Posts Tagged ‘fantasy’

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
by Steve Bryant

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presented by Month9Books!

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

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Lucas MacKenzie eBook Final

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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.

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Title: Lucas Mackenzie and the London Midnight Ghost Show
Publication date: November 18, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Steve Bryant

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

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).

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

An eBook copy of Lucas Mackenzie and a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

Click on the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

 

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Witches and warlocks. Good vampires and not so good vampires. And so much more. I had quite the experience reading this trilogy.

Learn more about Lauren Hodge’s Discord Trilogy and enjoy my reviews.

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The Golden Apple of Discord – Book 1

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MY REVIEW

How could I resist a story starring four sisters, and they’re witches. At least, in the beginning they all are. Then Taralie gets kidnapped and turned by some vampires with their own agenda.

When the sisters turn to The Twelve, the decision makers for the Milunfran, its ordered that they kill Taralie. Being halfings, the purebloods don’t much care for them and this comes as no surprise. This is the thanks they get after banishing all sorts of evil beings, protecting humans from evil.

The sisters have no intention of killing Tara, so they go into hiding. With the Milunfran and the vampires after them, they find some unlikely allies in a group of vampires also in hiding.

The halflings have been dropped right in the middle of the vampires long raging civil war.

It became quite interesting when  the vampires joined the sisters. I knew something big would have to happen for the alliance to work. Something huge happened and it bumped up my excitement. I also knew there was going to be some romantic entanglements and I was right. Throw some funny, kick butt witches and some sexy, alpha vampires together, and there’s bound to be powerful attractions. I caught myself trying to play matchmaker.

Besides great characters, the author wrote some lively dialogue, sprinkling humor here and there. She also built a complex world and added lots of suspense and dangerous situations for her characters.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next, in Abomination.

4 STARS

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***Winner of the Compulsion Reads Quality Book Endorsement***

Synopsis

Taralie Severin and her three sisters are a powerful coven of modern-day witches who banish mythical creatures in between classes and shifts at the police station. But when Taralie is kidnapped by vampires and converted into the undead, her sisters are ordered to execute her for crimes against the Milunfran order. Refusing, the sisters become fugitives from both their kind and vampires alike.

Ignorant and hunted, Taralie becomes entangled with unlikely allies, a band of vampires in hiding from the ruling vamperic government. With this new addition to their coven Taralie must balance duty with desire while learning not everything is as it seems, their enemies are worse than she knows, and she could be on the verge of ending a thousand-year-old civil war.

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Abomination – Book 2

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MY REVIEW

This being the second book in the series, I’ll try not to put in spoilers.

 Tara and her sisters have formed a kind of truce with the Noricum, the vampire rulers, and things have returned to a more normal rhythm.

Now the excitement is all about an upcoming wedding.  But things change quickly and the truce is broken.  The Noricum will tolerate no threat to their rule and the sisters, along with their mates can either serve the vampires or die. There is no bargaining. Just those two choices. Serve or die.

Told through the perspective of Alex, Tara’s new husband, this second book was harder to take.

While on their honeymoon. they stumble upon some local vampires preparing to feed on a human couple. This is something Tara can’t turn away from and the results of her actions are tragic. One beloved character loses their life, the truce with the vampires is shattered, and Tara will pay a horrific price for her choice.

I applaud the author for not being afraid to put her characters in difficult, sometimes, unsurviveable situations. By the time I reached the end of this book, I felt like I’d been put through an emotional wringer. Such sadness, hopelessness, and anger were evoked. I couldn’t believe what happened to Tara and now that I’m moving on to the third book, I fear the outcome.

4 STARS

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Synopsis

Taralie Severin and her sisters have secured a non-aggression pact with the rulers of the vampire world, the Noricum. Having relocated to Cannon Beach, Oregon, Alexander prepares to marry his beloved Tara. But when an encounter with average vampires goes wrong, the Severin coven’s fragile amnesty with the Noricum is destroyed. With the supremacy of their rule challenged, the Noricum set out to restore the balance of power, leaving the Severin family two choices – Die on their feet, or live on their knees.

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Rubicon – Book 3

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MY REVIEW

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The Noricum are still after the Severin coven, so they take shelter on the water, living on a boat while they wait to see whether Tara will ever be herself again. She survived the abomination, but now she’s only partially recovered and without their leader, the clan is more at risk than ever.

The author kept me busy with so much drama, but it was always in the back of mind, what about Tara? I couldn’t stand it that she was so reduced, so not in control. It wasn’t until about half way into the story that I got some hope.

