Posts Tagged ‘YA’

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It’s a drama-rama summer at Shamrock Stable.

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No Horsing Around

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Shamrock Stables Book 6

by Shannon Kennedy

Genre: YA Teen Drama Fiction

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When
the school year ends, Sierra and her friends plan to have a horsy
good time riding their horses, teaching summer day camp, and helping
their favorite riding instructor arrange a wedding to the local
animal-control officer. Difficulties arise before they even pass
their final exams. Robin wants to work at the vintage car lot with
the beautiful, classic Mustangs she loves. However, her parents are
sending her to horse camp whether she likes it or not and she
doesn’t!

Meanwhile, Vicky intends to train
horses. Does her dream job mean she can’t spend time with her
boyfriend before he leaves for college? Horse camp brings in much
needed income to the McElroy’s Shamrock Stable, so how can a
talented athlete like Sierra tell her family she wants to join the
high school basketball and soccer teams at their training camps
instead of teaching little beginners again?

After a stunning performance in
the spring musical, will Dani ever be able to let her glory-hungry
parents know she’d rather be at the barn this summer, not on stage
in a theatrical company in Oregon? Catch rider, CeCe worries she
won’t be ‘emancipated’ and allowed to remain with the people
who offered her a ‘real’ home but are her new friends too busy to
help when she needs them most?

It’s a drama-rama summer at
Shamrock Stable. What will the five of them do to stay together and
ensure each girl’s dreams come true?

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Chapter One

Robin

Marysville, Washington

Wednesday, April 17th ~ 5:30 pm

Chores done, I offered my rescue horse, Twaziem one last carrot. He considered it for less than a heartbeat before he did the ‘crunch, munch, gone’ routine. Okay, so he wasn’t the bay skeleton I’d saved from starvation last September, but he still had food issues. Maybe, I should sign him up for a horsey shrink, not that his sessions with my older sister, Felicia when she was home on spring break from Washington State University did him much good.

He didn’t like it when she tried braiding his mane the way she did her humongous Appaloosa’s although she’d fed Twaz horse cookies from the feedstore the whole time. Twaz preferred the chunks of organic apples my boyfriend, Bill Petrie brought even if it meant he had to earn them by doing the horsey stretches the massage therapist taught us. She said Twaz needed to build up his muscle tone and flexibility if I wanted to ride him this summer. I didn’t.

I hadn’t rescued him because I wanted to ride him. I just wasn’t leaving him to starve to death. I didn’t make a secret of the fact that I only brought him here to teach my horse-crazy family a lesson when they decided I should follow our Gibson tradition of choosing purebred horses on our sixteenth birthdays.

Not me. I wanted the presidential blue classic 1968 Mustang I’d dreamed about forever. I’d even talked the owner of the vintage car lot down to fifteen thousand cash, but my parents totally didn’t understand my passion for old Fords. Luckily, Bill did. He gave me the hulk of one for Christmas, a frog-green body without an engine or tranny. I’d been restoring it for the past four months and figured I’d be driving it this summer.

I’d painted it over spring break, going for the shade of deep blue I preferred. Luckily, it went well with the saddle brown and white interior. When I’d saved Twaziem, I warned him I wasn’t into horses like everybody else who lived here. I wasn’t a ‘keeper’ kind of person. He’d be moving onto a good home when I found him the perfect owner. I’d use the money I got for him to finish fixing up my car. Next on the list was tires and those were super spendy.

My best friend, Vicky told me to be prepared to give the cash to my dad who paid ‘beaucoup’ bucks to return Twaziem to reasonable horse status. Dad might claim to want repayment for the veterinarian, the chiropractor, the massage therapist, the farrier, the trainer and the unending feed if or when I sold Twaz, but I could talk around my father. I wasn’t his spoiled rotten youngest daughter for nothing.

Blonde, brown-eyed, five feet, six with a great figure, I made friends easily, and I insured everyone wanted to hang out with me. Of course, I had an ulterior motive. People who say they don’t have agendas are lying. I don’t. Truth may hurt. Too bad, too sad. Get over it. If somebody doesn’t want me to use him or her, then walk away.

My dad, the accountant who tracked down every cent and my mom who aided and abetted him in his penny-pinching ways only allowed me a certain number of animals. It meant I needed to find homes for any extra dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, ducks, snakes, sheep, goats – well, that was the idea and I did the ‘go along to get along’ dance. I’d done it for years, so my friends knew if I started the charm routine, I was hunting a home for something with paws, claws, hooves or webbed feet.

All cowboy in jeans, boots and a western shirt, Jack came up behind me. Twazeim promptly glared at my tall, dark-haired older brother, stomped his hooves and pinned back tulip-shaped Arabian ears. “Wow, he still hates me, and it’s been seven months. I’d think I’d get credit for feeding him and mucking his stall on a regular basis.”

“I do it most of the time.”

“Yeah, but who do you think picks up the slack when you have practice or a track meet? I don’t feed the rest of the critters and skip him. Come on, Princess Robin. Dad will freak if we’re not on time for dinner since the tax season ended and he’s not burning the midnight oil anymore.”

“I’ll be right there.” I took the carrot he handed me and held it out to my horse. “Here, you big baby. It doesn’t have Jack cooties, so you can eat it.”

Twaziem tossed his brown head with a shake of his black forelock, eying the long, skinny carrot suspiciously. He sniffed at it one more time, then gobbled it up when I started to take a step down the barn aisle toward Jack’s off the track Thoroughbred. Nitro wasn’t one of my faves, but he didn’t bully my horse when the two of them were out in the pasture together. I had to give him that much credit even if I thought it was too bad Jack hadn’t brought home a ‘real’ horse when he and Dad did the sixteenth birthday, male bonding trip.

Two gold and white collies met us on the way to the house. They must have had doggie business to take care of since the mom, Lassie usually hung out in the barn with me and her youngest son, six-month old Zorro always kept us company too. They knew the rules about staying in the mudroom, an inside back porch area during meals. I gave them each a beef chew stick, homemade treats from my friend, Dani who lived in an exclusive gated community with one of Lassie’s daughters.

Another rescue. I’d found Lassie and her litter of tiny puppies at a cross-country meet last fall. Zorro was still here, but his brothers and sisters had gone to homes with the closest members of my posse, Vicky, Sierra, and Dani. The other two were with members of my track team. I had a feeling that CeCe, a ‘catch rider’ at Salmon Pond Stable might take the last of the pups once she settled into a permanent home, but that was still up in the air since my older sister also loved him dearly. Sooner or later, CeCe would share what she wanted with me and if it wasn’t a half-grown puppy, I’d keep her on my list of potential adopters.

In the kitchen, Mom turned from the counter when she heard us. I smelled meat, tomato sauce and cheese. Yum, it was lasagna night which meant she’d stuffed a frozen casserole in the oven because she never had time to make it from scratch and my control-freak father hated it when she served supper later than six pm.

