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Sunday, July 31, 2022

The Light After the Orange by Beverley J. Hall + giveaway

The Light After the Orange
by Beverley J. Hall
(The Tundra Stone Series, #1)
Publication date: July 18th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Post-Apocalyptic
EVEN IN A DYING WORLD, IS SURVIVAL ENOUGH?

After the Orange and the catastrophic devastation of Earth, magic began to seep in—but will it help Alex Chegasa survive?

Hidden and protected by magic, she grew up embracing her gifts. After witnessing the only people she can call family being murdered, eighteen-year-old Alex must choose between her head and her heart in her search for a place to belong. But, her hunt for a home means having to hide her magic.

All the while, in the shadows, eight-hundred-year-old Fae Billey NicNevin, suffering from amnesia, is rediscovering her magic.

Are their fates intertwined?

What if the fantastical stories Alex’s mother told her as a child were true?

ALL MYTHS ARE BASED ON TRUTH

Sales Copy: Eighteen-year-old Alex Chegasa, one of the first generation to be raised on post-apocalyptic Earth, was taught to embrace her magical gifts.

After the Orange, as the planet burned, magic trickled in. The bombs that had wiped out most life ripped open the barrier between worlds. Can the next generation, connected to the magic, be the solution to mankind’s problems or are they destined to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors?

Did the Orange, the very thing that ravaged the planet, also provide the solution? Or is magic more than a coincidence?

While Alex searches for somewhere to belong, in Massachusetts, she questions if survival is enough when she comes to understand that magic, used by the wrong people, could be more dangerous than the power of the generations before her.

Meanwhile, in a parallel story, we meet eight-hundred-year-old Fae, Billey NicNevin. With a past she doesn’t remember, she struggles to fit into Nuadh Caled (New Scotland) as it rebuilds itself. When she meets a woman whose soul calls to her, will she find her missing piece or tumble into insanity?

Are their destinies connected?

WHAT IF THE FANTASTICAL STORIES FROM ALEX’S CHILDHOOD WERE TRUE?

About the Author:
Beverley J. Hall was born in Kent, England, and raised in Scotland. Most of her childhood was spent with her nose in a book, and her love of stories was born.

While studying Art and Design, she discovered her love of storytelling, whether with paint, sculpture, fabric, or words.

After completing an MA in Creative Writing, she is now living her best life, writing stories at the seaside with her son, her granddaughter, and her cat Bertie.

Head over to TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter to join her overthinking and daydreaming (she’s still hoping for a pet dragon).

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
Print copy of The Light After the Orange
Ebook copy of The Light After the Orange


Friday, July 29, 2022

Book Review: Love and Other Monsters in the Dark by K. B. Jensen

Love and Other Monsters in the Dark
by K. B. Jensen
June 20, 2022
Publisher: Crimson Cloud Media LLC
ASIN: B0B4P2DV56 
ISBN: 9798985335002
Strange Stories That Linger in the Shadows

Readers will encounter serial killers, alien creatures, and dark angels, as well as more “normal” narratives about the horrors of everyday love. Love and Other Monsters in the Dark features a genre-hopping blend of contemporary fiction, noir humor, speculative fiction, and horror, with an undercurrent of love and the relationships that bind us together in the darkness. Among others, the cast of characters includes a catfish and her victim, creepy dolls in prayer, an arsonist housewife, an elderly bank robber, and a “teacup” pig. Some just can’t take it anymore.

From an award-winning story of a woman who turns into her grandmother overnight, to a narrative about facing relationship complications during a zombie apocalypse, this collection offers laughter and tears, playfully packaged in and out of flash fiction.


This is a collection of different horror and dark fantasy flash fiction tales. Some of my favorites included “A Siren in Stone,” “Arsonist Housewife,” “A One-Star Review,” “Paper Dolls,” “Catfishing in the Time of Covid,” and “Arnav and the Apocalypse.” 

A woman keeps hearing a woman crying from the stone walls of the villa she has rented in "A Siren in Stone." 

In the "Arsonist Housewife," she works to wash dishes in a full sink before the husband comes home and instead sets a fire. 

“A One-Star Review” is about a couple having dinner in a restaurant where the staff appears to keep a squirrel. 

“Paper Dolls” tells the story of a not-so-handsome boy who falls for a girl who has a sketchbook. He sneaks a look through it and finds it full of good-looking men, muscular ones, and some more average. He finds himself drawn in there. What she does with the drawings shocks him and is the story's title, too. 

