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Archive for the ‘Dystopian’ Category

M9B Two For Thursday Blitz & Giveaway ~ Scion Of The Sun and Lifer

Posted: April 9, 2015 in Blitz, Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction, YA Fantasy
Tags: Lifer by Beck Nicholas, Scions of the Sun by Nicola Marsh

Hello and welcome to this week’s Two for Thursday Book Blitz #T4T
presented by Month9books/Tantrum Books!

Today, we will be showcasing two titles that may tickle your fancy,
and we’ll share what readers have to say about these titles!

You just might find your next read!

This week, #T4T presents to you:

Scion of the Sun by Nicola Marsh
and
Lifer by Beck Nicholas

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

Cover-v2

When she least expects it, sixteen-year old Holly Burton’s unremarkable life is shaken to the core. A vision of the mother Holly never knew leaves her questioning everything she believes.

Eager for answers, Holly enrolls at a boarding school for highly gifted students in Wolfebane, New Hampshire. But things will get worse before they get better, as Holly accidentally transports to a parallel existence where she’s confronted by a dark and ancient evil.

With the help of Joss, a sexy alpha warrior sworn to protect her, and her new BFF, the equally swoon-worthy Quinn, Holly faces her fears and an unlikely adversary in a showdown that is worse than anything she could’ve possibly imagined …

Available for Purchase:

What Readers Are Saying:

“Charmed and drawn in by Holly’s spunk and snark, Scion of the Sun will leave you spinning and falling for Joss right along with Holly. Marsh’s unique story is packed with action, mystery, romance and suspense. This is not to be missed!” – Jennifer L. Armentrout, USA TODAY Bestselling Author

” It’s a unique novel in YA literature, and I hope it won’t be under-appreciated! An excellent start to a new mythology-based series, this is!” – Alyssa – Eater of Books

“This was a unique tale about a heroine who is not perfect by any means, but does her best despite her failings.” –Grace – Grace Books of Love

about-the-author

Nicola Marsh

Nicola currently writes for Harlequin Mills and Boon Romance and Riva/Presents series, Entangled Publishing, Month9Books, Harlequin Teen and Crimson Romance, has published 39 books and sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. She’s a Bookscan, USA Today, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Waldenbooks bestseller, has finalled in several awards including the prestigious HOLT (Honoring Outstanding Literary Talent), Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, Booksellers’ Best, Golden Quill, Laurel Wreath, More than Magic and won several CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Awards. Nicola loves the hip, vibrant, cosmopolitan vibe of her home city, Melbourne, where she’s set the bulk of her novels, highlighting fabulous cultural and food havens like Acland Street (St. Kilda), Brunswick Street (Fitzroy) and Lygon Street (Carlton). When she’s not writing she’s busy raising her two little heroes, sharing fine food with family and friends, cheering on her beloved North Melbourne Kangaroos footy team and her favorite, curling up with a good book!

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

*****

Lifer-Cover

Asher is a Lifer, a slave aboard the spaceship Pelican. A member of the lowest rung of society, she must serve the ship’s Officials and Astronauts as punishment for her grandparents’ crimes back on Earth. The one thing that made life bearable was her illicit relationship with Samuai, a Fishie boy, but he died alongside her brother in a freak training accident.

Still grieving for the loss of her loved ones, Asher is summoned to the upper levels to wait on Lady, the head Official’s wife and Samuai’s mother. It is the perfect opportunity to gather intel for the Lifer’s brewing rebellion. There’s just one problem—the last girl who went to the upper levels never came back.

On the other side of the universe, an alien attack has left Earth in shambles and a group called The Company has taken control. Blank wakes up in a pond completely naked and with no memory, not even his real name. So when a hot girl named Megs invites him to a black-market gaming warehouse where winning means information, he doesn’t think twice about playing. But sometimes the past is better left buried.

As Asher and Blank’s worlds collide, the truth comes out—everyone has been lied to. Bourne Identity meets Under the Never Sky in this intergalactic tale of love and deception from debut novelist Beck Nicholas.