And my trust of the Severin coven was almost non-existent. In the beginning of this series, they had no compunction about ordering Tara’s death. And throughout the series, I felt they were self-serving and held themselves above the Milunfran witches. I didn’t see why that would change now and had little hope they’d choose to help the sister’s clan over their own skins.

I’ll provide no spoilers, give no hints about where the rest of the story goes. But, I will say this is a thrilling, nerve-wracking next installment. One that still lingers, still has me recalling how far this story came from the beginning.

4 STARS

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Synopsis.

Hidden away on a Caribbean island, Tara’s body survived abomination while her mind did not. Strangled from within by Verus’s accumulated memories, the eldest Severin sister struggles under the weight of so many conciseness inside her mind. But the Noricum are not idle, nor are they forgiving. Enraged by Tara’s murdering of their princess, they hunt the Severins relentlessly. After turning a powerful halfling and declaring open war, the Severin coven must choose between defending the Milunfran witches protecting humanity or their own extinction.

 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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I’m Lauren Hodge, a chemist turned author with three children, a lot of friends no one else can see, and a swearing habit. Writing is something I stumbled into on accident. I was reading fiction for the first time as an adult and wondered if I could do it. It never crossed my mind to publish until my twin got a hold of my manuscripts and pressured me into it like the cool drug seeking kid from the After School Specials. Because of that, my books are different. I don’t write because I have a story to tell. I write because there is a story inside my head and it’s merely using my fingers to get out. I enjoy writing protagonists that are flawed and enemies that aren’t. Not everyone is all good or all bad and I love the philosophical process of defining that grey area. There are two parts of communication. What is articulated and what is received for only the latter can compel action. You, the reader, are more important than me, the author. I relish understanding what you receive from my articulation. To help with that, I have editors – lots and lots of editors. Editors are the heroes authors need, but not the heroes they deserve. As an author, I strive every day to be worthy of professional editors. I’m the oldest of seven and have an identical twin/perfect organ donor.

Lauren’s Website / Twitter / Facebook / Pinterest / Instagram

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

M9B-Friday-Reveal

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles #2)

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by Nicole Conway

presented by Month9Books!

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

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What kind of power is lurking inside him?

After a year of training to become a dragonrider, Jaevid Broadfeather has been sent home to rest during a three-month interlude. But when he returns to find the king drake has chosen Beckah Derrick as his new rider, Jaevid realizes something big is about to happen. Every fiber of his being is pushed to the breaking point as Jaevid battles through his avian year, preparing for the final graduation test of the battle scenario. But there is more standing in his way than a few pushups and fancy sword moves.

Jaevid must face a new fear as he is tormented by a gruesome nightmare of a mysterious gray elf warrior murdering the royal family of Maldobar. It seems obvious to him that this is some kind of message about how the war started long ago—until Felix assures him the king is very much alive. With his strange powers growing stronger by the day, and that violent dream replaying in his mind every night, Jaevid no longer wonders if he will pass his avian year or not . . . he wonders if he will even survive it.

The truth will soon be set loose.

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add to goodreads

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Title: Avian (The Dragonrider Chronicles #2)
Publication date: August 26, 2014
Publisher: Month9Books, LLC.
Author: Nicole Conway

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

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Nicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.

Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school.

She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation.

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.

Connect with the Author: Website | Twitter | Facebook

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

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A $10 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of Avuan

Click on the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

 

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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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SI Cover reveal

Today we’re excited to reveal the cover for Silent Echo by Elisa Freilich!

What do you notice first?

Her lips?

Her tears?

Her lashes?

The cover is an excellent representation for the character and the story!

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About the Book:

Rendered mute at birth, Portia Griffin has been silent for 16 years. Music is her constant companion, along with Felix, her deaf best friend who couldn’t t care less whether or not she can speak. If only he were as nonchalant about her newfound interest in the musically gifted Max Hunter.