I suspected she’d been conditioning her Arabian for one of their extra-long competitive trail rides, but I didn’t need to ask since she wore cowgirl clothes, faded blue jeans, a western shirt and laced up Ropers. She’d tied back her strawberry blonde hair and a smile lit up the bright blue eyes. “Wash up first. Finish the salad and set the table for me, Jack. Robin, your cats are giving me the heebie-jeebies tonight. Feed them in the pantry please, then get your dad. He’s in the study.”

“Why? Didn’t he file all the taxes for his clients by midnight?”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean all of the e-filing went through.” Mom swung back around and began cutting into the lasagna again. “He spent most of the day on the phone with the IRS and now he’s re-sending the forms they claim not to have received.” She heaved a huge sigh. “It’s the same every year.”

I didn’t say they should plan for electronic snafus. I had in previous years and been lectured for my crappy attitude too many times. It was the same every April, August and October when the deadlines fell due. Dad would send in all the paperwork, then battle with the government to accept the forms without penalizing his clients and the other agents who worked for him. He said it was why he got the ‘big bucks’, but personally I thought he enjoyed the challenges.

Mom claimed his hang-up about everything starting and ending on time was just a personality flaw and nothing to get in a dither about. Of course, she was the one who said no animals, no TV, no IPODs or cell phones at the table. We had to talk to each other like civilized people or she’d make us wish we had. I lived with two total control freaks for parents and Felicia and Jack were pretty much the same way.

While we ate, Mom talked about the upcoming endurance trail rides she planned to compete in this summer. She and her purebred Arabian mare, Singer usually topped out at fifty miles in a day. I knew all the details about them covering the ground in twelve hours and successfully passing the various vet checks at each and every event. I’d certainly heard them often enough. Even if they were considered one day contests, they weren’t really. Mom and our neighbor, Linda generally hauled out the Friday morning, spent most of the weekend wherever the ride would take place and hauled the horses home on Sunday or Monday.

Jack went off about the gaming competitions. He’d already been accepted to Washington State University for the fall semester and intended to take Nitro with him. If they scored highly enough at the various gymkhanas, he’d be able to join the western equestrian team at college. He was a valued football and basketball player at our private high school, but he only played for fun. Although he didn’t say it a lot, we knew his passion was for his art classes and then for writing poetry.

He’d had his share of offers to play ball at different universities, not just in Washington State, but turned down all of them. He was going to W.S.U. to study business and then applying to the law school in nearby Moscow, Idaho. He and my B.F.F., Vicky had plans to eventually open their own stable after college, but my brother was super smart about everything he did. He’d said everybody thought horse people had ‘deep pockets’, were extremely rich and would try to take away what they had. His law degree would protect him and Vicky.

After Jack finished, it was Dad’s turn. He shared his own plans of team roping on his Quarter horse, Buster. I liked the big solid horse. He was quiet in the barn, always looking for extra hay in the manger or crumb of grain in his bucket, but he went from zero to zoom when he saw the calves in the arena.

Finally, they all looked at me. I reminded them that I had a track meet on Friday afternoon, work on Saturday at the car lot in Marysville and would shadow Dr. Larry, the premier veterinarian from Equine Nation on Sunday after church when he went on emergency calls. That took care of my business.

Mom and Dad shared a glance, then she said, “Rocky was here to work with Twaziem today. He’s turning three this month.”

“If you think I’m throwing him a birthday party, get over it,” I said. “I’m not Sierra who makes everyone come to the barn and sing to her horse on New Year’s Day before we can have cake and ice-cream. Twaz isn’t the sentimental sort and neither am I.”

“Sierra’s great. She helped Bill and me hide your car at Shamrock Stable last Christmas,” Jack said, “and I know Tom assures everyone she walks on water.”

“Okay, so she’s a real hero who helped save Twaz when he had colic a few months ago. I’ll tell her that she has to hostess a party for him and I love all of you, but this family is way too gaga about their horses.”

Another long look between my parents before Mom said she’d order in a cake from the local bakery, chocolate with custard filling and there’d be chocolate ice-cream in the freezer for the two-legged guests, but I’d be in charge of the organic carrots and apples for my horse as well as the other four-legged wonders in the barn.

“Rocky brought the summer camp applications I wanted.” Mom pinned me with a steady, blue gaze. “We need to discuss which weeks you’ll be at Shamrock Stable this year.”

“No way!” I nearly dropped my fork on the table. “I helped set up a peer-counselor program for her tween students so I wouldn’t have to go there to help with Pee-Pee camp.”

“It’s Pee-Wee camp.” Dad leaned back in his chair. “Be specific, Robbie.”

“I am. I spend all day taking the little piddlers back and forth to the bathroom. They always ‘have to go potty’ when it’s time to brush their ponies, clean the hooves, lead the ponies around the ring. The only time the kids don’t ‘have to’ use the toilet is at snack time when I barely get to drink water because I’m watching them to be sure they eat their sandwiches before their goodies.”

“I thought the little kids only came for a few hours in the morning or afternoon.” Jack barely hid his smirk. “You’re exaggerating. It’s not that bad, is it?”

“It’s worse. Yes, the first bunch leave at noon, but before I can finish my lunch, I have to ‘meet and greet’ the afternoon group. And of course, the first thing they have to do is ‘go potty’ before they can even put on their helmets.”

“All right then.” Mom pushed her plate far enough away to fold her hands on the table. “We’ll sign you up for the weeks in June, July and early August when Shamrock isn’t offering Pee-Wee Camp.”

“Hello! Are you even listening at all? I’m not going there this year. Brenna says she’ll increase my hours at the Mustang Corral. She’ll let me do the tune-ups and oil changes on the cars she buys. I’ll be able to get ‘real’ tires for my car, new ones at Les Schwab, not have to go to the salvage yard for pull-offs.”

“For safety, new tires are a must,” Dad said. “I agree with you, Robbie.”

“Great. I’m glad somebody’s finally hearing me.”

Dad held up his hand. “Here’s the deal. I’ll put good tires on your Mustang, but you’re going to Shamrock for at least six weeks this summer. You need to build your skills so you can ride Twaziem and stay on him. Young horses make mistakes and falling off him isn’t an option.”

“Dad’s right,” Jack agreed. “If you teach him that people, go ‘splat’, he’ll figure that’s what you want, and he’ll dump you six ways from Sunday all the time.”

Tears burned and I shoved back from the table. “You people never freaking listen. I told you on my birthday that I didn’t want a horse and you all ganged up on me until I brought one home. Now, you think you’re making me ride him. And it’s not happening!”

