Posts Tagged ‘YA’

dead and delu ban

Travel Diaries of the Dead and Delusional
by Lauren Nicolle Taylor
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: February 18th 2019
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
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Synopsis
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Nineteen-year-old Langley is crazy…like get out the straight jacket and prepare the padded room kind of crazy. She knows it, and the kicker is—she’s choosing to stay that way. She clings to the persistent and intrusive hallucination of her dead sister by choice. Sure, it might be nice to live life in the real world. But not if it means she has to let Sarah go.

Tupper’s life is charmed. He has loving adoptive parents, and several athletic college scholarships on the table. But his passion is for the arts, for the beauty of solid ink lines on paper. His illustrations are eerily similar to a keepsake from his birth mother, Anna: comic-book-style drawings scrawled across an old map…her version of a travel diary. At eighteen, Tupper sidesteps his planned future and starts his journey where Anna’s ended—following her map from Kansas City to Canada. His travels will put him on a collision course with Langley, and their bond is palpable from the start. But secrets will push between them—Sarah and Anna, two ghosts who could sink their icy fingers into the teens and tear them apart.

Perfect for fans of Colleen Hoover’s Hopeless and John Green’s Paper Towns, TRAVEL DIARY OF THE DEAD & DELUSIONAL is a unique and robust novel that explores themes of mental-illness and self-discovery from three distinct perspectives. Lauren Nicolle Taylor is the award-winning and best-selling author of Nora and Kettle and the beloved Woodlands series, among others.

“A story of love and loss, adventure, and coming into one’s own, Travel Diaries of the Dead and Delusional is a thoughtful, poignant road trip adventure that delivers hope through its melancholy.” ~Hannah Williams, Foreword Reviews Magazine

 
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Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
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Author Lauren Nicolle Taylor
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Lauren is the bestselling author of THE WOODLANDS SERIES and the award-winning YA novel NORA & KETTLE (Gold medal Winner for Multicultural fiction, Independent Publishers Book Awards 2017).

She has a Health Science degree and an honors degree in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A full time writer, hapa and artist, Lauren lives in the tucked away, Adelaide hills with her husband and three children.
Author links: Instagram / Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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I am so excited that IMANI UNRAVELED by Leigh Statham is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Author Leigh Statham, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a 2 finished copies of IMANI UNRAVELED, courtesy of Owl Hollow Press and Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

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Title: IMANI UNRAVELED (Daughter 4254, Book 2)
Author: Leigh Statham
Pub. Date: February 5, 2019
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Pages: 260
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&NTBD

When her head is artificially filled with more information than she knows what to do with, Daughter4254 finds she can’t trust her own thoughts, much less the words of anyone else.

Rumors come creeping in the night, and she finds herself faced with a choice she thought she’d left far behind when she’d walked out the doors of the compound.

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Title: DAUGHTER 4254 (Daughter 4254, Book 1)
Author: Leigh Statham
Pub. Date: December 5, 2017
Publisher: Owl Hollow Press
Pages: 286
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Find it: Goodreads, AmazonB&N, iBooksTBD

Daughter4254 used to think life in a community where art, music and names are outlawed would suffocate her creative spirit. Now that she’s rotting in a prison cell, she’s not sure her dying mother made the right choice when she entrusted her with the secrets of rebellion. Prison has given her plenty of time to relive every mistake and lose all hope.

Then she meets Thomas, a fellow inmate, who tells her stories of the mythical mountain colonies where people have names and the arts thrive. Together they plot an escape, knowing if they fail, they will die. Or worse, their consciousness will be taken by the MindWipe, leaving their bodies free for the government to use. When nothing goes as planned, Daughter4254 must choose between using her mother’s secret to better the world she hates, or following Thomas to the quiet life of freedom she has always craved.

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Excerpt:

CHAPTER 1
The wind scratches my cheeks with icy fingers. I round the corner of the building and look up, checking the rooftop for an autoeye. It still feels strange to be in a place where I’m not watched every second of every day. I keep thinking there has to be a guard somewhere or that a random person passing a window might notice me wandering alone in the side yard and call for an investigation. I don’t think I’ll ever lose those habits of apprehension from my life before prison and Secondary School.

I turn away from the quiet building and search the tree line ahead of me. Did I really see Thomas? I take a few more steps and stop at the dead, gray fruit tree outside my bedroom window. The glass is slightly mirrored, but not enough that I can’t see inside. If he was here, he saw me.

I peer again across the clearing to the trees and rocks ahead. Where did he go?

My first instinct is to run, hoping to be faster than anyone who might be watching, but my failed history of running away keeps my steps slow and regular. Besides, the blanket of snow on the ground, untouched by anything larger than a rodent or bird, makes my footprints stand out like a big red arrow.

My head thumps with sudden pain as an image of a huge red arrow fills my vision, overtaking my tracks in the snow. Neon is the word my mind supplies. Before I can shake my head to clear it, the sign disappears and the pain eases off as well.

I take a deep breath. Hamen, who still feels like Professor789 to me, did a great job messing with my head. This is the third time since awaking in the Institute that I’ve had a strange flash of a memory that isn’t mine. Each is accompanied by a word unfamiliar to me: arpeggio and sunflower and now neon.

Snow shifts on a nearby tree branch and cascades with soft plops onto the ground below. I tell myself to keep up the lie I started with the main door attendant.

I need some fresh air. I’m going for a walk to clear my head.

I felt certain they wouldn’t let me just walk out of the Institute, but they did. The woman had been friendly and all smiles—another thing I wasn’t used to. She gave me a thermal parka and some boots and warned me not to go too far from the Institute, that there were sometimes beasts lurking in the trees. A pang of guilt tugged at my gut as I thanked her.

I was not simply going for a walk. I was running for my life, and possibly for Thomas’s life. For our life together.

I wrap my arms around myself in the puffy coat and rub my shoulders while I walk slowly across the clearing. My bare hands soon grow too cold for that, and I stuff them deep in the parka’s pockets. The trees stand tall and brown against the white snow like an overgrown fence or a row of frozen soldiers. As I draw close to their rough brown bark and suck in the cold, clean air, I search for any sign of Thomas. Still nothing. I scan the ground at the edge of the trees where I thought I saw him from my room. Nothing, not even a footprint. My heart sinks.

