MiP-Banner

Just look at that cover art!

How could I resist Missing In Paradise.

I studied the cover, read the book, then studied it some more.

The cover tells the story.

Now, come on in and learn all about it.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

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Title: Missing in Paradise

Publication date: November 3, 2014

Publisher: Rebelight Publishing Inc.

Author: Larry Verstraete

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My Review

Before I start taling about the book, I want to talk a bit about the cover art.

I’m assuming you read the book description. Now look at the cover. It tells the story. You’ll see after you read it.

Bravo to the author for his fun, whimsical, telling cover!

Now to the story.

Nate thinks his Gramp’s death was mysterious. And that is confirmed when he’s drawn to a cardboard box. It contains clues and a map to a hidden treasure, the long missing “Shipment #35 – Gold.”

Nate quickly grabs the box, rescuing it from the garage sale and the creepy clutches of his neighbor, old man Fortier.

Sure that his Gramps was onto something, Nate enlists the help of his friend, Simon, to seek out the treasure.

They make their plans, jump on a bus, and set off on the adventure of all adventures.

But someone else knows about the treasure, and the race is on.

This book is like a blast to the past. I remember some wild adventures I went on when I was young. I never found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, never found cans of money buried in my back yard(got in trouble for those holes, LOL) and never found a treasure, but I had a grand time looking.

I felt that same excitement while reading this book. I was a part of the adventure. I also felt the fear, the doubt, and the hope.

While this is recommended for middle grade readers, some of the characters are kids and some are older adults, so I’d recommend this to anyone with a sense of adventure. It’s good, clean fun.

Here’s looking at you, kid.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

Four months after Gramp’s mysterious death, Nate helps out at Gram’s garage sale. An eerie feeling, as if Gramps were reaching beyond the grave to send Nate a message, leads Nate to a box full of clues. A missing plane. A secret to keep. A map highlighting the route where Gramps died and the message, “Shipment #35-Gold.” Nate and his best friend, Simon, are convinced that Gramps was on a treasure hunt when he died. They’re just as convinced that Gram’s shifty next door neighbour, Fortier, is after the gold too. Nate and Simon sneak away on a Greyhound bus for the small town of Paradise where Nate is sure treasure awaits. Can they find the gold before Fortier gets his thieving hands on a treasure that rightfully belongs to Gramps?

Larry Verstraete is an award winning author of 13 non-fiction books for young people. This is his first work of fiction.

 

ABOUT LARRY VERSTRAETE:

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Larry Verstraete, a retired teacher, has authored thirteen non-fiction books for young people and won multiple awards including the 2012 McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award and the 2010 Silver Birch Non-fiction Award. Missing in Paradise is his first work of fiction.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Facebook | Goodreads

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Today is the official release day for the paranormal/horror/suspense/thriller Growl!

Did you hear it? There! Now did you hear it?

I thought I heard a growl!

Come on in and celebrate the release of Growl.

Check out the creeptastic cover.

Read my review.

And don’t forget to enter the giveaway!


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My Review

Growl starts with a rumble, low and sinister. The rumble becomes a snarl, louder now and closer. The snarl becomes an ear splitting roar as the end rushes towards you.

At the tender age of 9, when her world should be one of innocence and wonder, Sheryl Ilene Newcomb (did you catch her initials- SIN) does something unspeakable. And she spends the second half of her life in fear. Fear of being found out. And fear of doing it again.

Any chance at a normal life, of happily ever after with the love of her life, is shattered by a voice. A voice in her head. When she finally meets the owner of that voice, she’s pulled, kicking and screaming, into her heritage. Her destiny.

But, someone else is out there. Someone like her, but not like her. And they won’t stop coming after her until she’s dead.

By the title, you are probably thinking werewolves, but you’d be wrong. This is something new in the paranormal genre, something steeped in Native American lore.

The author chose Mississippi as the setting for this story and it worked well. The southern dialect and culture were a perfect foil for this tale.

Part mysticism, part faith and family, and part horror, Growl kept me engrossed until the battery ran out on my Kindle. As soon as it was recharged, I jumped back into the story, not stopping until I finished.

You’re going to like the ending. And you’re going to want more.

5 Stars

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Synopsis:

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are
S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I
arrived. Mom and Dad were two high school sweethearts who adored their guns,
their beer and their self-appointed titles of King and Queen of the Rebellious
Rednecks. The day I arrived, they didn’t think anyone in the town would have
the mental acuity to put two and two together to discover their little inside
joke. Shame on the pathetic excuses who called themselves teachers in this
dreary city, because Mom and Dad had been right: no one caught on to their
little attempt at humor.
Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes
now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation
started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem,
and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City
High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me
emerged. When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney
Creek, everything changed.

 

That day, I changed, forever. Because evil woke up and
growled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County,
Mississippi.
 
Click the link above to get the book from Amazon.
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PLUS!
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The following prizes are available:
2 winners will receive a free code for the following audio
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive signed paperbacks of the following
books:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
2 winners will receive ebooks of the following:
Accountable to None; Zero Balance; Adjusting Journal
Entries; Number Seventy-Five; The Lie; Empty Shell
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1 winner will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
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I’ve read many of Bette Lee Crosby’s books and have fallen in love with the dashes of southern flavor she peppers throughout her stories.

The Wyattsville Series stole my heart with its captivating, larger than life, characters and I felt better for having read the books.

Now, she’s added a third book to the series and I’m lost in the pages, only coming up for a sip of hot tea and a cornbread muffin. And of course to work and sleep. LOL

I look forward to sharing my review later this month and for now you can catch a glimpse inside the book and briefly meet the characters.

There’s also a giveaway, so don’t forget to enter.

Passing through Perfect

by Bette Lee Crosby

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It’s 1946. The war is over. Millions of American soldiers are coming home and Benjamin Church is one of them. After four years of being away he thought things in Alabama would have changed, but they haven’t. Grinder’s Corner is as it’s always been—a hardscrabble burp in the road. It’s not much, but it’s home.

When Benjamin attends a harvest festival in Twin Pines, he catches sight of Delia. Before their first dance ends, he knows for certain she’s the one. They fall madly in love; happily, impatiently, imprudently, in love. It doesn’t matter that her daddy is staunchly opposed to the thought of his daughter marrying a cotton farmer, never mind a poor one.

It’s true Benjamin has little to offer; he’s a sharecropper who will spend his whole life sweating and slaving to do little more than put food on the table. But that’s how things are in Alabama. Benjamin is better off than most; he has a wife, a boy he adores, and a house that doesn’t leak rain. Yes, Benjamin considers himself a lucky man until the fateful night that changes everything.

