it. Still, I keep bugging him. I can’t give up that easily.
My room is like two closets that had the walls knocked out between them. A bed is nestled in the corner. Most of my important stuff is underneath there, like sketchbooks, novels and accessories to hide my scars. One wall is dominated by a large mirror with huge lights, like an actress might have for her dressing room. Though I’m sure an actress would have working lights. I slump into the folding chair and rest my fish-netted legs on the dresser. Makeup and various beauty tools—eyeliner, lipstick, blush—lay scattered over it. This is the only time I can bear to look at myself. Right before I become another person.
I start with the lips. Blood red, the way they like it. Then I frame my eyes in black so that the green pops. I don’t need to do anything to appear pale. That one comes naturally. But I smooth my face with lotion and foundation, and then add rosy cheeks. When I unravel my scarf, I have to close my eyes. That way, when I open them, I can pretend it’s someone else’s neck covered with scars. Some crazy girl with her makeup on. The scars are nearly invisible, thanks to Finn and his healing blood, but I can still see clumps of white scar tissue, just a shade paler than my skin. I hate not being able to cover my scars with anything—makeup doesn’t taste good.
When I am done with makeup, I change out of my dress and tights and heels and put on an awful old corset. Each girl has at least one old-fashioned outfit because sometimes vampires prefer to live in the old days. We all have different specialties. My friend Alex is all about the 1950s. I got stuck in the 19th century.
Tonight, I have an appointment with Jeremiah, and he’s very old and very proper but he’s not above throwing a tantrum if I’m not perfectly in period. Jeremiah is a regular here. For a while, he used to switch between the girls until I showed up. He’s something of a collector, and when he found out I had AB negative, he became my regular. Apparently AB neg means something, or that’s what Finn told me anyway. It’s tricky having the same guy come by all the time because you start to know each other. That doesn’t make it easier. I wish they were all strangers. Unfortunately, I know Jeremiah very well.
So I put on this musty old dress with frills and lace and after it’s on, I am a dusty layer cake. I hate Jeremiah, but he pays nicely so I always get a tip from him. That means a new sketchbook, or maybe I’ll treat myself to a cupcake.
Finn knocks on my door even though it’s open. “Jeremiah is here.”
I stifle a groan and meet his gaze.
He gives me a once over. “Fix your hair.”
“One hundred strokes, right?”
“He’s in the Fire Room.” Finn leaves before I can say anything else.
I pick up my paddle brush and make my hair as flouncy as I can, but it’s thick and heavy and sits the same way no matter what I do to it. It could take hours to make my hair salon styled. Besides, it’s fine the way it is. Maybe not 1800s fine, but Jeremiah will have to deal. It’s not my hair he comes for, anyway.
I step out of my room, and I feel like I walked out of Sense and Sensibility. I like Jane Austen. She writes happy endings.
I hate Jeremiah.
The hallway takes me past all the doors which start to open, like night-blooming flowers. Alex flashes a smile. Her hair is full of curlers. Jessie tries to zip up her dress by herself even though we all know she can’t. Yvonne runs between her room and Jordan’s, trying to decide which shoes to wear. Both pairs are ugly.
I take the back way into the lounge, away from the front doors. One of Finn’s guys waits by the entrance. He is even less animated than Finn, which is hard to accomplish. He’s probably well paid with some name like Tank or Gunn. We both pretend this isn’t awkward, and he lets me through.
Yet another hallway lies ahead. Another thick set of curtains separates the lounge from the rooms, but I can see a bit of the blue lights on the other side. There, one of the luckier girls gets to pretend she isn’t vamp food in order to be the hostess, taking names. There, vampires sit idly on a long winding couch, tapping their feet, waiting their turn, while they ignore their thirst. There, Finn handles all the customers and tells them to be patient while the girls get ready. Then we can sneak into the rooms and appear like we’ve been there all along. We’ll ask sweetly, “What took you so long?” and they’ll blame Finn, but they’ll thank him later.
Inside the Fire Room, creatively named for being the only room with a fireplace, is where it starts. My hunger. It is different from the vamps’. It is a void, embedded deep in my veins, which can never be filled.
Nauth.
The word echoes in my head and sends chills down my spine.
I want it.
I want it now.
But I must be patient and distract myself by taking in the decorations in the Fire Room. It really seems like it was transported straight from some Victorian’s living room. From the stiff baroque curtains and the velvet couch, to the unused silverware sitting on the dark wooden table, I blend right in.
This is one big show for the vampires. The whole Night House feels like a movie set. I am an actress. Finn directs us. Still, I know it’s real. So I face the fire and let it warm my skin as I wait for everything to get too close.