If Thomas is dead, do I have any reason not to take Hamen’s offer to stay and help him fight the Leaders subversively? At least I could help other people like me who are stuck in the system. But I still don’t trust Hamen. He slipped too easily between the Leaders and the resistance and has lied to me about almost everything.

I take a few more steps into the dark shadows of the forest. The sunlight lingers behind me in the clearing. It is now or never. Walk forward or turn back. Run or stay.

I shove my hands into my pockets and step deeper into the woods, my feet scarring the fresh snow. I need to keep looking for something better than what I am leaving behind.

My first steps are slow. There is no sign that I’m being watched from the forest or the bright white building behind me. I make a silent promise to myself as my eyes well up with tears.

I will not cry. I will not panic. I will walk away, go into the woods, disappear. There are people in the mountains, and I will find them. I will make a life for myself. I will do this, or I will die trying.

I quicken my pace. My throat tightens further. Breathing through these thoughts and emotions is hard, and the crisp winter air makes it painful. My heart pounds twice as fast as my feet crunching through the snow. The trees fall in behind me, blocking the building from sight. Hope dangles on the edge of my thoughts, close to falling into a chasm of cynicism. There may not be any sign of Thomas, I may be lost to delusions, but I am walking. Choosing my own path and my own future, even for a moment.

Then I see it. Next to a large rock in the center of a beam of light cutting through the shadows of the forest—a fresh footprint.

I can’t help myself—I sprint forward. I don’t dare call out his name. It could be a trail from a guard or a Leader or forestry worker. Still, I look desperately from tree to tree and back to the trail of footsteps in front of me.

The steps come from deep in the woods and double back on themselves. I push through naked bushes and crisp evergreens dusted white with snow. My thick coat catches on the branches, making synthetic scratching sounds that set my nerves even more on edge. I want to take it off but my freezing face tells me that wouldn’t be wise. The temperature is well below freezing.

The tracks keep going and I keep following while unwanted thoughts dance through my mind. What if I saw someone but only thought it was Thomas? What if I didn’t see anything, and these footprints are an illusion and I’m going mad? After Hamen described the procedure I underwent to store centuries’ worth of data in my mind, I have no doubt that I could be delusional now, the part of brain that knows reality from daydreams permanently damaged.

An index of mental illnesses flash before my eyes, like the pages of a text book flipping in front of me while I read at top speed.

Bipolar II disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder

Borderline intellectual functioning

Borderline personality disorder

Brief psychotic disorder

Bulimia nervosa

I groan and shake my head, closing my eyes against a headache that pierces where the previous pain hit with the image of the red neon arrow. The pain dissipates again, as quickly as before, and I stand straight, not remembering hunching over. I must think about Thomas.

Thomas.

I take a step forward and a heavy weight hits my shoulders and back with such force I fall forward, hands only coming up in time to prevent my face from taking the brunt of the fall. I try to scream, but my face is shoved into the snow. The cold burns my cheeks as my nose is bent and scraped against a rock. Movement on my back precedes snarling hot breath in my ear.

I’m crushed deeper into the snow by the weight of a clawing mass. A flash of gratitude for the thick parka fills me as I hear it rip in several places, synthetic skin saving my own. I flail and fight to get out from under whatever has me pinned, but it’s so heavy, I’m losing the battle. Finally, I swing back hard with an elbow and make my first solid contact. Whatever it is wobbles, off balance. I grab the chance to flip onto my back and start punching.

What I thought was a forest creature is a person, a man. But something is wrong with his eyes. They’re too dark, too intense. Even in the dim forest light I can tell they are more animal than human. I shove and kick as hard as I can, trying to get him off of me. He slaps my cheek and pulls my hair. I punch and kick, screaming for help. The man grabs both of my arms, forcing them against the ground above my head, and shoves his face next to mine. I push my jaw against his, screaming in his ear, trying to keep his mouth away from my neck.

He snarls and roots at my shoulder. His breath is foul, like rotten flesh and sour milk. My arms are wedged up against his shoulders leaving only my head to defend myself from his mouth. I shove the top of my head against his cheek, trying to force it away. It is no use. Disgusting grunts and pants leave moist vapor on my skin until he rears back and crashes his forehead into mine. The blow knocks me senseless but in that same moment his weight is knocked off me.

When the stars and black dots leave my vision, I can see my attacker on the ground. Another man has him in a choke hold from behind, squeezing the air out of him until, all too quickly, he falls limp. I scoot backward until I bump against a large rock, then struggle to get to my feet so I can run, but I’m too slow.

The second man drops the first man and is on top of me, his hand over my mouth. My eyes sting with tears and I can’t breathe from the shock. His face, covered in a mask like the one my father wore to work in the forest on the coldest winter days, hovers near mine as he secures me with strong arms, wedging me in a sitting position against the boulder and the snowy ground. Then one knee is on my legs while he straightens up to peer back down the trail over the rock that conceals us. His thick green coat is the confirmation I need to know he isn’t a guard from Hamen’s. They would be wearing a white coat like me. I don’t know whether to be relieved or terrified.

Adrenaline still pumping through me, I strain to free my arms. It isn’t too late to run. I can survive and find the mountain people.

But instead of attacking, he bends down and looks into my eyes before letting his hand slip off my mouth and his grip on my shoulder loosens.

Soft hazel eyes meet my panicked gaze, and I freeze. Even with the rest of his face covered, I know those eyes.

“Thomas!” The name comes out in a burst of white fog from my mouth.

He eases off of me and I pull up his mask to reveal his scruffy face, the same one I saw watching me through bars all those days and nights in prison. I want to hold him close like my mother used to hold me—he’s so close anyway. But I hesitate. Thomas isn’t like my mother. What would it feel like to hold him? It feels strange to consider it.

“Hush, lassie,” he says. “They’re bound to be right behind us.”

At the sound of his voice, I can’t hold back anymore. I throw my arms around him. All the moments of being without him and wishing I’d jumped with him melt between us as he returns my embrace and his breath warms my neck.

“What are you doing here?” I check my voice and whisper, “How did you find me? How are you alive? I can’t…” I’m not sure what else to say, where to start.

“I’m a tough nut, you know?” He smiles and rubs my raw cheek with his wool glove. Mixed with my tears, the sweet gesture stings my skin, but I don’t care.

“I can’t believe you’re alive.” I pull him to me again and bury my face in his shoulder, my head pounding from the fight with the wild man.

