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

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 Teaser for today is from The First Days

by Rhiannon Frater

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Teaser #1

“Zombies, or whatever they are, definitely shouldn’t exist in a rational, ordered world. It suddenly feels like we’re living in a horror movie.”

Teaser #2

So small.

So very small.

The fingers pressed under the front door of her home were so very small.

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Synopsis

Katie is driving to work one beautiful day when a dead man jumps into her car and tries to eat her. That same morning, Jenni opens a bedroom door to find her husband devouring their toddler son.

Fate puts Jenni and Katie—total strangers—together in a pickup, fleeing the suddenly zombie-filled streets of the Texas city in which they live. Before the sun has set, they have become more than just friends and allies—they are bonded as tightly as any two people who have been to war together.

During their cross-Texas odyssey to find and rescue Jenni’s oldest son, Jenni discovers the joy of watching a zombie’s head explode when she shoots its brains out. Katie learns that she’s a terrific tactician—and a pretty good shot.

A chance encounter puts them on the road to an isolated, fortified town, besieged by zombies, where fewer than one hundred people cling to the shreds of civilization.

It looks like the end of the world. But Katie and Jenni and many others will do whatever they have to to stay alive. Run, fight, pick each other up when they stumble, fall in love…anything is possible at the end of the world.

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How about you? Got a tease? Tell me!

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Murder in the Dog Park/Dog Spelled Backwards
 by Jill Yesko

Ms. Yesko is skilled as a writer…
~rantin’ ravin and reading

Great series, well-written and very entertaining. Four Stars!
~Mommasez

This is a more gritty detective story. Unique characters, with lots of flaws.
~readalot

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Murder in the Dog Park
Mystery
Paperback: 128 pages
Publisher: Baxter World Publishing (May 28, 2012)
ISBN-13: 978-0985485207
File Size: 242 KB
Print Length: 128 pages
 ASIN: B00A10IU7O

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 My Review

I loved this book right from the first sentence. The author cracked me up and it was something I could relate to as a dog lover. From then on it was full speed ahead.

Jane reminds me of one of my sisters in her younger years. A wise cracking woman who hunts down bad guys, drinks too much, smokes too much, and breaks the rules on a regular basis.

She has an oddball cousin, Lenny. He’s kind of a lost soul. Not sure why, but I like him.

And Archie, Jane’s bull terrier, is as ballsy as she is. If you don’t know what a bull terrier is, picture Spuds McKenzie from the old Budweiser commercials. A short, stout body packed with muscle, and beady little eyes. A land shark with attitude. Ever had a dog take you for a walk? The author called it fourpaw drive.

A freezing constitutional walk for Archie at the dog park lands Jane in a murder mystery after the dog unearths a dead body.

Her skills at hacking help her make a living and come in handy when she attempts to solve the murder and clear her cousin’s name.

There’s also a hint of romance when hot cop Don and Jane meet. I was looking forward to finding out if he could handle her.

The writing is neat. The author keeps the story moving quickly. It’s earthy and the characters are flawed and genuine. Definitely a series I’ll be following.

4 Stars

Synopsis

Discovering a brutally murdered boy in a rainy dog park sends misanthropic private detective Jane Ronson on a journey through Baltimore’s gritty underbelly. Aided by a sexy cop, a bad-ass bull terrier, and an only-in-Baltimore cast of characters, Jane must use her computer-hacking and street-fighting skills to save her only family member from being framed as the killer.

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DogSpelledBackwards
Dog Spelled Backwards: An Unholy Mystery
Mystery
Paperback: 210 pages
Publisher: Baxter World Publishing (August 17, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-0985485214
File Size: 1355 KB
Print Length: 118 pages
 ASIN: B00FDXQVO8
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My Review

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book with such a mishmash of characters and scenarios.

I had a hard time picturing Jane as an Orthodox Jewish woman. Several scenarios left me laughing. She’s a hard partying, sailor cussing, nobody tells me what to do gal and it was fun seeing her play this undercover role.

Jane and Don’s romance is steaming along. Her odd cousin Lenny and her hot cop boyfriend are scheming for wedding bells for the couple. I don’t see her as the settling down and getting married type, but we shall see.

