Archive for the ‘YA’ Category

Neptune’s Window by L. L. Lewin ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: May 22, 2023 in giveaways, Mystery, YA
Tags: , , ,
1

 

Neptune’s Window: First Glance

by L.L. Lewin

 

(Neptune’s Window, #1)
Publication date: November 25th 2020
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

.

What if you had a glimpse into what others are oblivious to? According to the zodiac, the planet Neptune represents illusions, mystery, and the unconscious mind. Aries Dade is a teenage medium who has the ability to look inside those illusions and speak to the afterworld. But for some reason, she can’t communicate with her recently deceased mother. With the help of a few spirits, she tries to discover the truth behind her mother’s death. But can she trust the spirits? Aries and her father move to Newport Beach, California to start over. Little do they know they are unlocking a world of lies, betrayals, and deception. And everyone they come in contact with is somehow intertwined with her mother’s death. When the star quarterback and a bad-boy senior vie for her attention, Aries senses something isn’t right. Meanwhile, the rich, popular girls make her life a living hell to keep her from finding out the truth. First Glance is the first novel in the Neptune Window’s trilogy. Do you dare to glance inside the window?

The complete trilogy

.

Goodreads / Amazon

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside Book 1:

Demanding spirits barged their way into Aries’s mind, each voice trying to outdo the other.
“Please stop,” she said through clenched teeth.

For a moment they went away, allowing her to bask in the silence. But as soon as she took a step toward the school, their clamor started back up.

Aries ran behind a row of palm trees, shielding herself from streams of cars and pedestrians as the high-pitched aggravation attacked her senses.

“Not today…please not today,” she begged no one in particular.

Out of sight, she dropped to her knees and picked at the grass as the noise escalated.

“Dammit. I said stop.”

Giving in, she put her hands in her lap. With her index finger, she wrote the alphabet on her leg. She needed deep concentration to make the connection. She waited for a clear voice to come through, dreading – yet at the same time accepting – communication with the dead.

After tracing a Z on her leg, she started over with A as a faint whisper formed. Unable to make out any words, she slowed her pace and drew the letter B. She kept repeating this action, taking deeper breaths each time, trying to match the frequency of the spirit.

She’d almost given up when a clear voice said, “You need to find out the truth, Aries.”

Author L. L . Lewin:

LL Lewin is the author of Neptune’s Window Trilogy. A native of Southern California, she was born in Los Angeles County and grew up in Orange County. She graduated from the University California, Irvine with a degree in psychology and social behavior, and holds a Masters in Social Emotional Learning. After teaching for several years and interacting with the youth almost daily, she was inspired to write a young adult mystery novel, which morphed into a little more. Since things happen in threes for her (her initials, triple Sagittarius, the third born) the novel turned into a trilogy and reaffirmed her belief that three’s a charm.

She loves all things astrological, metaphysical, and spiritual. With her Sun, Moon, and Rsing all in the sign of Sagittarius, She’s as Sagittarius as they come, optimistic, freedom-loving, and ever so tactless.

Her three passions in life are writing, traveling, and soccer. You’ll either find her writing at the beach, on an island somewhere, or on a soccer field. And her three vices are chocolate, pizza, and champagne, and not necessarily in that order.

For more updates, photos, and videos follow LL Lewin on Twitter or Instagram @LLLewin3

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter

 

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Peek Inside And Giveaway ~ Bookworm by Cookie O’Gorman

Posted: April 26, 2023 in giveaways, Romance, YA
Tags: , , ,
13

 

Bookworm

by Cookie O’Gorman

 

Publication date: April 20th 2023
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Bookworm (buk-werm): Someone who loves books, reading, and/or studying. For reference, see Charlotte Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Charlotte Kent likes happy endings. Not that she’s looking for one herself. Awkward, never been kissed, and bookish to the core, Lottie would rather read about love than experience it.

But she enjoys helping others find their HEA in books.