His strong arms wrap around me, and I hear his voice echo in his chest. “Honestly, sweets, I can’t believe you’re not a walking veggie head. I want to hear all about your adventures as soon as we’re out of these bloody woods. Come on.”

Feeling his legs shift, I sit back and he helps me to my feet while scanning the trail behind us again.

“We’re leaving a proper mess for them to follow so we’ve got to scurry.” He takes my hand and starts back over his footprints leading farther into the woods. “How did you get out here, anyway? I didn’t expect you to waltz into my arms like a cranking birthday gift.”

“I told them I was going for a walk. I know the leader—he was trying to recruit me. He said I could do whatever I wanted, but I overheard him saying that if I didn’t comply they’d roast me. Complete Mind Wipe.” I am rambling now. Must focus. “How did you find me? And who was that man? What was wrong with him?”

As if on cue, there’s motion behind us. Down the trail, the beast man moans and sits up. Thomas pushes me behind him, ready to knock the man out again if he approaches, but a twang cuts through the air, and the man falls back to the snow, convulsing. Shock rifle fire.

“Come on, no time to chatter.” Thomas pulls my arm, and we run through the brush and trees, ignoring the footprints Thomas made on his way to get me.

I can’t help looking back. One man in a white suit is kneeling to examine my attacker. Two others have spotted us and are charging forward, long black shock rifles wagging back and forth in front of their chests.

I know what those guns feel like. I know what happens when they catch you. Shudders trip down my spine and I push myself to keep up with Thomas, determined not to lose him this time as we slalom tree trunks and trip through the snow.

Another twang rings through the air, and a branch a few feet to my left shatters.

“They are catching up,” I say between breaths, feeling fear rise in my throat.

“No matter, we’re here.” He looks back at me and slows slightly. “You gonna trust me this time?”

“What?”

We emerge from the trees, and Thomas catches my arm so I don’t fall down a steep, snowy embankment to a river two hundred yards below. The drop isn’t as far as at the prison, but the water below is agitated and swift, frothing and white. I can see where Thomas has carefully picked his way up the hill farther upstream where large rocks jut out of the snowy hillside. Directly before us lies a slippery, snow-covered slide of unknown hazards. Behind, the soldiers’ shouts sound on the other side of the tree line.

I look at Thomas and without hesitation, I jump.

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About Author Leigh Statham:


Leigh Statham was raised in the wilds of rural Idaho but found her heart in New York City. She worked at many interesting jobs before settling in as a mother and writer.

She now resides in North Carolina with her husband, four children, eight chickens, a fluffy dog, and two suspected serial killer cats.

Leigh is currently working on an MFA, has written countless short stories, and is the author of lots of mediocre poetry. She is also the winner of the 2016 Southeast Review Narrative Nonfiction Prize for her short story “The Ditch Bank and the Fenceline.”

Website |Twitter Instagram | Facebook | Wattpad | Goodreads

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GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Welcome to The Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice.

 

This is a really fun meme!

The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your eReader and find a sentence or a few (no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Then go over to Freda’s Voice and leave your link so we can visit your 56!

My 56 for this week is from:

Match Me If You Can

  by  Tiana Smith

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Genre: Contemporary Romance / YA

From page 56 in the hard cover.

Cotton candy was probably the best food ever invented. Don’t get me wrong, chocolate came pretty close, but there was just something about eating pure sugar that made me happy.

I stuck my tongue out for Logan’s inspection.

“Is it blue yet?” I asked.

“Yes,” he laughed and playfully nudged me away.

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Synopsis

Mia’s best friend Robyn is known for her matchmaking skills, which is perfect, because homecoming is just around the corner. But Robyn refuses to set Mia up with the guy of her dreams, which forces Mia to take matters into her own hands. She uses Robyn’s matchmaking service to make sure popular Vince Demetrius falls for her.

Vince asks her out, but Mia doesn’t count on Logan, the persistent school newspaper photographer who seems to like her out of the blue. Now she has to choose between Vince – the guy she knows is right for her – and Logan, who insists that she give him a chance. And she needs to make sure Robyn doesn’t find out that Mia’s been matchmaking behind her back.

Mia has two weeks before homecoming. Can she fix the mess she made or will she have to kiss her perfect match goodbye forever?

Amazon / B&N

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Leave your link and I’ll drop by your 56.

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew!

You can find a list of my reviews HERE.

For a list of free eBooks go HERE

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Piggybacker banner

Piggybacker
by Mikki Noble
(Vessel of Lost Souls, #1)
Publication date: January 28th 2019
Genres: Thriller, Urban Fantasy, Young Adult
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Piggybacker cover
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Synopsis
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TOO LATE TO SAVE HIS LIFE. NOT TOO LATE TO BRING HIM BACK.

Everyone thinks Marley tried to take her own life, that is, except Marley. After her mother sends her to a youth center for troubled teens, she starts hearing the voice of a boy who claims he was murdered and begins questioning her own sanity. The voice is Gavin, a seventeen-year-old boy who promises Marley he can help her find the truth about what happened the day she supposedly tried to kill herself—if she completes a resurrection spell in the next four days.

Upon discovering Gavin’s death in the newspaper, Marley realizes she’s not hallucinating, and that she has a chance to save Gavin’s soul and clear her name. The task seems simple: complete the spell, then she and Gavin are free, right? But a powerful, unseen force is determined to stop her, and soon Marley finds herself following clues from the universe to find ingredients for the ritual to save herself and her newfound friend, and most of all, to find the truth about what really happened that day.

Piggybacker is the first in Mikki Noble’s spell-binding Vessel of Lost Souls trilogy, and promises a thrilling mystery with powerful enemies, broken relationships, captivating magic, and two souls both caught up in a plot beyond any they could ever imagine.

 
Purchase: Amazon
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Author Mikki Noble
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Mikki

As far back as she can remember, Mikki was creating characters and stories in her head. It wasn’t until fate brushed the tip of its wings over her eyes that she began to see that writing was what she was born to do. She loves animals, reading, everything supernatural related, and enjoys spending her free time on social media whenever she can.