Reviewer Praise

“Passing Through Perfect is not the kind of novel that excels in pat answers, simple characters, and calm progressive events – and this is evident from the first paragraph, which opens with a punch and keeps on emotionally slugging… Southern fiction writing at its best: spiritually infused, warm, and family-oriented…” Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan’s Shelf

“A heartwarming tale that shows both the good and bad found in mankind… Highly Recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction.” Inspired Kathy, I am a Reader

“Author Bette Lee Crosby’s characters take on heartbreak and oppression with dignity, courage, and a shaken but strong faith in a better tomorrow” Indie Reader

An uplifting story of family, love, kindness and hope, despite some people’s less than commendable behavior and attitudes.” Between the Lines

Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Kobo * iTunes

Excerpt

“When the heart of a man gets pulled loose he starts dying. I started dying a year ago, and I’m still working on it. I ain’t going all at once; I’m going piece by piece.”

“The sheriff recognized Benjamin. He’d done work for Missus Haledon, and he’d done a good job. He painted their back fence and repaired a broken window in the storage shed. He was blacker than most but known for being polite, unlike the smart-mouthed coloreds who lived on the far side of Bakerstown.”

“As he sat at the kitchen table and drank a glass of sweet tea with his daddy, her ghost slid in alongside of them. It was a sadness neither of them wanted to speak of.”

add to goodreads

 

BetteAuthor Bette Lee Crosby

Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby shares the storytelling charm of her Southern Mama in tales that are both heartrending and heartwarming. She is best known for her creation of characters that readers find unforgettable.

Passing through Perfect is Crosby’s tenth novel and the third book in the Wyattsville Series that began with the USA Today Bestseller Spare Change. Her work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since then, she has gone on to win another twenty literary awards, including the Royal Palm Literary Award, the Reviewer’s Choice Award, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal and the 2014 Reader’s Favorite Gold Medal.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

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$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 2/6/15

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 

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Aoleon The Martian Girl Part One

Book Details:Book Title: Aoléon The Martian Girl
A Science Fiction and Fantasy Saga
Part 1: First Contact
written and illustrated by Brent LeVasseur
Category:  Middle-Grade,

​94​  pages

Genre: Science-fiction and Fantasy
Publisher: Aoléon Press
Release date: January 31, 2015
Available for review in:  pdf
Will send books: Internationally
Tour dates: Dec and Jan
Content Rating: G

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I had to share this new cover art for Book One!

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<div style="text-align: center;"><strong>My Review</strong></div>

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This story is so fast paced I was dragged along like the flying cows. When you read it you’ll get the thing about those cows.

Gilbert is woken up from another weird dream . This one about killer robots. In no hurry to return to that dream, he goes over to look at the night outside through his telescope.

Spotting strange lights in his neighbors farm, the one where the strange crop circles kept appearing, he slips out to investigate and literally bumps into adventure, in the form of Aoleon, a martian girl

The bright lights also catch the farmers eye and he discovers Gilbert and Aoleon, the martian girl, chasing them to her ship where they take off to the skies.

It’s a laugh riot as Aoleon pilots her baby blue space craft around the world, giving Gilbert the ride of his life while she dodges the USAF fighter jets that pursue them.

I received this book in my dropbox and chose to read it there. The illustrations are black and white on my kindle and don't do them justice.

Excellent descriptions compliment the exciting illustrations, so brilliant in colors they explode off the pages.

Young and older readers alike will be enchanted by Gilbert and Aoleon and this authors world.

I understand there are four more adventures in this saga and an iTunes album.

I plan to follow these adventures.  You’ll wish you had a friend like Aoleon, and envy Gilbert as he explores his dreams of space.

An out of this world delight.

<strong>5 Stars</strong>

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Book Description
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Crop circles magically appear in Farmer Johnson’s field. A mysterious light sweeps over the night sky and awakens Farmer Johnson and Gilbert, the boy next door.Curious, Gilbert ventures out to discover the source of the light and stumbles into a beautiful Martian girl sitting in a crop circle. Farmer Johnson also investigates the strange light, and thinking that Gilbert and Aoléon are vandals, he chases them. But they sprint to Aoléon’s saucer and escape only to be pursued by the U.S. Air Force.Gilbert has never been attacked by swarms of giant killer robots. Never met strange aliens from other worlds. Never skyboarded across a megalopolis hidden deep inside an extinct volcano. Never trekked across a vast Martian desert. And never been eaten alive by a gigantic slor (well, almost never, unless you count Billy the fat bully at school).And luckily, he has never ever confronted an evil ruler of Mars bent on conquering the Earth to steal its cows.Never…until now!This may be the adventure Gilbert always wished for.If only he can survive.
Buy The Book:
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But The martian Girl Song!

Another WorldSingle

Featuring Élan Noelle

Download on iTunes

​About​ the Author
Aoleon Brent LeVasseur

Mr. LeVasseur enjoys crafting good stories based on lovable characters designed to translate well to multiple media formats such as books, games, movies, and toys. He lives in New York when he is not commuting between Southern California and Olympus Mons, Mars. His hobbies include writing, 3D animation, musical composition, and intergalactic space travel. He also enjoys various sports such as skiing, running, and exospheric skydiving.

Connect with Brent:   Website  ~  Twitter  ~  Facebook  ~  Aoléon: The Martian Girl 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading.

TeaserTuesdays2014e

Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page.
•Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

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My Tease for this week is from

Growl

by Ashley Fontaiine

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My Tease from 17% in the eBook.

Mom and Dad (and Meemaw, if around) would roll their eyes when Nana started the story, but I never did. I loved to listen to her sweet southern voice paint a vivid picture of her earlier life, even if it was a load of hog swallow like Daddy said.

~~~

Synopsis

My name is Sheryl Ilene Newcomb. And yes, my initials are S.I.N. A funny little piece of whimsical humor my parents found amusing when I arrived.

Then, it turned out to be true. Looking back with wiser eyes now, my family and I concluded that the events leading up to my transformation started the summer I turned nine. But the day we realized there was a problem, and no turning back, was a week before I started my senior year at Junction City High. The day the fangs and claws appeared and the monster inside of me emerged.

When mutilated corpses appeared near a pile of brush down by Caney Creek, everything changed. Because evil woke up and growled, its ominous rumblings heard by every living thing in Locasia County, Mississippi.

~~~

I’ll be reviewing this on January 15th. Can’t wait to share!

