Archive for the ‘Dystopian’ Category

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are revealing Chapter 2 of

Hunted (Sinners #2) by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

presented by Month9Books!

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

Hunted

HUNTED is the electrifying sequel to the bestselling debut BRANDED, A Sinners Series, by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki.

It’s been three months since the revolt against the Commander’s fifty-year-old regime failed.

Under a new ruler, things were supposed to change. Get better.

But can anyone really be trusted?

Lexi and Cole soon find out, as life takes an unexpected turn for the worse.

In this ever-changing world, you must hunt or be hunted.

Lives will be lost.

Dreams will be crushed.

Fears will be realized.

Secrets will be exposed.

When Cole is once again faced with losing Lexi at the hands of a monster, one encounter will change everything.

Forever.

Connect with BRANDED fans on Instagram at:
#abiandmissy
#Sinnersfandom
#Sinnersseries
#Colexi
#Sinnersseriesbranded
#Brandedofficialfanpage
#Brandedfandom
#Lexihamilton

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add to goodreads

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Title: Hunted (Sinners #2)
Publication date: April 28, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Available for Pre-order:

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excerpt

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You can read Chapter Two HERE!

Happy Reading and Enjoy!

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About-the-Author

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Abi and Missy 2

Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.

 

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumbler

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Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

The book will be sent upon the titles release.

 

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 U read Dark Waltz, the first book in the Praestani Series and just loved it.

Now I’m thrilled to bring to you the second book, Death Waltz.

I’ve read almost every book the author has written, venturing into her other genres, and I’ve been waiting for this book a long time and now it’s here!

More exciting news. Dark Waltz, the first book, is free! Read on to learn how to get your copy and start this series now!

 

**This is an Adult Romance and is not suitable for younger readers due to its mature content and strong language.**
Dark Creatures have descended upon Earth and Abaddon has taken control. He wants Liasare as his own mate because she is the Key to the Light. With her by his side, he can manipulate her power to unleash his evil across the universe.
Jurek and Liasare’s fight continues to prevent this. Unknown to them, a Praestani traitor resides among them. Can Jurek teach Liasare to wield her immense power in time to halt the traitor’s plans? Or will they end up in Abaddon’s clutches, waltzing to their death in this stunning conclusion to Dark Waltz.

 