Lottie loves working at the library…even if it means running into Bo Stryker.

Broody, athletic, and unfairly attractive when he frowns, Bo works at the flower shop across the street. Lottie is about to get rejected…when surprisingly, Bo steps in, pretends to be her boyfriend, and steals her first kiss.

One viral video later, everyone thinks they’re together.

Bo wants to keep pretending. Lottie wants to make amends—long story short: she was on a ladder; he startled her; the book slap was an accident.

A fake relationship may be the solution. But as they grow closer, Lottie can’t help falling for Bo—which is a disaster because grumpy sunshine only works in fiction…right?

This book features two opposites with undeniable chemistry, one lovable librarian, so many stolen kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a nerd falls for the grump-next-door?

Goodreads / Amazon

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

Rolling my eyes, I reached over, gently grasped his forearm and brought it closer.

“What are you doing?”

“Relax,” I said, trying not to laugh at the alarm I heard in his voice. “If I wanted to hurt you, I would’ve done it by now.”

“Says the girl who gave me a bookcussion” he grumbled.

Biting back a smile, I concentrated on his forearm, running my fingers over his skin to find the correct spot. This took a few moments. When I found it, I leaned closer, using my thumbs to press down, gently at first, then adding a little more pressure. Bo didn’t tense. He didn’t move a muscle. I might’ve thought he’d stopped breathing he was so still. But then I felt his breath against my neck.

The sensation sent shivers down my spine.

I counted the seconds under my breath and then released him.

“What was that, Kent?” he asked softly.

“I looked up how to treat a sprained wrist,” I said with a shrug. “It was nothing, just one of the techniques they recommended.”

“You looked that up?”

Meeting his eyes, I nodded. “Does it feel any better?”

Bo glanced down at his wrist before looking back up, locking me in his intense stare. “Yeah, it does. Thanks, Kent.”

For some reason, I blushed. “No problem.”

I didn’t know what made me say it.

But I added, “Maybe now, you won’t be so opposed to working with me.”

Bo shook his head. “It’s not that.”

“It’s not?”

“No,” he said. “I just don’t like the idea of you taking care of me out of some misplaced sense of guilt.”

Oh.

I hadn’t even considered that possibility.

“I thought you hated having me around,” I admitted.

“I don’t.”

“You even told me how much you hate people.”

“Not you,” he said.

My heart skipped a beat.

“I could never hate you, Kent.”

 

Author Cookie O’Gorman:

Cookie O’Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, and FAUXMANCE are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, and The Sweetest Game. Her newest release BOOKWORM came out on April 20, 2023!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Newsletter

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Books From The Back Log #78 ~ Fright Before Christmas

Posted: April 6, 2023 in horror, YA
Tags: , , ,
4
.
If you’re like me, you have a pile of books beckoning to you from your lists. Carole hosts this fun feature where you can share some of those older books and perhaps nudge you to finally read them. If you want to join in on the fun, head over to Carole’s Random Life In Books and leave a link to your post.
.

Fright Before Christmas

13 Tales Of Holiday Horror

.

.

c8df8-add2bto2bgoodreads2bblack

Genre: Horror / YA / Short Stories

Synopsis

It’s the most wonderful time of year…or is it?

Christmas Eve is a night of mystery and magic, but not always in ways we expect. Things lurk in the shadows and they’re not the least bit jolly or merry. Let’s just say some presents are better left unopened.

‘Tis the season to be screaming along with our thirteen tales of holiday horrors. Ghosts. Monsters. Demons. And more!