Author links: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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Prodigy
The Giver of Life Trilogy Book 3
by Kristy Centeno
Genre: YA Paranormal 
 
Leah Parker’s fate had always been controlled by others—who she loved
and who she lost. Five years after the tragic murder of her
daughter’s father, she’s done everything in her power to protect
her little girl from the outside world. But she’s rebelled against
fate in the past and no act of defiance goes unpunished in the
Enchanter community.
The ultimate power wants to correct the damage done by Jae and the only
way they can do that is by getting rid of her special child—a child
destined to replace all branches of Enchanter magic one day.
But, Leah isn’t willing to go down without a fight. She will do anything
to save what Jae died to protect, even if she must turn against the
Circle of Elders. But when her first love, Brandon Morris walks back
into her life, Leah knows nothing will ever be the same again.
Leah must confront her past, before she and her daughter are erased from
her family line. She must get over her guilt and rely on Brandon to
ensure her daughter’s survival. But will the pain from their past
destroy their friendship forever? Or will their old bond hold them
together and carry them through what’s ahead?
 
 
Enchantress
The Giver of Life Trilogy #2
 
Fate brought them together. Will evil break them apart?
Leah Parker’s visit to her hometown is supposed to bring her closer to
the truth behind her identity. What she doesn’t anticipate is the
handsome stranger with almond eyes claiming to be her Pair.
Her world once again upturned with the arrival of the man chosen to be
her life partner, Leah is pulled between the feelings she’s always
had for the friend she left behind, and those for the compelling
stranger determined to save her from certain death—at whatever the cost.
With an ancient evil out to finish what it started twenty-one years
before, will Leah find peace within her troubled mind and heart to
fight back and win? Or will her disconnection with her newfound
powers hinder her only chance at survival?
His sacrifice…is her salvation.
 
 
Enchanter
The Giver of Life Trilogy #1
 
They have a past. But will they have a future?
Leah Parker is resilient and hardworking. She’d always prided herself in
maintaining a level head, even under pressure. Everything changes
when she begins to see strange apparitions and hear ghostly voices on
the morning of her birthday.
In a blink of the eyes, Leah’s life takes a drastic turn that spirals
her into the unknown. Something is out to get her, but she’s unsure
if she’s losing her mind, or the faces and demands of the dead are
real. Unable to find the answers she needs, she has no choice but to
rely on ex-best friend, Brandon Morris, for help.
But as she will soon discover, Brandon has his own secrets. Some of which
defy logic and only add to the mystery surrounding Leah. And mix
feelings between the two complicate matters by getting in the way of
what they really want, and what they must do.
Can Brandon lighten the load on her by figuring out what or who wants her
dead? Or will their past history get in the way of the storm brewing
just beyond Leah’s grasp?
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Prodigy 1
 
 
 
Kristy Centeno loves to spin tales of creatures that go bump in the night,
with a sprinkle of romance to top them off. Her passion for writing
stems from a lifelong enjoyment of reading and the pleasure derived
from the magical worlds created by authors like her. She prefers her
female leads strong, independent, and stubborn who will stop at
nothing to save their loved ones and protect those they care for.
Kristy currently resides in Pennsylvania with her five kids and a trio of
noisy parakeets. When she’s not working or writing, she juggles her
free time between raising a handful of minions and pursuing other
career goals.
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 
 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

Girl With banner

Girl with all the Pain
by Michael Herman
(Aliens, Tequila & Us #4)
Publication date: February 23rd 2018
Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Young Adult
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Girl With cover
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Synopsis
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Sometimes an ugly duckling becomes more than just a swan.

In the streets of Santiago, Chile, a young homeless girl named Isabel screams a scream of rage that is the last sound the gang tormenting her ever hears.

Deep within the city, a family feels her cry and sets out to find her for their sake as well as hers.

Never straying far from Isabel, Skunk Mountain, a homeless pile of walking filth, visible to only the neighborhood kids, maintains a guardian presence that is key to her survival in a world where, beneath the very ground they walk, a dark ancient intelligent entity prepares to unleash forces that will devastate Chile.

Sometimes that swan has claws and teeth.

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Girl with all the Pain is the first of the Global Invasion Chronicles.

The Aliens, Tequila & Us series is prologue to Girl with all the Pain

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If you are interested in mass extinction events, Chinchorro mummies, alien creatures, tequila, Pisco Sours, Very Large Telescopes, foreign tongues, evolution theories, witchcraft beliefs, Santiago Chile, underground caves, vineyards, million dollar concept bikes, interstellar space travel, abandoned mines, the Atacama Desert, Russian ATVs, Himmler’s Nazis Lebensborn, predictions of future times, earthquakes, orchids, avatars, and people with mutant powers, then this is the book for you.

Kind reviews go far and help keep up the spirit while I work to bring the second Global Invasion Chronicle to life.

 
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / iBooks / Kobo
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Author Michael Herman
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Michael
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When he isn’t doing construction or creating 3D simulations for the AEC industry, Michael Herman writes from his small urban hillside farm in California where he types away to the sounds of chickens, coyotes, the occasional fox and his household pets.

Author links: Twitter / Facebook / Website / Goodreads

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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Splinters
The Prospero Chronicles Book 1
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell & Matt Carter
Genre: YA Horror, SciFi
 
Under normal circumstances, Ben and Mina would never have had reason to
speak to each other. He’s an easy-going people person with a
healthy skepticism about the paranormal; she’s a dangerously
obsessive monster-hunter with a crippling fear of betrayal. But the
small Northern California town of Prospero, with its rich history of
cryptid sightings, miracles, and mysterious disappearances, has no
normal circumstances to offer.
When Ben’s missing childhood friend, Haley Perkins, stumbles out of
Prospero’s surrounding woods and right into her own funeral, Ben
and Mina are forced to work together to uncover what happened to her.
Different as they are, their unlikely friendship may be the only
thing that can save the town, and possibly the world, from its
insidious invaders.
A snapping, crackling, popping homage to classic horror.”
—Kirkus Reviews.
Whip-smart
dialogue… genuinely terrifying Splinters, the descriptions of which
will have fans of monster films utterly enthralled… A promising
series opener, this will satisfy those readers who like their scary
stories to be as clever as they are chilling.” —KQG, the
Bulletin of The Center for Children’s Books.
The stakes are high. The action is intense.” —Washington
Independent Review of Books.
**only 99 cents!!**
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Prospero splinters teaser 2-1
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Shards
The Prospero Chronicles Book 2
 