And Jane’s loveable bull terrier, Archie, is up to his old tricks along with some new ones. Nothing like a dog to make a story more fun.

The author really ups the ante for Jane. She has a huge target on her back with the Russian mob after her. Also, she learns she’s Jewish, not the Catholic girl her mother led her to believe. Talk about a curve ball.

This second book in the Dog Park mysteries is even more intense, with very interesting and diverse characters. Another race to the finish line read and every bit as good as the first book, Murder in the Dog Park.

4 Stars

Synopsis

Private investigator Jane Ronson suffers from oppositional defiant disorder, the uncontrollable urge to punch first then ask questions later. When a rabbi with a shady past offers her a bag of cash to spy on a rival rabbi, Jane jumps at the chance to make what think will be easy money. To get her cash, Jane impersonates an Orthodox Jewish woman and infiltrates a black market kidney ring in Baltimore’s Orthodox community. Between Russian gangsters and double crosses, Jane is number one on everyone’s hit list. To save her life, she forms an alliance with a religious woman and confronts a family.

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Jill Yesko Headshot
About This Author

Jill Yesko’s 20+ year writing career has included stints as a sport writer, NPR commentator and investigative reporter. She’s written about everything from body piercing to human pyramids in Spain. After a solo trek around the world, Jill was profiled as an “adventurous traveler” in O, the Oprah magazine. Before becoming a writer, Jill was a national-class cyclist and graduate and cartographer. A New Jersey native, Jill now patrols Baltimore’s dog parks with her basset hound.

 

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Author Links

Website / Blog / Goodreads

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Tour Participants

April 14 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review
April 15 – Mommasez… – Review, Guest Post
April 16 – readalot blog – Review
April 17 – Kelly P’s Blog – Interview
April 18 – Mochas, Mysteries and Meows – Guest Post
April 19 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review
 April 21- deal sharing aunt – Guest Post
April 22 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review
April 22 – fuonlyknew ~ Laura’s Ramblins and Reviews – Review
April 23 – Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers – Review
April 24 – fundinmental – Guest Post
April 25 – Thoughts in Progress – Review, Interview
April 26 – Chloe Gets a Clue – Interview
April 27 – Melina Book Blog – Guest Post
April 28 – Teena in Toronto – Review
April 29 – Read Your Writes Book Reviews – Review
April 30 – Brooke Blogs – Review, Guest Post

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Tour giveaway
An eBook copy of Murder in the Dog Park
An eBook copy of Dog Spelled Backwards

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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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’ve seen Ash Krafton’s Bleeding Hearts novel around for a while and I’m so happy to tell ya’ll about it.

I’m always up for weres, vamps, and some treachery.

Great news!

Bleeding Hearts is on sale at $1.99 on Amazon and Barnes&Noble until April 30th!!

I have an excerpt and a giveaway for you too!

Bleeding Hearts

(Demimonde #1)

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Synopsis

Sophie Galen is an advice columnist who is saving the world – one damned person at a time. Shy and sensitive Sophie has all but given up on love until she meets Marek, a mysterious stranger who seduces her with his striking good looks and his take-charge attitude. Yet the darkness she senses within him may be more than she is prepared to handle when Marek draws her into a world of vampires, werewolves, and treachery. Forced to leave behind the comfortable routines and certainties of her past, Sophie makes unbearable sacrifices and uncovers hidden truths about herself and the world around her.

AmazonBarnes & Noble
Add Bleeding Hearts to your Goodreads list!
_________________________

Don’t forget to check out “Blood Rush” (Demimonde #2) and get ready for “Wolf’s Bane” (Demimonde #3), coming out this June!