A woman tries to scam an older man online and over the phone in 2020 during Covid and finds herself beginning to tell him the truth about themselves in “Catfishing in the Time of Covid.” 

“Arnav and the Apocalypse” tells the story of a girl and a young man, Arnav, both safe from the zombies until she ends up pregnant, and he leaves their safe house and yard to find her Korean food, specifically kimchi, downtown.

Love and Other Monsters in the Dark is a collection of quick stories to show the reader how darkness and horror are not just in the zombie apocalypse or dark angels made by the government but how we can find it in our everyday life. They are an entertaining rush of horrific yet sad and happy, adrenaline stories that are more than a flash in the pan.

I gave Love and Other Monsters in the Dark 4 sheep.





Reviewed by Pamela K. Kinney

About the Author:
Award-winning Author K.B. Jensen’s new collection of short stories, Love and Other Monsters in the Dark, is out. She has two novels, Painting With Fire, an artistic murder mystery, and A Storm of Stories, which veers literary and handles love, craziness and impossibility. Painting With Fire has been downloaded over 75,000 times. K.B. lives in Littleton, CO., with her family. She teaches skiing and writes poetry. A former journalist, K.B. is a senior publishing consultant and writing camp director for My Word Publishing. Her work has appeared in Cherry Magazine, Progenitor and other publications. Visit www.kbjensenauthor.com.

Thursday, July 28, 2022

Awaken: A Norse Dark Fantasy by Vanessa MacLellan + giveaway

Awaken: A Norse Dark Fantasy
by Vanessa MacLellan
July 30, 2022
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror
Balin stands between two great Powers. One will shatter his mind; the other will destroy his soul. Only one of them can save his people.

Fort Resonbirg, a Norse stronghold in the New World, is besieged by the evil sorcerer Ursulard the Dreamspinner. Though their fields are scorched and homes destroyed, the residents and refugees do not worry, because Fort Resonbirg is Awakened with the power to provide, protect, and grow. But not all is as it seems when a wall of impenetrable mist surrounds the fort, and within the mist hunts the dragon, Nidhogg. Nidhogg hungers for more than flesh and bone. It instills nightmares on its prey, feeding on fear and pain, inevitably taking lives.

Balin Tremore, a commoner bound for the militia but hoping to stay by his noble love's side, never expected to amount to grand things. When the great power of Cradleweaving is awakened within him, Balin unknowingly becomes the one person with the power to pierce the wall of mist and banish the deadly beast within before it destroys them all—if he can master the new power in time. But to master the power, he must sacrifice much. The question is, will it be his position, his Lady, or his very soul?

The Mist meets Nightmare on Elm Street in this classic tale of personal sacrifice.

About the Author
Website-FB-TwitterVanessa MacLellan is a fantasy author born and raised in the farmlands of eastern Washington, works as an environmental engineer, and is an avid birder, naturalist and hiker living in Portland, Oregon. Her first novel, Three Great Lies, an Egyptian fantasy published by Hadley Rille Books. She loves mythology and tries to slip it into every book she writes. Her website is vanmaclellan.com.

Giveaway
$10 Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

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Wednesday, July 27, 2022

Interview: Horror Author Ridley Harker + giveaway

Have you written any other books that are not published?
In the past I’ve written two novellas that I had self-published on Amazon. They weren’t very good, so I removed them before Parasite was published. The first one was The God Killers, which was about a necromancer and a priest fighting a reincarnated messenger god who wanted to unleash the apocalypse. I liked the characters, but the plot was a little too Lovecraftian to be original. The second was The Midnight Theatre, a story about a state-sponsored hunter who teams up with a redneck vampire. I meant it to be a series, but I never got around to it. Now I think I’ll heavily revise it, because while the main characters are worth saving, I wrote it before the Ferguson Protests and now I don’t think I could in good conscious have a protagonist that teams up with law enforcement.

Fun Facts/Behind the Scenes/Did You Know?'-type tidbits about the author, the book or the writing process of the book.
A fun fact about me is that I used to be a reptile, amphibians, and invertebrates keeper at a mid-sized AZA accredited zoo. I’m professionally trained to handle venomous reptiles, large constrictors, and crocodilians. My favorite part was working with the Aldabra tortoises. They were so sweet.

What book do you think everyone should read?
I love the Johannes Cabal series by Jonathan L Howard. It’s about a disgruntled necromancer who wants to get his soul back from Satan. It’s just so amazing. I’ve got the whole series on hardback/paperback plus the audiobooks.