This Christmas, be careful what you wish for…

Amazon

~~~~~

I added this back in September 2015.

This sounds like a fun Christmas read.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE.

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

The Breaks Between You And Me by Taiya Collier ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: March 16, 2023 in giveaways, Romance, YA
Tags: , , ,
7

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for The Breaks Between You And Me organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Taiya Collier will be awarding “bookish” sweatshirt and sticker pack to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Don’t forget to enter!

And you can click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Breaks Between You And Me

by Taiya Collier

Genre: YA / Romance

Synopsis

Somewhere out in the hills of Montana, 17-year-old Harper Cassidy has a home. Really, she does! And so does her sister, Lil. But since all they’ve ever done is skip across the Pacific Northwest from town to town, following her mom’s every desire from Montana to California, it’s been getting harder and harder to feel rooted anywhere.

 

Until tragedy strikes. And, before she knows it, Harper is… free. Free to go home to Montana and return to a stability she never had. Only, there are several problems standing in her way.

 

First, she has to create a stable life for her and her seven-year-old sister. Second, she has to do it alone. And third, worst of all, she has to keep her mother’s absence a secret from the people she grew up with: her grandfather, her aunt, and him, the boy.

 

Andy Madden is Harper’s best friend, and the answer to her aching loneliness, but he is also the threat to containing the secret that her life depends on. A secret that seems just a little too heavy for any one person to keep.

~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

Your name is Andy, and you’re a city boy. You’ve never dressed like one, but the reason how I know is because you’ve always dreamed like one. You stay up late on cloudy nights because you’ve always said they look like city skies, and you love city skies, even though you’ve never even been to the city in your life except for once in New York with your mom when you were seven. It was loud and you loved it. She held your hand on the streets and you gripped it. The air smelled like hundreds of different things at once and somehow, you could manage to breathe it in.

About Author Taiya Collier:

At just eighteen years old, Taiya Collier is already making a name for herself as an author. The Austin-native has set her sights on creating age inclusivity within young adult fiction and shattering the notion that writing about teen life can only be done by middle-aged writers who lack true understanding of the experience. She’s published four books so far, each filled with riveting storylines sure to enthrall readers from start to finish! By inspiring other teens towards authorship, she hopes to build up a new generation of YA novelists capable of capturing accurate accounts of today’s youth culture. Taiya is currently attending college full time while continuing to write as often as she can. Her recent works explore themes of identity, strength, growth, and resilience in young adulthood—all of which are important aspects of her journey as a writer. In addition to writing her own stories, Taiya is also involved in various literary events and speaking engagements throughout the year. As an advocate for literary inclusion, she uses these opportunities to spread awareness about the importance of diverse representation on all platforms.

Author Links: Website / Instagram / Amazon

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Shadows Of Nightshade by Lyla Oweds ~ Excerpt And Giveaway

Posted: March 14, 2023 in giveaways, horror, Paranormal or fantasy, YA
Tags: , , , ,
3
Shadows of Nightshade tour banner

.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Shadows of Nightshade by Lyla Oweds. Shadows of Nightshade is a ghost story for romance and tragedy lovers.

This blog tour is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours and the tour runs from 13 till 26 March. You can see the tour schedule here.

Shadows of Nightshade (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #1)
By Lyla Oweds

 

Shadows of Nightshade (The Garden of Eternal Flowers Book 1) by [Lyla Oweds]

Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Paranormal Horror
Age category: Young Adult/ New Adult
Release Date: 8 March 2023

Blurb:

.
I dream of a time where I was warm, safe, and loved.

But my waking reality is starkly different.

Anxiety plagues me and spirits haunt the shadows. No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to escape my past.

The only solace and steady force in my life is my best friend, Finn.