Available for Purchase:

What Readers Are Saying:

“There are some books that are just smooth, you know? Books where the characters are consistent but still capable of surprising you, the world building is solid and doesn’t raise questions, the plot never drags, the writing flows seamlessly. Books that you don’t want to reach the end of, because it feels so right to read them. Lifer is one of those books.” – Angela – Angela`s Library

“Lifer was a very interesting book that managed to keep me turning the pages and left me with questions that I needed to know the answer to throughout this book.” – Bri – Books and Ashes

“I have to say I was immediately captured by the author’s writing style. She has a beautiful way with words and they flowed so wonderfully well. Descriptions were clear but not cluttered. Characters were well flushed out, plots were crazy twisted and cleverly done. Settings…well I thought I was there in the thick of it all.” – J. Keller Ford – Author

about-the-author

Beck-Nicholas-head-shot-248x300

I always wanted to write. I’ve worked as a lab assistant, a pizza delivery driver and a high school teacher but I always pursued my first dream of creating stories. Now, I live with my family near Adelaide, halfway between the city and the sea, and am lucky to spend my days (and nights) writing young adult fiction.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

M9B Friday Chapter Reveal & Giveaway ~ Hunted ~ The Sinner Series #2

Posted: March 27, 2015 in Book Promos, Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction, YA
Tags: Authors Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki, Hunted, Sinner Series #2, YA Dystopian/Science Fiction

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal!

This week, we are revealing Chapter 3 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

Title: Hunted (Sinners #2)
Publication date: March 31, 2015
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Available for Pre-order:

excerpt

You can read Chapter Three HERE!

Happy Reading and Enjoy!

About-the-Author

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

Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

Too much of a good thing? Our Dried Voices by Greg Hickey ~ Tour Review

Posted: March 20, 2015 in Blog Tour, Dystopian, giveaways, reviews, Science Fiction
Tags: Author Greg Hickey, dystopian, Our Dried Voices, Science Fiction

Hi ya’ll It’s my stop on the tour for Our Dried Voices.

I’m excited to share my review with you.

And there’s also a glimpse inside the book.

Check out this dystopian, science fiction venture.

It’s out of this world!

Title: Our Dried Voices

Author: Greg Hickey

Publisher: Scribe Publishing Company

Publication Date: November 4, 2014

Pages: 234

ISBN: 978-1940368931

Genre: Dystopian / Science Fiction

Format: Paperback, eBook (.mobi / Kindle), PDF

My Review

It’s hundreds of years in the future. Cancer has been cured. The remaining humans now colonize the lovely planet, Pearl. It’s Utopia.

You never want for anything. No longer suffer illness. It’s so perfect you don’t even need to think.

Until something goes wrong. The machines that run the utopian existence are breaking down. Mysterious figures are roaming the crowds. One young man, Samuel must repair the machines and set things right or the last humans may perish.

This book defied a real description. I started it and stopped, started it and stopped. Something kept drawing me back. Maybe the author put in some subliminal messages. LOL Whatever it was, I’m glad I kept reading. It’s unlike anything I’ve read before.

The people were so strange. I call them The Stepford Shells. They have no minds of their own. The bells would toll, the colonists would line up for breakfast. The bells would toll and they would line up for lunch. And so on. They had a hive or herd mentality.

You can imagine how bad it got when the food ran short, or the shelter doors didn’t open. It was chaos.

Samuel studied the break downs. He noticed the strange figures, called them heroes, who would appear when a break down occurred and vanish just as quickly.

All of these colonists move through the days, repeat the same things, never even speak to each other. Why did Samuel awaken? Who was the girl he kept seeing wandering off on her own? What were the heroes up to? Were they good or bad for the colony?

I kept wondering why the title Dried Voices. Then I came to a point in the book and had an aha moment. I now knew why.

I reached the end and didn’t get all of the answers to my questions. There is an end, a clever one, yet a lot of this is left to your own interpretation. I’d like to know what happened to the thinkers, the producers of the machines. I’d like to know what happens after the end.

I sure hope there is a sequel as I’m anxious to know.

4 Stars

~~~

Synopsis

In 2153, cancer was cured. In 2189, AIDS. And in 2235, the last members of the human race traveled to a far distant planet called Pearl to begin the next chapter of humanity. Several hundred years after their arrival, the remainder of humanity lives in a utopian colony in which every want is satisfied automatically, and there is no need for human labor, struggle or thought. But when the machines that regulate the colony begin to malfunction, the colonists are faced with a test for the first time in their existence. With the lives of the colonists at stake, it is left to a young man named Samuel to repair these breakdowns and save the colony. Aided by his friend Penny, Samuel rises to meet each challenge. But he soon discovers a mysterious group of people behind each of these problems, and he must somehow find and defeat these saboteurs in order to rescue his colony.