 

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Rachel Tafoya

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Rachel Tafoya studied creative writing while at Solebury School and was published in their student run literary magazine, SLAM. She attended a writing program for teens at both Susquehanna University and Denison University, and the Experimental Writing for Teens class and Novels for Young Writers program, both run by NY Times bestselling author, Jonathan Maberry. Rachel is the daughter crime author Dennis Tafoya.

 

Connect with the Author: Tumbler | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

Three digital copies of The Night House

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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An International Giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

The Rain

Rain Trilogy #1

by Joseph A. Turkot

20694827

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My 56

I wonder if there are more out there. It’s like Dusty senses my thoughts though, and he tells me they’ve set an extra watch tonight, but there shouldn’t be any more attacks. I fix on his face, studying it, the curve of his chin, and his lips, and his eyes that look like they’re feeding on me. I think of Rochester, and Russell’s warning, and I realize how right he is. We don’t know anyone here. But even when I’m looking for it, I don’t feel any malice in Dusty or in Marvolo. I’m torn.

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Synopsis

There are a lot of stories about how the rain started.

The thing that always comes to mind first isn’t the how though, it’s the how much. Russell still does the math too: 15, 5,400, and 8,550. 15 inches a day, 5,400 a year, and 8,550 feet since the start.

We have no idea if it’s accurate. But it’s important to think about it, he says, because it reminds us to keep moving. I’m Tanner. Russell plucked me from the rain when I was two.

Fourteen years ago we left Philadelphia. As the water rose, we moved west, hoping the elevation would keep us warm and dry. Pittsburg, Indianapolis, Sioux Falls, Rapid City. Now we’re stranded on the islands in Wyoming. Russell thinks they used to be the Bighorn mountains. But we can’t go back now. There’s no warm and there’s no dry anymore. Just a rumor about a place where it isn’t raining. So we’re going to try to make it—520 miles south to Leadville. But we can’t drift east, the Great Plains have become waterspout alley, a raging tomb of moving water.

Together we push on, surviving, heading to Leadville. But something is wrong with him now. He says it’s nothing. But his breathing doesn’t sound that way.

Exposure, pruned hands, and infection. But since Rapid City, it’s the face eaters too. And the crack in the canoe that’s growing. And the ice I think I see on the water. Russell thinks it’s my imagination.

We cling to the last strips of the veneer. And each other.

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I couldn’t imagine trying to live in a world of wet, of rain, of moisture and more moisture.

I like a rainy day now and then. I can put off the outdoor chores, curl up with a good book, and not feel guilty about it. LOL

But the sun had better come back out soon. I need those rays, the brightness, the heat on my skin.

I have a feeling by the time I finish this book, these poor people will still not see the sun, whether dead or alive.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew.

Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56!

It’s time for the Cover Reveal of Breathing Black

I can’t wait for you to see it!

Are you ready?

I am!

Here ya go!

Breathing Black cover GR SW(1)

New Adult/Adult Contemporary Romance/Thriller

Releasing December 2, 2014

Cover designed by Okay Creations

Pre-Order on Amazon

Goodreads

GRITTY. INTENSE. EMOTIONALLY HONEST.
A stunning debut novel that will leave you breathless.

A desolate childhood; a scarred, jaded, damaged girl. Larkin Grant knew she couldn’t end up like her mother … so she ran. All her belongings packed in the back of a rusted, brown Cadillac, her best friend June in the passenger seat as the co-pilot, she fled Aspen and never looked back.

A new life in a new city, Larkin was finally starting to breathe again, an unfamiliar sense of happiness seeping into her lungs. Landon Black, the boy she loved from afar, came back into her life despite leaving him and her awful memories buried hundreds of miles away. A weakened pulse brought back to life.