Do you believe in writer’s block?
I suffer from writer’s block at least once a week! It’s a real struggle because I’m pursuing my master’s degree in creative writing and I need to be more productive.

Parasite
by Ridley Harker
June 28, 2022
Genre: Horror, LGBTQ Romance
Some teenagers are a little more monstrous than others.

Seventeen-year-old Jack Ives is used to being unlucky. His only friend has just moved away to college, his parents are alcoholics, and he’s relentlessly bullied by the town psychopath. All that begins to change with the arrival of a handsome but quirky new student, Lucien, who wants to be more than friends.

Their newfound happiness doesn’t last, however, as a strange new illness strikes the island. Fishermen go missing, and the villagers left behind aren’t themselves anymore. When Lucien is suspected to be the cause of the outbreak, can Jack overcome his teenage hormones and save Eldrick Isle? Will he even want to?

0054 hours
September 2, 2015
Gulf of Maine
When some kooky mainlanders offered to pay extra for a midnight ferry, Bill Jamison had jumped at the chance to pay off his bar tab. Now he regretted it. The middle-aged fisherman leaned morosely against the starboard rail while beside him his business partner, Jim Kendrick, fought the uphill battle of smoking a pipe during a storm. The rain pounded against the deck in a dull roar and, judging from Kendrick’s cursing, the pipe had gone out once again.

Not for the first time, Jamison reluctantly noted that his partner was getting on in years. Kendrick’s coat hung from his wizened frame like a cloak. His mysterious weight loss had made them both nervous, not that either one said anything. For an Eldrick Islander, the prospect of cancer was like foul weather; something to be endured without complaint.

“Goddamned son-of-a—” Kendrick upended the pipe and a sodden wad of tobacco fell onto the deck. He kicked it away, smearing it across the boards.

“We shouldn’t have gone out tonight,” Jamison said.

“Horse shit,” Kendrick huffed. “We’ve sailed through worse than this.”

“That ain’t what I meant.” Jamison jerked his head toward the mainlander lurking near the bow of the ferry.

Tall and blond, his passenger’s washed-out appearance resembled a photograph, the kind found in a neglected attic of subjects long deceased. Judging by the young man’s pinched frown, Jamison assumed that Silas Spencer was either a lawyer or an undertaker. He shuddered; Jamison hated lawyers, having seen enough of their kind during his divorce. Blood-sucking monsters the lot of them, in his opinion, but he had never been afraid of them, not even when the wretches helped his ex-wife take half of everything he’d owned.

But he was afraid of this one.

It was the eyes. He had seen eyes like that once before, years ago. Back when he had spent much of his days drunk. Once, while Kendrick cleaned their catch, Jamison had gone too far and drunk too much. His legs had betrayed him, and he had tumbled over the side. He remembered tasting blood. A tangy mix of iron and salt that burned his lungs when he tried to inhale. His eyes had stung. He had floundered in the icy water. He, a man who had learned to swim before he could walk, was drowning.

Then the moment of panic was gone, and instinct had set in. Jamison’s powerful legs had propelled him upwards, his arms outstretched toward the boat. He had nearly reached it before the shadow was beneath him. It came at him like a torpedo, almost too fast for his gin-addled brain to comprehend. A massive, prehistoric monster armed with muscled jaws and sandpaper skin. The soulless black pits of its eyes rolled back in its head, and its gaping maw expanded to reveal rows upon row of serrated teeth.

In the split second before the attack, Jamison had stared into the darkness of oblivion—then he had been shaken like a terrier on a rat. The shark had separated the flesh from his leg and sentenced him to a month in a mainland hospital whose bill he was still struggling to pay off. The very existence of such a creature disproved the notion that humans sat at the top of the food chain.

Safely back in the present, Jamison shuddered and remembered to breathe. He rubbed at his forearms, warm beneath his thick woolen sweater. He had been lucky. If he had drunk a little more gin, perhaps he wouldn’t have had the presence of mind to sink his knife deep into the shark’s eye socket. Now only scars and nightmares remained, and he hadn’t touched the bottle since. He liked to say that his rock bottom was on the ocean floor.

Jamison recognized something of that great white shark in Spencer. The man’s flat, grey eyes made his skin crawl. He glowered at Spencer’s broad-shouldered back, but Spencer didn’t seem to notice or care. His attention lay on the swirling mists beyond the ferry’s bow. Typical yuppie mainlander. Pretentious bastard, Jamison thought.