And now… there’s a ghost haunting me. And I’m not certain if it wants help or if it wants to kill me. There’s only one person who can understand: Finn’s brother, Damen.

However, in reaching out, I’m betraying Finn and setting things into motion that cannot be undone.

But nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy.

The Garden of Eternal Flowers is a re-envisioning of my Grimm Cases series. Eternal Flowers has taken my original vision of Bianca’s story and transformed it into something new and beautiful. Some chapters are similar, and some dialogue is the same, as The Grimm Cases, Origins, but overall, about 75% of the book has been entirely revisioned with new plot points, mystery, and interpersonal relationships. Also, unlike Origins (originally a Wattpad release), there is now a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion in each individual novel, which allows them to be read alone or as part of the ongoing series.

I hope that you will enjoy Shadows of Nightshade as much as I enjoyed writing it. Truly, it is an honor to write about Bianca and her boys, and all of these characters are near and dear to my heart.

Trigger Warning: This series deals with the aftermath of severe childhood trauma.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo
– Radish

.

Enjoy this peek inside:

What irony Bryce and my first private conversation would take place because of my weakness. Sleeping in class. It was a shameful thing, and an ultimate insult to educators worldwide.

.
What would he do? I had no idea of the standard procedure for this sort of offense. Getting into trouble at school had been Finn’s job. How did professors punish college students? If the situation were reversed, and Bryce were my student, I would expel him.

.
Hopefully, he was more forgiving than me.

.
My unknown future worried me, however. It was high time to research.

.
However, I wouldn’t look on the internet. Even though my fingers itched to search ‘sneaky professor punishes a bad girl’ to gain an accurate picture of my fate, I suspected it might not be a good idea.

.
I’d only recently come to terms with the knowledge that I’d been living in a sheltered world. I was hesitant to explore the world out from behind the safe filter I’d been hiding behind.

.
What if there was a reason? What was so horrible about the internet that made everyone think it was better to hide the truth?

,
My stomach twisted at the thought of bothering Damen over such a trivial matter. He was an important person. But… I was scared.

.
He’d said I could text him anytime. Did he mean it?

.
Me: I have a question.

.
I wasn’t expecting a quick reply—if he even bothered to send one at all—but my phone vibrated only seconds later.

.
Damen: Hi, baby girl. ♥ What’s your question?

.
My face flushed—I’d officially received my first emoji. Did this mean I could use one too?
Not yet. This situation was dire.

.
Me: How do professors punish bad students? It’s kind of scary and I’m all alone.

.
As my question was sent, a weight lifted from my shoulders, and I fell back into my seat, relieved. Knowing that someone out there would be honest with me and would steer me right was a different sort of feeling. Now, I could just—

.
Damen: Where the fuck are you?

.

.

Shadows of Nightshade graphic

About the Author:
Lyla Oweds is a paranormal / urban fantasy author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania with her husband, children, and animals. While she enjoys all genres of fiction, she has a deep appreciation for fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, and horror. Lyla has a bachelor’s in anthropology and will be completing her master’s in information technology in 2023.

Writing is her moonlighting passion, and she loves having the opportunity to share her perspective as a disabled (profoundly hard of hearing) woman. During the daylight hours, Lyla works as a principal / lead design and development specialist focusing on user experience and accessibility. When not working, Lyla is usually indulging in one of her many hobbies such as amusing her children, gardening, crocheting, interior decorating, baking, cooking, or playing video games.

Author links:
– Website
– Facebook
– Instagram
– Amazon
– Goodreads

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Shadows of Nightshade. One winner wins a paperback copy of Shadows of Nightshade.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:

 

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

Shadows of Nightshade tour banner.
Lola's Blog Tours graphic

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Invocation: Days Of Iron & Clay by Aileen Erin ~ Cover Reveal And Giveaway

Posted: March 1, 2023 in Cover Reveal, giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, YA
Tags: , , ,
13

 

Invocation