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Ash Krafton

 

Ash Krafton

Ash Krafton is a writer of all things spec fic. She believes spectacular endings make the best beginnings… Why not? One billion black holes can’t be wrong. Her first novel BLEEDING HEARTS: Book One of the Demimonde is available through Pink Narcissus Press. The manuscript earned finalist distinction in several Romance Writers of America 2011 competitions and has earned several other awards. The follow-up BLOOD RUSH (Demimonde #2) was published in 2013 and the third installment WOLF’S BANE (Demimonde #3) is expected mid-2014. Her urban fantasy novelette STRANGER AT THE HELL GATE is available through the Black Rose line of The Wild Rose Press. In addition to novel-length fiction, Ash enjoys writing poetry and short fiction, some of which earned awards and distinction in several national competitions. One of her poems was selected as a Pushcart prize nominee. She’s a member of Pennwriters, RWA, Pikes Peak Writers, SFPA, and the Maryland Writers Association. She also contributes to Query Tracker’s blog at http://querytracker.blogspot.com. Ash resides with her family in a rural town in the heart of the Pennsylvania anthracite coal region. She’ll never leave, either, because coal is just another example of a spectacular ending waiting for a brilliant beginning. (It’s kinda fitting.) And because, like a black hole, once you’re in…you can never get out.

WebsiteBlogTwitterFacebookGoodreads

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A $25 Amazon Gift Card & Swag

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

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UltimateKill_Banner

I swear I’d recognize Kristine’s books just by her cover art. They all make a statement.

Now she has a new series for us. Ultimate Kill is Book One in her Ultimate CORE Trilogy and sounds like another thrilling series with great characters.

Read on to learn more and enter the giveaway!

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Purchase Links

Amazon ~ B&N ~ Kobo ~ iTunes

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BLURB:

 

When the past collides with the present, the only way to ensure the future lies in the ultimate kill…

 

Naomi McCall is a woman of many secrets. Her family has been murdered and she’s been forced into hiding. No one knows her past or her real name, not even the man she loves.

 

Jake Tyler, former Marine and the newest recruit to the private criminal investigation agency, CORE, has been in love with a woman who never existed. When he learns about the lies Naomi has weaved, he’s ready to leave her—until an obsessed madman begins sending her explosive messages every hour on the hour.

 

Innocent people are dying. With their deaths, Naomi’s secrets are revealed and the truth is thrust into the open. All but one. Naomi’s not sure if Jake can handle a truth that will change their lives. But she is certain of one thing—the only way to stop the killer before he takes more lives is to make herself his next victim.

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Want to read a sample? Check out this excerpt from the bad guys POV!

 

When the door closed behind them, Ric rose from his chair. “And the woman?” he asked. “Should I find another investigator?”

 

“No.” He opened the file and stared at the eight by ten glossy of her. Although not beautiful in the classical sense, she’d caught his attention the moment he’d seen her. While she’d been bustling through the club where she used to work, taking drink orders, he’d pictured her naked, curvy body on his bed, her long, straight brown hair fanning out along his silk sheets as she spread her legs and welcomed him. He had eventually made what he’d imagined into a reality. And after having her once, he’d wanted her again.

 

Only she hadn’t.

 

That was her first mistake.

 

When she ran from him…that was her second.

 

After he’d found her, he’d tried to be reasonable. He’d tried to give her everything she would ever need, and she’d rejected him.

 

That was her last mistake.

 

He always got what he wanted. Always. Growing up with enough money to run a small country, the world and its contents were his for the taking.

 

She was his to take.

 

Ric pressed his hands against the desk and leaned forward. “You’ve spent eight years looking for her. Are you giving up?”

 

He looked up from the photograph and met Ric’s eyes. Eight years. A lot had happened during that time, and over the years he’d assumed he would eventually grow tired of searching for her. But he hadn’t. She was the one object his money couldn’t buy. The only woman who had walked away from him without a second glance. He never understood why. Quite frankly, he didn’t care whether she wanted him or not. She was a lost possession he wanted found. “Have you ever known me to quit anything?”

 

“Never.” Ric smiled. “Now what?”

 

He closed the file, then returned it to the drawer. “Now we do things my way.” He rose from the chair and walked to the windows. As he looked around the spacious backyard, he found his wife and two children sitting on the lawn having a picnic lunch. “Hiring another investigator isn’t going to cut it. We’ve been down that road one too many times,” he said, and watched grape jelly drop onto his four-year-old son’s pristine white shirt as the boy waved to him.

 

“And your plan is…?”

 

“Simple.” He gave his boy a two-finger salute. “If I can’t find her, I’ll make it so she has no choice but to come to me. When I’m finished, she’ll beg me to take her back.”