When autumn descends on Prospero, California, Ben hopes the normality of
the new school year may offer a reprieve from the town’s paranormal
horrors. Mina knows all too well that there are no reprieves and no
normality to be had in Prospero, but even she can’t prepare for
what the coming year holds.
On top of the vivid hallucinations that have plagued Mina since the
attack on the Warehouse, and the brewing Splinter civil war that
threatens all of humanity, inside the walls of Prospero High, Ben,
Mina, and their expanding Network face a vicious campaign to destroy
their friendship, and a mysterious assassin picking off human rebels
– an assassin with powers like no Splinter they’ve fought before.
Ben and Mina’s one hope rests with a mysterious old man hiding in the
woods outside of town; a living legend who may be able to teach them
how to fight this dangerous new breed of Splinter. That is, assuming
he doesn’t kill the pair of them himself.
Titchenell and Carter hold nothing back in this solid sequel that thrills and
expands on its predecessor. Aided by swift writing, relatable
characters and unexpected scares, Shards is a chill-inducing
delight.” —David Powers King, co-author of Woven.
Maintaining the same level of popcorn-munching fun, Titchenell and Carter are
taking The Prospero Chronicles in a promising direction.” —Joe
Dell’Erb, Washington Independent Review of Books.
 ,
Prospero shards teaser
 .
 
Slivers
The Prospero Chronicles Book 3
 
Ben
Growing up is hard, and growing up in Prospero is even harder, but I think we
manage. I mean, yeah, my friends and I spend more of our time
fighting a race of shapeshifting aliens than we do hanging out, but
we have our fun. We go to parties, help each other with our classes,
maybe even fall in love…
I’ve no illusions that we live ordinary lives, but they’re our lives,
and I’m going to make sure we make the most of them whether the
Splinters want us to or not.

 

Mina
The truce is temporary. We will not humor the Splinters forever. It’s
only until the Slivers can be stopped, until the army of Shards being
planted among our classmates can be disassembled, until we get our
hands on the thing I’d almost given up believing in.
The humanity test.
For the chance to know, once and for all, who can be trusted, some
dealings with monsters must be excusable. Inevitable. Just like this
feeling between Ben and me.
And that has to be temporary too.
,
Prospero slivers teaser 1
 .
 
Stitches
The Prospero Chronicles Book 4
by Fiona J.R. Titchenell
 
This is Prospero’s darkest hour. The few remaining humans trapped within
the quarantine zone are all but defenseless against the multiplying
forces of the Sliver Queen, Locusta. With Ben missing, Aldo among the
enemy ranks, and more steel plates than bones left in her body,
Mina’s passing the hours drowning in morphine and throwing heavy
objects at her guards. 
Stripped of her weapons, her gadgets, and the Network itself, she has just one
card left, hidden somewhere under her oft-sutured skin. It might be
powerful enough to complete her life’s work once and for all… or
to reach the one person who could make her life into more than a
means to an end. But playing it will cost everything she has, or
everything she believes in.
The final chronicle of Prospero waits in these pages.
.
 .
Prospero stitches teaser 1
 .
 
F.J.R. TITCHENELL is an author of young adult, sci-fi, and horror fiction, including
Confessions of the Very First Zombie Slayer (That I Know of). She
graduated from Cal State University Los Angeles with a B. A. in
English in 2009 at the age of twenty. She currently lives in San
Gabriel, California, with her husband, coauthor, and amazing partner
in all things, Matt Carter, and their pet king snake, Mica.

 
 
 
Follow the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.


On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for
Stuck
By Samantha Durante

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops

you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:

Launch – Note from the Author

I am *so* thrilled to be kicking off the Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3) tour! We’ve got lots of awesome stops planned with exclusive Stitch Trilogy content you won’t find anywhere else, plus a big giveaway to celebrate the arrival of the long-awaited conclusion of the series!…

Andi’s Young Adult Books – Guest Post

A Tale of Three Book Covers

Even a writer has to admit that (as the saying goes!) a picture is worth a thousand words. It comes as no surprise, then, that *almost* as much thought must go into cover design as into the book itself.

When designing the covers for the Stitch Trilogy books, I had several goals in mind:

Captivate: Of course, a cover needs to get readers interested, and one of the best ways to do that is to make it pretty!

Signal: The cover’s job is also, naturally, to give readers some clues as to what is in the story by referencing the genres and major plot points.

Unify: And, finally, knowing that this was going to be a multi-book series, I needed to come up with a consistent theme that would tie each cover together.

So how did I accomplish all this? By driving my cover designer crazy, of course! 🙂 …

Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters – Interview

2.) Tell us about the rest of the series.

Over the course of the trilogy, you join our protagonists as they uncover the sordid truth and dark history of their society, Paragon, a place set in a world much like our own but with some important (and chilling) differences. In fact, some members of this society are so blinded to the truth that they don’t even realize they are, in fact, living in Paragon… which is something you get to experience firsthand in Book 1. (Trying not to give away too many spoilers here!) In Book 2, we learn more about how this world came about, and in Book 3, the main characters struggle against nearly insurmountable odds to try to bring those responsible to justice. And of course, there’s some romance along the way!

Paulette’s Papers – Guest Post

Playlist: Music to Go with Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3)

It’s no secret that I love words (I am, after all, a writer). But sometimes, nothing captures a feeling *quite* like a song. So without further ado, here is a selection of hand-picked songs to go with several of the most pivotal chapters of Stuck (Stitch Trilogy, Book 3):…

Wishful Endings – Excerpt

Not a Bear

“But how can we continue to keep this from everyone?” Janie interjected. “It’s not right. They deserve to know!” she hissed.

Alessa shrugged in defeat.

Yes, she thought, just like Isaac deserves to know that his brother might still be alive – but she couldn’t bring herself to say anything about that, either, knowing the guilt would eat him alive. She at least had to be sure first. She had to know it was really Joe.

Lisa Loves Literature – Review

” I really liked the first two books in this series, and I waited 5 years between book 2 and this one. There was one point I know that I even reached out to the author to find out if this one was coming soon, because I needed to know what would happen next. . . . There was just so much going on in this book! . . . if you haven’t started the series yet, you are the lucky one to get to start with all three of them out now. You can sit down and read them all, back to back, and get all the feelings that will come with a good series.”

Why Not? Because I Said So! – Review

“I’ve waited a long time to read this last book in the Stitch Trilogy. I loved this series from the first book. It was so unique and had so many twists and turns that kept you reading. Guess what? Things haven’t changed in this third book: It’s still has so many unique things in the story line and the the twists just keep on coming. . . . If you like the Dystopian and Sci-Fi genres, you need to put the Stitch Trilogy on your To-Read list immediately.”