Liasare entered their quarters as Jurek poured himself a drink. She stood and watched
him toss back the entire glassful and pour himself another. When he was
finished with the second, he faced her. The anger she’d expected wasn’t there.
In its place was disappointment.
“You could’ve at least warned me. Do you think that was
fair?”
“No. It wasn’t fair. I am sorry for that. But if I had told
you ahead of time, we would’ve fought and argued for hours over it. And the end
result would’ve been the same. We both know it’s coming to a head. I have to
face him sooner or later and the truth is, I’m scared to death. So I’d rather
not sit around and wait anymore, because all this waiting only makes it worse.
The thought of January’s children locked in Abaddon’s realm brings me to my
knees. So I must act.”
“You emasculated me, Liasare. In front of everyone. Those
are my people. My subjects. Our subjects.” He threw his glass against the wall
and she watched it shatter into dozens of tiny pieces. Oddly enough, it was the
glass breaking that made her focus, because that was exactly how she didn’t
want this to end.
“I’m sorry that’s the way it felt to you. To me it’s a way
of drawing the hunter out. He knows we travel together. He may think I’m more
vulnerable without you. My intentions were never to make you feel that way.”
Jurek knew within his heart what he needed to do, but
abhorred the very idea of it. “Nevertheless, I suppose my feelings in this
matter are irrelevant. Liasare, listen to me. Do not, under any circumstances,
let your mind shield slip. He will attempt every trick he knows to cajole you
into thinking you are safe. You are never safe. Understand me? When you
enter Club Down, you will feel the worst brushes of evil abrading your power.
Do not succumb to it. And whatever you do, even if you must sacrifice the lives
of the Praestani that accompany you, keep yourself safe. Our species depends
upon you. You are The Light. This is a great burden you carry, but it is also
one you must protect at all costs. Tell me you understand this.”
His words imparted the gravity of what she would face in the
hours ahead.
“I understand every word.”
Memories forced their way into Jurek’s mind, ones he didn’t
particularly care to think about. They were when Liasare had been held captive
by one of Abaddon’s minions. Then other memories infiltrated his head and
pushed the hideous ones aside.
“Tell me something. Remember back in our early days together
when I asked you never to lie to me?”
Liasare laughed. “How could I not? You scared me half to
death most of the time.”
His voice was gruff with emotion when he said, “But you
never cowered from me. You stood up to me like a soldier going to war, just as
you do now. So tell me, what is the real reason you want me to stay behind?”
She flinched at his question. It wasn’t possible to avoid
the truth, but by answering him, she knew it would cut him to the core. There
was only one thing to do and that was to face him, head on, with brutal
honesty.
“I need you here because I’m fairly certain when I return I
will need all of your powers to heal me. Not only will you have to piece me
back together again, Jurek, I will also need you to tend to Justus while I am
healing. I don’t know what kind of shape I will be in, or whether I will be
able to see him. I don’t want him to see me until I am myself again. At least
if you remain here, you will be able to care for him while I am recovering.”
Though he expected an answer he wouldn’t like, her words
viciously punctured his heart. “Christ, Liasare. And how do you expect me to
send you out there, knowing this?”
“I’m not giving you that choice because it’s not yours to
make.”
He reached out his arm and touched her face. “How can I do
this?”
“This isn’t anything you can or can’t do. Don’t you see?
It’s what must be done. It’s the prophecy, Jurek. It’s been written about
centuries ago. I was born to do this. And either I go to him or he comes to me,
but it will happen, one way or another.”
Their clothes were gone, vanishing like smoke in a breeze.
His hands surfed her body, like he was skimming across the waves of the sea,
memorizing every dip and curve as they moved. His lips followed the path his
hands began, touching, kissing, and tasting every solid inch of her, pressing
into her skin, molding themselves to her as they trailed along. He inhaled her
scent, committed to memory her essence so when she was gone he could call it
forth. The room brightened with his power as a burst of energy danced across
her skin where his hands touched her.
Liasare responded in like, as her fingers weaved themselves
into Jurek’s hair.
Emotion smothered her words as she began to speak but she
forced it back because she wanted him to know what she felt at this moment. Her
hand trembled when she raised it to brush a lock of his hair off his forehead.
“The first time I ever saw you was that night as I sat drinking my beer. I
believe it was in Cosmos. Do you remember?”
She waited for him to nod and when he did, she continued.
“Your skin was so glorious. You looked like an exotic
gladiator, like the kind I had read about from the old history books on Earth.
You were dressed in your leathers and your tawny skin glowed. I could see it
even in that dim club we were in. And I couldn’t stop thinking about how
handsome you were. I had never seen anyone like you before. And there I sat,
holding my beer bottle, and I looked down at my arms as they were covered up
because I was so scarred. I thought to myself then, ‘I wonder how it must feel
to be that beautiful?’” Her hands lightly cupped his neck, thumbs tenderly
pressing the hollow at his throat. Then, following the curves and arches of his
shoulders and arms, fingers spread wide, she outlined every inch of him as if
she were caressing him for the very first time. When she reached his fingertips,
she kissed each one, and then journeyed to his torso, discovering the remainder
of his body.
“I was so afraid back then. Of everything. And then I
remember the first time you took me to the sanctuary, after you found and
healed me. But I couldn’t forget what happened. You came to me that one night
and knelt before me, begging me to talk to you.” Her brow was creased as she
thought back to that night. She touched her lips to the center of his chest
right over his heart before she continued. “I begged you to erase my memories.
I had this burning need for you to make love to me to help me forget. I was
madly in love with you. And I didn’t care if you loved me in return. I just
needed to feel you inside of me. But I was afraid you’d refuse, like you’d done
so many times before. I was slowly cracking into tiny pieces, bit by bit. And
there you were, right in front of me, and I wanted so much to throw myself at
you. I remember thinking again that you were the most beautiful site I’d ever
seen in my life. I couldn’t imagine how any man could be so perfect. And as
much as I was falling apart, I was more afraid that night that you would push
me away one final time. Do you know something? I think if you had refused me, I
would’ve found a way to end it all. But you didn’t. You said to me that if I
consented, there’d be no turning back. That you played for keeps.” She smiled
then. “Those were the greatest words I’d ever heard. I thought to myself,
‘Well, here he goes, saving my life again.’ And now you stand before me and
somehow you’ve become even more beautiful than you were then. You are my heart,
and will always be my heart. Facing the demon isn’t the worst thing I can
imagine.” Cupping his face, she said, “The worst thing for me would be facing
the rest of my life without you. I’m going to come back to you. But when I do,
I’ll need you more than ever. So yeah, I want you here, safe, but also so you
can heal me. Make love to me now, so that just for this little slice of time, I
can forget what I’m about to face.”
Liasare never saw Jurek after he rescued her from near death
or she would’ve recognized this emotion in him. His hands gripped her shoulders
and he looked at her, his lavender eyes heavily laced with silver in their
depths threatened to spill tears. “Liasare,” he began, but had to stop because
he couldn’t go on. Swallowing several times, he began again, “Liasare, when you
say things like this to me, it makes me want to carry you away from this
dreadful place. I … I am afraid. I’m afraid of letting you go. But I’m also
afraid of putting my arms around you. Because if I do, I may not let you
go. I know I must and I know you must do this … this thing you’ve been
charged with, but it’s my duty as your mate to protect you and here I am
sending you to the damn demon himself.”
She didn’t give him a chance to say anything else before she
kissed him, softly tasting and gently nipping at him.
Against his mouth she murmured, “I want to savor this
moment, relish every second. I want it slow and easy, Jurek.”
They stood together, touching each other, as if it were
their very first time.
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Death Waltz Teaser