He said she was beautiful. She was starting to believe him. He pursued her and changed the course of everyone’s plans. Life had dealt Larkin a cruel hand, but maybe this was it. Maybe the boy that never knew she existed finally saw her and came to free her from the darkness of her past.

But we are never truly free. There are secrets that bind us and lies that unravel from the most beautiful of lips. Blackness that suffocates and makes us question everything we thought we knew. Larkin and Landon are intertwined in ways they never imagined, their future unclear as ghosts come back to haunt them.

Friendship. Revenge. Love. Drugs. Murder. Deceit.

The first in a two-book series, Breathing Black is a mix of suspense and breathless romance. It’s a provocative tale that challenges what one is willing to do to protect the ones they love. An emotional journey where trust isn’t an option and falling in love never hurt so bad.

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EXCERPT

My mother once said love is like a drug, fast and euphoric. Licking lips, high on the idea it’s going to last forever, until you’re clawing at your skin trying to escape the destructive poison you let inside.

 

I woke up to my phone vibrating in my purse. The realization of the darkness that surrounded me came crashing back into my pounding head along with everything else that had taken place. I sat up and crawled on the cold tile floor, following the sound of my phone drumming into the ground. I grabbed it out of my purse and dismissed an unknown Colorado area code number.

4:30 p.m. I’d been in this bathroom for hours.

By choice.

I didn’t want to leave, and I didn’t want move or face reality, so I chose to lie there and let the crippling fog of sleep take over so I could pretend none of it happened.

I peeked under the bathroom door into his office. It was dark and silent so I felt up the wall finding the light switch and turned it on. Walking over to the bathroom sink and looking into the mirror was painful, a visible reminder of how pathetic I truly was. Splashing water on my face wouldn’t rinse away the misery. I left as quickly as possible, peeking out of the blinds into the hallway until the coast was clear so I could open the door and run down the emergency exit stairs.

Right when I got home, I got into the bathtub. All I wanted to do was cleanse myself of Landon Black, but the water wouldn’t get hot enough, and my hands couldn’t scrub fast enough. I wanted to wash away the way he made me feel. I wanted to wash away everything he did to me Saturday night. I was so disgusted with myself. How could I be so blind? Sobs strangled my lungs as my cries tore up my throat until after a while I finally just stopped. Like a blown fuse, my body shut off. I lay in a white bathroom, in the white tub, with white noise resonating in my ears, yet all I could think about was red. I sat in the bathtub letting the hot water that had now turned to ice soak my skin. He used me. Everything that happened between us was a goddamn lie. So many questions raced through my mind. The biggest one was why?

Breathing Black Quote Flaws

 

To sign-up for the Breathing Black Tour this December 2nd – 20th , visit AToMR’s site!

Piper Payne is hosting a reveal giveaway!

 Enter to win an ARC of Breathing Black and a $25 Amazon Gift Crad.

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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About the Author

piper

My love for literature and writing is an addiction. My mind is continually telling stories and I have a queue of books I want to write being stacked up in my brain. I don’t know how to write pretty and perfect so I write perfectly flawed and unpredictable. Just like life.

I’m married to my best friend and I’m mother to three little miracles. I love going to farmers markets, bookstores, and long drives with my family in my ruby red Bronco. I also have an unhealthy love for makeup, Oreos, Halloween, queso dip, psychic readings, sushi, massages, and Redd’s Apple Ale.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Amazon

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Supergirls Tour Banner copy

I have so much to share with ya’ll today!

Mav Skye is here to tell us about the sisters in her suspense novella, Supergirls.

I’ve got the blurb and an excerpt for ya,

along with my review.

And, there’s a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter.

Enjoy!

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Before we get to my review, Mav has written a special guest post for us. I asked her to share with us  something about her characters, sisters May and Jenn.

Take it away Mav!

The Sisters behind Supergirls

by Mav Skye

 

I once jumped off our second story balcony. No one was chasing me and I wasn’t pushed. I did it because I thought if I stretched out my arms and took that leap of faith, I’d start flying like Supergirl. I wasn’t sure where the cape would come from; maybe it would spring out of my shoulders like wings. I was only five years old, low on hope, and desperate to try anything.