FUONLYKNEW – Review

“There’s plenty of action, intrigue and betrayal. But there’s also bravery, romance and hope. . . . A perfect finale to a series that fueled my imagination and captured my heart.”

Bri’s Book Nook – Review of STITCH

“This premise for a science fiction novel is so unique, and that truly drew me in. . . . I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a new upper YA or NA science fiction trilogy with a strong female main character.”

Colorimetry – Excerpt

Happy Pills

“Seriously, Alex?”

Deion chuckled and shook his head at the sight of his best friend – shirtless, sweat gleaming off his abs – precisely positioned so that anyone passing by the construction site would get an eyeful of his chiseled physique.

“First of all, it’s only 50 degrees out –”

“58,” Alex argued, heaving another stone on top of the wall he was building for this set of Paragon’s latest drama. “That’s almost in the sixties.” He paused to swipe a dusty, rippling forearm across his brow, brushing the fringe of straight black hair from his striking, angular eyes, which were narrowed against the sun.

Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile – Review

“It’s been a privilege to follow along with Samantha Durante since this trilogy first started! I felt a little woeful as I started to read Stuck, only because I knew that this was the end of my time with these characters. After completely falling in love with the last book, I knew that this finale was going to be a rough read for me either way. It’s the end of an era, really. It’s been fun! . . . If you haven’t started this trilogy yet, you’re in for such a treat. I envy you. I really do.

Lovely Reads – Spotlight

Chapter Break – Interview

Is there anything you would like people to take away from your book?

There are SO MANY things I’d like people to take away from the Stitch Trilogy! First, that things aren’t black and white. Just like real life, no one in my books is infallible, and anyone can make a mistake that can really hurt other people – and this can happen on a small or very large scale, even with the noblest of intentions. Second, that anyone can make a difference. It would be easy for anyone living in that world (or any world!) to feel insignificant and powerless, but the characters work really hard and work together to make things better, and they manage to do so even against odds that seem insurmountable. Third, that inclusivity and diversity of thought are good things, especially when it comes to leadership – otherwise you’re almost certain to further exploit already marginalized groups, and foster a lot of ill-will. And finally, that love conquers all. At the end of the day, even (perhaps, especially) when the world has gone to hell, all we have is each other. Be selfless. Be brave. Be kind.

Words Are the Breath Of Life – Review

“Stuck is a phenomenal completion to a wonderfully complex, challenging, and heartfelt adventure. My heart jumped for joy when I found myself finally reading the last chapters of this brilliantly original and deeply captivating journey full of heart, hope, and love. . . . I have been looking forward to this elusive ending, and I found myself completely and totally satisfied in every way a story can offer. . . . Samantha Durante has once again left me in awe of the depth of her brilliant creativity and boundless heart.”

Books & Such – Guest Post

Quiz: Where Do You Rank in Paragon Society?

Over the course of the Stitch Trilogy, we’ve gotten to know several different groups within the society of Paragon, from plucky rebels and manipulated citizens to mastermind Engineers and bloodthirsty Stuck. Where do you fall amongst these ranks? Take this quick quiz to find out!…

fundinmental – Interview & Review

1. What made you decide to be a writer?

I don’t know if it was a *decision* so much as a compulsion! I’ve always loved to write, ever since I was a kid. I got away from it for a few years in college and afterwards, but even as a software engineer, I managed to“sneak” writing into my job. So when it came time for a major life change (moving back across the country to be near my family), I knew it was a good time to see if I could shift gears and get back to doing what I’d always loved.

“If you love having your emotions ramped up to a fever pitch, if you love white knuckled reading, if you love apocalyptic/dystopian novels and are looking for an original storyline, you may want to grab the Stitch trilogy.”

Christy’s Cozy Corners – Guest Post

Style in Dystopia: 3 Ways to Style a Jumpsuit

Dystopian societies aren’t often known for their embrace of individuality and free-thinking… which unfortunately means their fashion trends tend to lean towards the sterile and conformist, at best.

But don’t let that post-apocalyptic thinking get you down! As the characters of the Stitch Trilogy show, there are lots of ways you can buck the trend and give that old standard-issue jumpsuit a fresh spin…

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven’t already…

Stuck
(Stitch Trilogy #3)
By Samantha Durante
YA Dystopian, SciFi
Paperback & ebook, 306 Pages
December 15, 2018

3, 2, 1… BOOM.

Things are finally looking up for the Resistance. Sure, Alessa is still processing the revelation that the best friend she’d presumed dead is miraculously alive, though far from well… And her boyfriend is being manipulated under threat of blackmail. But her quest for justice against those behind the systematic extermination of the world population is so close to victory she can taste it.

And then in a matter of seconds, everything Alessa believes in is shaken to the core. Months of preparation are obliterated. The people she cares for most are lost.

But Alessa is still standing. And Paragon must pay.

The odds are grim, but unexpected allies surface in the most unlikely of places: A new pair of citizens still under the colony’s rule who notice something amiss in the latest drama. An old adversary who realizes the error of her ways. And a veritable army of inhuman power and terrible strength, with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. The trustworthiness of each of these factions is yet to be proven, but without many other options, Alessa may have to take what she can get. Especially since the Engineers, never to be outdone, also have a few more tricks up their sleeves…

The long-awaited final installment in the riveting Stitch Trilogy, Stuck will have readers gripping their seats as Alessa and a handful of intrepid survivors usher their harrowing journey to a close, risking everything as they endeavor – once and for all – to set things right.

GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & NobleSmashwordsKobo

Other Books in the Series

About the Author

Samantha lives in Westchester County, New York with four of the five loves of her life – her husband, son, younger daughter, and cat – and carries her fifth love, her stillborn daughter, in her heart. An avid reader herself, Samantha’s dream is to bring the same delight to readers that other authors have brought to her life. In addition to penning novels and writing candidly about grief, she is also a sometimes freelance writer/consultant – though more often than not these days she’s on full-time mom duty! A former software engineer, Samantha said goodbye to the corporate world in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and lifelong love of writing. Learn more at www.samanthadurante.com.

WebsiteGoodreadsFacebookTwitterInstagram

Tour Giveaway

1 First Place Winner will receive: Signed Print Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy, a Limited-Edition Stitch Scarf, Bookmarks, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card
3 Second Place Winners will receive: eBook Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy for You *and* a Friend, plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card
– Open internationally
– Ends December 27th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grab Our Button!