 


A.M. Hargrove resides in the south, dividing her time between the
upstate of South Carolina and the mountains of North Carolina. She truly
believes that chocolate, coffee and ice cream should be added to the USDA food
groups.
Her books include Adult, New Adult and Young Adult Romances,
including, The Guardians of Vesturon (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant,
reEmergent and the novella Beginnings); Dark Waltz (A Praestani Novel) Edge of
Disaster, Shattered Edge, Kissing Fire, Tragically Flawed, Exquisite Betrayal
and Tragic Desires.
Please find her at http://www.amhargrove.com
A.M. also writes under the name of Emerson St. Clair. Emerson’s
books include the Dirty Nights novella series.

 

Haven’t started the series yet?  Well Book 1: Dark Waltz is
FREE so get yours today. Just click on the links below and get yours!
 
 
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MY 5 STAR REVIEW
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What do I know? I know I’m lovin this series! It’s a waltz that takes you spinning through space before taking that final dip.

The first thing that captured my attention was this story is about returning to Earth from another planet, not about venturing into space. The Earth of today is overrun with hostile, nasty beings and humans tread carefully when they venture out. We are no longer at the top of the food chain. In fact, we are now on the menu.

What really grabbed me with Dark Waltz was the characters. I love character driven novels and the stars of this novel are exceptional.

Liasare left Earth when she was a young teen and didn’t return for eighteen years. It’s so much worse now. She thinks she’s prepared for what awaits her as she searches for her missing brother, but she is very wrong. She’s going to need help, whether she likes it or not.

What I enjoyed about Liasare is her toughness along with her vulnerability. She’s taken huge risks just in coming to Earth. She’s run into some situations that left her trembling and doubting her resolve. And she now has a mysterious stranger, a magical being, whose magnetism is becoming harder and harder to deny.

There’s a mental connection, but that’s now what has her worried. She fears her bodies yearning for Jurek, it’s demanding ache for his touch. An accident a long time ago left her physically and mentally scarred and she has no idea how to protect herself from these feelings.

This is what Jurek is up against as he becomes more and more drawn to Liasare. He’s never wanted anyone like he wants her, but she’ll have to be handled carefully, if she ever lets him handle her at all.

I enjoyed Jurek’s inner turmoil and frustration. He’s a powerful, demanding being and he’s not used to being snubbed and challenged, especially by a woman. He has his hands full with Lisare, trying to keep her safe and struggling to get past her tough exterior.

Jurek was a favorite character of mine in Determinant. It’s great to read his story here.

Jurek also felt the mental connection to Liasare, but his bodies lust for her comes as a surprise. He has no lack of female partners, but this girl has him feeling things he’s never experienced before. He knows it will be much more than a roll in the hay with her and that’s not all he has to consider.

Dark Waltz is exceptionally written, flowing smoothly and keeping you engaged from first page to last. I found myself wanting to race to the finish and forced myself to slow down. I didn’t want to miss a single thing.

The fight scenes are exciting, the creatures are hideous, the mysteries and secrets keep you guessing, and the sexual tension builds and builds. What a read.

Dark Waltz is a fantastic first chapter in The Praestani Novels. This adult series takes place several years after The YA Guardians of Vesturon Series. You don’t have to have read them, but I would recommend it. Guardians is where it all began. It makes me very happy to know it doesn’t end here.

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slip banner.
This is my stop during the book blitz for Slip (Slip #1) and Grip (Slip #2) by David Estes. This book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours.

The book blitz runs from 1 till 5 December, you can view the complete blitz schedule on

the website of Lola’s Blog Tours.

I’m tellin ya, David is putting out books left and right. I can’t keep up with his new releases. This is one series I have to read and I can’t wait for you to check out the descriptions for Slip and Grip. You’ll be as giddy as me to get your hands on these, and they are available now.

Go get em!

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Slip coverSlip (Slip #1)
By David Estes

Genre: Dystopia
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 1 December, 2014

Blurb:
Someone must die before another can be born…

As sea levels rise and livable landmasses shrink, the Reorganized United States of America has instituted population control measures to ensure there are sufficient resources and food to sustain the growing population. Birth authorization must be paid for and obtained prior to having a child. Someone must die before another can be born, keeping the country in a population neutral position at what experts consider to be the optimal population. The new laws are enforced by a ruthless government organization known as Pop Con, responsible for terminating any children resulting from unauthorized births, and any illegals who manage to survive past their second birthday, at which point they are designated a national security threat and given the name Slip.

But what if one child slipped through the cracks? What if someone knew all the loopholes and how to exploit them? Would it change anything? Would the delicate resource balance be thrown into a tailspin, threatening the lives of everyone?

And how far would the government go to find and terminate the Slip?