~~~

Check out this excerpt!

The sound of the bells echoed across the colony.
They sounded five times, and by the end of the fifth peal everyone had stopped
what they were doing and started to walk toward the nearest source of the
noise. The bells had a tinny, hollow sound to them. To be sure, it was
unmistakably the sound of bells, but it lacked that rich, thunderous, rolling
swell once heard in passing by an old church at the top of the hour. Instead,
it was as though the sound of real bells had been recorded and re-recorded ad
infinitum until only bell-like sounds now remained.

The bells called the people to the midday meal. All
across the lush meadow, the colonists fell into a kind of reverie. Moments
earlier, they had been romping through the meadow or splashing in the river
with the joyful abandon of children, while others napped blissfully at the base
of a modest hill or fornicated with some momentary lover in the shade of a
spreading tree. But now their innocent laughter, their hushed excited voices,
their intermittent shrieks of pleasure all ceased for an instant as they moved
as one toward the sound of the bells. As soon as the fifth toll had faded in
the air, the human noise resumed as though it had never been silenced. The
colonists walked eagerly but unhurriedly, small, hairless, brown-skinned
people, all barefooted and dressed in simple, cream-colored smocks.

The bell sounds came from the seven meal halls
spread throughout the colony—long, tall, rectangular buildings erected from the
black, craggy rock characteristic of the mountains of Pearl, now smoothed down and
cut into bricks and painted a soothing off-white. Another smaller building
abutted one end of each meal hall. Their wan stone façades matched those of the
larger halls and there were no discernible entryways in their solid exteriors.

As the colonists entered each meal hall, they lined
up along the right-hand wall to wait for their food. The walls were painted a
pale sky blue, and on the far wall was a small square hole. One by one, each
diner stepped forward in line, a small, red light above the hole flashed, a
short clicking and whirring noise sounded and then a round, firm, dark brown
cake appeared at the edge of the opening. One by one, each colonist took the
proffered meal cake and carried it over to one of the many wooden tables or out
into the meadow.

Near the front of the line at one hall, a male
colonist turned to face the man behind him.

“Hellohoweryou?” said the first man.

“Goodthankshoweryou?” replied the second man.

“Goodthankshoweryou?”

The two men stared blankly at each other for a
moment. Then the first man blinked and said “Goodweathertoday.”

The second bobbed his head and grinned.
“Betterenyesterday.”

They continued to gaze at each other with vapid
expressions until the first man turned around and stepped forward in line. The
two men were right. It was Tuesday. It rained on Mondays. And thanks to the
colony’s weather modification system, it had rained every Monday, and only on
Monday, for hundreds of years.

***

When about half the colonists at this particular
meal hall had received their food, an adult woman moved to the front of the
line. A young boy, no taller than her waist, stood behind her. The woman
stepped up to the wall, the red light above the hole flashed… and nothing
happened. There was no clicking, no whirring, and no meal cake emerged from the
hole in the milky blue wall. Some people a few places behind the first woman,
by now so accustomed to the regular pace of the line, stepped forward in
anticipation of her taking the food and continuing on. When the line did not
move, they bumped awkwardly into the colonists in front of them, very much
surprised that there should be a fleshy, breathing, human body in their path
instead of empty space. Those closest to the front of the line fell silent when
they saw the woman had not yet received her meal, and then the silence spread
evenly and rhythmically down the line, like a row of pillowed dominoes falling
to the floor. Yet all the colonists continued to wear the same insipid
half-grin on their faces as they waited patiently for the food to be dispensed
and the line to creep forward once more.

A long, loud, whining shriek from the young boy
waiting with his mother at the front of the line broke through the stillness,
and it was this sound, not the actual interruption of the food service, which
seemed to have the greatest effect on those in the hall. The boy did not cry.
He shed no tears, and the sound which emerged from his mouth was not a
breathless and choked sobbing, or even the petulant howl of a child’s tantrum.
It was a primal, animal moan that rose from the depths of his unfilled stomach,
rushed up his throat with a cold and persistent ferocity and forced its way
over his teeth, throwing his head back as it broke from his lips. No one tried
to comfort the boy. His mother did not even turn around to look at him. Her
weak smile faded, but she continued to stare at the dark hole in the wall,
still waiting for her meal to appear. Then a child some dozen places back in
the line picked up the boy’s howl, and then a woman farther behind did the
same. Soon the entire line was wailing loudly.