by Aileen Erin

 

(Days of Iron and Clay, #1)
Publication date: September 19th 2023
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

From USA Today Bestselling Author, Aileen Erin, comes an all new action-packed, romance-filled, paranormal series.

There are three things I know without question. One, demons are real. Two humans make awful mistakes that get them in demonic trouble more often than you’d think. And three, I’m the only one who can help them.

I straddle the line between the mortal and spiritual realms every day. People might think they’re two different places, but they’re not. They lay on top of each other. It’s messy, and that’s why so many people need my help.

Since I was little, I’ve been called all kinds of names—unusual, abnormal, even insane. Which is fitting since they keep throwing me into mental facilities. I’ve been in and out of them my entire life.

But no matter what people say, no matter what I’m risking, I will always help those in need.

Because there’s an endless war carrying on all around us, every minute of every day. One that can’t be seen by mortal eyes. But I can see it, the spiritual battle for mortal souls, and I’m working hard to make sure my father is on the losing side.

My father—Astaroth, Satan’s general—is why I can do this. He’s why I’m not normal. I hear him, whispering my name at night, his taunts echoing through the spiritual realm. He’s hunting me, and I know the day will come when I must face him again.

Every portal I open could be the one that finally pulls me back to Hell, and I wonder if I will be brave enough, strong enough, good enough to fight him.

My name is Samantha Catherine Lopez, and I am Nephilim. This is my story.

**Fans of the Alpha Girls series will love this new series set in the same world, with a few familiar faces. BUT you DO NOT have to have read a single word of the Alpha Girls series to enjoy Samantha’s story.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

 

Author Aileen Erin

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

 

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

The Dollmaker by Morgan Shamy ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: February 28, 2023 in giveaways, Historical, Mystery, YA
Tags: , , ,
9

 

The Dollmaker

by Morgan Shamy

 

Publication date: February 28th 2023
Genres: Young Adult, Historical, Mystery

No one is safe. Not when the Dollmaker lurks in the shadows.

When Dawn Hildegard’s best friend Rose is kidnapped by “The Dollmaker,” a crazed serial killer who creates “art” from women’s bodies, she drops everything to find her—including her dream of becoming a doctor. With the help of a handsome new acquaintance and his mysterious brother, they set off to find the killer. Although they quickly become friends, Dawn cannot shake the uneasy feeling that the brothers know more about the murders than they admit.

As more and more victims are found murdered and displayed throughout town, Dawn must use her wits to find Rose before it’s too late. And before she too becomes the Dollmaker’s next victim.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Google Play / Kobo

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

He slowly began to pace in front of her, his shaded head tipped in thought. His legs were long in the dark, though he wasn’t much taller than her. Bits of slanted light streamed in from the floorboards above them, highlighting the divots of his face. She still couldn’t see him clearly.

“I’ve never had anyone find me before,” he said. “And I take pride in the fact that no one does. I lead a quiet life, and uninterrupted life, and now… you’ve interrupted it.”

He paused, facing her head on. He was nothing more than a shadow in front of her. She held still, silent. If he was The Dollmaker, she didn’t want to make him upset. He hadn’t killed her yet, but maybe he liked to toy with his prey before he slaughtered them.

“I won’t tell anyone about you,” she choked out. “Just let me go.”

He let out a bitter laugh. “And why should I believe you?”

“Why are you trying to stay hidden?”

Both of their questions hung in the air.

He started pacing again. Her heart was hammering its way up into her throat, she could barely breathe. She edged back a step. His head snapped up and he sprung forward once more. He gripped her upper arm and began to drag her into the dark, away from the orchestra pit. She struggled against him, trying to rip out of his embrace, but his hold was concrete. He led her through a dark hallway that slanted upward at an incline, until the hallway stopped at a dead end. A door towered in front of above them. She still couldn’t see his face.

He moved in close, yanking her up against him, until she felt his breath on her cheek. “If you tell anyone about me—anyone at all—I will know. And if you do, there will be consequences greater than you can imagine. Death will follow, I can assure you that.”