In a gripping story of a family torn apart by a single choice, Slip is a reminder of the sanctity of a single life and the value of the lives we so often take for granted.

You can find Slip on Goodreads

You can buy Slip here:
Amazon

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Grip coverGrip (Slip #2)
By David Estes

Genre: Dystopia
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 1 December, 2014

In a tumultuous world of population control, one illegal child has slipped through the cracks. Now, as a teenager, Benson Kelly has escaped certain deaths at the hands of the Department of Population Control, only to find himself the symbol of a rebellion, something he never intended.

While trying to survive one day at a time, Benson seeks to unravel the tangled knot of secrets left behind when his father died, the key to which has something to do with his mother, Janice Kelly, recently escaped from the insane asylum.

As the rebel group known as the Lifers continue to use brute force to send a message to the government, Benson’s twin, Harrison Kelly, seeks to exploit a loophole that could be the key to freedom for his brother. All that’s required is a simple act of murder.

Meanwhile, Population Control’s attack dog, a sadistic cyborg known as The Destroyer, closes in on Benson and his family. His directive: Kill them all.

Faith, family and love will be pushed to the limits in the GRIPping sequel to Slip.

You can find Grip on Goodreads

You can buy Grip here:
Amazon

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Author Photo - David EstesAbout the Author:


Author of popular YA dystopian series, the Dwellers Saga and the Country Saga. Voted books to read if you enjoyed the Hunger Games on Buzzfeed and Listopia.

Join 2,400+ David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite in David Estes’ official fan group at:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/70863-david-estes-fans-and-ya-book-lovers-unite

David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.

You can find and contact David here:
WebsiteFacebook ~TwitterGoodreads

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There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Slip.

These are the prizes you can win:

– Winners choice of book to the value of $15.00 U.S. from The Book Depository
– A signed copy of SLIP plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
– A signed copy of BREW plus bonus swag- U.S. entrants only
– 3 ebook packs with three David Estes ebooks of your choice
– 4 signed packs of bookmarks

You can enter the blitz wide giveaway here:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Lola's Blog Tours

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For all of my giveaways click on the  Southern Christmas Charm below.

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In the mood for something different?

I have just the book for you.

Meritropolis has many diverse characters, and curious animal combinations.

Keep reading to learn more about this post-apocalyptic dystopian with science fiction and enjoy the author interview.

This is on sale for a limited time!

There’s a huge giveaway too, so don’t forget to enter!

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In Meritropolis everyone is assigned a numerical Score that decides their worth to society and whether they live or die. After a young boy is killed because of a low Score, his brother plots to take down the System.

Meritropolis

Sounds good, right? Well, this exciting YA Dystopia is on sale for just 99 cents Thursday, November 27 through Monday, December 1. You can pick up your copy on Amazon.

To celebrate, we are offering a giveaway for an autographed copy and a $100 Amazon gift card—hooray!

Check out this interview with Joel Ohman, the author of the book critics are calling, “The Hunger Games meets The Village with a young Jack Reacher as a protagonist”, then scroll to the end of this post to learn more about the giveaway. Happy reading, and good luck!

 

 An Interview with Joel Ohman

Joel Ohman

Who or what was your inspiration to write about post-apocalyptic, dystopian sci-fi?

I’ve read a lot in this genre, so I would say it’s a mix of a lot of different things. I really just wanted to explore this question of, “What gives a person worth?” Is it their usefulness to society? Is it because someone loves them? Is it because of how they look? Is it because of their health or ability? As a Christian, I believe that all people have worth, because they are made in the image of God. I wanted to explore some different takes on this question. I think that the post-apocalyptic/dystopian/sci-fi genre was the best vehicle to tackle some of those deep philosophical questions in a fun and interesting way.

Why do you write? Is it for fun, or because you have something you need to say in your writing?

Some writers are loath to say their writing has a message, because maybe they think doing so diminishes their art (not true, in my opinion), but I think that everyone has a message in their writing, even if they aren’t as consciously focused on it—and that’s a good thing. My message is in my epigraph: “Because everyone matters – Psalm 139”.

Why the title Meritropolis?

I wanted a short one word title that was a clever—or at least semi-clever—play on two different words. I like “Meritropolis” because it combines “Merit” and “Metropolis,” two words that are great for describing a city where each resident’s worth is measured by a score given to them.

In Meritropolis how were the animal combinations decided upon? For example, I know you chose to write about a bion (bull-lion), as well as many other freaks of nature. So what I want to know is how did you decided which animals to meld together and why.

meritropolis Illustration, Festrel

I have a big list of animal combinations that I came up with before I began writing the book, and I tried to work in as many as I could. Sometimes the only criteria was that I liked the way the name sounded. Look for many more in the following books!

meritropolis Illustration, Rama

Can you tells us about your characters and who/what inspired them?