“They’re up to something,” he said aloud, glancing toward the cabin where the other one had sequestered himself.

Kendrick only snorted. “They’re mainlanders. They’ll spend a few weeks on the Isle, get bored, and then go back to whatever hell hole they came from. You know the type. We get a few every other year or so.”

Jamison did know the type. Unlike Nantucket, or Martha’s Vineyard, Eldrick Isle never attracted the summer crowd. There was nothing to offer. The once booming fishing industry had been usurped by commercial trawlers decades ago, forcing the neighboring isles to turn to seaweed farming instead. Eldrick, however, chose to bow its head and soldier on, clinging to the memory of its glory days. Billboards advertised a hotel that had long since shuttered its doors. The lone diner had a Visitor’s Special that no one ever ordered. The pier greeting the newcomers reeked of dead fish, the ever-present stench emanating from the dozen or so rusted fishing boats docked in the harbor.

Then there was the island itself: Eldrick’s shores were steep, rocky cliffs, with edges sharp and jagged like broken teeth. The surf stirred up debris and rotting vegetation, littering the island’s few beaches with trash from the abandoned canning factory on the island’s east side. Even the hottest days of summer were damp and chilly. Mist obscured the frigid waters. It crept onto the island, soaking through the sturdiest of coats. The few vacationers that showed up in August inevitably took one look at the dying town and turned around to book their return ticket.

Rain splattered against Jamison’s hood, echoing in his ears. Kendrick tried his pipe again to no avail. The storm lulled enough that the sound of retching was audible from within the depths of the cabin. Rasping coughs followed by the wet splatter of vomit. The downpour returned with a roar. It slipped past Jamison’s hood, soaking his neck. His shiver had nothing to do with the cold.

Kendrick abandoned his pipe and frowned, his rheumy eyes searching Jamison’s face. Jamison cleared his throat, striving to be heard over the rain and yet not loud enough for Spencer to hear. “Something’s wrong,” he shouted into Kendrick’s ear. “We were barely on the water before the kid got sick—”

“Billy, you been drinking again?” Kendrick asked, clasping Jamison’s shoulder with gnarled fingers. “When’d you get so goddamned superstitious?”

“No, I haven’t been fucking drinking! I’m only saying that this whole thing feels wrong; if one of my brothers were puking like that, I’d at least go check on him. I think the kid’s got something bad—what if it’s contagious?”

“What, like ee-bolah?” Kendrick asked, with a sharp look toward the ferry’s cabin. “Naw, it couldn’t be…”

“You checked on him?”

“No.”

“Well, someone ought to,” Jamison said.

“You do it,” Kendrick said dubiously. “Last time, I slipped in it and damn near broke my back.”

“Go check it out. If he’s only seasick then I’ll clean it up myself, but I’m telling you, something’s very wrong with that kid.”

“Christ, Billy! Nag anymore and you’re gonna sound like my wife.” Kendrick gave him a shove and then marched across the deck toward the cabin. Jamison caught movement in the corner of his eye and found Spencer watching them, his back against the railing. Their eyes met, and all of a sudden Jamison couldn’t hear the storm. There was nothing but the blood pounding in his ears. One corner of Spencer’s thin mouth twitched upward into a razor’s edge of a smirk. Jamison’s skin crawled. He wrenched his eyes away.

“Jim, wait!” Jamison shouted over the rain, but Kendrick had already knocked on the cabin door. The old sailor reached for the handle, his calloused fingers closing in on the doorknob. Jamison sucked in his breath.

Kendrick half turned around, his shoulders squared and his lips pursed, eyes narrowed beneath his bushy white brows. His hand was still on the cabin door. “Jesus Christ, Billy, what now?” he demanded. “What in the hell’s wrong with you, you crazy son of a bitch? You’re shaking like a virgin on—” He paused and glanced down. Jamison didn’t know why until Kendrick tried to take a step back. His boot remained glued to the floor.

Kendrick shoved at the door and yanked at his shoe. He stumbled as it came loose, trailing a viscous black gel behind it. More of the substance pooled out from underneath the cabin door. Lightning flashed, and a rainbow sheen coated the surface of the muck. The door creaked open.

Before Jamison shouted in warning, something darted out from the gloom. Thick and ropy, like a bundle of rotten vines, it hit Kendrick’s wrist with a wet slap, latching onto his bare skin. Kendrick sputtered, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open in a perfect caricature of surprise—then another tentacled limb emerged and shoved itself down his gullet. Like a fish on a hook, he was yanked into the cabin.