Those colonists who had already received their
meals hunkered over their cakes and stuffed their last bites into their mouths.
One of them stood up, bumping hard into his table. The rest followed. They
walked hurriedly to the door, brushing past the onlookers from outside who had
gathered to see what all the noise was about. Those still in line stared
dazedly at the others around them, at the now half-empty hall, an incipient
question forming somewhere deep in their skulls.

A man in the middle of the line broke their
unsteady ranks first. He ran, stumbling over tables and chairs bolted to the
floor in his maddened dash toward the doorway. The rest of the line scattered
in his wake. Out through the door they went, cracking bony limbs on the wooden
furniture in their paths, pushing and trampling one another as they all tried
to force their way through the doorway at once, like blood cells pumped through
a clotted artery.

Those who had already finished their meals stood
outside in a loose ring several meters away from the entrance of the food hall,
and as the wild runners pushed their way through the door, they began to run as
well, picking up the wail of the unfed as they went. They ran in no particular
direction, a single mass exodus from the hall, teeming out across the gay green
meadows, up and over the soft, undulating hills, and their cries rippled
throughout the once-peaceful fields to fill the void left by the cessation of
the bells with a sound far more vibrant than those stale chimes which had just
called them to their uneaten meal.

Purchase The Book:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Goodreads

Discuss this book in our PUYB Virtual Book Club at Goodreads by clicking HERE

About The Author:

Greg Hickey was born in Evanston, Illinois in 1985. After graduating from Pomona College in 2008, he played and coached baseball in Sweden and South Africa. He is now a forensic scientist, endurance athlete and award-winning writer. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Lindsay. You can visit Greg’s website at www.greghickeywrites.com.

Connect with Greg:

Website ~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads

Our Dried Voices Tour Page Link

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

When do we stop being human? Halfskin by Tony Bertauski ~ Tour and Giveaway

Posted: March 2, 2015 in Blog Tour, Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction
Tags: Author Tony Bertauski, dystopian, Halfskin, Science Fiction

I had hoped to be able to share a review of Halfskin for my post on this tour but I’ve not quite finished the book. I usually tear through books but this one had me slowing down, pondering the what ifs and thinking how great the movie would be, which actors would play the characters.