I am a big believer in John Truby’s approach to building a “character web”, because this deepens the relationships between characters and helps to make each of the characters more complex. Absent building a good character web, it can be all too easy to fall into the not-very-true-to-real-life good-person/bad-person false dichotomy where your protagonist devolves into this I-can-do-no-wrong character and your antagonist is just pure evil. I was very much aiming to show the imperfections and brokenness in each of the characters. My thinking as a Christian influences this to some degree, given that the Bible teaches that we are all essentially the same; we are all sinners—only God is perfect.

Do you have a favorite genre that you like to read?

I read pretty much everything! Fiction, non-fiction, you name it! I am of the opinion that, as an author, I can learn something from almost every kind of writing. Sometimes, it most definitely is a matter of learning what not to do—but, on the whole, I love to read a wide variety of writing styles, genres, etc.

Are there any books that have inspired your own writing?

I read A LOT so there are many different things that have shaped my writing over the years, but I wouldn’t say there was any particular book, or books, that I was consciously looking to for inspiration while writing Meritropolis. Looking back though I can definitely see different threads of influence in almost everything I have read over the years that contribute toward making Meritropolis what it is: the strong protagonist of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series, the philosophical bent of C.S. Lewis’ fiction, the dystopian setting of Hugh Howey’s WOOL series, and many more.

Are there any authors that have emerged in the last three years that have caught your interest?

Hugh Howey is an author that I really like that has caught my attention lately. I would highly recommend his WOOL series!

 

Don’t forget!

Meritropolis is marked down from its regular price of $5.99, but only for a limited time. Feed your Kindle by picking up a discounted copy for just 99 cents, but make sure you do it before December 2!

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Now enter the giveaway

$100 Amazon Gift Card

Autographed copy of Meritropolis

Click on the rafflecopter link below to enter the giveaway.

RAFFLECOPTER

 

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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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I have a great post for you today.
I read Sanctuary back when I received the ARC and loved it so I’m excited to share it with you again today.
I loved the old cover art and love the new cover too.
Looking for a great Apocalyptic Dystopian. You’ll find it here.
Enjoy the excerpt and my review.
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!
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Title: Sanctuary

Author: Pauline Creeden

Genre: Apocalyptic/dystopian, clean NA

In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?

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My Review

As the story begins, the aliens have already damaged the sun, causing perpetual twilight during the day, making it difficult to grow crops. And they’ve contaminated the water supply, which has killed off one-third of Earth’s population.

As the aliens don’t do anything further for quite some time, just hover in the skies, people try to go about their daily lives.

But the aliens unleash something horrific, something beyond imagination, and it has serious repercussions, killing off another third of the population.

This is where things really get dicey.

What comes next? Are they planning on wiping us out completely? Or do they have something else in store?

Jenny never did get to return for her second year of college. The aliens attacked again and life as she knew it crumbled.

Now, she’s separated from her parents and has to protect her five-year old brother.

I admire Jenny. She’s a young woman, alone, facing something we couldn’t even imagine. What she focuses on is getting her and her little brother to safety.

She’s scared to death as she navigates the streets. But she has keen instincts and stays sharp when things get really bad. She’s a natural nurturer and has a heart of gold.

You’ll get to know Hugh and Brad, the brothers.

Hugh was a teacher at Jenny’s old highschool. He was trapped in his apartment building. When people were being attacked in the street, his first instinct was to go outside and help, but the apartment manager wouldn’t risk unlocking the doors.

When he finally does leave his apartment, he ends up at the church. There he runs into his younger brother Brad.

There is no love lost between these two.

Brad is lucky when he stumbles upon the church. But he didn’t much like the fact his brother was there.

I liked Hugh. He was a quiet, introspective man. Willing to help in any way he could.

Brad was another story all together. Every story needs a villain and he seemed to wear the title proudly. He was arrogant and self-serving. Quite the spoiled brat. And he never missed a chance to get under Hugh’s skin. One thing he did had me thinking he might be redeemable but I can’t spoil it for you.

Each chapter is told from the points of view of Jenny, Hugh, and Brad, but they flow easily and you quickly recognize their individual voices.

This is listed as a christian thriller, but it’s not like any you’ve read before. There are aliens, dog/lion creatures that bite you and turn you into zombies, and the disturbing situations you have to deal with when in a group, struggling to survive.

I was kind of reminded of Stephen King’s The Mist, when they are all confined in the grocery store. Not everybody likes each other or gets along. Life and death situations make people do weird things.

While Jenny draws on her religious beliefs to get her through this, I never felt like I was being preached at. If anything, she had me asking myself how I would hold up, what would I turn to. And with so much going on, I was kept busy following the action, trying to stay one step ahead of the horror.

The religious tones in this story are a natural progression and make it more real. Look at all of the disaster movies and books out there. So many of them have people gathering at a church, either for spiritual strength or just solace in the company of others.

If you like a mix of genres, some science fiction and fantasy with your horror, I recommend you read Sanctuary. It keeps you connected, never bogs down, and there’s plenty of action and danger.