 

“Interesting,” Ric said, his voice laced with amusement. “And why would she come to you?”

 

He smiled, as his wife frowned and worked on their son’s jelly stain. “Because if she doesn’t, I’m going to kill a lot of people.”

 

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About Kristine Mason

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I didn’t pick up my first romance novel until I was in my late twenties. Immediately hooked, I read a bazillion books before deciding to write one of my own. After the birth of my first son I needed something to keep my mind from turning to mush, and Sesame Street wasn’t cutting it. While that first book will never see the light of day, something good came from writing it. I realized my passion and found a career I love.

 

When I’m not writing contemporary romances and dark, romantic suspense novels (or reading them!) I’m chasing after my four kids and two neurotic dogs.

 

I’VE BEEN RUNNING A “CONTEST” ON MY WEBSITE. JOIN MY NEWSLETTER AND HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO WIN A $50 AMAZON GC.

LINKS:

Website  ~ Facebook ~ Twitter

Email: authorkristinemason@gmail.com

Books available on:

Amazon ~ B&N ~ iBooks ~ Kobo

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Tour Giveaway

Kristine will be awarding a $5 Amazon gift card to five randomly drawn commenters during the tour. So show some comment love!

Be sure to follow the tour and comment; the more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found by clicking on the banner below. 

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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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The Power Book Boost & Giveaway!

a heart-quickening novel that will thrill Michael Crichton fans and that T.C. Boyle readers will find wickedly smart

 

About The Power

What if you had the power to heal others but it only brought you personal destruction and ruin? Would you still use it?

When a street shaman meets a horrific demise on Dr. Austin MacLean’s ER table, Austin soon discovers a raw and irrepressible power. But when this power inflicts traumatic effects on three chronically ill children, families rush to accuse him, his colleagues condemn him, and the police begin to investigate in this affluent New Jersey beach town….and so do others when the children begin to show inconceivable progress.

Dara Kleows, a local reporter, is the first to connect the children’s gradual healings back to Austin. The two develop a deep bond but Austin remains uncertain as to what this beautiful woman wants. Is she just after a story, or more? There are those who covet Austin’s “power” and at any cost, while Dara grows concerned by Austin’s headlong march toward his own perdition.

What if you had the power to heal but people condemned you and supected its use? Would you still use it? Read The Power. You just might need it someday when you meet the One, or if that One becomes you.

Purchase The Book
*Only $2.99 on Kindle!*
About The Author

 

Jeff Hennelly now lives outside of Philadelphia, PA. He’s been in the medical device business for over 20 years and has worked with hospitals, clinics, and alternate care facilities from Palo Alto to Prague. His articles and short stories have appeared in numerous trade magazines and journals. His latest novel, THE POWER has generated motion picture interest. His fascination remains for the human condition, behavior surrounding procreation, and in art that portrays a metaphor for life. Look for his new novel, THE 95 PERCENT in December of 2013.


ENTER THE GIVEAWAY!
The author is giving away this fabulous prize!
$50

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Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

The Night House by Rachel Tafoya

presented by Month9Books!

I had an inkling what this book was about when I spotted the cover art. I’m always in the mood for vampires.

Would you knock on this door?

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

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

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

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

add to goodreads

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

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Rachel Tafoya

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

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

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Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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One eBook copy of The Night House and a $10 Amazon Gift Card

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Aqua
By- M.A. George
Genre- YA Paranormal
Publication Date- April 16th, 2014 
 
Meet Layla McKelland:  
Novelist (unpublished, but cut her some slack…seventeen is a bit early to despair),
Slightly neurotic introvert (Alright, let’s be honest…there’s no “slightly” about it),
International Woman of Mystery, and…
Okay, just scratch the bio. 
 
The only real “mystery” in Layla’s life is why her father has never been on the scene.  Or why her mother drags Layla to a new coastal home every year.  
 
Nothing about the latest hometown seems too newsworthy…until a routine day at the beach leaves Layla questioning whether she’s read one too many paranormal fantasy novels.  The plot thickens when a random guy claims to know things about her father—a bizarre claim he backs up with an equally impossible stunt.  And Layla soon finds herself on the wrong side of a mysterious attempted drowning…on her own kitchen floor.
 