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Stuck
(Stitch Trilogy #3)
By Samantha Durante
YA Dystopian, SciFi
Paperback & ebook, 306 Pages
December 15, 2018

3, 2, 1… BOOM.

Things are finally looking up for the Resistance. Sure, Alessa is still processing the revelation that the best friend she’d presumed dead is miraculously alive, though far from well… And her boyfriend is being manipulated under threat of blackmail. But her quest for justice against those behind the systematic extermination of the world population is so close to victory she can taste it.

And then in a matter of seconds, everything Alessa believes in is shaken to the core. Months of preparation are obliterated. The people she cares for most are lost.

But Alessa is still standing. And Paragon must pay.

The odds are grim, but unexpected allies surface in the most unlikely of places: A new pair of citizens still under the colony’s rule who notice something amiss in the latest drama. An old adversary who realizes the error of her ways. And a veritable army of inhuman power and terrible strength, with an insatiable thirst for vengeance. The trustworthiness of each of these factions is yet to be proven, but without many other options, Alessa may have to take what she can get. Especially since the Engineers, never to be outdone, also have a few more tricks up their sleeves…

The long-awaited final installment in the riveting Stitch Trilogy, Stuck will have readers gripping their seats as Alessa and a handful of intrepid survivors usher their harrowing journey to a close, risking everything as they endeavor – once and for all – to set things right.

GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & NobleSmashwordsKobo

~~~~~

My Review

I think the first sentence in the synopsis, 3, 2, 1 … Boom, describes this final book in the trilogy perfectly. There’s plenty of action, intrigue and betrayal. But there’s also bravery, romance and hope.

The pressure is on and Alessa pins her hopes on some new allies, an old friend, and a couple of strangers to bolster and make the final throes of the resistance successful. Humanity depends on it.

I have been waiting quite some time for Stuck. Even though I remember how much I loved the first books, I couldn’t recall some details so I pulled them off the shelf, gave them a second read, and fell in love with the series all over again. It’s the end of a spellbinding series and bittersweet. I didn’t want it to end but I couldn’t wait to see how it would. I wasn’t disappointed at any time and couldn’t stop reading once I started. I had to keep reminding myself to breathe, just breathe, as the suspense swept me up.

The action and suspense were palpable.  So many character’s stepped up to the plate. I felt the hope in my own veins. And I thrilled at the many surprises and answers that were revealed.

A perfect finale to a series that fueled my imagination and captured my heart.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

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Other Books in the Series

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I love this series and wanted to show you why. I hope you don’t mind if I share my reviews of the previous books too!

My Review of Stitch

Stitch is Samantha Durante’s debut novel. I loved this story and can’t wait to see how she is going to top it.

You get a blend of many genres. First I was thinking paranormal, then dystopian, and finally, science fiction.

Another night. Another nightmare.

When Alessa started college, she thought it would help her to adjust, to move on after the death of her parents.

Now she’s having horrible nightmares and seeing the ghostly image of a man.

She picked the sorority because of the house. Something about it spoke to her, drew her to it.

Now her every thought is consumed with finding out who the ghost is that haunts the house and her mind.

In an attempt at normalcy, she goes to a dance with Nikhil. He’s the first guy she’s had any interest in.

“Alessa parted her lips and looked up at Nikhil, preparing to surrender to her body’s impulses.

But instead of the dark brown eyes she expected, she saw only blue. Unfathomable, sparkling blue…

Once again, a single word rose in the back of her throat – Isaac – and she knew the night was over.”

Isaac’s continued appearances and the fact that only she can see him becomes a quest to discover who he was and why he’s so sad.

What she finds is shocking. Was moving into the house her choice, what secrets are her friend Janie hiding, and does Alessa have a connection to Isaac, the ghost of her dreams and the house?

You’ll have an exciting time finding out just who or what Isaac is and what all of this has to do with Alessa.

This mixing of genres is brilliant and captivating.

While the beginning may be calm, slowly building this new world, the author fluidly takes you back and forth through time, filling in the answers to the mystery of Alessa and Isaac.

About halfway through, I started to see where this was going but with many twists and turns and what the’s, I was continually surprised.

One thing that I found very unique was how the author dealt with the communication between Alessa and Isaac. It was not what I was expecting and really had me going.  You’ll see.

The anticipation was nail-biting and the ending was out of this world. There was no cliff hanger and I finally had all of the answers.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

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My Review of Shudder

Alessa and Isaac set off to find a secure base for all of those wanting out of Paragon.

They worry that the virus may still be out there, but soon discover they are being stalked by creatures, swift moving things that remain in the shadows of the forest, shrieking their rage.

As they escape an attack, something happens to Alessa. She is frozen in place as her mind is overpowered with fear, frustration and fury. She doesn’t know how it’s happening, but she’s experiencing these creatures feelings and it terrifies her.

They have to hurry. People are waiting for them to return with a location for their safe haven and Alessa has to get her sister, Janie, out of the clutches of the Ruling Class.

I finished reading Shudder in one sitting, never taking a break.

I could feel it in the authors writing, I was nearing the end of the book. No, not yet!

I needed to know why Joe featured so strongly in Alessa’s mind, what happened to her sister, and where the virus came from.

Samantha started to wrap up the ending while subtly layering in leads to the finale, Stuck. the last book in this trilogy. I liked that. Sure, I didn’t get all of the answers I wanted, but I did get a lot of insight into what the ‘stitch’ was and why and how it was used.

I also learned about the Ruling Class and their reasoning behind the stitch, even though I suspect some, if not most, of them were lying.

It’s no surprise that humanity didn’t learn its lesson. You’d think after all that has been written and studied, all of the wealth of info there is, they would know better. But no, the Ruling Class do the same things as before, believing they know what’s good for all. They buy into their own lies and block out the moral compass screaming stop, and do whatever is necessary to benefit the greater good. And we wonder why we don’t trust our government. Too many chiefs.

I felt twinges of The Matrix and Aeon Flux while reading this. Shudder reads like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic science fiction story. The author did an amazing job of blending these genre into an exciting, addictive series.

It makes me wonder. If Stitch and Shudder are so great, what is Stuck going to be like? I’m sure it’ll be thrilling.

symbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,signsymbol,star,disjunct,shape,image,recycling,design,sign

~~~~~

About the Author

Samantha lives in Westchester County, New York with four of the five loves of her life – her husband, son, younger daughter, and cat – and carries her fifth love, her stillborn daughter, in her heart. An avid reader herself, Samantha’s dream is to bring the same delight to readers that other authors have brought to her life. In addition to penning novels and writing candidly about grief, she is also a sometimes freelance writer/consultant – though more often than not these days she’s on full-time mom duty! A former software engineer, Samantha said goodbye to the corporate world in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and lifelong love of writing. Learn more at www.samanthadurante.com.