.

Author Morgan Shamy:

Morgan Shamy is an ex-ballerina turned YA writer. She has been immersed in the arts since the young age of 4, where she performed various roles alongside a professional ballet company for over seven years, and has danced on prestigious stages like soloing at Carnegie Hall in New York City. She has taught hundreds of girls in her fifteen years of teaching, where some of her students have received full-ride scholarships to schools like School of American Ballet, the Harid Conservatory, Kirov Academy of Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, to name a few.

Morgan discovered writing when her three-year-old son was diagnosed with cancer. It was through that experience which instilled the need to share art and magic with children through words on the page.

Morgan is also an accomplished concert pianist. She was the first girl in Utah to receive the 75 pt. Gold Cup in the Utah Federation of Music in piano solo/concerto competition. Morgan currently lives with her X-Games gold-medalist husband and four children in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Blindsided by Marguerite Ashton ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: January 30, 2023 in giveaways, Mytery/Thriller, YA
Tags: , , ,
31

 

Blindsided

by Marguerite Ashton

 

(The Forgotten Daughter, #1)
Publication date: July 13th 2020
Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Young Adult

Diagnosed with depression, Lexi Archer prefers to continue outpatient treatment. But someone else has other plans.

BlindSided tells the story of Lexi Archer, an eighteen-year-old woman who wakes up in a hospital bed, handcuffed to the rail, and realizes she doesn’t remember what happened the night before.

After being released from the hospital, Lexi’s transferred to the Milwaukee County Jail, where she’s informed about her pending charges for first-degree murder.

Intent on proving she’s innocent, Lexi places a phone call to her stepsister asking for her help. As Lexi gets closer to the truth, she unravels ugly secrets about her dead mother that will change her life forever.

Goodreads / Amazon

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

      No one has suffered through the life I’m living. Right?

      Am I the only one out there who feels like she’s being strangled? I’ve been told that they’re severe panic attacks. But in some instances, it feels like it’s more than that. I’m not sure. Maybe no one knows what I’m feeling first-hand. The worst is when my heart races, pounding against my chest. The continued rapid heartbeat, and there’s nothing I can do to slow it down.

      Suddenly, I feel like I can’t breathe. Then, when I try to talk during this moment, my words become stilted as I gasp for air. Heat consumes me. Panic takes over as sweat collects under my arms, soaking my shirt. Who can raise their hand and say that they’ve been forced to change a shirt more than once a day in order to look presentable?

      Only me?

      If there are others, I’ll be glad to know that I’m not alone. I’m not happy that others are suffering. Just that there may be other people my age who understand. Others won’t ridicule me for being different.

      I can’t tell you how many times people have told me to stop stressing. “Or, if you truly have faith, you’ll be fine. Well, both are annoying to hear. Even back then, during biblical times, you can’t tell me that others didn’t suffer the same afflictions that I have. Otherwise, the passages in the bible about anxiety, money worries, and guilt wouldn’t be included.”

“Who’s to say that what I’ve endured won’t last me for years to come? It wasn’t long ago that my school counselor told me to find a way to learn to trust. To believe so that I can live a more normal life. No amount of lectures will move me to suddenly live or make an adjustment to turn my life around as if my past can be erased. Flashbacks are something I deal with every day.

      Am I wrong for thinking this way? Will my thoughts place me in the category of being a narcissist? I’ve been told I’m more like my dead mother than I want to admit. Something I was reminded of by my maternal aunt last week.

      “My sister,” said Aunt Tammy, closing the hood on her dream car. The Excalibur. It was a cherry red nineteen-eighty-one roadster. “She was always the unstable one. Mean spirited. She knew bible verses better than me. The difference was she never applied them to her way of living. That’s what made her dangerous. Envy, greed, and anger corrupted Shanta’s way of thinking. She couldn’t let go of what happened to us when we were kids.”

Marguerite Ashton

https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewBook?id=0

This material may be protected by copyright.