When all is done, Layla will attest that fact is far stranger than fiction.  And nothing in real life is ever as transparent as it seems…Not even water. 
 
Especially not water.
 

 

 

 
 
 

Read the rest of this entry »

HawthorneHawthorne by Sarah Ballance

After a terrifying encounter with the unexplained, it takes ten years and the news of her grandmother’s passing for Emma Grace Hawthorne to return to her childhood home. She seeks peace in saying a proper goodbye, but what she finds is an old love, a sordid family history, and a wrong only she can right.

Living in the shadow of Hawthorne Manor, Noah Garrett has never forgotten about Emma Grace. In a house full of secrets, his search for missing documents reveals a truth that can cost him everything. What he finds gave Emma the freedom to walk away from the mansion, her heart free and clear, but at what price to Noah?

 

Praise for Hawthorne

“This is a marvelous ghost story. The mystery, the suspense, the eeriness – all collaborate to weave a spell-binding tale . . . The story seamlessly flows to a shocking ending that is utterly brilliant.” — Coffee Time Romance

“When I finished it, honestly, all I could do was sit there – a little awestruck.” — Kick Back & Review

****Hawthorne will be FREE on Amazon from April 10th to 14th****

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Excerpt from Hawthorne

Noah closed in on the convertible, giving the nearby grounds a cursory look. The lawn was meticulous, the beds overflowing with sprays of purple garden phlox which trailed around the bend in the road and disappeared. A riot of white and rust-red irises backed the smaller purple flowers, their leaves deep green and glossy. Overhead, Spanish moss swayed only occasionally atop a maze of live oak, more likely a result of a passing swarm of insects than an actual air current. The land was still. If there were tourists snapping photos of the historic plantation — or doing anything else — he didn’t see them. But someone had been there. The car was certainly real, even if that too-familiar scream had been a figment of his imagination.

Wasn’t it always?

Resigned to another night alone with his memories, Noah pivoted.

And found himself nose to nose with Emma Grace.

Astounded, he opened his mouth, then closed it. He wanted to reach for her, but his arms refused the notion; they hung uselessly by his sides, the effort futile. His mouth wasn’t much on cooperation, either. Finally, he found his tongue. “Em—”

Her expression cut him off. Green eyes wide, skin pale, her small frame shaking, she spoke. “I saw her, Noah. She’s back.” The words, nearly soundless, seemed to catch in the thick air. Lingering. Threatening.

And ripping the heart from his chest.

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sarahAuthor Sarah Ballance

Sarah and her husband of what he calls “many long, long years” live on the mid-Atlantic coast with their six young children, all of whom are perfectly adorable when they’re asleep. She never dreamed of becoming an author, but as a homeschooling mom, she often jokes she writes fiction because if she wants anyone to listen to her, she has to make them up. (As it turns out, her characters aren’t much better than the kids). When not buried under piles of laundry, she may be found adrift in the Atlantic (preferably on a boat) or seeking that ever-elusive perfect writing spot where not even the kids can find her.

She loves creating unforgettable stories while putting her characters through an unkind amount of torture—a hobby that has nothing to do with living with six children. (Really.) Though she adores nail-biting mystery and edge-of-your-seat thrillers, Sarah writes in many genres including contemporary and ghostly paranormal romance.

Website * Blog * Facebook * Twitter * Goodreads * Pinterest

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BookBlast Giveaway

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Ends 4/30/14

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, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Jennifer Ainsley-The Final Demon War Banner 450 x 169

I was supposed to review this book for the tour but a family emergency has taken much of my time and I didn’t have time to finish reading it. I can say that at my stopping point it was really cranking up!

I apologize to Bewitching Book Tours and Sidney Stone and will be sure to post my review as soon as I can.

I do  have a great spotlight to show ya and a glimpse inside this exciting book.

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

Jennifer Ainsley

The Final Demon War

by Sidney Stone

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Genre: Urban Fantasy/Suspense/Horror/New Adult

Date of Publication: December 2013

ISBN: 1491200960 / ASIN: B00HFYK99Q

Number of pages: 308 / Word Count: 102,400

Cover Artist: Pencilbox Studios

 

Book Description:

 

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” – Matthew 10:34

Demons are preparing to launch the Final War to destroy humanity.