It’s filled with wonderful quotes like this and so much more than a horror story.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Title: Son of Set

Author: Kelsey Ketch

Series: Descendants of Isis #2

Genre: Upper Young Adult Fantasy

Publication: May 2nd, 2014

“. . . the Sons would never just let him go—alive.”

Seth O’Keefe has broken the laws of his god. He never thought he would sacrifice his own future to protect a Daughter of Isis. But when the Sons of Set discovered Natti is the Secret Keeper, he had no choice. Now, Seth and Natti are on the run from his father, who wants nothing more than to see Seth dead. With no allies, Seth turns to the Daughters of Isis for help, hoping they would protect Natti. But when they meet the Daughters, he discovers a secret that puts both their lives in more danger. Low on options, Seth sees only one possibility for survival. He must help Natti solve an ancient puzzle and find the secret name of Ra.

Natara “Natti” Stone is having a hard time swallowing the truth. She can’t believe what she has learned in the past twenty-four hours: Seth is a Son of Set blessed with charm; she is a Daughter of Isis blessed with a sliver of Ma ‘at; the locket her grandmother gave her holds an ancient Egyptian secret linking to Osiris and Isis. That along with being tortured and brutalized by the Sons of Set, she can hardly hold herself together. Thank God for Seth’s touch! That warm, tingling sensation that drowns it all out. Yet her heart struggles to stay focused. She must quickly embrace her destiny before the secret name of Ra falls into the wrong hands.

*Note: Content for Upper YA*

Purchase

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Excerpt•

Natti awoke and sat bolt upright in the bed, gasping for breath. Her heart raced and a headache flared right between her temples. The nightmare seemed incredibly real, Sean’s eyes and the dagger ingrained in her mind’s eye. Looking around the little hotel room, she pulled the sheets closer to her chest. She felt cold and alone in the queen-size bed, which only heightened her lingering fears. Everything appeared ominous in the dark; the shadows seemed to slither along the walls. These hauntings were eating her alive from the inside out.
 
Her pulse pounding wildly, she glanced at the second bed. Seth’s chest rose and fell under the blankets. He looked so peaceful, and though the idea seemed wrong, she knew she would feel much safer curled up in Seth’s arms, like back in the hospital when her friend, Wanda, had been drugged. She pictured herself resting her head on his chest, his warmth easing her back to sleep.
 
She knew she shouldn’t for a number of reasons, the top being he had the reputation of sleeping with half the girls at Setemple High School. And if it was true he had a power as mind-bending as a drug, then those girls, most likely, weren’t doing it of their own free will. The thought sickened her, yet it didn’t deter her need for his comfort. Was she becoming addicted, just like he had said? The Ma’at feather or whatever “blessing” she had was supposed to protect her, but if it was, she couldn’t tell.
 
If I even have a “blessing” at all.
 
She pulled her knees up to her chest, wishing Seth had brought Anubis, the stuffed jackal he had given her at the Pharaoh’s Festival. It had become her most precious keepsake and a source of comfort when she felt lost and confused. She also wished Seth hadn’t surrendered the locket, which she never finished translating. At least that would have occupied her mind for a while as she tried to piece the family secret together. Except she already knew what the secret was, supposedly: the location of the secret name of Ra. And now it was in the hands of the cult Seth keeps referring to as the “Sons of Set” or the “Sons.”
 
The darkness seemed to continue to press in on Natti, making her restless. Wrestling with her conscience, she slipped out of her bed, lifted Seth’s covers, and crawled in. She was quiet and careful, trying not to wake him. Finally able to place her head on his pillow, she snuggled up next to him.
 
Her body jerked when his arm draped over her. “You have no idea how often I’ve dreamed of this moment,” Seth whispered in a drowsy voice.
He moved closer, slipping one arm under to support her head and shifting the other around her waist. His hand slid down her “Keep Calm and Carry On” nightshirt to massage her spine, his nimble fingers rotating in small circles over her skin. Natti snorted softly, secretly loving his touch and hating herself for it. The feel of his flesh was smooth as silk and every lean muscle flexed steadily while he moved his hand up behind her neck. Her body warmed, completely aware of every place their skin made contact. Thank the lord for her nightshirt and the Calvin Klein pajama bottoms Seth slept in. There was hardly any space between them, and yet, he managed to pull her even closer.
 
“So to what do I owe the pleasure?” Seth asked.
“I couldn’t sleep,” Natti breathed, her galloping heart drummed in her ears.
“Hmm.” A smile pulled at Seth’s perfect lips. “So you crawled in looking for some company?”
“Well, I would have stayed in my own bed, but you forgot to pack Anubis.”
A lagh rumbled in Seth’s throat. “What is it with girls and stuffed animals?”

“Oy, you gave him to me,” Natti shot back while slapping her hand against his chest. “And he’s been providing comfort when I need it ever since. But since you left him behind, you’ll just have to take his place.”

“I guess I can live with that.” Seth stroked the back of her neck, sending goose bumps over her skin.
The room was quiet. With no sight and no sound, Natti was only left with her heightened sense of touch and smell. She memorized Seth’s embrace; every little shift of his muscles and every little movement of his fingertips. The gentle heat that took her breath away slowly radiated through her system. She felt closer to Seth right now than she had ever felt with anyone in her life. Yet she hardly knew him. She knew who he was and even what he was, just nothing really about him. What music did he like? What kind of films did he watch? What was his favorite past time? Well, actually, she already had a sense what his answer would be to that last question just by knowing his reputation. Still, she wanted to know more. Rattling her brain for a conversation starter, she asked the simplest question she could think of.
“What’s your favorite color?”

He groaned in response and crinkled his brow. “Is that what it would have taken to get you into bed with me? Knowing my favorite color? We could have fixed that long ago.”

“No,” Natti hissed. “This is just a conversation. You know, something normal people do.”

“I know what a conversation is.” Seth’s perfect grin glistened in the dark. “There’s just other things I’d rather be doing in the middle of the night, like sleeping or . . .”

Natti’s cheeks burned when his hand moved south. “Bloody hell, Seth!” She pushed his hand back to the small of her back. “I’m talking about things like your favorite class subject, when your birthday is—”

“What’s my favorite color?” Seth mocked with a hidden smile, his exhaustion weighing in his voice.

“What about you? What’s your favorite color then?”

Taken aback by his abrupt turnaround, Natti sputtered her answer. “Red.”