About the Author
Ridley Harker is an up-and-coming horror author who delights in all things gay and spooky. Influenced by Billy Martin (Poppy Z. Brite), Clive Barker, and Gemma Files, his favorite books are those with enemies to lovers, great villains, and queer main characters. Horror-romance is his favorite genre. He lives in the Middle of Nowhere with his two dogs, a grumpy old snake, and a host of pet tarantulas. Ridley is currently working on his MFA.

Giveaway
$10 Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!

Book Review: Shadowspell Academy: Year of the Chameleon (The Culling Trials Book 5) by Shannon Mayer

Shadowspell Academy: Year of the Chameleon 
(The Culling Trials Book 5)
by Shannon Mayer
March 30, 2021
Pages: 314
You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

The Shadowkiller is back.

And he is hunting me down like a dog in the streets of New York City using every tool and ally he has—including people I once trusted.

I have never been so alone in my life, and yet if I turn to my friends that puts a target on their backs too. Which means I have to keep running.

So, I do what I know, and I set myself to finding the trail of breadcrumbs that will lead me to the one who is still pulling the strings.

Frost. A Chameleon just like me. Just like the Shadowkiller. Worse, she’s seeking out my friends to pick them off, one by one. To drain their lives in order to feed hers.

To stop her, I have to find her—a task easier said than done in a city this size.

What I don’t expect to find is a truth that this world and its secrets run far deeper, and far darker than I could have ever suspected.

But is any of that going to stop me?

Not a chance.

The Shadowkiller has surfaced again, and he is hunting Wild down in the streets of New York with the help of someone Wild had trusted. She wants to turn to her friends for help but every time she does that, she puts a bigger target on their back so she does the only thing she can to keep them safe. If Wild can keep everyone safe from the Shadowkiller and Frost, two of the most dangerous Chameleons known then maybe just maybe she can find a way to not become like them.

The connection that Wild has with her crew is a connection that most would love to have. Each of them is unique in their own way and with the strength of each other, they can arise to any occasion. This series is a fun one to read.

Getting 5 sheep





Denise B

About the author:
website-FB-Twitter

Amazon Author Page
Instagram
Shannon Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband, son, and numerous animals. When not writing she spends her time staring at immense amounts of rain, herding old people (similar to herding cats) and attempting to stay out of trouble. Especially that last is difficult for her.

She is the USA Today Bestselling author of the The Rylee Adamson Novels, The Elemental Series, The Nevermore Trilogy, A Celtic Legacy series and the Venom Trilogy. Please visit her website for more information on her novels. 

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

99 cent Pre-order: Eclipsing Hearts: A Fated Mates RH Romance Collection + giveaway

Eclipsing Hearts: A Fated Mates RH Romance Collection
September 13, 2022
Genre: Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance
Why choose one when you can have over twenty superb PARANORMAL REVERSE HAREMS that will leave you begging for more. Binge read this set brought to you by twenty amazing authors that are sure to be your next favorite.

This is a must read if you love:
Fated Mates
Enemies to Lovers
Royalty
Second Chance Romances
Vampires and Werewolves (and many other paranormal creatures)

With everything from slow burn to steamy, you’re sure to find something for you.

Scroll up now and one click for all the romance.

May contain MM/FF and/or triggering situations.

Includes titles by the following authors:

Dora Blume
Sedona Ashe
C.E. Lashua
Lucy Scott Bryan
Solo Storm
C.A. King
Rhylie Matthews
Kassandra Cross
Sherry D. Ficklin
Leann Castellanos
Sky Purington
Helena Novak
Chelsii Klein
Reese Spenser
Rachelley Bean
Angela Nicole Chu
Isabeau Moon
Megan J. Parker
Margo Bond Collins

**Preorder now for Only .99 cents!!**

Featuring:

Liberty
by C.A. King
She was the law on the run, hiding from the danger past arrests brought with them, searching for a new place to call home. The Old Pass held promise... at first. That was until they came into her life. Now, everyone saw her as compromised in more than one way and by more than one man.

It didn’t matter if her judgment was clouded. Other clans could take their Justice... their pursuit of happiness. Once the pack had a taste of Liberty, they knew what was worth fighting for. She was their everything, and no one, no matter how powerful, was going to change that.


About the Author
Website-FB-TwitterI was diagnosed with clinical depression after the loss of my mother, father and husband within three years of each other; all to cancer. 24/7 in-home care, coupled with the loss I felt, left its mark on my psyche.