Can one young woman wielding the Sword of Jesus ensure our survival and redemption?

Will she lose both her love and her soul in the process?

Available at Amazon in Paperback and Kindle formats

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Please see following for Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest 284 word pitch and 1100 word opening chapter.

 

“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword”

– Matthew 10:34

Jonathon Tait, whose demon-enhanced 170-year-old life has helped make him the richest man in the world, secretly renounces his alliance with demons in order to save his twins and redeem himself in the eyes of the two women he loved and lost. Jonathon has visions that his beautiful college-aged adopted daughter, Jennifer Ainsley, may be the key to humanity’s survival and works with an underground movement to fight back against both the demons and the human leadership that is guiding our civilization towards total annihilation.

Can Jennifer wield the Sword of Jesus to fulfill her destiny even as the planet hurtles towards its destruction? Is she mankind’s only hope and can Jennifer save everyone that she loves; including her destined soul mate Andrew Walker, or are we all doomed?

Jennifer Ainsley: The Final Demon War is a gripping, fast-paced fantasy/horror novel grounded in the contemporary world. The characters are extremely likable and engaging, and a great deal of humor is successfully incorporated into the book, despite its often grim and macabre themes. There are several action packed tour-de-force chapters including “Scenes from the End” and “Kasey and Tracey’s Amazing Adventure”.

The book deftly tackles issues of greed, humanity’s neglect for its weakest members, the race for power among individuals and nations, and the ability of love and courage to transcend personal weaknesses. It is a tale that combines horror and fantasy to tell a story of love, loss, sacrifice and redemption. It is the first chapter of an exciting new trilogy that deserves to find a wider audience.

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Chapter One

Heather

 

Heather couldn’t believe she was going to die in front of her peacefully sleeping twins, who were oblivious to the unspeakable acts occurring in their nursery. These infants, this life, were all she had wanted, and in those lonely nights before sleep overtook her, she admitted to herself that she had been groomed for this since birth. She had been groomed to be a beautiful, nurturing wife to a wealthy and powerful man and she had been groomed to care for his children and teach them to take their rightful place in the world while she also maintained this lovely home—with a slew of maids, servants, and other staff of course. She threw the best dinner parties and had a special banquet hall included in the new Napa Valley estate just for that purpose. She knew all the right people to invite, and they raised all the right money for all the right charities.

Yet here she was in midair, swaying back and forth, seeing herself reflected in the rectangular Craftsman-style floor mirror she personally had picked out for the nursery. The demon Palvakia held Heather by her strawberry-blonde hair, a mane her husband Jonathon Tait called “gorgeously luxurious,” while her lithe and toned, almost split-in-two body, spilled her blood and guts onto the new Berber carpet (a lovely light blue she also had personally picked out for the nursery). How important Heather had thought every design detail of this room was. She had placed so much importance on the mundane materials that now meant nothing. She was escaping into the blackness now, the dark abyss whose passage she hoped ended with a consummating light. Was there light beyond death and beyond this horror?

It was insane, Heather thought, that her husband, the man she loved and admired, was watching this scene unfold with an expressionless face as Mordock, a repulsive and despised demon, stood next to him. Mordock was in human form right now, unlike the demon who had torn her in half, but Heather still felt the evil lurking underneath. She had tried to banish Mordock from their lives and had pleaded with her husband to stand up to him. Yet Jonathon had done nothing to remove him from their lives or to stop Mordock from carrying out her murder. If there was a light at the end, how could the Keeper of Light cause this to happen or not prevent it in the first place?

And what of the twins? Alexander and Sophia were so beautiful and full of life, with old-soul eyes, even as infants. My lovely babies, Heather thought with her last bit of consciousness. Who will keep you from harm? Can your father somehow be your guardian angel? Will he succeed with you where he failed with me? The darkness with the light behind it is approaching. Will I see you in heaven? How long will I have to wait? Hopefully a long, long time…

Heather took her last breaths just as Palvakia began to devour her. To her horror, though, death did not come instantaneously. A morbid trick of the demons is to keep their victims on the cusp of dying so they can witness themselves being eaten. Heather couldn’t even scream as the pain ripped through the ever-decreasing parts of her body.