“Hmm.” Seth fell silent, his eyelids drooping a bit. Natti shifted, thinking he had dozed off. She closed her eyes, his warmth gently pulling her into sleep.

“History. March fifteenth. Black,” Seth finally responded.

“Wait—What?” Natti jerked, now fully awake again.

“The answers to your questions.” Seth’s eyes opened, taking her in while they laid together in the dark. His hand skimmed her hair, pulling a lock toward him. “My favorite subject is history. My birthday is March fifteenth. And my favorite color is black, like the color of your hair.”

A smile pulled at Natti’s lips. “Is black even a color?”

“Hey, don’t knock it.” He paused, looking deep into her eyes. “I’ll admit, though, lately I’ve also become enamored with a unique shade of purple.”

Natti swallowed a lump forming in her throat. Seth leaned his forehead to hers, their noses touching. Even in the dark, his gaze captured her, drawing her full attention.

“You know how tempting it is to kiss you right now?” he said, an intense, fiery tingling sensation growing strong throughout her body.

Natti could barely speak as she melted into the sheets. She really wanted to kiss him. He was too tempting with his heat, his eyes, and the feel of his body conforming to hers.
A sudden flashback to the halls of Setemple High caused her to hold back and bite her lower lip. It had been her first kiss with Seth. The very thought of it still coursed fire through her veins. It had only been a distraction. A method he used to pickpocket her grandmother’s letter before abandoning her and leaving her in the hands of his friend, Ky.

“Don’t push it,” Natti mumbled. “Not after you used the last one to pinch from me.”

His eyes searched hers, his voice deep with pain. “You really don’t remember then.”

Natti tried to think of what he was referring to. “Remember what?”

Seth attempted a charming grin, but it faltered. “Never mind. It wasn’t important.”

He lightened his touch, withdrawing a bit. The sensations that were running rapid finally eased. She watched Seth’s expression fill with disappointment, making her wonder what she had forgotten that had been clearly special to him.

She slipped her hand along his well-formed abs and over his chest. She could feel him shiver. Goose bumps appeared over his skin. Her own body also reacted to the touch, her skin prickling with little sparks. She froze when he caught her gaze, desire shining in his eyes like a beacon in the night. Reality struck, and it struck hard. She wanted him too.

“Maybe I made a mistake.” Natti’s body quivered, and she moved back. What had she been thinking, crawling into a guy’s bed? In a freaking hotel no less! What kind of impression does that give? “I shouldn’t have come over here. I’m sorry.”

Seth strengthened his grip, his voice tight with emotion. “No. It’s fine. Stay.”
A strange calm replaced her abrupt urge to run. She looked at Seth, feeling the tingle of magic under her skin. She was scared. She stupidly crawled right into his element, and she knew in her heart she was too weak to resist any advance. His fingers reached up and stroked her cheek. With the warm breeze from his touch, her excitement and fear were whisked away, leaving her to feel only a bliss that affected her very being. She lowered her body back into Seth’s arms. Her muscles relaxed into his embrace. She gave into the power, unsure if she was staying of her own free will or if he was controlling her actions. Either way, it was too late. She had stepped into his web, just like the oracle at the Pharaoh Festival had warned. But maybe if she kept him talking, nothing ominous would come of it.

Natti’s voice came out flustered when she finally spoke. “We used to talk about you. My mates and I, that is. Back in school.”

Seth perked up. “Really? What about?”

“Oh.” Natti tried to be sly with her words while thinking about Jen, Kevin, and Wanda. She missed them all very much. Even more than some of her friends back in London. “Different things.”

Seth raised a brow and smiled. “Like how devilishly handsome and extremely charming I am?”

“Actually, we couldn’t decide if you were a vampire, a werewolf, or a fae.”

“Say what?” Seth jerked. “What plebs have you been talking to?”

Natti rolled her eyes. “Well, you can’t really blame us. With your looks and how you charm most of the teachers and students, Jen figured you had to be paranormal.”

“And what did you think? Did you think I was a vampire or a werewolf?”

“No. I only thought you were a spoiled rotten rich kid whose only charm was his father’s money.” A malicious grin spread on her lips. “And I still stand by it.”

Seth crinkled his nose, smiled, and shoved her back slightly. Natti burst into laughter; her first real laugh since the day of the fire. Her body released all its tension in one fell swoop. The high was addicting, her adrenalin soaring to new heights. Finally, as her body became weary and calmed, she could still hear Seth laughing beside her. A laugh that was as soothing as Big Ben chiming out the time, giving her a sense of home. Natti basked in the sound until Seth abruptly faded from sight and Sean’s cold eyes flashed before her. She gasped and pushed away as the icy cold emptiness burned her insides.“Natti.” She felt Seth pull at her waist. “Natti, stop!”


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About Kelsey
 

 

 

During her high school years,
Kelsey Ketch could always be found tucked away in a little corner of the hall
or classroom, writing her fantasy worlds and creating illustrations and maps.
Today is no different, except now she’s writing in the break room at her office
building or at the tables of the Barnes and Noble Café in Cary, North Carolina.
She is also an avid reader, a part-time book blogger at
Ketch’s Book Nook,
and lives with her two orange tabbies and awesome and humorous flat-mate.

For more information, please
visit her site at
kelseyketch.com.

 

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

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I’m so excited to share The Accidental Alchemist with you.

Come on in.

Read my review.

Meet the characters.

And enter the awesome giveaway!

 

The Accidental Alchemist
(An Accidental Alchemist Mystery)

First in Series
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: MIDNIGHT INK (January 8, 2015)
ISBN-10: 0738741841
ISBN-13: 978-0738741840

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My Review

There aren’t a lot of gargoyles books out there and most of those are about shifters. They can be human or gargoyle. This gargoyle is all gargoyle.

Zoe Faust has finally found a place to settle down, tired of her Airstream trailer and moving from place to place. Portland seems to touch something inside her. So she finds a fixer upper and moves into her new home.

Let me introduce you to Zoe. She’s an alchemist, specifically Spagyrics, plant alchemy, albeit a non practicing one now. She’s lived well over 300 years due to accidentally applying The Elixir of Life to herself. That’s why she has to move a lot, as she doesn’t really age, though she can die like normal people.

While unpacking in her new home she notices some things appear to have been broken and there’s a gargoyle statue clutching a book that she knows she didn’t put there.

When it moves, she’s startled to discover it’s a real living gargoyle. His name is Dorian Robert-Houdin and he’s French.