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**Don’t miss the rest of the series!**

Find them on Amazon

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Shannon
Kennedy lives and works at her family business, a riding stable in
Washington State. Teaching kids to ride and know about horses since
1967, she finds in many cases, she’s taught three generations of
families. Her life experiences span adventures from dealing cards in
a casino, attending graduate school to get her master’s in teaching
degree, being a middle and high school teacher, and serving in the
Army Reserve – all leading to her second career as a published
author. She recently retired from teaching school and plans to write
more books for Fire & Ice YA, the Stewart Falls Cheerleaders
realistic fiction series and the Shamrock Stable series about teen
girls and their horses. Visit her at her
website, 
www.shannonkennedybooks.com to
learn about her books.

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The Maker of Worlds

by David Litwack

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Publication date: May 22nd 2024
Genres: Fantasy, New Adult, Young Adult

If you had the chance to remake the world, what kind of world would you choose?

When tragedy strikes Lucas Mack’s young life, he desperately yearns to escape its sorrow, and takes an improbable leap through the mythical maelstrom. Rather than splashing down on the far side like his neighbors, he’s transported to a magical realm where he has the power to redefine not only who he is, but the world in which he resides.

As he stumbles about trying to find his way, he meets Mia, an equally troubled fellow pilgrim. With the help of a mystical guide and an aging wizard, they navigate the enchanted land while learning to control their newfound powers. Yet this realm is more complex than they expected, with seasoned sorcerers who’ve been corrupted by the sinister side of magic.

Limited by natural law and seduced by magic’s power, they are tested as never before. Will the gift of magic bring renewed hope or drive them to the edge of the void?

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In the light of pre-dawn, and in my half-awake state, no difference struck me at first, other than the chill waters deeper than expected, soaking the rolls of my trousers. Out of the mist on either side, giant evergreens loomed graceful as usual, rising until their tops blurred. The view so distracted me that several heartbeats passed before I realized the change.

Perhaps I was still sleeping in my bed, for where the channel to the west lake should have been, a broad flood plain spread. The water had washed over the banks and crept inland for a hundred paces, leaving the trees the only witness to what once had been dry land.

Beyond the trees, nothing.

Nowhere a dock or a mooring, not so much as a hint of early morning smoke rising from a chimney. Nowhere the cottages of Queen’s Hill. Nowhere houses at all. As I gaped, the edges of branches shimmered as if undecided whether to remain intangible or become real. In a panic, I realized the folly of this quest. Better to return to a safer, albeit gloomier life, to go back through the portal at once.

Behind me, the maelstrom still swirled, a fleeting comfort as it had started to recede. While I stared at the last link to my old world, the orb diminished, shrunk to a size I could cover with my hand, and then to that of the tip of my thumb. Before I sloshed more than two steps closer, it winked out.

Now, to the north and the south, nothing showed but water. I stumbled to shore, my movements causing the slightest wake in the surface, which lay so still I could make out my astonished features in the reflection.

I’d spent much of my young life with Addy, like a mate sailing across a forever lake. She’d been with me through calm and storm. I’d yearned to find renewed hope on this side of the gateway and return home to a new life, yet now the gateway, like Addy, had vanished.

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About Author David Litwack:

The urge to write first struck at age sixteen when working on a newsletter at a youth encampment in the woods of northern Maine. It may have been the wild night when lightning flashed at sunset followed by the northern lights rippling after dark. Or maybe it was the newsletter’s editor, a girl with eyes the color of the ocean. But he was inspired to write about the blurry line between reality and the fantastic.

Using two fingers and lots of white-out, he religiously typed five pages a day throughout college and well into his twenties. Then life intervened. He paused to raise two sons and pursue a career, in the process — and without prior plan — becoming a well-known entrepreneur in the software industry, founding several successful companies. When he found time again to daydream, the urge to write returned.

David now lives in the Great Northwest. He no longer limits himself to five pages a day and is thankful every keystroke for the invention of the word processor.

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Every Scar Tells a Story

by Rayna York

 

Publication date: June 15th 2024
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

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They say time heals all wounds, but they never mention the scars left behind.

Serena McNeal, outgoing and ambitious, is ready to escape her small town as soon as she graduates high school. Knox prefers to live in the shadows, finding comfort in his anonymity. As their worlds collide and the ghosts of Knox’s troubled past resurface, more than their newly-created bond will be tested. Because now, every decision made could be the difference between sharing a future together or facing a reality where neither one survives.

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Summer… I can’t help but smile. This one will be like no other. High school will be over, and I’ll be heading off to college in the fall. I’m so ready to leave this small town behind.

It’s not a bad place to live, but I’m psyched to move to an actual city where the downtown is larger than a four-block radius. And I’m eager to get my career started. Working probably isn’t what gets most eighteen-year-olds jacked up, but I know the direction I want to go, and I’m motivated to get there.

Hayden walks ahead of me without a backward glance, unlocking his early graduation gift—a shiny, new black Mustang. The jackass is sulking.

Reaching for the handle, I happen to look left and catch sight of a herculean figure walking on the sidewalk toward me. His head is down, face mysteriously shadowed by a hooded sweatshirt pulled low over his eyes. Somehow, he must sense me staring because he stops and snaps his head up, then looks around like I’m blocking his path and isn’t sure what to do about it.

“Are you coming?” Hayden says over the roof of his car with a tinge of annoyance.

“Yeah, sorry.” After opening my door, I glance back. The stranger is walking at a brisk pace across the street.

After we’re both seated in the car, he says, “Do you know that guy?”

“No, but I think I startled him.” I pull the seatbelt across my chest and secure it.

“Well, it seems like you did.” He starts the car with a vroom. “Is there something I should know about?”

“No.” My heart races at the aggressive sound of the engine. “I’ve never seen him before.” I’m still plagued with nightmares and struggle with other people driving, all because of the accident I was in with my father when I was thirteen. Hayden knows this.

The drive to my house is silent, and I wonder about the sudden awareness I had back at the restaurant. Am I really going to break up with him? I doubt he’s ever been dumped before. The guy is high school royalty. And it’s going to mess up our friend group, not to mention our plans for prom in two months. Maybe I’m being too hasty this time. I mean, aside from occasional insensitivity, the escalating moodiness, and the increase in his drinking, what’s really wrong with him?

Yeah, aside from all that, my brain shouts back at me.

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About Author Rayna York:

Rayna York grew up with hippie parents who liked to adventure. Where change was the norm, books were her constant—a way to escape. As an adult, many careers came and went, but writing has always been her passion. Her contemporary, coming-of-age love stories are often inspired by dreams, which she captures in her notebook with barely an eye open. When she’s not hidden away in her writing shack, Rayna enjoys playing pickleball, losing herself in a good book, or watching a movie.

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Refuge from the World

by Kim McMahill

 

(The Beartooth Chronicles, #1)
Publication date: March 19th 2024
Genres: Dystopian, New Adult, Young Adult

Ashley McPhee arrived in Beartooth with her mom, Sara, when she was three years old. Ever since Ash can remember, life has been simple and peaceful. She enjoyed a carefree childhood, tending honey bees with her mom and spending time with her best friend, Caleb Solomon. But, life in their idyllic mountaintop community is changing.