But Portia’s silence is about to be broken with the abrupt discovery of her voice, unparalleled in its purity and the power it affords to control those around her. Able to persuade, seduce and destroy using only her voice, Portia embarks on a search for answers about who she really is, and what she is destined to do.
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Add it on Goodreads!
Available for sale:
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About Author Elisa Freilich
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Elisa Freilich has enjoyed a love affair with language from her earliest days. Raised in rural Monsey, New York, Elisa spent her days reading whatever crossed her path and developed a keen appreciation for the ever-present music in her home – from classical to rock. French lessons and creative writing workshops complemented her adolescence, which was also greatly enhanced by a summer spent abroad at Cambridge University. From the time she could read and write, Elisa could often be found composing poems, song lyrics and satirical newspapers.
Throughout the years, Elisa has retained her devotion to all genres of books and music and was determined to synthesize her passions into one refreshing and original platform. The result is her debut novel, SILENT ECHO: A Siren’s Tale, which will be published by Diversion Books in September 2013. With her own lyrical style, Elisa has created a world that young adults around the globe will find intensely gripping and refreshingly original.
Links:
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Awesome paper lashes like the ones on the cover, Signed poster of the cover and an ebook of Silent Echo
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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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Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

Curse of the Granville Fortune by Kelly Hashway

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presented by Month9Books!

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

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Granville fortune

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Find the fortune, break the curse!

The hunt is on for an ancient treasure tied to nine-year-old J.B.’s family history. He’s been having visions that make him sweaty, lightheaded, and certain he’s turning into some kind of freak—or worse, going insane. But things are worse than he imagined. The visions stem from a family curse. An ancient ancestor was accused of stealing the massive Granville fortune, and now J.B.’s entire family will suffer.

To break the curse, J.B. must find and return the Granville’s stolen property. But he’s not the only one searching for the treasure. As he sets out on his journey through a dark and foreboding forest, he’ll battle his worst fears and fight terrifying creatures along the way. And when he meets two others who share the missing pieces of his visions and suffer from the same curse, the three soon realize they need to work together to break the curse before it’s too late.

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Kelly Hashway

Reading is a thing of magic. It has allowed me to enter into worlds I never would have known. I’ve cried, laughed, and been scared right alongside my favorite characters. And my hope is that one day kids will do the same for my characters. I want kids to see that reading is one of the greatest gifts. Luckily, my daughter already agrees with me!

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

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway

$10 Amazon Gift Card and an eBook copy of Curse of the Granville Fortune.

Click on the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win!

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(Winners will receive their book on release day)

 

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

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Roane Publishing is giving away THREE ARCs of Portals!



Genre: Fantasy Anthology (mixed sub genres)
Release Date: June 5, 2014
Publisher: Roane Publishing
Keywords: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Urban Fantasy, Steampunk, Short Stories, Picture Prompt

Description: No matter what world you call home, or what your station in life, there are just some paths that weren’t meant to be tread.

Maronda’s Quest by Christy Thomas
Mexmur, the Huntress by Anna Simpson
Entrance of Lost Souls by Echo Shea
Where Once were Hearts by Havva Murat
Ordinary World by Laurie Treacy
The Lunatic Queen by Michael Siciliano

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Roane Publishing is giving away THREE ARC copies to three lucky winners!


You don’t even have to be a blogger.



If you are willing to leave an honest review between the dates June 5th and July 3rd, you are eligible to enter.

How? Simply fill out the form!


You have until Midnight of May 16th when three winners will be chosen by random drawing.


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Thanks so much for participating & best of luck!
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To see all of my giveaways click on the lucky horseshoe below!

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Welcome to my stop on the tour for Fractured Truth. This is a new series for me and I’m excited to get started reading it. I especially love the beautiful book covers!

Check out the books, enjoy the excerpt and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

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Fractured Truth

Fractured Light Book #3

Fractured Truth Cover

Llona is determined to end the fight with the Vykens once and for all. All she needs is to find and destroy the Shadow—the ultimate source of dark power. But when she makes a startling discovery about someone she loves, Llona has to fight the toughest battle yet in this exciting conclusion to the Fractured Light series.

Chapter One

“You have four minutes, Llona,” Liam said through a microphone in my ear. His voice, like the ringing of a great bell, pounded my already aching head.

The small plane’s engine shrieked, a high-pitched sound different from the steady hum of the last twenty minutes. Everyone had boarded a while ago. It was a silent crowd, not one likely to converse with each other.

I shifted my weight in the plane’s cramped closet. I could’ve come out as I’d just turned invisible, but I wanted to wait until the speed of the plane increased, covering any sounds the closet door might make when opened.

It was shortly after Cyrus kidnapped my aunt Sophie from Lucent academy that I taught myself to turn invisible. I’d practiced every day, sometimes for hours, until I could do it without the accompanying paralyzing weakness. And although the pain hadn’t gotten any better, I was able to increase the time I could maintain invisibility to several minutes. I’d accomplished all this in just the few short months since Christian’s death.

Just then the plane lurched forward, picking up speed on the runway. I opened the door and peered into the plane’s small kitchen. Empty. Perfect. I quietly slipped out and closed the door behind me.