For now I have a thrilling excerpt, the spectacular cover art, and some information about this book to share with you.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

~~~

An Excerpt From Halfskin

M0THER

Blogger’s Reaction to the Birth of M0ther

THE REAL AVENGER’S BLOG

Shooting Truth-Bullets Since Birth

Subscribers: 3,233

It’s the end of time, peeps.

Mark this date, put a black X on your calendar because it’s all over, starting today. It used to be that if you didn’t like the laws where you lived, you just moved to another state or another country. Freedom existed somewhere in the world. We had a choice. I mean, hell, if you were desperate enough you could live on the South Pole with penguins and shit.

Not anymore.

Today, it’s all over.

Today, M0ther was born.

Who’s M0ther? Our M0ther. Already got a mother? Now you got two, only this one will know everything about you. You can’t hide from her, she’ll know when you’re full of crap, know where you stash your porn, know when you pick your nose and when you eat it.

You’ll hate her, and she’ll know that, too.

Case you’ve been asleep for the last 10 years, the Mitochondria Terraforming Hierarchy of Record is what I’m talking about.

Let’s just call her M0ther.

A mother that doesn’t bake cookies or wash your underwear. She’s not getting up to make you French toast or wipe your nose. Nope. This bitch is going to spy on you until you’re dead. Which may be sooner than you think.

M0ther is somewhere in the frozen plains of Wyoming. No pictures of her exist because no one’s allowed to even flyover. But rumors say she’s this massive dome, a computer the size of a football stadium, like some artificial brain heaved out of the frozen soil that’s wirelessly connected with every biomite in existence.

Did you catch that? EVERY BIOMITE IN EXISTENCE!

Hear that buzzing on your phone? She’s listening.

Feel that tickle on your laptop? She knows you’re tapping.

All that Do Not Covet Your Neighbor’s Wife crap? Yeah, that’s the real deal, now. M0ther might tell your wife what you’re thinking about doing to Joe-Bob’s wife mowing the lawn in a tube top.

George Orwell wasn’t even close, man. I mean, Big Brother was just a pea shooter compared to M0ther. Big Brother was pissing on a forest fire; M0ther’s bringing the goddamn ocean.

Here’s the official statement from Marcus Anderson, Chief of the Biomite Oversight Committee.

(BTW, he looks like a gargoyle. Right?)

It is with great pleasure that, after ten years of global effort, I present to you the greatest feat of humankind. I present to you a regulatory system that will keep all people safer and healthier for centuries to come. Bionanotechnolgy has put us on the brink of greatness, but with that comes uncertainty and danger. The human species has the potential to live forever. Or end tomorrow.

I prefer the former.

Mitochondria Terraforming Hierarchy of Record is linked to every booted cellular-sized biomite living inside our bodies. Its primary function will be to monitor individual levels of biomites and take appropriate action if, or when, they cross a previously determined threshold. This will keep us human.

This will keep us safe.

Forever.

I don’t know about you, but this is not a gross infringement on our freedom: it’s raping it. I don’t want anything or anyone peeking into my biomites; that’s none of your business, none of my neighbor’s, and it sure as hell ain’t the government’s.

Biomites aren’t evil, dude. They’re artificial stem cells, that’s all. What’s the big deal? If you want to be 100% artificial, be my guest, that’s your business, bro. I don’t give a rat’s pink sphincter what you do with your body. You want to boost your brain with biomites to get smarter? Hey, as long as you got the cash, good for you.

What the chief didn’t say in his official statement was what exactly the previously determined threshold is.

Want to know?

You should, before you rebuild your kidney or tone those wrinkles, you should know that when your body is 40% biomites, you’re a redline. And redlines go to jail.

JAIL.

Think I’m joking?

They call it a Detainment and Observation Center. You can’t leave, you don’t order takeout, you shower with other redlines. That’s jail. You get a federally funded cot and three hots while they watch your biomite levels. On a side note, you’d think the scientists could figure out how to keep biomites from reproducing and slowly taking over our bodies once we get seeded. They are the geniuses, for Christ’s sake. Doesn’t seem like it should be all that hard.

But all right, whatever. So they continue dividing once they’re in our bodies. It’s worth the trade off: they are the answer to every disease, every shortcoming, every desire known to man. They’ll figure it out, give them some time.

But here’s the kicker. Guess what happens when you hit 50%. Guess, no seriously. Take a stab. When your body becomes halfskin, when it’s 50% God-given, good ole’ fashion organic cells and 50% artificial biomite cells, guess what M0ther’s going to do?

Bitch is going to shut you off.

That’s right.

And when she does, when she turns off all your biomites like a light switch, what do you think happens to the other half? The living half?

Yeah. That’s right.

It’s real, peeps. Real as it gets.

The death of human liberty happened today and you probably didn’t even feel it.

Well, I did.

~~~

Halfskin

by Author Tony Bertauski

Genres: Science Fiction/Dystopian

Synopsis

Biomites are artificial stem cells that can replace any cell in your body. No more kidney failure, no severed spines or blood disease. No cancer. Pharmaceuticals become obsolete. With each dose of biomites, we become stronger, we become smarter and prettier.

We become better.

At what point are we no longer human?

Nix Richards nearly died in a car accident when he was young. Biomites saved his life. Ten years later, he’s not so lucky. The Halfskin Laws decree a human composed of 50% biomites is no longer human. Halfskins have no legal rights and will have their biomites shutdown. It’s not called murder, merely deactivation.

Cali Richards has been Nix’s legal guardian since their parents died. She has lost far too many people in her life to let the government take Nix. She is a nanobiometric engineer and will discover how to hide him. But even brilliance can succumb to the pressure of suffering. And technology can’t cure insanity.

Cali and Nix keep a slippery grip on reality as they elude a maniacal federal agent dedicated to saving humanity from what he calls ‘The Biomite Plague’.