~~~~~

 

Author Marguerite Ashton:

When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer!

Her blog, Criminal Lines: Settled Writer Past 40 is her outlet while building dollhouses and plotting out her next book.

Marguerite lives in Wisconsin and enjoys RVing.

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

,

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Cut From Stone by Brendan O’Meara ~ Peek Inside And Giveaway

Posted: December 29, 2022 in Dystopian, Excerpt, giveaways, YA
Tags: , ,
18

 

Cut From Stone

by Brendan O’Meara

 

Publication date: September 29th 2022
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

The world is fresh from humanity splitting in half – the BlankZone in the East and the Federation in the West. As an inevitable attack from the BlankZone looms, the Federation makes swift, mysterious, and unexpected moves to prepare.

James, a 17-year-old living in the Federation, is drafted by the military. He learns he has been selected to join a group of skilled teens who will be transformed into elite human weapons. Follow James and his friends as they mature from teenagers to lethal warriors. Together, they will face life altering events as they navigate a new existence dedicated to protecting their friends, families, and humanity at all costs.

Goodreads / Amazon

~~~~~

Enjoy this peek inside:

The screen was broken into multiple squares focused on Northern Africa. Instead of the differentiated plains of grass, earth, and water with settlements sprinkled throughout, there was a sprawling web of interconnected buildings, roads, and a brand-new infrastructure spanning the width of the continent and trailing off the screen to the south.

They completely took over.

They weren’t practice. They were their base, James thought in terror of the army that required an entire continent to operate.

As the images filtered in, the web of settlements grew throughout the landmass. There were entire squares filled with what looked like long, lean barracks neighboring full towns of armories, each covering the same square mileage as a major city.

Harbors along the coasts were filled with ships and docks, while airfields were strewn throughout the flatlands displaying gleaming rows of chrome weaponry perfectly arrayed, wing to wing.

“How the hell did they pull this off?” asked Stacie. “It’s just… wham, an entire continent disappeared and in its place… this.”

“We have no clue. We’re having trouble determining exactly when all of this happened, but it must have been months ago.” Months?! James’s mind was spinning, thinking of the physical demands and resources it would take to build infrastructure of this magnitude. They were looking at a decades long project at the least. If whoever ran the BlankZone accomplished all of this in a matter of months, what else were they capable of?

He kept scanning the area when he noticed clouds were blocking some of the images. He moved closer and realized they were moving in an odd pattern, flowing over the land, and petering out along the southwest coast. He looked around trying to find where they started, but the originator was offscreen.

Is that smoke? He wondered what source of fire could be so widespread it caused clouds on such a grand scale. His mind drifted to pictures of volcanos he studied in high school.

“How did we get these?” James asked, trying to wrap his mind around the enormous scale of the base.

“Same as before. A break in their satellite protection and constant attempts to hack through,” Croyton replied. “Different this time though.”

“How so?” asked Stacie from the other end of the line. “They meant us to see these shots.”
“A warning,” James said quietly.

“A threat,” Croyton replied stonily. “They want us to know what they’re capable of, how easily they can assert control without blinking an eye. The ships were a warning. This…” He shook his head, unblinking. “This tells us how ready they are.”

Author Brendan O’Meara:

Raised in White Plains, New York, Brendan O’Meara formed a love of stories and books from a young age. He has spent his free time over the last decade crafting his debut novel, Cut From Stone, book one in the Crafting Humanity series.

It began in Philadelphia where he attended college daydreaming about a dystopian reality. With a vivid imagination (as described by his middle school teachers) and a passion for adventure, Brendan’s novels will transport you to a different life and capture you from cover to cover.

Brendan lives in Washington, DC with his daughter, wife, and two dogs. You will find him on the weekends drinking a beer watching the Packers and Notre Dame football games. He is an avid reader with a specific interest in sci-fi, anything dystopian, fantasy, history, and all levels of fiction.

Brendan would love to hear from you, feel free to contact him any time at brendan.omeara@craftinghumanity.com.

Finally, visit craftinghumanity.com and sign up for our email lists for news, updates, and information on the rest of the Crafting Humanity series. We will not spam you!

Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Instagram / Amazon

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

.

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Hunted by V. M. Nelson ~ Sneak Peek And Giveaway

Posted: November 24, 2022 in giveaways, Paranormal or fantasy, YA
Tags: , , ,
4

 

Hunted

by V.M. Nelson

 

(The Dhampyr Series, #1)
Publication date: October 25th 2022
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Tasi, an eighteen-year-old, head-strong, blood-drinking, dhampyr, has been hidden away in a small town in Maine since the death of her parents. Though she had trained to fight and kill vampires, she never believed those skills would be useful in her mundane life. That’s where she’s wrong.

In one moment, her life changes forever, and her aunt’s final words ring in her head.

They want your blood.

Now orphaned and charged with protecting her sister, Emily—a sister who doesn’t know what they are or that she’s about to endure a life-threatening change—Tasi has no other choice but to follow directions left for her. She is to find an ally who lives in New York City. This is the only way Tasi will figure out why she and Emily are being hunted before they end up drained of their blood.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