The front wheels of the plane bounced. The cabin, as I suspected, was full of Vykens sitting in their seats, their backs to me, as if they were regular passengers. Most of them looked like normal humans, which meant they’d fed on Auran blood recently, but a few were in their purest form— facial features deformed and gray with moldy skin peeling back from their faces.

There was only one different from the rest. Jackson. He sat three rows up to the right of the center aisle.

With the Deific’s help, Liam had finally received a tip on Jackson’s whereabouts. It was the closest we’d come to finding out where Cyrus was keeping Sophie. I glanced to my left, to the emergency exit. By the way the plane was vibrating, it was close to taking off.

A Vyken stood and slid into the aisle. I pressed myself against a seat to keep him from bumping into me. I had yet to learn how to let matter pass through me. That may be a trick only my mother knew.

After the Vyken passed by, I went to Jackson. He was looking down at his bloodied knuckles. How did that happen? Jackson used to be a guardian. He (and a bunch of others who had followed him) had joined the Vykens against the Auras months ago. I’d been training harder than ever to stop them all and restore the Auras to their former strength. The strength only a few knew about.

The plane lifted. Still plenty of time to make my move.

I reached down, careful to avoid touching Jackson, and undid his seat belt. He glanced to his lap, brow twisted together. I smacked the back of his head, hard. He turned around and stared at the Vyken behind him.

“What’s your problem?” Jackson asked.

The Vyken ignored him.

Jackson stood and confronted the Vyken again. “Hey, I’m talking to you!”

The Vyken lifted his gaze from the sports magazine in his hand. “I know Cyrus said we can’t kill you, but he didn’t say we couldn’t hurt you. Sit down, guardian.”

Liam’s voice spoke again in my ear. “Hurry up.”

Several Vykens looked around. His voice, this close to so many of them, must have drawn attention.

Time to pay for your crimes, Jackson.

I drew my fist back and punched Jackson in the face. His hand came up to his bloodied nose. “What the . . . ?”

A few Vykens stood up.

I punched him again. He stumbled back toward the exit, arms outstretched as though to steady himself. Blood ran onto his chin.

“What’s going on?” he yelled.

I answered with a swift kick to his chest. It took just a second for him to recover before he started blindly throwing punches. “Someone help me!”

Vykens looked around as if they didn’t know what to do.

I dodged Jackson’s fist and punched him again. He was in position. I took hold of the emergency latch and pulled it as hard as I could. The door flew open, sucking air from the cabin.

Papers and all kinds of debris flew past me. Jackson scrambled backward, his eyes darting around until he was pressed against the wall separating the kitchen from the cabin.

The others stood alert, some in a fight-ready stance. But who were they going to fight? They couldn’t see me. No one could.

Grabbing Jackson, I spun him around until he was facing the open door; his clothes and hair whipped around violently. He stuttered.

His fear excited me, sending a wave of adrenaline through my blood stream.

I was about to reveal myself to him, just so I could see the surprise in his eyes, but Liam’s voice sounded in my ear. “Get out of there—now!”

Jerking into action, I wrapped my arms around Jackson’s chest and jumped from the plane, spiraling into a black abyss.

AmazonBarnes & Noble
Add Fractured Truth to your Goodreads list!

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Fractured Light

Book #1

I’m dying, I thought. This was unexpected and not at all how I envisioned my death. I was supposed to die gardening in a flowerbed as a hundred-year-old woman, not as a seventeen-year-old trapped in a lake beneath inches of ice.

Llona Reese is used to living on the run. After the Vykens killed her parents, she knew they would eventually come for her too. She can’t take any chances. But when she starts to make friends for the first time in her life, she gets careless and lets her guard down. Big mistake.

As an Aura, Llona can manipulate light and harness its energy. But if she wants to survive, Llona will have to defy the Auran Council and learn to use her power as a weapon against the Vyken whose sole desire is to take her light. Now she’s caught in something even bigger than she can understand, with a power she can’t wield, and no one she can trust, except, just maybe, a mysterious stranger.

In this breathtaking and romantic adventure, Rachel McClellan delivers a truly mesmerizing story that will keep you guessing to the very end.

AmazonBarnes & Noble

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Fractured Soul

Book #2

Llona will do whatever it takes to protect her new found friends and home, but the dark plot that is threatening Lucent Academy, a school that’s supposed to be a safe place for Auras, may be too powerful for even Llona to defeat. This fast-paced tale of love, loyalty, and overcoming the darkness will keep you on the edge of your seat until the last page!