After learning of the government’s plan to use a geoengineering process to cool the planet, Ash and Caleb realize they need to step up and take an active role in the community. Along with fear for how the process might impact their food supply, Ash learns her mom’s health is failing.

Sara doesn’t want Ash to face an uncertain future alone and nudges her and Caleb into marriage. Even though they have known each other most of their lives, Ash and Caleb’s relationship has changed drastically in a short period of time. They embrace the challenges of learning about each other, dealing with tragedy and grief, protecting their community from deadly predators and ruthless neighbors, and experiencing epic adventures, while trying to find solutions to a rapidly changing environment and deteriorating world.

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Ash fell into step next to Caleb without talking. They had known each other for so long that they could be together without saying a word, and it didn’t feel awkward. When they reached the lake, they sat down on one of the large boulders scattered around the shore and stared out at the water.

“The lake level goes down a little more each year,” Caleb said.

“I’ve noticed. It used to be up to that cluster of rocks over there when we would go fishing when we were younger.”

“Rain isn’t enough to keep it full. The last time I remember seeing snow up here was when I was seven, and it didn’t stick around. Seems kind of ironic that so much of the planet is flooded, yet many worry about having enough fresh water to drink and to irrigate crops.”

“Why did we stop fishing?” Ash asked.

“I didn’t stop fishing. I still go fishing at least once a week. When you started taking a more active role in the beekeeping and tree nursery, you were available less and less. I go first thing in the morning, and that’s when you and your mom do most of your work.”

“I miss going fishing with you. I’ll see if Mom cares if we change around the schedule a bit unless you don’t want me tagging along like I did when I was younger.”

“I miss it too. I would love for you to tag along even though you always out-fished me.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. Ash laid her head on his shoulder and stared out at the lake. They sat like this sometimes, not as much as they used to, and she missed this too. She loved the feel of his arm around her and the warmth of his body next to hers, but never read too much into the gesture. Today, especially, she was in no hurry to break the connection.

“Are you going to the community meeting tonight?” he asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Yes. I keep getting these unsettling feelings, and I hope to find out if it’s just my imagination or if there is something I should be worried about. First, I find out you’ve been tasked with building weapons, then I had an odd conversation with your dad, found out we’re having an off-cycle community meeting, and all of a sudden Mom is all over me about marrying Tyler Hewitt.”

“What!” Caleb shouted as he scooted away and turned his body to face her. “You’re not seriously considering marrying that old man, are you?”

“No, but apparently, they’ve talked about it. I pointed out to Mom that he’s eleven years younger than she, but eighteen years older than me. In Tyler’s defense, I can only think of a couple of other eligible women between his age and mine.”

“He has no defense. For him to even be thinking about it, is wrong. When he moved here, you were what? Three? Four? Why now?”

“I think Mom is worried about getting old and leaving me alone. I don’t think she’s been feeling well, but I don’t know if it’s anything serious.”

Caleb stood up and paced. Ash watched him, confused by his reaction.

“I don’t plan to marry Tyler or anyone else not of my choosing. But, I’m not sure why you would care anyway since you’ve got eyes on Evelyn.”

“Where’d you hear that?”

“Apparently, her mother has been telling people that you two have been spending time together.”

“That’s not true. She tagged along when I was delivering deer meat the other day to the storehouse, but that was it. I most certainly didn’t ask her to come with me, and all she did was ask me questions about Dillon. Besides, she’s just a girl.”

Ash chuckled. “If people are happy to pawn me off on a man eighteen years older, a mere four years between you and Evelyn is nothing.”

She watched as Caleb retreated to the water’s edge. He picked up a flat stone and skipped it across its glassy surface. Ash walked to his side and stood next to him.

“We’d better get back. The meeting starts in a couple of hours, and I should help Mom with dinner,” Ash said as she turned to leave.

Caleb grabbed her arm and pulled her back until she was facing him. “Let’s hear what they have to say tonight. If there is some reason why everyone needs to get married, you’re marrying me.”

“And, what if there is no need?” she asked softly.

“Well, maybe we should anyway.”

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About Author Kim McMahill:

Kim McMahill started out writing nonfiction, but her passion for adventure, stories of survival against the odds, and speculating about the future of humanity and our planet, soon turned her attention towards fiction. She has published eleven novels, over eighty travel and human-interest articles, and contributed to a travel story anthology. Growing up in a beautiful mountain west community, traveling the world, and enjoying a twenty-year career with the National Park Service, has given her the opportunity to live in amazing places, experience incredible adventures, and witness many changes in our world, all of which have helped shape her stories.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub

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When a lost wolf shifter meets a beautiful thief, their lives will change forever . . .

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Brooke and the Wolf

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Curses of Midnight Springs Book 1

by Valerie Jo

Genre: Clean YA Paranormal Romance

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When a lost wolf shifter meets a beautiful thief, their lives will change forever…

Brooke has been forced to grow up and take care of her ten year old sister all at once during her senior year of high school. With her drug addict mother mostly out of the picture, keeping a roof over her and her sister is more than a challenge. Without any money or food, she resorts to stealing at the farmers’ market.

Peter first started turning into a wolf at age eight. When he gets too emotional, the wolf takes full control over his body and mind, and he doesn’t remember anything during that time. To avoid hurting anyone, Peter lives in isolation in the woods, only emerging to sell fish at the farmers’ market to get money for supplies.

When Brooke steals a fish from Peter, both of their worlds turn upside down.

Brooke is just trying to get through her last year of high school. With too much responsibility already, is getting entangled with a potentially dangerous wolf boy a huge mistake?

Or will the love Brooke and Peter find in each other be enough to carve out a home in a world that has rejected them both?

If you love young adult paranormal romances, Brooke and the Wolf is for you. Featuring a cursed wolf shifter finding love with a human girl, this story hits all the good stuff. Get ready for one epic love story filled with surprise, danger, and drama as you discover if Brooke and Peter will find happiness in the end.

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**Only .99cents!**

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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.Raven and the Ghost

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Curses of Midnight Springs Book 2

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If you know the guy you love is lying, do you call him out on it?

Raven has the mysterious ability to know when people are lying. Unfortunately, this superpower is useless when her father disappears without a trace.

To find her father, Raven teams up with Nash, the school’s most skilled computer hacker. Raven fakes a relationship with Nash to help him save face with his ex-girlfriend, and in return, Nash hacks her father’s computer for clues to his whereabouts.

But when Nash discovers more information than he wants to know, will he be able to hide it from Raven, the human lie detector?

Will they find love amidst all of the lies and secrets?

Will they save her father before it’s too late?