Depression takes up a lot of my life. Reading and writing are the only things I have found that help (in connection with regular medication), even if only for a short time. To escape to a different world can make a big difference in my mood in real time.

To put things in perspective, when I was at my lowest point, I couldn't open mail, talk on the phone, or even drive to the store. Walls of sadness surrounded me. As they closed in, tears would fall. There didn't need to be a reason or trigger.

People ask me why I started writing. My answer is simple: I wanted to create a world into which other people with similar problems could escape. I wanted to share the one place that had helped me for many years.

I have always said that as long as one person finds a little bit of happiness out of my books, I am, in my opinion, an accomplished author. The same is true for every writer out there. Please don't ever let anyone tell you different.

I read books as well as write them and have visited the worlds many different authors have created. Those worlds not only make me feel better, but give me the strength to face real life again. I want to thank everyone who writes—I want them to know they are making a difference.

Fast forward to today...

C.A. King, USA Today Bestselling Author has over 60 books available across multiple fantasy sub-genres.

Giveaway
$20 Amazon
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
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Book Review: Violins and Vampires (Vampires of the Daemonverse Book 1) by CEE BEE + giveaway

Violins and Vampires (Vampires of the Daemonverse Book 1)
by CEE BEE
August 25, 2022
Published by: Monster House Books
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance
Pages: 61
Lexa Uznetsov is trapped
To save my sister, I take on my father’s massive debt to Konstantin the Rus, leader of the New York Bratva. My life becomes a never-ending (and incredibly illegal) stakeout for the mob. There’s barely time to sleep, let alone find love. In desperation, I approach Caelin MacGregor, the handsome Scotsman who runs Empire Investments. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?

Caelin MacGregor is a lost king
Ages ago, I ruled a clan of Bloodkin vampires. My people are born to wield magic, drain humans, and live forever. That’s all over now. I’ve been alone for a thousand years. Today, I no longer care about the sunrise, let alone truly desire a woman. Then, I look upon Lexa. My world turns upside down…

Vampires of the Daemonverse Series
1. Violins and Vampires
2. Veils and Vampires
3. Vixens and Vampires
4. Valor and Vampires


Violins and Vampires is the first installment in a short story series PNR that's just about 60 pages, but man is it a fun and sexy ride! Worth every page of reading pleasure, loved the steamy Scottish vibes and overall world that's built. Gives the reader just enough to want more but so enjoyable as a first-look new series. These leading pair are FIRE and if they can just build from here, that would be a load of entertainment. 

Can't wait to read what happens next and follow this new world. If you're looking for an afternoon to sit back and just enjoy, this would be great by the pool with a cold cocktail in hand! 

Getting 4 Sheep





KD

EXCERPT:
LEXA
Another Saturday night, another stakeout.

This time, I’m in the Big Apple Café, watching the apartment of Dr Khatun. It’s a lot of nursing the same cup of java while staring out a window.

Suddenly, a man pauses on the sidewalk outside. This isn’t just any guy, mind you, but Caelin MacGregor, the so-called King of Empire Investments. Rumors are, Vass is a ruthless in business and a bastard in general. I believe those tales. Then there are other whispers. Folks say Caelin is a vampire with mind control powers. I have a different opinion on that.

What a load of B-S.

Caelin pauses, giving me a chance to inspect him more closely. To say that Caelin is just handsome is like declaring that the Mona Lisa is simply a painting.

The slightest shiver rolls across Caelin’s shoulders. Inch by inch, he turns toward me. My pulse skyrockets. Our gazes meet.

Everything goes haywire.

Lights flash in the coffee shop. Street lamps pulse and crackle. A breeze strikes up out of nowhere. Mist pours across the floor. An electric shock of worry moves through my limbs.

This can’t be good.

Everything in the coffee shop goes dark, except for a few beams of moonlight. Moments pass as my eyes adjust. Once I can see clearly again, I can’t believe what’s around me. The cafe is empty. The street outside is deserted as well. The entire city appears dark and abandoned.

And I’ve changed, too. Now I’m sitting on the tabletop with my skirt up and legs parted. A man towers before me.

It’s Caelin.

Maybe I should scream now or run for the exit, but I don’t. Instead, my entire being seems frozen in shock… Except for my ability to soak in more details of Caelin. Up close, this so-called king even more magnetic. A gentle scruff lines his chin. His face is framed with strong bone structure. His full lips appear ripe for a kiss. The gentle scent of musk and leather assaults me. It isn’t fair for this man to be gorgeous and smell good as well.