When I hit the grass, I didn’t break any bones, but my dreams shattered. I wasn’t Supergirl, and I never would be. I couldn’t rescue the world. Hell, I couldn’t even rescue myself. I had been through more than a rough spell of abuse at the hands of people who should loved me. I think this knowledge, all of it, hurt my heart more than the ground had hurt my head. I’m pretty sure I had a concussion that day. I remember laying there looking up at the clouds, feeling sad, insignificant. I wanted to believe that hurt I had endured was for some purpose…just like in my favorite comic books and movies.

Where do Supergirls Jenn and May come from? My childhood dream of becoming Supergirl and making sure justice prevailed for those souls that hurt as much as mine did.

There are watershed moments in life; choices we make that send us down a particular path. The difference between the sisters’ life and my own is I had therapists to work with me and show me that there are always choices. I learned there are consequences to every choice I make, good or bad. I live my life. Life doesn’t live me. Jenn and May never had a break, they never had someone to care for them or show them a way out. My life improved, but the sisters spiral down, down, down.

The girls differ quite a bit from each other from their looks and personalities to their own definitions of justice.

May’s looks are based on my sister. She’s tall, gorgeous, and elegant. And yes, her long blond hair really does look like a cape when the wind sweeps it from her shoulders. There’s something ethereal about my sister. I adore her. However, May’s personality is nowhere close to my sister’s. It is pure fiction.

Jenn is short, brunette, and hot. May’s looks will catch your eye, but Jenn’s will hold it. She has sharp cheekbones, and serious eyes. She’s a determined woman with a plan. God help the fool who crosses her. She’s more likely grimacing than smiling, frowning than grinning, but her heart is pure gold.

Jenn is def the more dominant sister. She has control issues stemming from childhood sexual abuse. Her mother whored her out for drugs. She remembers every lick of it. Jenn is compelled to right the wrongs inflicted upon her and May, to fix their damaged lives, no matter what the cost. Her love and devotion for May drives her to risk everything to save her sister from their shitty lives.

Unfortunately, this stress eventually gets to her, snapping her sanity. She chooses to be blind to it. Bit by bit, she lets go. The “letting go” phrase in Supergirls has multiple connotations. The obvious meaning is going cuckoo for coco puffs, but I hope readers catch the deeper significance: there is nothing in the world like releasing your past, all your worries, all your stress. You may as well be tap-dancing on top of the world… the problem comes when you let go of yourself. It’s a delicate balance. Here is where Jenn and May differ again: Jenn holds onto the past, May lets it go. Jenn tries to maintain a grip on reality, and as a result loses it. May doesn’t care. She accepts things for what they are. And when she falls, she accepts that, too.

May is much more laid back. Jenn thinks she is fragile, but May is indomitable. Her spirit is wild and carefree. Her mind has chosen to forget the abuse. Mental illness gives her a unique perspective. It is her illness that empowers her. It makes her strong, brave. Her weakness is her strength. It’s one of the reasons we love her so much.

When younger, one of their mother’s long time boyfriends, Freddie Dean, had an exceptional fascination with May. Freddie did more than steal May’s innocence, he stole her mind away, but her spirit remains untouched. She may not remember the abusive atrocities she endured, but May’s sense of justice is strong.

May wants to serve justice on those who deserve it, Kill Bill style. However, later in the story when she accidentally murders one of Fat Bastard’s victims, it breaks her. She can’t face that she has become the murderous monster.

Supergirls is about love and heartache and desperation. I hope to touch my readers with this tale, maybe even rekindle a few childhood fantasies. Most of all, I want my readers to think about who they love, what is most precious to them, and perhaps hold that person a bit tighter after reading Supergirls.

The second book, Night Without Stars, is due out early 2015.

Thanks so much for sharing Mav!

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MY REVIEW

Every now and then I’m surprised by the beginning of a book. I wasn’t just surprised by this one, I was shocked. I was unsure if I should continue reading it.

But this isn’t the first time I almost didn’t read a book because of its beginning, so I continued on. I’m glad I did, because the beginning says a lot about the characters and their world. A world I’m not familiar with and hope to never have to live in.