If you love young adult paranormal romances, you will swoon over Raven and the Ghost. Featuring a fake relationship, a terrible secret, magic, and ghosts, you will stay up late to read “one more chapter.” Get ready for the second installment in the Curses of Midnight Springs series, full of more surprises, romance, and drama as you discover if Raven and Nash can find their way to each other through the web of lies.

Buy this book to continue the epic series today!

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Juliet and the Assassin

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Curses of Midnight Springs Book 3

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Would you fight to remember your past, no matter how terrible it was?

After being frozen in time for hundreds of years, Juliet wakes up in our world today with no memory of her previous life. Fate connects her with Michael, a struggling addict with a tragic past he’s fighting to forget.

Juliet is convinced that she cannot move forward until she learns where she came from. But as she and Michael seek to reawaken her memories, they are met with disastrous consequences.

All the while, an assassin is traveling thousands of miles to take out her target—a young girl in Midnight Springs involved with magic. She carries a deep hatred for witches and has made it her life’s mission to kill as many as she can to avenge her family. Juliet can hear her threats in her nightmares as the assassin leaves a trail of bodies in her wake.

Will Juliet and Michael be able to find love when the ugly truth of each of their pasts is uncovered?

Will they be able to save each other from the impending danger of a trained killer thirsty for revenge?

Read Book Three of the Curses of Midnight Springs Saga today to find out!

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Holly and the Unseen

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Curses of Midnight Springs Book 4

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If your greatest enemy was your only hope, could you trust them?

Holly is a wealthy beauty queen who loathes her cheating ex-boyfriend, Jeff, and his drug-dealing best friend, Elliott . . . but when a curse causes her to lose her vision, she ends up depending on Elliott in ways she never imagined.

Elliott has the power of invisibility and uses it to steal drugs from pharmacies. He sells them to make money to care for himself and his sick mother . . . but it is still barely enough to make ends meet. When Holly needs his help and offers money in return, he can’t say no—even though he hates her and her prissy attitude.

As they learn to trust and depend on each other, they find friendship and respect . . . but can that friendship grow into love when they have spent years hating each other?

Will they be able to forgive and forget all of the hurtful things they have done and said to one another over the years?

Will Holly and Elliott find true love in the person they used to hate the most in the world?

Order Book Four to read the epic final installment of the Curses of Midnight Springs Saga today and find out!

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Darcy and the Wildfire

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Experiments of Midnight Springs Book 1

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Who would want to live forever in chains?

In order to keep her alive, Darcy’s parents forced a terrible curse upon her. She has been sentenced to an eternal life of misery under their watchful eyes . . . but this eternal life comes with its own consequences.

To avoid pain, Jeff wishes a curse upon himself, transferring his own pain to someone else. It leaves him isolated in a way that is far worse than he could have predicted.

In a twist of fate, Darcy and Jeff end up using each other as distractions from the horrors of their lives, only to find out that they actually care about one another.

Can Jeff and Darcy save each other from their seemingly sealed fates?

How many casual kisses does it take to fall in love?

Read Book One of the Experiments of Midnight Springs series today to find out!

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**Only .99cents!**

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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**Check out the newly released coloring book! **

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Curses of Midnight Springs Coloring Book

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This coloring book is a must-have companion for the Midnight Springs fandom!

Featuring 46 colorable pages, the Curses of Midnight Springs coloring book will help readers dive even deeper into the world of Midnight Springs. Included are a variety of mandalas, quote pages, object-based designs, and decorative floral patterns–all printed on one side of the page with a blank back to avoid bleed-through (because everyone hates that, right?)

Elements from the following books are included:

Brooke and the Wolf
Raven and the Ghost
Juliet and the Assassin
Holly and the Unseen

If you can’t get enough of the Curses of Midnight Springs series, this coloring book is for you!

(Also, be sure to check out the next series in this world, the Experiments of Midnight Springs.)

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Get it on Amazon!

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Valerie Jo is a young-adult paranormal romance author. Her goal as an author is to merge the fantasy worlds of Sarah J. Maas and Richelle Mead with the contemporary romance styles of Simone Elkeles and Katie McGarry. (If you haven’t read anything by these authors, add them to your tbr list. You won’t regret it.)

Valerie is a Christian, a wife to an amazing man, and a mother to two beautiful and brilliant children, so she knows all about love and being loved well. Sadly, she had to experience much heartache to get to this point. Her greatest desire is for her readers to find love and peace in the pages of her books, and to never settle for less than that in their own lives. ❤

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Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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$20 Amazon giftcard,

Curses of Midnight Springs Coloring Book

-1 winner each!

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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.

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Once upon a time, an evil faerie queen traveled through the looking-glass with the cruelest of intentions…to curse a baby.

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A Court of Broken Promises & Nightmares

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Courts & Curses Book 2

by Michelle Helen Fritz

Genre: YA Dark Fantasy Regency Romance

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Once upon a time, an evil faerie queen traveled through the looking-glass with the cruelest of intentions…to curse a baby.

When Alora meets her prince at a masquerade and shares a moonlight dance, her life is forever changed. As her heart longs for his promised return, she can’t get his amber gaze far from her mind.

The Faerie Prince of the White Kingdom doesn’t remember the night he fell in love with his true mate. Debauchery and unrest are twisting the subjects of Wonderland into sinister faeries, and the prince is suffering right alongside his people. With time ticking down to preserve the wonder of his land, he’ll need to battle his greatest foe and regain his lost memories or risk sacrificing everything.

With the help of the Resistance and a tutor with style and sass, Alora is destined to save the two kingdoms, but she’ll need to embrace the darkness in order to fulfill the prophecy. What Wonderland needs most is a savior. But she’s only ever been a simple English girl. No pressure there.

This is book two in a Regency fairytale re-telling mash-up series Courts & Curses with guaranteed happily ever afters and surprising twists to the tales you thought you knew. Adventure through the six Courts of Faerie in this shared universe as they battle the darkness that seeks to destroy their existence. Each book is written as a standalone with interconnecting characters and themes.

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Amazon * Bookbub * Goodreads

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Horrifying beasts that used to exist only in nightmares now freely roamed the dark lands. Those who were once gentle and kind had been either devoured or forced to become cruel and twisted, re-created into something sinister, something truly terrifying. A Resistance was formed to fight against the swelling tide of evil, one which would need a savior, a leader who could take all of the unrest and debauchery and vanquish the very heart of evil, making something wonderful from its ashes. One who could take the darkness and embrace it as they conquered the false queen.

 

Cheshire was in pursuit of a grimoire chasing a hobgoblin. The grimoire was spitting black, inky liquid at everything it passed by. It was a nasty, horrid little creature, as all the grimoires were.

 

The tabby ran with a delighted look upon his whiskered face. Alora caught his notice by wavering her hand in the air.

 

“Nothing to fear, Curious One! We shall soon have this all settled. There is nothing quite like a good mad dash around the library.” The feline winked at her, then took off again.