5 STARS

*****

YouTube book Trailers:

http://youtu.be/tVQNvPzk3rc

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Purchase:
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Enjoy this glimpse inside Sanctuary
Jennie filled the
glass and set it on the counter. She needed an ibuprofen.
As she reached up
to the top shelf in the pantry, a vibration started in her chest. Holding the
white bottle in her hand, she turned around confused.
Like a jet when it
flew too low, the rumble increased in intensity as it approached. Jennie
watched the glass tremble on the counter top for a moment before fear clenched
her stomach. “MOM!?”
She rushed to the
sink and looked out the window, but her mother wasn’t in the garden any more.
Jennie barreled through the kitchen, the vibrations in her chest like bass on a
stereo. “MOM?”
When Jennie
reached the back door, she saw them. Four large dog-like creatures with pinched
faces like bulldogs and lion-like manes. They snarled, and one of them leapt at
the window on the top half of the door when it saw her. Jennie jumped back and
fell hard on the cold tile floor. The bottle of painkiller bounced across the
kitchen tiles. The creature slammed against the window a second time, cracking
it. She blinked hard. Her heart sunk, and the hairs on her arms stood on end. A
horrendous gargling howl rent the air, causing a shiver down her spine. She
held her breath and waited for the creature to slam into the door again.
“What on earth?”
she whispered to herself.
When the third
attempt never came, she scrambled toward the door. Blinking hard, she used the
door knob to help herself stand. Out the cracked window, her mother was still
out of sight, but the last of the dogs headed across the field behind her
backyard.
“MOM?” Jennie
called out.
The rumbling
faded, and the vibrations in her chest receded with the dogs. She pulled open
the door and rushed onto their back deck. “Mom, where are you?”
When she reached
the banister, she looked over the side. Her mom lay sprawled with one hand on
the lattice. Blood gushed from Mom’s leg and her opposite arm. Jennie’s ears
rang and flooded with every beat of her heart.
Jennie didn’t know
how she got to the second floor of her house, but she found herself shaking her
sleeping father. How had he slept through the rumbling? “Outside, it’s Mom…”
Her father leapt
from the bed. Mickey, her little brother, lay asleep and undisturbed. Dad ran
down the stairs and outside in his flannel pajama bottoms and white t-shirt. He
scooped Mom up to his chest and carried her inside. Blood stained his shirt in
crimson.
“Jennie, call
911!”  Her father had said it at least
three times before it finally registered in her brain.
She pulled the
cell phone from her pocket, but it refused to connect. With a groan, she
grabbed the cordless from the wall receiver, glad her heart stopped pounding in
her head so she could hear.
“All operators are
busy at this time,” a mechanical voice deadpanned, “Please stay on the line,
and the next available operator will take your call.”
“They have me on
hold, Dad. Should I hang up and try again?” She held the phone in both hands
away from her face.
“No, just stay on
the line.” Her father lifted the shredded jeans from Mom’s leg. “It looks like
a shark bite. What on earth happened?”
Jennie took in the
damage through tear-filled eyes. A huge chunk was taken from her mother’s calf,
exposing the fibrous tendons that covered the bone in her leg. A bloodstain
grew on the beige couch. Was she going to die? Panic rose up.
“What happened,
Jennie?”
“I…I…They
looked like lions, or dogs, or something. The rumbling shook the whole house…I
tried to go outside to get Mom, but—” A sob blocked her throat.
Her father grabbed
a throw pillow and held it against the leg. Mom’s exposed forearm laid across
her chest in much the same condition as her calf.
“Grab me the duct
tape.”
Jennie suddenly
remembered the phone, put it back to her ear, and headed to the hall closet.
She reached for the shelf above the jackets and grabbed the junk basket next to
the toolbox.
“Please stay on
the line. An operator will be with you shortly.”
She shoved the
phone in the crook of her neck and fished through the box.  Half the contents dropped around her feet. Who cares? When her fingers wrapped
around the silver duct tape, a short-lived relief sent prickles down her arms.
But the urgency gripped her chest in less than a heart beat, and she threw the
junk basket on the ground with the rest of the items.
“Hurry, Jennie!”
her father called from the living room. “And turn on the TV. Maybe they’ll have
something about what’s going on.”
She handed her
father the tape and turned toward the TV. The mechanical voice on the phone
came through again, followed by more easy listening.
When she clicked
on the TV, the shouting and wailing began before the picture warmed up on the
screen. A sideways picture of New York
City broke through, with the shaky voice of the
newscaster voicing over.
“What we are
watching now – I can’t believe it – is live footage of Times
Square,” the newscaster’s voice paused for a deep breath. “We’ve
lost our man on the scene and his camera man to what appears to be some kind of
new alien creature. Just a short half-hour ago, the doors to the ship that
hovered above Central Park opened and these
dog-like creatures flooded out.”
Jennie couldn’t
pull her eyes from the screen. She straightened and dropped the phone on the
hardwood. The battery popped out and skidded across the floor.
—————————————————————————————
About Pauline

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long. Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.

Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. It is also the 2013 Book Junkie’s Choice Winner in Historical Fiction. Her debut novel, Sanctuary, won 1st Place Christian YA Title 2013 Dante Rosetti Award and 2014 Reader’s Choice Gold Award for Best YA Horror Novel.

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$20 Amazon Gift Card
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 Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.
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Spooktacular2013

Welcome to the 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop.

First I’d like to thank our tour host, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. This is my favorite hop!

I’ve been waiting for this day on pins and needles.

I’m excited to be giving away all three books in The Maze Runner Trilogy. They are the print paperbacks and look amazing. I want them for myself! LOL

Entry is easy, it’s international, and you can enter at the end of this post.

There’s also a list of the other blogs participating so click away and enter for more fun prizes!

Good Luck!

Haven’t seen the movie yet? Here’s a video clip.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0L2VFmx3A_Y?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent]

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Blurb

The perfect gift for fans of “The Hunger Games” and “Divergent,” this boxed set of the paperback editions of James Dashner’s” New York Times” bestselling series includes “The Maze Runner,” “The Scorch Trials,” and “The Death Cure.” “The Maze Runner” motion picture featuring the star of MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” Dylan O’Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster, and hits theaters September 19, 2014! Also look for James Dashner’s newest book “The Eye of Minds,” book one in the Mortality Doctrine series.
“If you ain’t scared, you ain’t human.”
When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He’s surrounded by strangers–boys whose memories are also gone.
“Nice to meet ya, shank. Welcome to the Glade.”
Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It’s the only way out–and no one’s ever made it through alive.
“Everything is going to change.”
Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.
Remember. Survive. Run.
Praise for the Maze Runner series:
“[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of “Lord of the Flies,” “The Hunger Games,” and “Lost.””–EW.com
“Wonderful action writing–fast-paced…but smart and well observed.”–“Newsday”
“[A] nail-biting must-read.”–Seventeen.com
“Breathless, cinematic action.” –“Publishers Weekly”
“Heart-pounding to the very last moment.” –“Kirkus Reviews”
“Exclamation-worthy.” –“Romantic Times”
[STAR] “James Dashner’s illuminating prequel [“The Kill Order”] will thrill fans of this Maze Runner [series] and prove just as exciting for readers new to the series.” –“Shelf Awareness,” Starred

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I’m giving away The Maze Runner Trilogy paperback editions to one winner.

Entry is easy.

Just leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:

“When a book is made into a movie, do you like to read the book first, or watch the movie first?”

Leave your answer in the comments.

This is an International Giveaway. All are welcome to enter!

Go HERE to follow the hop and enter more exciting giveaways!

I would have posted all of the links but they wouldn’t load right on my blog.

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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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Day Zero BlitzBanner1

I’m always excited when I discover a new dystopian story.

Day Zero sounds great and the cover art is spectacular.

The author has written an interesting guest post too.

Take a look.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway. You can win some awesome books!

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Day Zero
by Summer Lane
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(The Zero Trilogy #1)
Publication date: October 10th 2014
Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult
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Synopsis:

Elle is a survivor.
Since the collapse of modern society, she’s been living in the remains of downtown Hollywood, California, foraging for food and fighting for her life.
And then everything changes.
After she is forced out of her home, she heads north. What she finds is a group of bunker survivors, unlikely comrades, and the hope of a safe haven. Together, they journey toward the dregs of civilization, facing starvation, imprisonment and death.
They are alone, but they are ready.
Day Zero begins today.

Day Zero is a novella, the first installment in The Zero Trilogy, a novella series complementing the international bestselling Collapse Series.

Purchase:
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Enjoy this guest post from the author
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Creating the Klan

 

The fun thing about writing The Collapse Series is that there are hundreds of different stories to be told. In my primary series, the villainous Omega is the invasion force that is taking over the United States – from both the outside and inside. In Day Zero, I jumped into the same setting. The world has been ravaged by an invasion, and Omega has taken over everything.

 

But what about the places that are completely abandoned? The places without a militia presence or military stronghold of any kind? That’s how I came up with the Klan. Elle’s worst enemy in Day Zero is the Klan – a gang that rules the urban streets.

 

She deals with the Klan more than Omega, and in doing so, we get to explore a part of the apocalypse that Cassidy Hart hasn’t even seen. The Klan represents the dangers and pitfalls that society can stoop to when left unchecked. In such an archaic and desperate environment, it’s really no surprise that people have become bloodthirsty. Where is the moral compass of a community? Who determines what is right and what is wrong? It’s a theme I got to explore, and it was an enjoyable challenge to do so.

 

I modeled the Klan after numerous groups and cults that have popped up throughout history. The Klan, in essence, represents the evil of society just as much as Omega does in The Collapse Series – I just got to take a different approach with it. Where Omega is a cold, steely military force, the Klan is a medieval, feral society – almost tribal. It was an interesting story to explore, and I’m excited to share Elle’s story with the world!