I come from a family with three older sisters, me being the youngest, so I felt a strong connection to May and Jenn. I felt sorry for and disgusted by these sisters. They were a product of circumstances and I could empathize with them. Why they did what they did. But that doesn’t excuse everything. Not the extremes they went to.

Then the author had to throw in a loop-hole and I felt sorry for them again.

Jenn is oldest.  Strong. She looked after her baby sister, May.  Tried to keep her safe and on her meds, so she didn’t go off the deep end. The place May called Letting Go.

They cook up a plan to rob Frederick Bells, a rich pervert and sadist. It’s rumored he has millions stashed in his mansion.

What May does to get inside and that Jenn even lets her, says a lot about how desperate these girls are. They just want to live a normal life, but I’m thinking it might not be in the cards.

Too much can go wrong, and does, with disturbing consequences. I had to hand it to these two. They didn’t give up, no matter how bad it got, and it got really, really bad. They kept pushing on, striving for that pot of gold.

The things they encounter are reminiscent of the movie Saw, and were cringe worthy. Kudos to the author for putting me there, in the bloody thick of it. I didn’t relax until the final word. And the ending is something else all together. Whoa!

The title says a suspense novel, but I call it horror and a macabre trip into a madhouse.

I’d not recommend this to younger readers because of the situations. For those of you who like something different, something disturbing yet real, I’d suggest you read this. It’s not your ordinary horror.

4 Stars

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Blurb

Sisters Jenn and May have finally found their golden ticket out of the slums. Pervy sugar daddy, Frederick Bells, promises to be an easy score with a big payoff—millions are hidden within his mansion.

The plan is simple: tie up the pig, steal his cash, and skip town. But fate has a different plan, including a villain with a wicked imagination. The sisters resort to playing their childhood game SUPERGIRLS to battle their fears in Bell’s den of horrors.

Will the SUPERGIRLS find their prize or will their heads join the pile behind the black cellar door?

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Excerpt

A narrow door with a brass knob catches my eye. It blends into the wall. “The closet,” I whisper.

We both walk to it, look at each other. I open the door. It is dark. A lone pull string hangs from a bulb. It tick-tocks back and forth like a grandfather clock tongue. I watch it a second, willing it to stop ticking, but it moves anyway in its own ghostly rhythm. I hesitate. Do I really want to see? Not just inside the closet, but see our lives clearly: May and mine, always looking for the next 7-11 job to get screwed at, flip a trick to pay rent, grab a buck burger for dinner, never having a real boyfriend, the weight of paying for May’s meds. What is the price for a dream, for peace? Our mother’s price (her face appears in my mind, navy blue eyes and a pale pretty mouth, a scar the shape of a kiss on her cheek) was running away. The price, I know, is always hefty and… complete.

What would my price be?

The string tick-tocks on.

“Maybe we should just leave,” whispers May.

Her statement reflects my thoughts, but in her voicing it out loud, I feel angry. Running away. It’s what we’ve always done, what our mother did. We aren’t going back to that life. No way.

Tonight everything is going to change.

“Not without the money,” I say, and grab the string.

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Author Mav Skye

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When Mav Skye isn’t turning innocent characters into axe murderers, refinishing old furniture, chasing around her spring ducklings, or reading the latest horror novel, she’s editing at the almighty Pulp Metal Magazine.

She adores puppies, pirates, skulls, red hots, Tarantino movies and yes, Godzilla.

Especially Godzilla.

She is the author of Supergirls and The Undistilled Sky. Look for her wicked horror romance, Wanted:Single Rose, this fall and the second book in the Supergirls series, Night without Stars, early 2015.

 Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Supergirls is available in print or ebook at: Payhip : https://payhip.com/b/ijUy (50% discount at Payhip if you “share” the book) & Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LWHA438, Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LWHA438?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

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$35 Amazon Gift Card

Autographed copy of the book

Two winners will be chosen

An International Giveaway

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Click on the banner below to follow the tour. And remember to comment. The more you comment the more chances to win!

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Was this review helpful? If so, you can vote for it on Amazon or like it on Goodreads.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to Thursday Theatre!

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Grab your popcorn and have a seat.

It’s time for the show!

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I spotted this over on Angela’s Anxious Life blog. Thanks for sharing Angela!