When Palvakia was finished, not one ounce of the physical being that once had been Heather Tait was left in the room. Even the carpet was clean…and the twins continued to sleep peacefully.

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About the Author:

jennifer ainsley author pic

 

Sidney Stone is a hiker, deer whisperer and non-pretentious wine connoisseur. An addicted reviewer on Yelp, he is also creator of affordable housing (although technically he is homeless part-time), thinks The Replacements are the best band of the Eighties and loves to boost his LinkedIn count with people he doesn’t know.

 

He lives in both Northern and Southern California while constantly traveling to Orange County to visit his son, who can now beat his father at ping pong and chess rather easily (and is charmingly arrogant while doing it). A graduate of UC Irvine and Pepperdine University, Sidney wishes he chose at least one university to attend that had a college football team to root for.

The first scene Sidney thought of for Jennifer Ainsley: The Final Demon War included a rather large massacre (take that for what it is worth). However, inspired by the works of Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Clive Barker; the book’s violence is offset by dark humor and deep human emotion just like in real life where Sidney’s darkness is offset by creatively placed sarcasm and an overwrought romanticism. For example, while Jennifer Ainsley: The Final Demon War is a Fantasy-Horror novel, Sidney also still tears up at the end of both Field of Dreams and An Officer and a Gentleman.

Contact him at:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

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Tour giveaway
$25 Gift card- winner’s choice of Starbucks or Amazon
1 signed print copy open to US Shipping
2 ebook copies

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Check out the other fun stops on this tour!

March 24 interview
Eclipse Reviews
March 24 Spotlight
Night Owl Reviews
March 25 character interview
Author Karen Swart
March 26 Spotlight
Share My Destiny
March 27 Guest blog
Mythical Books
March 27 Interview and review
Kannah M.
March 28 Interview
Books Direct
March 28 Spotlight
Paranormal Romance Fans for Life
March 31 Interview
Pembroke Sinclair.
April 1 Interview
Deb Sander
April 2 Spotlight and review
Nanna Three and Counting
April 3 Spotlight
3 Partners in Shopping, Nana, Mommy, & Sissy, Too!
April 4 Interview
Shut Up & Read
April 7 Guest blog
The Library Mistress
April 8 Interview
So Much To Write
April 9 Spotlight
Midnight Musings with Bertena
April 10 Spotlight
Soaring Eagle Publicity
April 11 Spotlight and review
Laura’s ramblins and reviews
April 14 Interview
A Writer’s Mind
April 15 Interview
The Literary Noob
April 15 Spotlight
Lisa’s World of Books
April 16 interview
Annette Gisby
April 17 Interview
The Avid Reader
April 18 Guest blog
Roxanne’s Realm
April 18 Guest Blog
The Creatively Green Write at Home Mom
April 21 Tour Wrap Up Guest blog
Fang-tastic Books

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Cover Reveal: Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway and Giveaway

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Call Me Grim by Elizabeth Holloway

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Call Me Grim

The truck should have turned Libbi Piper into a Libbi Pancake — and it would have, too, if Aaron hadn’t shown up and saved her life. The problem? Aaron’s the local Grim Reaper… and he only saved Libbi’s life because he needs someone to take over his job. Now, Libbi has two days to choose between dying like she was supposed to, or living a lonely life as Death Incarnate. Talk about a rock and a hard place.

And the choice goes from hard to sucktastic when her best friend shows up marked: condemned as a future murderer. Libbi could have an extra week to stop the murder and fix the mark… but only if she accepts Aaron’s job as Reaper, trapping herself in her crappy town forever, invisible and inaudible to everyone except the newly dead. But, if she refuses? Her best friend is headed straight for Hell.

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Title: CALL ME GRIM
Publication date: November 11, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Elizabeth Holloway

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Elizabeth Holloway

Elizabeth Holloway is a registered nurse living in Southern Pennsylvania with her two teen children, Bam-bam the dog, and Tinkerbell the cat. CALL ME GRIM is her first novel.

 

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

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One eBook copy of Call Me Grim and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

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