AmazonBarnes & Noble

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Rachel McClellan

Rachel McClellan

Rachel McClellan was born and raised in Idaho, a place secretly known for its supernatural creatures. When she’s not in her writing lair, she’s partying with her husband and four children. Her love for storytelling began as a child when the moon first possessed the night. For when the lights went out, her imagination painted a whole new world. And what a scary world it was…

WebsiteBlog
TwitterFacebookGoodreads

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Look what you can win!

FT-GiveawayPrizes

GRAND PRIZE: $25 Amazon Gift Card and a printed copy of Fractured Truth
Runner-up 1: Printed copy of Fractured Truth
Runner-up 2: Ebook copy of Fractured Truth

Click on the rafflecopter below to enter.

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Fractured Truth by Rachel McClellan is now on Tour!
Check all the hosts and join the International giveaway
running here and on each tour stop!

Fractured Truth Tour schedule:

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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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Freakin Fridays!

Freakin Fridays is my own little meme. I’ll be posting about books, movies, and all things scary.

Feel free to join in and do your own Freakin Fridays posts!

Tune in every Friday. Get your scare on!

Let’s have some fun!

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With the new year right around the corner, I’m getting ready to implement my new plans for my blog.

While I’ll still be doing my memes and posting for book tours and giveaways, I’m going to be doing a lot more reviewing.

You can help me with this. Below are the 5 books I’ll be reviewing for the 5 Fridays in January. Let me know which one you want me to review first. The book with the most votes will be my frist 2014 Freakin Fridays review.

Just leave a comment!

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#1

The Monster Man of Horror House

by Danny King

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Local oddball, John Coal is the town oddball. Old, crotchety, pungent and solitary, he lives in a scary old house that is almost as rundown as he and sees out his days shuffling around the streets harvesting his neighbours’ skips for scrap.

The local kids take great delight in plaguing him morning, noon and night but they’ve chosen the wrong old coot to mess with because John Coal is no ordinary man. He knows where the bodies are buried. He’s been to the outer limits. He is a keeper of dark secrets. Murder, monsters, demons and bi-polar vampires, he has seen them all and lived to tell the tale.

Now, if he is to rid himself of his woes he must dig into the deepest recesses of his past and use these terrible experiences to convince his tormentors he’s not just an old man to be pushed around.

He is John Coal – the Monster Man of Horror House.

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#2

The Little Mermaid of Death

by Kevin Rickey

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Tired of her life with the other swamp hags, Ariel strikes a bargain to obtain a mask so realistic she could pass for human. But can she trick anyone into marrying her before the mask deteriorates—and all without saying a word?

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#3

 Spooky Short Stories

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

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Four contemporary spooky short stories:

Ghost Brother…
So what happens after you die? Do you go to heaven, or hell? Or do you go to a special place fashioned just for you based on the life you’d lived in the real world? Based on how you treated people? What you did to them?
And do ghosts exist? Do they roam the earth and plague the living, persuade them to do things they shouldn’t do?
Two brothers and their tale follow; their journey through life and death.
Do you believe in ghosts? Some do.

Running with the Train…
Sarah has always been lonely. Searching for a love she’s begun to believe will never come. Her family and friends depend, need her…but they can’t give her what she wants. True, eternal love. Like the wolves have.
So she goes on an adventure of a lifetime to the Grand Canyon; rides the train from Williams to the South Rim and sees these huge wolves running alongside in the evening twilight; scurrying unbelievably below on the Canyon’s ledges among the trees. She’s told there are no wolves but she hears their haunting cries. No one else sees or hears them. Just her.
Has her loneliness made her crazy?

The Banshee and the Witch…
What would you do to live forever, stay young forever? To find true love again?
And if you were a white witch with the magical powers to make it happen…and the secret of how to do it, would you?
So when the banshee comes calling for you one rainy dark night you’ll do what you have to do to get what you desire the most. More time.

Too Close to the Edge…
Artist Penelope had been looking forward to going with her husband, sister and brother-in-law to see the Grand Canyon…even though she was terrified of heights and, when she got there, couldn’t bear to get too close to the edge. She watched people balancing on one foot, acting foolish, taking photos, oblivious of the death waiting below them. It scared her.
Especially when a woman relates a story of a small child that fell into the Canyon the day before. Over the edge.
Then she sees a young girl go over the rim and no one will believe her.
For there was no child that had died–that day anyway.
Was she seeing things that weren’t there, or was there another explanation?