As the two are becoming acquainted they discover a spy. Brixton is a 14 year old neighbor boy who had to see who was moving into the old, supposedly haunted house. The pickle is, he heard and saw it all, so now a bargain must be struck to keep Dorian’s and Zoe’s secrets.

Things get more complicated when Zoe arrives home from a walk to discover her construction contractor dead by her porch. Working with herbs and plants, she smells the taint of poison but is hard pressed to say how she does when questioned by Detective Max Liu.

It becomes harder to keep secrets when she’s thrust into the murder investigation and another person falls victim to the poison, lingering in a coma.

Zoe will have to practice her alchemy again. Get up to speed quick. The killer must be stopped and Dorian’s book, Not True Alchemy, must be decoded to find some answers. Otherwise, more people will be poisoned, Dorian will slowly turn to stone and be trapped in that form for eternity.

Zoe won me over quickly. She’s sassy, smart, brave, loyal, and often inept. She gets herself into some funny situations and can laugh at herself. Her concern and caring for Dorian is so sweet. She’s become fond of him and his gourmet cooking. Yes, gargoyles can cook.

Her friendship and fostering of Brixton brings out the best in him. He’s well on his way to becoming a delinquent, and his new friends are a steady hand and guidance to help him find his way.

And something is just starting to ignite between Max Liu and Zoe Faust. They both feel stirrings of attraction, yet both are keeping some huge secrets.

There’s so much to entertain in this book.

The characters are well written. You’ll come to know them quickly.

The alchemy is very well researched and fascinating. I always thought it was magic but that’s really not so. It’s more of a practice, a trade.

The mystery keeps you guessing. The villain will catch you by surprise. And the suspense will make you crazy, worrying about everything and how it will get resolved.

And Kudos to the author for the cover art. It’s perfect for this story.

Also, check out the yummy recipes at the end. They sound delicious.

I urge you to read The Accidental Alchemist. And I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

5 Stars

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Synopsis

From USA Today bestselling author Gigi Pandian comes a modern tale of ancient intrigue.

Unpacking her belongings in her new hometown of Portland, Oregon, herbalist and reformed alchemist Zoe Faust can’t help but notice she’s picked up a stowaway. Dorian Robert-Houdin is a living, breathing three-and-a-half-foot gargoyle—not to mention a master of French cuisine—and he needs Zoe’s expertise to decipher a centuries-old text. Zoe, who’s trying to put her old life behind her, isn’t so sure she wants to reopen her alchemical past… until the dead man on her porch leaves her no choice.

Includes recipes!

Zoe is a fun character with a witty and great personality. This book will put a spell on you to keep reading until the end.
~Shelley’s Book Case

About This Author

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Gigi Pandian lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with an overgrown organic vegetable garden in her backyard. A cancer diagnosis in her 30s taught her two important life lessons: healing foods can taste amazing, and life’s too short to waste a single moment. Therefore she writes the Accidental Alchemist mystery series while drinking delectable green smoothies and eating decadent home-cooked meals. Gigi was awarded the Malice Domestic Grant for her debut mystery novel. She does not apologize for loving kale. Find her online at www.gigipandian.com.

Author Links:

Website ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads ~ Blog ~ Gargoyle photography blog

Purchase Links
Amazon B&N

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Tour Participants

January 8 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway – book

January 9 – 3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too! – Guest Post, Giveaway – mug

January 10 – Libriamorimiei – Review

January 10 – Writers and Readers of Paranormal Mystery – Review, Guest Post, Giveaway – book

January 11 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Giveaway – mug

January 12 – fuonlyknew – Review, Giveaway- book

January 12 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Giveaway – mug

January 13 – Cozy Up With Kathy – Review, Interview, Giveaway – book

January 13 – Queen of All She Reads – Review, Giveaway – mug

 

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Books and Mugs will be given away!

Have you signed up to be a Tour Host?

Click Here Find Details and Sign Up Today!

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My giveaway is for a print copy of this fun book!

Tour giveaway is US Only. Sorry to my International friends.

Entry is easy.

Leave you email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question –

“Do you like gargoyles, and why?”

Giveaway ends January 17th.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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

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This is my own version of a weekly book haul and all things new on fuonlyknew.

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

Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Head on over and leave a link to your Sunday Post and hop around to visits others.

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It’s been a strange week for me. Nothing stands out but I just felt off.

Maybe it’s the post holiday blues.

One thing that’s helped is reading. A lot of it. I’m into so many different genres right now and found some new authors to follow. I’ve also picked up some new Netgalleys.

There’s something that I’ve been curious about. How do you choose the books you purchase? I mean besides already having read the author.

Do you go by the reviews? If so, do you focus mainly on the 4 and 5 star ones? Or do you like a mixed bag of good and bad ones?

What catches your attention first? Is it the title? The cover art?

Just wondering:)

I’ll be hopping over to check out your Sunday posts so be sure to leave me your link!

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Here are my new books for review.

You can click on the covers to check them out on Goodreads.

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New ones just for me!

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And here are some freebies for ya!

Click on the covers to get yours and remember to make sure they’re still free before you click that buy button.

   

   

   

   

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Books I reviewed this week.

Click on the covers for my reviews.

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Books I’ll be reviewing next week.

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What I won.

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I won the book and the movie from a giveaway on Candace’s Books Blog.

Thanks so much Candace!

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I won a print copy from YA Reads Book Tours.

Thanks so much Nichole and thank you Author Rachel Deagan.

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I won print copies of these fun cozies from the Small Town Christmas giveaway on Stuck In Books.

Thanks so much Valerie!

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I won this eBook from David Englund’s tour  giveaway.

Thanks so much David!

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Other Posts this week.

It’s Zombie Month! Could this be the year they rise?

My 2015 Reading Challenges

Teaser Tuesdays #94 ~ AWOL

Outsider ~ The Flawed Series #2 ~ Release week Sale, Review, and Giveaway

A Trilogy of Horror ~ Just keep running…running…running…

The Devil’s Tombstone ~ Release Event and Giveaway

There’s more than one way to crash ~ Crashers Super Book Blast

Kill ‘Em With Cayenne ~ Piper is at it again! Tour Review and Giveaway

The Friday 56 #47 ~ Dinosaur Lake III : Infestation

Month 9 Books ~ Spring Debuts Blitz and Giveaway

AWOL : A Character Lost by Anthony Renfro

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Have you joined TSU yet?

Click on the widget to friend and follow me!

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For all of my 2014 reviews go HERE

For a list of free books go HERE

For all of my giveaways go HERE

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So, what did you get to read this week?

Got any recommendations?

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

Anthony Renfro has a new book!