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Author Summer Lane
Day Zero Summer
Summer Lane is the author of the international bestselling Collapse Series, which includes State of Emergency, State of Chaos, State of Rebellion and State of Pursuit. The fifth installment, State of Alliance, is releasing January 2015. Summer is also the author of The Zero Trilogy and an upcoming survivalist/science fantasy series coming in 2015. She owns WB Publishing, Writing Belle Magazine, and is an accomplished creative writing teacher and journalist.Summer lives in the Central Valley of California, where she spends her time writing, teaching, and writing some more. When she is not writing, she enjoys leisurely visits with friends at coffee shops, dates to the movies, hiking in the mountains and strolling on the beach.
Author Links:
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Tour-wide giveaway (International)
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A pack of eBooks including:

Dead Girl Walking, by Ruth Silver
Fractured Dream, by K.M. Randall
Spirit Warriors: The Scarring by DEL Connor
Eyes of the Enemy by Kelly Hess
Jacob, King of Portalia by Casey Club
Destiny Gift by Juliana Haygert
Aftershock by Roberta Trahan

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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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?

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000446_00074]

 

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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TFWH_Sale1

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Pre-Order your copy from Amazon HERE.
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NazareaAndrews

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!

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!

Salem’s Revenge strikes without warning or mercy, ravaging the powerless human race under the forces of united gangs of witches, wizards, and warlocks. During the slaughter, Rhett Carter’s foster parents and sister are killed, and his best friend and girlfriend are abducted by a gang of witches calling themselves the Necromancers, who deal in the dark magic of raising the dead. Rhett’s sword-wielding neighbor with a mysterious past saves Rhett from becoming another casualty of the massacre and teaches him the skills he needs to survive in this new world.Rhett is broken, his normal high school life of book blogging and football playing shoved in a witch-apocalyptic blender. The only thing he has left is his burning desire for revenge. Armed with his new witch hunting skills and a loyal, magic powered dog named Hex, he sets out into the unknown with one mission: hunt and destroy those who took away everyone he ever loved.

But Rhett isn’t just a witch hunter; He has secrets of his own that he has yet to discover, secrets that his enemies will stop at nothing to keep him from.

And discovering the truth about himself is the human race’s only hope.

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Revenge. That’s all that’s left for witch hunter Rhett Carter. The magic-born have stripped everything from him – killed his friends, cursed his warlock father, shattered his future – leaving him bare and broken, but not dead. Their mistake.When Rhett and Laney are suddenly thrust in different directions, Rhett must decide who to trust and who to kill. Backed by his trusty canine sidekick Hex, Rhett will embark on his deadliest mission yet, one that will lead him directly toward those who want him dead, pushing his unique resistance to magic to the edge and back again as he tries to remove his father’s curse.Separated from Rhett, Laney seeks to understand the strange changes to her sister, Trish, who’s believed to be the last living Clairvoyant, and what role she’s destined to play in the future of humankind.

Wrapped around everything are four major groups: the Necromancers, the Changelings, the witch hunters, and New America, the remnants of humanity. When the major forces are brought together for an epic battle, the fate of the world hangs in the balance.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/115327-salem-s-revenge Click to purchase BREW http://www.amazon.com/Boil-Salems-Revenge-Book-2-ebook/dp/B00NXFPMPC/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1411722568&sr=1-1&keywords=Boil+Estes
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Get both Brew and its sequel, Boil, the first two books in the Salem’s Revenge series, for a special price of $0.99 each for a limited time only (Amazon Kindle exclusive: Brew until October 17th; Boil until October 7th) Click on the above buttons to take advantage of this limited time deal!
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Winner’s choice of book to the value of $15.00 US from The Book Depository

  • Signed copy of Brew plus bonus swag (US entrants only)
  • 3 ebook packs with three David Estes eBooks of your choice
  • 4 signed packs of bookmarks
  • $15.00 Amazon Giftcard
Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.
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Goodreads  ●  David’s Blog    Twitter  ●  Facebook    Tumblr  and his  Goodreads Fan Group
David Estes was born in El Paso, Texas but moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania when he was very young. David grew up in Pittsburgh and then went to Penn State for college. Eventually he moved to Sydney, Australia where he met his wife. They now live together in their dream location, Hawaii. A reader all his life, he began writing novels for the children’s and YA markets in 2010, and started writing full time in June 2012. Now he travels the world writing with his wife, Adele. David’s a writer with OCD, a love of dancing and singing (but only when no one is looking or listening), a mad-skilled ping-pong player, and prefers writing at the swimming pool to writing at a table.
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http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Country-The-Saga-Book-ebook/dp/B00B7VTXFO https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16160701-fire-country
To celebrate the launch of Brew and Boil, David Estes is also giving away FREE Kindle copies of his popular YA dystopian AND adventure book, Fire Country. Just click the above link to nab your free copy.
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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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