 

“Mad, you’re all raving mad,” she whispered. “Everything anyone does is mad!”

 

“Who are you?” came a raspy voice to the side of the pathway. Alora cast her gaze in the direction from where the voice had come, noting the various shapes and heights of the mushrooms standing erect just beside the pathway.

 

“I inquired who you are, you daft girl,” seethed the voice with unguarded irritation.

 

“Why is everyone so unbearably rude?” Alora had had her fill with ill-mannered faeries and took angry steps until she halted before the mushroom where the tiny creature reclined. She staked her hands onto her hips in umbrage.

 

Resting atop the largest brown and white mushroom was a tiny cyan caterpillar puffing out tiny rings of smoke. In one of his many grubby hands rested the mouthpiece of a hookah. He wasn’t wearing any practical clothing, yet there were minuscule sky-blue slippers on ten of his miniature feet.

 

“Perhaps you’re the rude one, you unwelcomed interloper!” the insect snapped before taking another drag on his instrument.

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Can you, for those who don’t know you already, tell something about yourself and how you became an author? 

I think I was always writing. I wrote my first Regency Romance when I was an early teenager. I still remember it and wish that I had held onto it. That was my first official book and Love At Last was my next. I couldn’t imagine writing another book and not publishing it.

 

What are you passionate about these days? 

Writing and reading and learning new ways to express the written word. Also, my daughter’s artistic skills have really soared! She’s surpassed everything that I ever taught her and that is such an awe inspiring moment when you watch your little one take flight. I love watching her paint. It’s the coolest thing to express yourself on a canvas. There’s a piece of beauty in each brushstroke. And painting beside my daughter is faetastic. I love that we can be so creative and just have such a marvelous time together.

 

What do you do to unwind and relax? 

Read! I really do enjoy books. I want to be whisked away and surprised and fall in love.

 

What inspired you to write this book? 

The idea of a Wonderland where the heroine chooses Hatter and he falls for her, deliciously. I wanted one that was gruesome with battles but also with such a sweet wholesome romance. I think the idea of the Regency era where manners mattered and mayhem ruled was fascinating. And the young adult genre has my heart. Fairytales were my first love, what better way to honor that then to create my own worlds?

 

Where did you come up with the names in the story? 

Alora is our heroine. When I considered Alice from Alice in Wonderland and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, I merged them together and Alora was born. I think it’s the perfect way to mash-up my heroines, and I enjoy taking the fairytales and creating these names. The other names were seamless. These characters appeared on the pages and there was never a doubt as to who they were.

 

Did you learn anything during the writing of your recent book? 

I certainly did. So much of the Regency genre is telling, not showing. With the first book in this series, I didn’t show enough and some readers pointed out that they would have enjoyed it more if I had shown more things. My editor was meticulous in pointing out when I needed to show more. I’m a very descriptive writer, so I loved having things be noted that I could bring to life in a different way. I think it’s so much more magical than my first book and I really hope that it presents well to the young adult audience. This book owns my heart.

 

How did you come up with the name of this book?

Well, the Lunar Court is a wondrous place filled with nightmares as it’s heavily tied to dreaming and curses. The idea of our hero making a promise that he couldn’t keep intrigued me. So I knew that nightmares and promises had to be in my title.

 

 

If you could spend time with a character from your book whom would it be? And what would you do during that day? 

That’s very easy to answer. Cheshire of course would be my choice. He’s so funny and says things that others might not, he just doesn’t have a filter and I love that most about him. He’s honest and raw and doesn’t apologize for being himself one bit. I would love to sit down over a tea table and hear the gossipy tales from all the Courts. Mostly, I dream of the idea of giving him a hug. Can you imagine how soft his fur would be!?

 

Do your characters seem to hijack the story or do you feel like you have the reigns of the story? 

Before I even began writing this book, Femfaeascent was fuming with formidable rage, pacing back and forth in my mind. She was quite irate with her son and wanted to make sure that her vengeance was legend. Once the prologue was written, she calmed down. But I usually have characters talk to me and Alora was also very vocal. I had an idea of where we were going and reached chapter three and she was like, nope. We’re redoing this because this isn’t how this is suppressed to go. I was so upset because I didn’t want to lose my words but you know what? She was absolutely right, the book is better because she was so insistent.

 

If your book had a candle, what scent would it be?

It would be a mix of Hatter’s and Remius’s scents. Wonder what those are? Read their story.

 

Do the characters all come to you at the same time or do some of them come to you as you write? Obviously I had a pretty good handle on the main characters. Usually when I’m writing things are happening and bam, there’s a new character. Sometimes it’s surprising and other times it’s a good compromise to making a scene or a book flow better. Usually I won’t know who they really are until there is dialogue happening. That’s when any character really comes to life. I never imagined that Fleur, who was in the first book, would be such a huge part of the second book. But she showed up in a big way and stole it away.

 

Do you prefer to write in silence or with noise? Why? 

Always in silence or as much as I can manage! I want to be in the moment with my characters and not miss any of what’s taking place on the page. I often will read lines aloud when it’s dialogue to hear how it sounds, what I could add more to, or what could be tweaked.

 

Do you write one book at a time or do you have several going at a time?

Usually it’s two at a time. One to be working on full-time and one to slip into when I need a change or to let one rest to come back to it in a few days.

 

Pen or type writer or computer?

Computer. I need to see the words flowing on the screen. I would never accomplish much if I was concentrating on my handwriting and whether it was legible enough to read later.

 

Do you try more to be original or to deliver to readers what they want?

Several very wise persons have said to write for yourself the stories that you want to read. And that’s exactly what I do. I really hope others enjoy my words, and if not excuse me while I weep away. Kidding…mostly. Most authors want their books to resonate with their readers. That’s the ultimate goal.

 

How long on average does it take you to write a book?

It really varies. My second book was a co-write with the amazing E.A. Shanniak. We wrote that book in three weeks because it just flowed. It was an amazing experience. Other times it’s taken longer. I think the longest was a year, but I wasn’t consistently writing it. Usually if given the proper time, three months is my time-frame.

 

Do you believe in writer’s block?

I do! Sometimes the muse just isn’t there. That’s when you need to take a step back and just do something else that inspires you. Go to a museum. Go for a walk. If you’re crafty, create something. Paint, listen to music or spend time with your family. When your mind resets, the muse will begin to whisper in your ear. It’s magical when suddenly those words start to flow.

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Michelle Helen Fritz began her literary career as a personal assistant to Indie authors. She enjoys being immersed in the process of turning an idea into a complete and published book. Michelle loves to write about dashing heroes and the compelling women that tempt them with a bit of intrigue and an abundance of romance, creating swoon-worthy characters and stories for her readers to enjoy. Occasionally, her characters talk to her and change the entire plot. Maryland is where her humble abode resides, housing her four home-schooled children along with her jaunty hero-husband who makes all her dreams come true. Michelle fully believes in happily-ever-afters and wishing upon stars.