~~~~~

SNEAK PEEK:

What started out as a routine task to find blood turned into an onslaught of pain. I rubbed my eyes, allowing the darkness that filled my head to fizzle away. My hands, tender from scraping against the gravel, grasped at the cold metal fence. I flinched as my cuts burned against the steel. I’d done this to myself. The thumping under my skin and my lack of balance were all a result of ignoring my need to feed.

Now here I sat, watching my blood as it dripped down my leg and pooled onto the sidewalk. A tingling sensation ran through me as I flicked out the tiny shards that had embedded themselves in my skin. My body helped to push them out in an effort to heal itself. This was not part of tonight’s plan. I stared back up at the fence—my nemesis. Razor-sharp wire wrapped itself around the top of the rusty, twelve-foot-high chain-link barricade.

Take the shortcut, Tasi. It’ll be quicker and safer, Tasi. What a stupid idea.

Under normal circumstances, I could dart up the fence, hop over the barbed wire, and gracefully land on my feet. My overall dexterity might have won me a gold medal in gymnastics, but that was so not happening in my current condition.

An ache thundered through my body as I reached for the fence again. I hoisted myself up for the first time since tumbling off. With one last labored breath, I ran my hands down my pants, dislodging the remaining rocks from my newly healed skin. Nearby, a rustling sound echoed through the alley. My breath caught. The metal garbage cans clanked together as if they were being tossed around. If I were human, I wouldn’t think twice about the commotion. Lucky for me, I knew better. It was probably setting up to kill its next victim. There were a few shady-looking dive bars and run-down nightclubs in this area. The repetitive pounding of music stemming from different directions would drown out all screams. This was a perfect feeding ground.

Over the past few months, these creatures had become my reality. Since I was thirteen, I’d known of their existence, but only recently had I been in the same vicinity as them. And when they were around, you didn’t want to be, so it was time to go.

With a quick pivot in the opposite direction, I ran. I didn’t get farther than a few feet before my shoelace caught in the grate and my chin scraped against the ground. More blood dripped from my body.

Tasi, seriously—what else can go wrong?

Wrapping the shoelace around my fingers, I yanked until it released itself. By the time I tucked it into my shoe, it was too late. It had heard me. The pounding in my ears was no longer from the nightclubs but the pavement, and it was getting louder. I’d piqued its interest. Rather, my blood had piqued its interest.

Author V. M. Nelson

V. M. Nelson is the author of The Dhampyr Series. She writes upper young adult paranormal, urban fantasy with a touch of romance thrown in. When she isn’t writing, you can find her playing video games.

Virginia resides in Minnesota with her partner and three children. She has always had an obsession for myths, legends, and fairytales. If asked, she would prefer to live in an alternate universe with vampires and fairies.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok / Amazon / Pinterest

Giveaway contest ribbon promo label prize. Vector giveaway banner badge design template

a Rafflecopter giveaway

—

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE.

Older Entries
Newer Entries