All this time, Caelin has been staring at me with a look that can only be described as worshipful hunger. Don’t get me wrong. I make side money in bikini contests. Getting ogled is nothing new. But I’ve never been visually devoured in the way that’s happening right now. The sheer intensity makes my core twist with desire. With every cell in my body, I want to touch the curl of hair at the base of Caelin’ neck. Some part of me screams that this whole situation is impossible.

More of me doesn’t care.

About the Author:
CEE BEE writes stories that blend epic fantasy, steamy romance, and lots of sass. If you want immersive tales that transport you to fresh worlds (and new book boyfriends) then you’ve come to the right author. To learn more about CEE BEE, please visit www.ceebeeauthor.com. Her new book, VIOLINS AND VAMPIRES, is available on Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09ZYVCNC3

CEE BEE also writes young adult fare under the name Christina Bauer. Check out Christina’s books at www.christinabauerauthor.com. There’s a literal sh*t ton of them.

GIVEAWAY
Blitz-wide giveaway (INT)
Ebook copy of Violins and Vampires and more!

Monday, July 25, 2022

Book Review: Shadowspell Academy: Year of the Chameleon by Shannon Mayer

by Shannon Mayer 
February 26, 2021
Pages: 302
You Don’t Choose The Academy. The Academy Chooses You.

I’ve made it through the Culling Trials, the test that proved my mettle against every possible challenge. I assumed that meant things would settle down and I’d start truly learning.

No more danger. No more death threats. No more wondering who was out to get me.

Apparently, that was not to be.

I am what this supernatural world calls a Chameleon—a rarity even amongst all these monsters. And rare things are coveted and feared by the most powerful of all—The House Of Wonder.

It’s a good thing I have my crew at my back, because this Academy? It’s about to get seriously ugly. Which means this farm girl is ready to play by only one set of rules. Her own.

Wild made it through the Culling Trials and so did her friend but what would happen? Some unexpected events find Wild and her crew back together again and up against some seriously powerful people but would they all survive? Only time will tell.

Wild’s mind is extraordinary. She can see and sense things that others can’t, and she has a way of working through an issue to find the right solution. Wild is a Chameleon, which is extremely rare and very few people know that she has the power of all the houses inside of her. Between her powers and the strength of her crew, Wild is determined to figure out what is going on and how to save all the houses but most of all her crew.

This series is such a fun read that has different types of magic, monsters, and rules which keep you guessing until the very end.

Getting 5 sheep





Denise B

About the author:
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Amazon Author Page
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Shannon Mayer lives in the southwestern tip of Canada with her husband, son, and numerous animals. When not writing she spends her time staring at immense amounts of rain, herding old people (similar to herding cats) and attempting to stay out of trouble. Especially that last is difficult for her.

She is the USA Today Bestselling author of the The Rylee Adamson Novels, The Elemental Series, The Nevermore Trilogy, A Celtic Legacy series and the Venom Trilogy. Please visit her website for more information on her novels. 

Sunday, July 24, 2022

Excerpt: Come True: A Bomb-Ass Genie Romance by Brindi Quinn + giveaway

I'm so excited to share this amazing book with you today! Read on for more details about Come True: A Bomb-Ass Genie Romance by Brindi Quinn! You're going to want to read this one!

Come True: A Bomb-Ass Genie Romance
by Brindi Quinn
April 27th, 2022
Genre: New Adult/ Paranormal Romance/ Comedy
Publisher: Midnight Tide Publishing
★A jaded girl. A persistent genie. A contest of souls.★

Recent college graduate Dolly Jones has spent the last year stubbornly trying to atone for a mistake that cost her everything. She doesn’t go out, she doesn’t make new friends and she sure as hell doesn’t treat herself to things she hasn’t earned, but when her most recent thrift store purchase proves home to a hot, magical genie determined to draw out her darkest desires in exchange for a taste of her soul, Dolly’s restraint, and patience, will be put to the test.

Newbie genie Velis Reilhander will do anything to beat his older half-brothers in a soul-collecting contest that will determine the next heir to their family estate, even if it means coaxing desire out of the least palatable human he’s ever contracted. As a djinn from a ‘polluted’ bloodline, Velis knows what it’s like to work twice as hard as everyone else, and he won’t let anyone—not even Dolly f*cking Jones—stand in the way of his birthright. He just needs to figure out her heart’s greatest desire before his asshole brothers can get to her first.