AWOL

A Character Lost

You can read it for free on Screwpulp.

I’ve read his Zombie Holiday Trilology and loved it.

And I’m now working through his other stories.

Come on in.

Check out AWOL.

A Character Lost.

 

AWOL.

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.My Review
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The story begins when the character finds himself in a dark, empty room. Not knowing how he got there, who he is, or where he is, he finally gets the courage to call out for help.

He’s answered, but not by a voice. Words light up on a wall. It’s worse than he imagined.

He’s a character in a book and it appears he’s wandered out of his story and ended up in the room. The author writes his answers and they appear on the wall.

The really bad thing is, the author didn’t write any notes and has no idea which story the character came from, so he needs his help.

This is a story of show and tell and the author guides the character, instructing him and supplying him with scant info on what he should do.

The room has ten doors, each labeled. The character must go through each door in order to find his home story. The author cautions him before entering that what lies behind each door could kill him and he’s not sure if the character will really die or return to the room. It’s an enter at your own risk thing and the character has no choice.

The character approaches the first door labeled Zombies and dives in, as did I.

After the first adventure I didn’t blame the characters hesitancy to go through another. Yet he must and he does. This continues through several more and I was with the character when he got good and mad at the author.

Between each new door, the character returns to the empty room, learns more from the author and goes through the next door. These interludes between each chapter are labeled Interlude.

He encounters many other characters in each story. After a while he learns not to become attached to them. The author’s monsters dispatch them in horrendous fashion.

As for the monsters, the character runs into some werewolves like nothing you could imagine. The werewolves are 8 feet tall, six feet long, with red eyes like lamps and drooling acid. Must not forget the tail of a scorpion that electrocutes you.

The vampires are brown and black spotted things riding black horses. Their eyes gleam yellow, they have no hair and only two fangs, no other teeth. And they have these really wicked whips.

There’s serial killers and these really gross wormy snake things, aliens, and many others. All of them are out to get ya too.

While you know the character goes through all ten doors, otherwise there wouldn’t be that many chapters, that doesn’t mean he finds his home story. It doesn’t mean he survives. The author gives no guarantees.

Half way through, the character is fed up, yet he continues. He must and the author needs him to. Otherwise the character will languish in the room and so will the story.

What kind of author doesn’t keep notes? And what’s with the stories? All of them are horrific. Is the author lying? Does he know which door will lead the character to his home story? Is that what the story really is, him having to jump through the hoops? If so, the author must be a sadist.

Unlike anything I’ve ever read before, the author pulled out all the stops. Monsters beyond imagination. A character lost and guided by his author. An author, frustrated at his own lack of foresight.

This is Anthony Renfro’s best work yet!

5 Stars

Blurb

Imagine that you are a character in a story.

You have a home.

You have a life.

You have it all.

Then suddenly you wake up alone and afraid in a cold, dark place. Somehow you find your courage and your voice. When you ask for help, words light up on a wall in the darkness. You read them and realize you are in the creative center of your author’s mind. Instead of rescuing you, the author asks you for help.

This book is about the journey of that character, as he moves from story to story desperately trying to find his home.

Free Examples:

http://books.noisetrade.com/atothewr/awol-a-character-lost

http://dummy.pressbooks.com/

http://www.wattpad.com/story/27332743-awol-a-character-lost-the-first-two-chapters

Find the novel AWOL here:

Smashwords: 

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/498137

Amazon:

Paperback:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/150533277X

EBook:

US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QJ8DE14

UK: http://buff.ly/1FUrawb

Australia: http://buff.ly/1FUrElX

Canada: http://buff.ly/1vRX4q8

*****

For Free and in MOBI, EPUB, and PDF Files

Screwpulp:

https://www.screwpulp.com/?browse&*=info&id=180

About Screwpulp

Screwpulp has created a new ebook marketplace that gives authors a better way to reach an audience and earn more revenue. We are at the forefront of a publishing renaissance. Not since the screw press has there been so much change in the industry. Change in the way we write, change in the way we read, change in the way we acquire books; what hasn’t changed is the way that many publishers feel that they are the sole guardians at the gate. Thousands of great books are only in existence thanks to authors who had the courage to keep pushing, after tens, hundreds, of rejection letters. What good is writing the next great novel if nobody gets to read it? We created Screwpulp to get books into the hands of readers and let their voices be heard. Everybody has a voice, the author wants to be heard, and if the reader likes it they’ll want to tell their friends.

How Screwpulp works

At Screwpulp, we publish everybody. By giving away the initial copies of the book for free, in exchange for a mention on social media and a star rating, we quickly get your book into the hands of readers. This builds a fan base for the author quickly and this exchange creates buzz around your work. As demand for the book goes up so does the price in one dollar increments. Now new readers have a rating system to show the quality of the work before anyone buys it. Authors keep all of the rights to their works and retain 75 percent of the profit. The only thing we ask of the author is to keep their book on Screwpulp for a minimum of ninety days. We are partnering with different organizations to help authors with cover design, editing and formatting. We will unveil more tools over time.

About our name

Screwpulp? How did you get the name? We get asked this question a lot, so let us explain. The screw press was the first printing method that allowed for books to be made with moveable type in mass. Now that we’re in the digital age, the move away from paper, or pulp, is becoming the new normal. A merging of these two ideas led us to the name we have today, Screwpulp.

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Author Anthony Renfro

Anthony Renfro

Anthony Renfro lives in Apex, North Carolina. He is a reader, writer, runner, husband, father, and stay at home dad – one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever do. He was born in Bristol, Tennessee, and is a graduate of UNC-Greensboro.

You can find him at many spots on the web, but if you really need to find his center in the social media storm it would be at his blog, apoetryjourney.wordpress.com.

Now reach out, just beyond the light, right into that big black space, and let him take your hand on a journey into cold dark places. You will be scared, and you may even be terrified, but in the end you might just find you liked the ride.

Find him on:

Blog ~ Amazon ~ Goodreads

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Follow and visit the other tour stops.

January 5th Michelle Proulx (http://michelleproulx.com/)
January 6th Emily Guido (http://emilyguido.com/)
January 7th Beckisbookblog (https://beckisbookblog.wordpress.com/)
January 8th Kim Tranquil Dreams (https://klling.wordpress.com/)
January 9th Chris Graham (http://thestoryreadingapeblog.com/)
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You find find my reviews of the authors other books by visiting my reviews page at the top of my blog.
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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Hello everyone! Welcome to the Month9Books Spring 2015 Debuts Blitz!