Purchase Links

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iTunes ~ Google Play ~ Smashwords ~ Audible

~~~~

About TonyBertauski

Tony Bertauski

During the day, I’m a horticulturist. While I’ve spent much of my career designing landscapes or diagnosing dying plants, I’ve always been a storyteller. My writing career began with magazine columns, landscape design textbooks, and a gardening column at the Post and Courier (Charleston, SC). However, I’ve always fancied fiction.

My grandpa never graduated high school. He retired from a steel mill in the mid-70s. He was uneducated, but he was a voracious reader. I remember going through his bookshelves of paperback sci-fi novels, smelling musty old paper, pulling Piers Anthony and Isaac Asimov off shelf and promising to bring them back. I was fascinated by robots that could think and act like people. What happened when they died?

I’m a cynical reader. I demand the writer sweep me into his/her story and carry me to the end. I’d rather sail a boat than climb a mountain. That’s the sort of stuff I want to write, not the assigned reading we got in school. I want to create stories that kept you up late.

Having a story unfold inside your head is an experience different than reading. You connect with characters in a deeper, more meaningful way. You feel them, empathize with them, cheer for them and even mourn. The challenge is to get the reader to experience the same thing, even if it’s only a fraction of what the writer feels. Not so easy.

In 2008, I won the South Carolina Fiction Open with Four Letter Words, a short story inspired by my grandfather and Alzheimer’s Disease. My first step as a novelist began when I developed a story to encourage my young son to read. This story became The Socket Greeny Saga. Socket tapped into my lifetime fascination with consciousness and identity, but this character does it from a young adult’s struggle with his place in the world.

After Socket, I thought I was done with fiction. But then the ideas kept coming, and I kept writing. Most of my work investigates the human condition and the meaning of life, but not in ordinary fashion. About half of my work is Young Adult (Socket Greeny, Claus, Foreverland) because it speaks to that age of indecision and the struggle with identity. But I like to venture into adult fiction (Halfskin, Drayton) so I can cuss. Either way, I like to be entertaining.

And I’m a big fan of plot twists.

Website ~ Blog ~ Goodreads

~~~

giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

M9B Chapter Reveal and Giveaway ~ Hunted by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki

Posted: February 27, 2015 in Book Promos, Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction, Series, YA
Tags: Hunted, Sinners Series #2, YA Science Fiction/Dystopian

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

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

Available for Pre-order:

excerpt

You can read Chapter Two HERE!

Happy Reading and Enjoy!

About-the-Author

Abi and Missy 2

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Tumbler

Giveaway

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

The book will be sent upon the titles release.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~

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Happy Release Day for A.M. Hargrove’s Death Waltz ~ A Praestani Novel

Posted: December 28, 2014 in Adult Fiction, Dystopian, Paranormal or fantasy, Release day, Romance
Tags: Author A.M. Hargrove, Death Waltz, dystopian, paranormal, romance

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.

Amazon: http://amzn.to/1z2pyLn

Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1AlCC2i

Smashwords: http://bit.ly/1C6mDYb

Kobo: http://bit.ly/1wRG1DH

iBooks: http://bit.ly/1sFa25D

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1x468uv

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.

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!

MY 5 STAR REVIEW

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.

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Smashwords ~ Kobo ~ iBooks

Two New Books By David Estes! Slip and Grip ~ Blitz Giveaway

Posted: December 4, 2014 in Blitz, Dystopian, giveaways, New Release, YA
Tags: Author David Estes, Grip, Slip, Slip Series, YA Dystopian

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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!

Slip (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 (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

About the Author:

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:
Website ~ Facebook ~Twitter ~ Goodreads

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giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

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

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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.

What are you worth? Meritropolis ~ Author Interview and Giveaway with Special Sale

Posted: November 29, 2014 in apocalypse, Book Promos, Dystopian, giveaways, Science Fiction
Tags: Author Joel Ohman, Meritropolis, post-apocalyptic dystopian sci fi

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden ~ Review Tour and Giveaway

Posted: October 27, 2014 in apocalypse, Blog Tour, Dystopian, giveaways, reviews
Tags: Author Pauline Creeden, NA Apocalyptic Dystopian, Sanctuary

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!

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?

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

Purchase:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble

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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.

Website | Facebook | Twitter

—————————————————————————————

$20 Amazon Gift Card

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

Hosted by Good Choice Reading Blog 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!

It’s time for The 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop ~ Enter to win The Maze Runner Trilogy Print Editions

Posted: October 14, 2014 in Dystopian, Giveaway Hop, Series, YA
Tags: Spooktacular Giveaway Hop, The Maze Runner Trilogy

255

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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giveaway photo: Giveaway Banner for 42nd giveaway.png

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.

~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

fuonlyknew

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Archive for the ‘Dystopian’ Category

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It’s time for The 5th Annual Spooktacular Giveaway Hop ~ Enter to win The Maze Runner Trilogy Print Editions