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Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads

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Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Signed Paperback (US only),

$10 Amazon giftcard (WW)

– 1 winner each!

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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.



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Sweetheart

by Cookie O’Gorman

 

Publication date: April 25th 2024
Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Sweetheart (suh-weet-hart): Someone who is kind, friendly, and/or lovable. For reference, see Scarlett Kent.

Seventeen-year-old Scarlett Kent likes the idea of love—in theory. She’s just never had time for romance. Voted Most Likely to Succeed, founder of a youth mentoring program, and an aspiring professional violinist, Scarlett has goals—and a list of “firsts” she’d like to complete before graduation.

One thing that’s not on her list: Falling for Sam Bishop.

Flirtatious jocks who sleep through class aren’t her type—no matter how good Sam looks in his jersey. But when her car breaks down, Sam stops to help…which leads to an unexpected offer.

Sam volunteers to help Scarlett complete her list. In return, she’ll help him win back his ex.

It’s a sweetheart deal that should benefit everyone.

But between kissing lessons and pretend dates, Scarlett realizes Sam is the perfect fake boyfriend. And if she’s not careful, he could be her first real heartbreak.

This book features two souls who’re meant to be, one fake arrangement, so many heart-melting kisses and answers the question:

What happens when a perfectionist falls for a player?

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“Can I ask you something?” he said.

“Okay…”

“Why are you dressed like that?”

I lifted a brow. “Like a blueberry?”

Sam gave a shrug. “I was going to say a cross between Elsa and Cinderella.”

“Well, well,” I said, “the Sam Bishop knows his princesses. Who would’ve guessed?”

“Thanks to my sister,” he said. “And I still don’t get why you keep saying the before my name. Makes no sense.”

It made sense to me.

He’d always been the Sam Bishop in my head. As in the one and only, the original, the Sam Bishop who stole my heart at age ten and refused to give it back. I couldn’t say any of that to him, though, so I just shrugged.

“I was hired to play a wedding,” I said.

“And they asked you to dress like a princess?”

I shook my head. “The bride wanted a very specific shade of blue. Not baby blue, aqua or cornflower. Royal blue is what they asked for. This is what I had, so…”

Sam nodded. “Looks good on you.”

“Yeah, right,” I said with a scoff.

“I’m serious.”

Feeling my cheeks heat, I crossed my arms.

“Gotta be honest, though, I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to fit all that in the car. That’s a lot of material.”

His words startled a laugh out of me, and I gave a mental curse. I would not be charmed by him. The guy couldn’t even remember my name for goodness sakes.

“Is part of it still hanging out the door or…?” he said innocently.

“Ha ha,” I said, “very funny, Bishop.”

“Got a laugh out of you, Kent.”

Well.

At least he remembered my last name, I thought.

“And I’m assuming if I hadn’t been able to fit inside your inadequately-sized sports car”—he scoffed—”you would’ve just left me on the side the road?”

Sam shook his head. “Nah, I would’ve just had you take the dress off.”

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About Author Cookie O’Gorman:

Cookie O’Gorman writes YA & NA romance to give readers a taste of happily-ever-after. Small towns, quirky characters, and the awkward yet beautiful moments in life make up her books. Cookie also has a soft spot for nerds and ninjas. Her novels ADORKABLE, NINJA GIRL, The Unbelievable, Inconceivable, Unforeseeable Truth About Ethan Wilder, The Good Girl’s Guide to Being Bad, The Kissing Challenge (YA novella), WALLFLOWER, CUPCAKE, FAUXMANCE, and BOOKWORM are out now! She is also the author of NA sports romances The Best Mistake, The Perfect Play, The Sweetest Game, and The Total Knockout. Her newest release SWEETHEART came out on April 25, 2024!

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

 

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Thanks so much for visiting fuonlyknew and Good Luck!

For a list of my reviews go HERE.

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To see all of my giveaways go HERE.



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Darkness Falls

by A.E. Faulkner

 

(Nature’s Fury, #1)
Publication date: March 31st 2019
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

Our family trip to the beach ended before it even began. Mother Nature made sure of that.

Our parents…gone in an instant. It’s just me and my sister. 100 miles from home. No car. No phones. No money. Down to our last crumbs of food.

But just when we figure out what to do, she vanishes.

Mother Nature reached her breaking point and everyone’s paying the price. I have a feeling she isn’t done just yet.

But guess what? Neither am I.

Can Quinn survive the dark side of humanity and outrun nature’s fury? Click Buy Now to find out.

Goodreads / Amazon

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Enjoy this peek inside:

“Aidan, man, we should probably get going soon,” Jeff says, pulling me away from the threatening spiral of memories. His interruption is a welcome distraction.

“You’re right,” Aidan says, his eyes locked with mine. “But before we go, Quinn, you need to know, you’re not safe here. Do you have somewhere else to go?”

“What are you talking about?” My head volleys back and forth between the guys. Jeff runs a hand through his short brown hair and exhales a sigh. He leans in conspiratorially and says in a hushed voice, “Look, we’ve been checking out the unoccupied homes around here. You know, just borrowing things to help us get by. But one of the trailers we went to, we thought it was empty…”

Aidan finishes for him. “Quinn, one of your neighbors is dead. We thought the trailer was vacant, so we went inside. We grabbed some canned food and other stuff from the kitchen and then we went to the bedroom to see if there were any blankets and pillows.”

Tag-teaming again, Jeff continues. “We thought the smell was some food rotting. But… we found her just lying there on the bed, lifeless. Looked like she was stabbed. There was blood on the sheets and blanket.” He pauses momentarily before breaking the silence. “We would have helped her if we could, but she was gone.”

I raise a hand to cover my gaping mouth. The scream I heard the other night. That must have been it. Why didn’t I think to go see what was happening? Maybe I could have helped her. Maybe I could have stopped it.

“Guys, which trailer? Where did you see this?” I don’t know many of the permanent residents, and if it was someone who is only here for vacations, there’s no chance I know her.

Aidan steps to the edge of the porch and points, “Two homes down in that direction. The one with the wishing well in the front yard.” I wrap my arms around myself to contain the shiver running through me. The guys exchange a look and I know what’s coming next.

“Look, we gotta go,” Aidan says. “How about we check on you tomorrow? Would that be okay? Just make sure you’re alright.” Before I can filter my thoughts, they escape my lips. “That would be really nice. Yeah, I’d like that.”

“Okay,” Jeff says, nodding. The guys eye each other, silently communicating. They hesitate for just a moment and then Aidan speaks again. “Quinn, just keep a low profile, okay? Try to keep yourself hidden. We’ll come back tomorrow night after it gets dark and we can talk more then.”