These upcoming M9B books will be ones that you’ll definitely want to add to your TBR list!

You can enter for a chance to win 1 of 4 prize packs of eBooks open Internationally.

Horror Business by Ryan Bradford
Coming February 2015

 

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Armed with a passion for classic B-grade horror movies, a script co-written by his twin brother, and a wicked crush on his death-obsessed neighbor; hardcore horror fan Jason Nightshade must finish his student film.

But his plans are derailed when the children of suburban Silver Creek start disappearing – his twin brother among them. Battling a possessed video camera, a crazy zombie dog, a monstrous bully, and a frighteningly broken down family life, Jason embarks on a mission to find his lost brother so the two can write an ending for his story.

As an any horror fan knows, saving the day won’t be easy, as Jason finds himself forced to face the real world where death isn’t just a splash of fake blood on a camera lens.

add to goodreads

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Ryan grew up in Park City, Utah. His fiction has appeared in Quarterly West, Paper Darts, Vice, Monkeybicycle and [PANK]. He currently lives in San Diego where he acts as Creative Director for the nonprofit literary arts organization So Say We All. He’s the co-editor of the anthology Last Night on Earth and founder of the literary horror journal, Black Candies. Find him at ryancbradford.com

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Fingers in the Mist by O’Dell Hutchison
Coming February 2015

 

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Sixteen-year-old Caitlyn Foster never believed in the legend of the Redeemers. That was before the trees started to whisper her name. Before a murder of crows attacked the town. Before she and her family came home to find a bloody handprint on their front door, marking one of them as a sacrifice. As Caitlyn’s friends are ripped from their homes, she knows it’s only a matter of time before the Redeemers come for her. Caitlyn has the power to stop the terror, but she’ll have to decide if she’s willing to sacrifice herself to save those she loves.

add to goodreads

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O’Dell was born in a small rural town in Idaho. There were no Redeemers living there (that he knows of). After attending college in the Pacific Northwest, he found his way to the Houston area. By day, he is a Business Systems Analyst and at night you can either find him sitting at home, dreaming of random super powers he wishes he had, or directing plays and musicals at various theaters around Houston.

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Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show by Steve Bryant
Coming February 24, 2015

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Lucas Mackenzie has got the best job of any 10 year old boy. He travels from city-to-city as part of the London Midnight Ghost Show, scaring unsuspecting show-goers year round. Performing comes naturally to Lucas and the rest of the troupe, who’ve been doing it for as long as Lucas can remember.

But there’s something Lucas doesn’t know.

Like the rest of Luca’s friends, he’s dead. And for some reason, Lucas can’t remember his former life, his parents or friends. Did he go to school? Have a dog? Brothers and sisters?
If only he could recall his former life, maybe even reach out to his parents, haunt them.

When a ghost hunter determines to shut the show down, Lucas realizes the life he has might soon be over. And without a connection to his family, he will have nothing. There’s little time and Lucas has much to do. Can he win the love of Columbine, the show’s enchanting fifteen-year-old mystic? Can he outwit the forces of life and death that thwart his efforts to find his family?

Keep the lights on! Lucas Mackenzie’s coming to town.

add to goodreads

Purchase HERE!

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Steve Bryant is a new novelist, but a veteran author of books of card tricks. He founded a 40+ page monthly internet magazine for magicians containing news, reviews, magic tricks, humor, and fiction; and he frequently contributes biographical cover articles to the country’s two leading magic journals (his most recent article was about the séance at Hollywood’s Magic Castle).

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The Perilous Journey of the not so Innocuous Girl by Leigh Statham
Coming March 17, 2015

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Lady Marguerite lives a life most 17th century French girls can only dream of: money, designer dresses, suitors and a secure future. Except she suspects she may be falling for her best friend Claude, a common smithie in the family’s steam forge. When Claude leaves for New France in search of a better life, Marguerite decides to follow him and test her suspicions of love. But the trip proves more harrowing than she had anticipated, revealing secrets and testing her strength as well as her heart. Love, adventure and restitution await her in Canada, but only if she can survive the voyage.

add to goodreads

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Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho, but found her heart in New York City. She worked as a waitress, maid, artist, math teacher, nurse, web designer, art director, thirty-foot inflatable pig and mule wrangler before she settled down in the semi-quiet role of wife, mother and writer. She resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, five chickens and two suspected serial killer cats. If the air is cool and the sun is just coming up over the horizon, you can find her running the streets of her small town, plotting her next novel with the sort of intensity that will one day get her hit by a car.

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I Heart Robot by Suzanne Van Rooyen
Coming March 31, 2015

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Sixteen-year-old Tyri wants to be a musician and wants to be with someone who won’t belittle her musical aspirations.

Q-I-99 aka ‘Quinn’ lives in a scrap metal sanctuary with other rogue droids. While some use violence to make their voices heard, demanding equal rights for AI enhanced robots, Quinn just wants a moment on stage with his violin to show the humans that androids like him have more to offer than their processing power.

Tyri and Quinn’s worlds collide when they’re accepted by the Baldur Junior Philharmonic Orchestra. As the rift between robots and humans deepens, Tyri and Quinn’s love of music brings them closer together, making Tyri question where her loyalties lie and Quinn question his place in the world. With the city on the brink of civil war, Tyri and Quinn make a shocking discovery that turns their world inside out. Will their passion for music be enough to hold them together while everything else crumbles down around them, or will the truth of who they are tear them apart?

add to goodreads

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Suzanne is a tattooed storyteller from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing, she teaches dance and music to middle schoolers and entertains her shiba inu, Lego. Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

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Where the Staircase Ends by Stacy Stokes
Coming April 2015

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After her best friend orchestrates the lie that destroys her reputation, Taylor wants more than anything to disappear from her life. But when an accident turns this unspoken wish into reality, instead of an angel-filled afterlife, Taylor must climb a seemingly endless staircase into the sky.

Instead of going up, the journey plunges her into the past. As she unravels the mystery behind her friend’s betrayal, she must face the truth about life and find the strength to forgive the unforgivable — unless the staircase breaks her first.

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Stacy grew up in Dallas, TX, but has lived all over. After spending time in Austin, Chicago, New York and Philadelphia, she is happy to call San Francisco her home, where she lives with her husband. When she’s not bringing the voices in her head to life, she’s working as a brand and marketing professional in the consumer products industry. She has a slight obsession with puns (they are, in her opinion, the highest form of humor), which might be linked to the three years she spent studying improv comedy at Chicago’s Second City and IO theaters. She holds a BBA from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from The Wharton School of Business. WHERE THE STAIRCASE ENDS is her debut novel.