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#4

Cold Blood

by Donna Ansari

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As the winter holiday season descends on New York City, vampire Emma Hammond is anticipating celebrating with Tammy and David, her witch and werewolf roommates. But when an odd Christmas ornament unleashes waves of the undead from her neighborhood graveyard, Emma finds herself as an unwilling shield between ravenous zombies and an unsuspecting city. Even worse, despite having everyday dealing with supernatural creatures, Emma finds that she has an unnatural aversion to the shambling dead, and must get to their source and stop the invasion before she’s forced to cancel her holiday party!

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#5

Days with the Undead

by Julianne Snow

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It’s a journal of survival.

Five people set out to escape the Undead who have risen too close to home. Join the emotional and physical struggle as they began on the third day after the awakening of Brooks VanReit, as they are recorded from the point of view of Julie, a former pathologist and part-time survivalist.

Each entry is geared toward helping those who want to help themselves and maybe give a few that don’t a swift kick in the ass.

Join our group of survivors on their journey through these Days with the Undead.

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So tell me. Which one should I review first?

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Way Walkers: Tangled Paths

The Tazu Saga: Book One

J. Leigh

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Twelve Ways create a thousand tangled paths.

Hatched from an egg but unable to shift into dragon form, Jathen is a Moot among the Tazu. His rightful throne is forbidden him because of his transformative handicap, and neither his culture nor his religion offer acceptance of his perceived flaws.

Driven by wounded anger, Jathen strikes out across the vast world beyond Tazu borders, desperate to find a place where he feels accepted and whole. Though he travels with the most trusted of companions, sabotage and conspiracy soon strike his quest. Jathen and his allies must struggle against man and magic alike, at the mercy of forces beyond their ken.

As Jathen presses on, his questions of belonging are surrounded by more of identity, loyalty, and betrayal. Where will the path of his destiny lead, and will he follow or fall?

Coming March 2014

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I have yet to read a story about shapeshifting dragons. This book calls to me. It’s time to read outside the box and discover something new and exciting!

How about you? Do you tend to shy away from a book because it’s outside your normal genre, or do you get curious, like me, and dive in to see if you’ve been missing something?

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Welcome to My Monday Minis.

This is where I review very short stories and flash fiction.

For today I’ll be telling you about Beginnings

The Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon Series 

by A.M. Hargrove

Beginnings: Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon

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You met the Guardians of Vesturon in Survival and Resurrection.  Now read about how their parents, Rowan and Annalise met in Beginnings, the novella Prequel to The Guardians of Vesturon.  Learn more about Rowan and how Annalise unwittingly captured his heart and how his chance meeting of her took him on a journey of forbidden love.

My Review

I was thrilled when the this book was released. I’ve read the entire Vesturon Series and this back story about Rowan and Annalise and how they met was like cheese cake with strawberries drizzled all over it. A sweet, tasty morsel to satisfy my craving for more.

When Rowan first lay eyes on Annalise, he was a goner. But when he approached her, she discouraged his advances.

First-Born and lower- born were not allowed to fraternize and Annalise could lose her job, or maybe worse if caught even speaking to Rowan.

But Rowan is not to be denied and sets out to change the out of date , prejudicial laws set by the Council of Elders, not just for him, but for everyone. Even standing up to his father, the Great Ruler of Vesturon.

I tore through this book in about an hour, not pausing until the end.

I admired Rowan and his fight for change. He was dogged in his determination and so tender with Annalise.

Annalise will melt your heart like she did Rowan’s when he gazed into her eyes. She’s gentle but not timid and supports Rowan’s fight.

It was also interesting to read about Rowan’s training as a Guardian. It was very brutal and reminded me of what soldiers go through in our special forces elite units.

I couldn’t imagine being tortured until I broke, and that’s knowing that they really won’t kill you. Scary stuff.

Now that I’ve read Beginnings I just may have to read the whole series again. I remember just how much I love this world and its many characters.

When you read The Guardian’s of Vesturon series you’ll see how these two loving people instilled their self-confidence and strong beliefs in their children.

4 STARS

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Other books in The Guardians of Vesturon Series

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A Praestani Series Novel

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The Edge Series

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My Review

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About A.M. Hargrove

A.M. Hargrove

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life.  So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase.  Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head.  Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window.  She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job.  Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Author Social Media Links:

http://www.amhargrove.blogspot.com

http://www.amhargrove.com

http://www.twitter.com/@amhargrove1

http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.hargrove

http://www.facebook.com/guardiansofvesturon

http://www.goodreads.com/amhargrove1