Disclaimer: No animals were harmed during the making of this video. About the humans, I’m not so sure! LOL

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoB8t0B4jx4#t=127]

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Does anyone feel like dancing?

 

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuOTaZLHI68?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent]

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Too funny! When I wasn’t laughing I was singing. Now that’s scary!

I love this song!

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Got some fun Halloween trivia or trailers you’d like to share? Leave your comments or links and I’ll post them in next weeks Thursday Theatre!

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Aqua tour banner

Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for Aqua.

I’m excited to share my review of this exciting new book by M.A. George.

Come on in.

Test the water.

It’s wonderful!

Oh!

Make sure you watch the amazing video for Aqua included in my post.

It’s so good and you won’t be able to resist this book after watching it!

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 Aqua

By M.A. George

Genre- YA Paranormal

Publication Date- April 16th, 2014

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MY REVIEW

For Layla, it’s a new year, a new town. Every year her mother and aunt move her to a new city, always some place close to the water. At least there’s that. It’s been this way all of her life and she’s given up on trying to figure out why.

 With all of the moving and being a loner, Layla convinced her mother to home school her. Who wants to be the new girl every year, and by the time she’s made some friends, it’s time to move on.

So now she’s unpacking her books, deciding how to arrange them on the shelves, then taking a picture to show to her friends. She had carefully packed them, making sure none got creased. This is where I first connected with Layla. She’s seventeen and many years younger than me, but I’m so much like her about my books, and they can conquer the age difference.

Once finished unpacking, she heads down to the beach, hoping to get some writing done. And that’s when her world changes. She just doesn’t know it yet.

To her it was a near drowning. She saw the guy dive in the water, but he never came up.  She’d been watching the two guys clowning around. The tall drink of water doesn’t seem to realize his friend is in trouble so she rushes to the rescue and needs saving herself. And does a double take when the drowning victim appears behind her, safe and dry. Dry? How can that be?

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So now the mytsery began. The title clues you to water, but what about it? The first clue is the mother always chooses places near water. Another is the guy that didn’t drown, wasn’t even wet.

 As Layla got to know the two young men, I began to sense they were different. They’re like night and day. 

Pyke is scruffy and covered in graphic tattoos. He’s condescending and rude to Layla.

Tristan is so different. He’s sweet, very well put together, and his sarcastic wit slips out now and then.

When Layla was attacked and Tristan saved her from drowning, I became suspicious of Pyke. He just turned up, all casual like. And dry, of course.

And as the attacks escalate, secrets emerge. Layla finally finds out why they move every year. Why her father has been absent all of her life. She finds out what she is. Something amazing, wonderous, and more than human. Now she has to adjust, to learn to use her abilities, or else the next attack may be the end, for her and for those she loves.

This book had so much to like. Genuine, engaging characters, flaws and all.

A fascinating new kind of being. The author had me laughing when Tristan revealed to Layla what he could do. And she had me on the edge of my seat when they are being chased in their car. That’s one scene I’d like to see on the big screen. It was so out there. I couldn’t see how they’d get away.

There’s intrigue, conflict, young romance, betrayal, and some humor in all the right places.

Aqua is a wonderful beginning to a fantastical series and I recommend you take the dip and see for yourself.

4 STARS

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Blurb

Meet Layla McKelland:

Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair),

Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it),

International Woman of Mystery, and…

Okay, just scratch the bio.

The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene. Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.

Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels. The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt. And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.

When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction. And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water.

Especially not water.

Available From:

Trailer- http://youtu.be/bzsjtIgg7v8

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzsjtIgg7v8&w=500&h=315]

About the Author

M.A. George

A. George is part proud mother of two adorable children, part super top secret agent…Oops, probably just lost that job.

Writing is what keeps her up into the wee hours of the night. Fortunately, she has a lot of energy (Read: caffeine is her friend). She has a bit of an obsession with music (It does a fantastic job of tuning out rambunctious children while she attempts to focus).

She sincerely hopes people out there enjoy reading her work as much as she enjoys writing it. And if anyone hears of work for a super top secret agent, she’s now available (Discretion guaranteed…).

Find M.A. At

Website||Goodreads||Blog||Twitter||Facebook

Amazon Author Page||Smashwords Author page

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew

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