Nobody’s Goddess by Amy McNulty
Coming April 21, 2015

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In a village of masked men, each loves only one woman and must follow the commands of his “goddess” without question. A woman may reject the only man who will love her if she pleases, but she will be alone forever. And a man must stay masked until his goddess returns his love—and if she can’t or won’t, he remains masked forever.

Where the rest of her village celebrates this mystery that binds men and women together, seventeen year old Noll is just done with it. She’s lost all her childhood friends as they’ve paired off, but the worst blow was when her closest companion, Jurij, finds his goddess in Noll’s own sister. Desperate to find a way to break this ancient spell, Noll instead discovers why no man has ever loved her: she is in fact the goddess of the mysterious lord of the village, a Byronic man who refuses to let Noll have her right as a woman to spurn him and who has the power to fight the curse. Thus begins a dangerous game between the two: the choice of woman versus the magic of man. And the stakes are no less than freedom and happiness, life and death—and neither Noll nor the veiled man is willing to lose.

add to goodreads

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Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently spends her days alternatively writing on business and marketing topics and primarily crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.

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The Artisans by Julie Reece
Coming May 19, 2015

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They say death can be beautiful. But after the death of her mother, seventeen-year-old Raven Weathersby gives up her dream of becoming a fashion designer, barely surviving life in the South Carolina lowlands.

To make ends meet, Raven works after school as a seamstress creating stunning works of fashion that often rival the great names of the day.

Instead of making things easier on the high school senior, her stepdad’s drinking leads to a run in with the highly reclusive heir to the Maddox family fortune, Gideon Maddox.

But Raven’s stepdad’s drying out and in no condition to attend the meeting with Maddox. So Raven volunteers to take his place and offers to repay the debt in order to keep the only father she’s ever known out of jail, or worse.

Gideon Maddox agrees, outlining an outrageous demand: Raven must live in his home for a year while she designs for Maddox Industries’ clothing line, signing over her creative rights.

Her handsome young captor is arrogant and infuriating to the nth degree, and Raven can’t imagine working for him, let alone sharing the same space for more than five minutes.

But nothing is ever as it seems. Is Gideon Maddox the monster the world believes him to be? And can he stand to let the young seamstress see him as he really is?

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Born in Ohio, I lived next to my grandfather’s horse farm until the fourth grade. Summers were about riding, fishing and make-believe, while winter brought sledding and ice-skating on frozen ponds. Most of life was magical, but not all.

I struggled with multiple learning disabilities, did not excel in school. I spent much of my time looking out windows and daydreaming. In the fourth grade (with the help of one very nice teacher) I fought dyslexia for my right to read, like a prince fights a dragon in order to free the princess locked in a tower, and I won.

Afterwards, I read like a fiend. I invented stories where I could be the princess… or a gifted heroine from another world who kicked bad guy butt to win the heart of a charismatic hero. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of that? Later, I moved to Florida where I continued to fantasize about superpowers and monsters, fabricating stories (my mother called it lying) and sharing them with my friends.

Then I thought I’d write one down…

Hooked, I’ve been writing ever since. I write historical, contemporary, urban fantasy, adventure, and young adult romances. I love strong heroines, sweeping tales of mystery and epic adventure… which must include a really hot guy. My writing is proof you can work hard to overcome any obstacle. Don’t give up. I say, if you write, write on!

Summer Of The Oak Moon by Laura Templeton
Coming May 5, 2015

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Rejected by the exclusive women’s college she has her heart set on, Tess Seibert dreads the hot, aimless summer ahead. But when a chance encounter with a snake introduces her to Jacob Lane, a black college student home on his summer break, a relationship blooms that challenges the prejudices of her small, north Florida town.

When Jacob confesses that Tess’s uncle is trying to steal his family’s land, Tess comes face to face with the hatred that simmers just below the surface of the bay and marshes she’s loved since birth. With the help of her mentor Lulu, an herbal healer, Tess pieces together clues to the mysterious disappearance of Jacob’s father twenty-two years earlier and uncovers family secrets that shatter her connection to the land she loves.

Tess and Jacob’s bond puts them both in peril, and discontent eventually erupts into violence. Tess is forced to make a decision. Can she right old wrongs and salvage their love? Or will prejudice and hatred kill any chance she and Jacob might have had?

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Laura Templeton lives near Athens, Georgia, with her husband, son, and a menagerie of animals. When she’s not writing, she enjoys reading, gardening, ice skating with her family, and taking long walks on the quiet country roads near her home. Her previous novel, Something Yellow, was released in 2013 and is set in one her favorite places – the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.

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Vessel by Lisa Cresswell
Coming May 26, 2015

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The sun exploded on April 18, 2112. It exploded in a Class X solar storm the likes of which humankind had never seen.

They had nineteen minutes.

Nineteen minutes until the geomagnetic wave washed over the Earth, frying every electrical device created by humans, blacking out entire continents, every satellite in their sky.

Nineteen minutes to say goodbye to the world they knew, forever, and to prepare for a new Earth, a new Sun.

Generations after solar storms have destroyed nearly all human technology on Earth and humans have reverted to a middle ages like existence, all knowledge of the remaining technology is kept hidden by a privileged few called the Reticents and books are burned as heresy.

Alana, a disfigured slave girl, and Recks, a traveling minstrel and sometimes-thief, join forces to bring knowledge and books back to the human race. But when Alana is chosen against her will to be the Vessel, the living repository for all human knowledge, she must find the strength to be what the world needs.

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Lisa, like most writers, began scribbling silly notes, stories, and poems at a very young age. Born in North Carolina, the South proved fertile ground to her imagination with its beautiful white sand beaches and red earth. In fifth grade, she wrote, directed and starred in a play “The Queen of the Nile” at school, despite the fact that she is decidedly un-Egyptian looking. Perhaps that’s why she went on to become a real life archaeologist? Unexpectedly transplanted to Idaho as a teenager, Lisa learned to love the desert and the wide open skies out West. This is where her interest in cultures, both ancient and living, really took root, and she became a Great Basin archaeologist. However, the itch to write never did leave for long. Her first books became the middle grade fantasy trilogy, The Storyteller Series. Her first traditionally published work, Hush Puppy, is coming soon from Featherweight Press. Lisa currently lives and writes in Idaho with her family and a menagerie of furry critters that includes way too many llamas! You can visit her website at www.lisatcresswell.com

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

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