WebsiteGoodreadsFacebookTwitterInstagram

Tour Schedule

December 10th:
Launch
Andi’s Young Adult Books
Mythical Books
December 11th:
Candrel’s Crafts, Cooks, and Characters
Paulette’s Papers
December 12th:
JeanzBookReadNReview
Lisa Loves Literature
December 13th:
Coffee, Books and Cakes
Why Not? Because I Said So!
December 14th:
FUONLYKNEW
Bri’s Book Nook
December 17th:
Colorimetry
Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile
December 18th:
Lovely Reads
Chapter Break
Words Are the Breath Of Life
December 19th:
Books & Such
Bri’s Book Nook
December 20th:
fundinmental
Coffee, Books and Cakes
December 21st:
Christy’s Cozy Corners
Oh Hey! Books.
December 22nd:
Grand Finale

Tour Giveaway

1 First Place Winner will receive: Signed Print Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy, a Limited-Edition Stitch Scarf, Bookmarks, and a $15 Amazon Gift Card
3 Second Place Winners will receive: eBook Copies of All 3 Books in the Trilogy for You *and* a Friend, plus a $5 Amazon Gift Card
– Open internationally
– Ends December 27th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Grab Our Button!

~~~~~

Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

For a list of free eBooks updated daily go HERE

To see all of my giveaways go HERE

I am an Amazon Affiliate. Product images are linked.

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DEADFALL banner

 DEADFALL
by Stephen Wallenfels

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Deadfall cover

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Pub. Date: December 11, 2018
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads / Amazon / B&N / TBD

Twin brothers Ty and Cory Bic are on the run. When they encounter a dying deer in the middle of a remote mountain road with fresh tire tracks swerving down into a ravine, they know they have to help. But when they reach the wrecked car the vehicle appears empty, with signs that the driver escaped.

Until they hear a sound coming from the trunk.

Ty and Cory are escaping demons of their own. But what they discover in the trunk puts them in the crosshairs of something darker and more sinister than their wildest nightmares.

Told through a gripping, lightning-fast narrative that alternates between present and past, this unputdownable survival thriller unravels the tangled circumstances that led Ty and Cory to the deer in the road and set them on a perilous course through the wilderness of the Pacific Northwest.

~~~~~

Check out this peek inside:

We run the final thirty feet. Inhale the stink of gas and oil and
burning rubber. Shattered bits of glass are everywhere. I shed my
pack while Ty checks out the driver’s door, which is crushed inward.
The window is gone. He crouches down, pokes his head inside. I
run to the rear passenger window, which is also gone, and shine my
headlamp inside, fully expecting to see multiple dead bodies. But
the backseat is empty. I don’t see anyone in the front passenger seat.
Ty says, “Nobody here. But there’s plenty of blood on the airbag and
the steering wheel. Oh, and there’s more on the roof. Shit. There’s a
lot on the roof.” Then, “Hey. Check it out.” Ty shines his headlamp
on the seat belt clip. A six-inch piece is hanging down, sliced at
an angle. He says, “Looks like the driver had to cut his way out.”
“Any sign of a passenger?”
“Don’t see any blood. And the airbag didn’t happen.”
I say, “The gas smell is pretty bad back here.” Then I step away
from the car and throw up.
Ty knows the drill. He waits till I stop heaving, says while I’m
wiping my face with my sleeve, “There’s a bloody handprint outside
the driver door. And a couple boot prints going that way.” He
points up the slope we just hiked down. “Looks to me like he didn’t
want to hang around here with all this gas leaking.”
“I know how he feels,” I say as my stomach finally settles and the
surrounding trees wind down to a slow spin.
He says, “So? What’re you thinking?”
“If he’s bleeding as much as you say, he could be hurt pretty bad.
Since we didn’t see him up at the road, or on the way down, it could
mean he collapsed somewhere between here and the road. With
this fog it would be easy to miss him.”
“Or her.”
“Right. Or her.”
“So? Can we go now, or do you need to search for the body?”
“Maybe we should yell first. Do you mind?”
“Go for it.”
I yell, “HEY! WE’RE HERE TO HELP! WHERE ARE
YOU?” We wait. Hear nothing. I yell again. Still nothing.
“Well?” Ty says.
Then I do hear something. But it’s not coming from the forest.
It’s close by. A muffled, metallic sound. I look at Ty. “Did you
hear that?”
“Hear what?”
“A sound. Kind of a clunky metal sound.”
“Nope. All I heard is you yelling.”
We wait a couple more seconds. The fog-drenched silence seeps
in from the trees, coils in our headlamps, crawls up and over the
big rock where the trunk of the car is resting. Whatever the sound
was, it’s gone.
“And the verdict is . . . ?”
I say, “Let’s spread out. Stay about twenty feet apart and hike
to the car. If we don’t find the driver, then we’re back to plan A.”
Ty smiles. “Okay. Let’s do it. But do it now. I don’t want to kill
the battery.”
I put on my pack. Ty finds another boot print. It’s about the same
size as his hiking boot, so I figure the driver is our size, six foot,
maybe a little more. Ty walks fifteen feet away, starts hiking up
the hillside. I walk fifteen feet in the opposite direction, then head
straight up, scanning the beam from my headlamp in 180-degree
arcs. I walk ten steps, when I hear the same sound again. But this
time there’s no question about the source.
I call out to Ty, “Wait! I heard something.”
He swings around.
I run to the car. Bang on the frame with my fist and yell while
scanning the interior, “Hey! Where are you?”
By this time Ty is back. He says, “Cory. The car’s empty. We
checked. There’s nothing—”
Then he hears it. A muffled thump, thump.
He looks at me, says, “Oh shit.”
The sound is coming from the trunk.

~~~~~

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About Stephen:

Stephen
Stephen Wallenfels lives in Washington state with his wife.  He wrote freelance for the Health and Fitness industry for fifteen years before turning writing novels.  His passions are family, hiking, cooking, reading, movies, climate change, and especially writing.

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