“Okay,” I say. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Or, today I guess.” The guys watch me head inside the trailer. I lock the door and peer out the window, watching them leave. I barely know them, but I sense they’re like me and Riley—good people trying to navigate their way through a bad situation.

As I tiptoe back to the bedroom and settle under the covers, I vow to tell Riley everything. She deserves to know we could be in danger here and she needs to meet Aidan and Jeff. Maybe they are our ticket out of here.
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About Author A. E. Faulkner:

A. E. Faulkner was born and raised in Pennsylvania. When she’s not lost in a book, she loves spending time with her husband and two sons, especially while hiking, biking, or exploring nature. She loves almost everything about nature—ticks excluded, and one of her biggest fears is the repercussions we will face when nature can no longer tolerate human destruction. As such, she never tires of reading dystopian-themed tales. Stories about the end of the world absolutely fascinate her.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok

 

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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.

Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Our Lives In Between organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author Billie Kowalewski will award a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card to a randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

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

Our Lives In Between

by Billie Kowalewski

 

 

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis

It had been five years since the accident that derailed Veronica’s life, which left her suffering from a strange flu-like illness ever since. Thanks to a barrier set in her mind at birth, she can’t remember her name is Harmony and that this is not her real life. She has no memory of the many lives she had lived before this one and how several of those lives had been cut short. How she must uncover the reason why those lives had ended so early, and how this moment may hold the key, or she risks losing herself and Earth forever.

As Harmony, she wants to uncover the reason why her lives keep ending so soon. As Veronica, she wonders how much longer she has to live like this? What could possibly be left for her? Little did she know, she was about to get her answers…

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Enjoy this peek inside:

My world is your world—only you can’t remember any of it. A barrier exists between what you think is real and what you know to be. It had been put in place during the transition into the world you currently know and will be removed upon your return.

In other words, this is not your real life.

My name is Harmony, and I am going to let you in on a little secret. I am a student at the biggest, most famous school ever known. And so are you! It’s called Earth.

Yep. Earth is a school. Are you shocked? If you are, it’s okay. That is the most common and expected reaction to this news. I will give you a moment to let that sink in…

Just kidding! Based on the fact you’ve chosen to read this; I am going to bet that you’re a lot like me. You’re probably fine, and not shocked by this at all. If you do, however, find this news to be at all surprising, perhaps it would be best if you stopped here. This story may not be for everyone, and I am not looking to upset anyone’s beliefs. Our extreme diversity is an important part of what makes us who we are. So, this may be where we will agree to disagree and possibly part ways. Hopefully as friends.

For everyone else, I will move on.

Yes, life is about learning, and Earth is our school. I’m sure you have heard someone on Earth say this before. I know when I am there, I hear this often. Some people know, but it’s not because they remember it is. They know because people cannot get through a single day there without learning something, somehow. On Earth, learning is unavoidable.

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About Author Billie Kowalewski:

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Billie Kowalewski grew up in a small town along the Connecticut shoreline. She’s always had a wild imagination and spent her childhood dreaming up stories. This would often lead her to the library or whatever bookstore where she would be combing the shelves for books that closely resembled what was in her head at the time. A lot of the time she would come close and would be satisfied with what she found. However, there was always this one story she could never find. It was in 2010 that she decided to write it herself. In whatever spare time she has left, she enjoys listening to pretty much anything that rocks, like 80’s hair bands, metal, etc. She also has a gift for finding the strangest movies and shows ever (according to her children) and loves spending time with her family.

 

Links to Our Lives In Between: iTunes / Kobo / B&N / Google Play / Amazon

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Welcome to my stop on the virtual book tour for Helluland organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.

Author C.R. Lindstrom will award a $25 Amazon or B&N Gift Card. randomly drawn winner. Don’t forget to enter!

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

Helluland

by C.R. Lindstrom

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Genre: Geo Political Thriller crossed with a Young Adult Urban Fantasy

Synopis

A GIFT AWAKENING. A LEGEND REVEALED.

In a remote corner of the Arctic, unexplained phenomenon haunt an isolated community. Several people have disappeared, and somehow young Erika Holstrom knows why. Still reeling from the loss of her mother, she escapes to university, only to be followed by unsettling visions of the future.

When a Russian submarine vanishes in the far North, Erika’s nightmares suggest the answers lay buried deep in her family history. Now, just as the melting polar ice releases its sinister secrets, Erika and her friends are in a race against time to convince the sceptical authorities what is really happening in her Arctic homeland, before it’s too late.

Will they succeed, or is the frozen North lost forever…

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Enjoy this peek inside:

Katherine was staring down the Russian defence attaché when her intelligence officer burst in the room. Realising Katherine was not alone, the J2 covered his mouth while whispering to her. “General, the USS Samuel Ronaldson is reporting they’ve lost contact with their helo.”

Damn.

“Colonel Borishov,” she breathed, “you’ll have to excuse me for a moment.”

The attaché started to protest before Katherine closed the door behind her, leaving the Russian with her chief of staff.

The Arctic headquarters in Pond Inlet’s community centre was already alive with activity. Katherine took her position at the head of a series of flat screens and looked to her J3 operations officer. “Report, please.”

“Ma’am, at approximately 20:44 Zulu, the USS Samuel Ronaldson, operating in the south-western search zone, dispatched one of its helos to act as overwatch due to deteriorating sea ice conditions.” The J3 pointed to the electronic map to his front. Katherine mentally deducted five hours from the reported time, since Zulu was based on Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT in England. The operations officer continued. “General, roughly thirty minutes later the Russian frigate Nikolay Khabalov entered the Ronaldson’s search area from the south and dispatched its own helo.”

Katherine’s face was tense. She could tell where this was leading, but hoped she was wrong. The J3 pressed on.

“Though there was considerable electronic interference at the time, at roughly 21:20 Zulu, radar contact was lost with the Khabalov and Ronaldson helos. From what we gather, they were both within the same grid square when this occurred. Ma’am, at this point we are assuming a midair collision between the helicopters. The Ronaldson has undertaken its search and rescue procedures, and we believe the Khabalov is doing the same.”

Katherine looked about the room. All eyes were on her.

“Any survivors, J3?” she asked quietly.

“Unknown at this time, ma’am, though no emergency beacons have been detected.”

Katherine pulled a notepad from the right cargo pocket of her pants and scribbled down several points before directing the operations officer.

“Engage the search and rescue protocols if not already done, and request SAR aircraft to support us from Goose Bay and Thule. Open up a secure line to both Ottawa and Washington.”

The headquarters staff started carrying out her orders when Katherine glanced grudgingly at her closed office door.

“J3, please ask Colonel Borishov to join me. He deserves to know what has happened.”

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About Author C.R. Lindstrom:

C.R. Lindström is a debut author with a passion for lore and history.

Amazon / Goodreads / Books2Read

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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.