COME TRUE: A BOMB-ASS GENIE ROMANCE is the romantic, fantastic second-coming-of-age story of two flawed twenty-somethings from different realms battling their inner demons, and each other, one wish at a time.

Excerpt
I’ve been poisoned? I’ve had an allergic reaction? There are toxins held within that ancient turquoise glass?

These are the thoughts racing through me as I blink open my eyes and find my face planted on the kitchen floor. Never a good idea to get eye-level with your kitchen floor. One finds all sorts of treasures hiding out under crannies and betwixt nooks. I see an eraser, a spill mark, a hair cluster and . . . feet.

FEET?

There are most certainly bare feet standing on the other side of my open fridge door! At least I got my wish. A burglar came for me instead of fire. I reach for a gun, but I have no gun. I don’t even like guns. So what do I grab? A fucking glue gun from the craft bin beside my kitchen table. And I hold it with all the confidence it hasn’t earned.

“L-Larry?” I venture. “Is that you?”

Larry’s the name of the super. The only one that should have keys to my apartment.

The fridge door slams, and feet much too tan to be Larry’s begin closing in on me. Not to mention, Larry always, always, always wears socks. One time, I saw him wear them under flip-flops. That toe-separator was working overtime.

I digress, and the feet are nearly upon me, soon accompanied by a head dropping into frame; the intruder has just crouched. Definitely not Larry. Larry’s incapable of smirking like that.

WHAT THE FUCK?

It’s a guy and, let’s be real, it’s a guy of higher than average features, with dusk-blue hair tossed effortlessly with product and eyes a paler shade of blue than I thought possible on a person. Sharp, the centers pierce like turrets through a blizzard while the corners taper with smug amusement.

Oh, yeah, and did I mention he’s NAKED? All but for a pair of gray sweatpants low around his waist and rolled up at the ankles.

“Hello, Master,” he says with undue familiarity. “Sorry for invading your refrigerator. You were taking your time, and I was getting hungry.” He makes a chomping noise with his teeth.

“Stay back!” I scamper into a sitting position and steadily crab crawl away from him, holding the glue gun like it might fool him into thinking I’m armed.

“No use pulling the trigger,” he counters, straightening to reveal a body that’s lean. “Your bullets will miss me every time.”

He . . . thinks it’s a real gun?

But it has a cord!

No matter.

“I have a very steady hand,” I assert, knowing my hand is anything but. “You have three seconds to get out of here or I’ll shoot!” It sounds like something someone would say in a movie—from what I remember of movies.

“I don’t doubt your hand, Master,” he says and takes a step closer. “But you’re incapable of hurting me physically. It won’t work, even if you try.”

Again, this is clearly a glue gun.

“How did you get in here?” I demand. “We’re on the third floor, and I know I locked the door.”

He tips his head. “Really? You’re the one that brought me in. You said I could spend the night. And then you sealed it with a kiss.”

Blinks befall me—One. Two. Three.

“You were in my apartment the whole time?!” I jab the glue gun in his direction and notice for the first time that it has a half-used stick of glue butting out the ass of it. “You were watching when I kissed that—that vase?!”

And, oh, dear lord, now we’ve admitted to another living person that we kissed a vase.

“Vase?” He shakes his head comically as though this is all a big misunderstanding. “No, no. That’s not a vase. It is my holding vessel. I’d invite you in for a tour, but it’s a bit cramped.”

“Your holding vessel? As in something that contains you?” I look between the shirtless, blue-haired guy, eyes trailing over the tight chest of him before flicking to the bottle on the counter in all its arcane wonder. “As in, you expect me to believe you came out of it? Like you’re a . . . a genie or something?”

“To be honest, genie is kind of a derogatory term where I come from, but—”

“Get out.” I prod the glue gun at him with new vigor. “Get out, get out, get out!”

For a moment, it’s as if a shadow settles over his brow as a shimmer from some nonexistent light source catches his eye. “Is that a wish?”

About the Author
Website-FB -TikTokBrindi Quinn is a fangirling fantasy author from Minnesota specializing in world-building and romance. She is an advocate of quirky love and firmly believes that banter makes the heart grow fonder. Her main ingredients for a great read are spice, sparkle, and SWOON.

Since 2011, Brindi has written over a dozen young adult and new adult novels beginning with her debut epic fantasy series, Heart of Farellah. Her works often blur the lines between paranormal romance, science fiction, and fantasy, and her series have been hailed as unique, addictive reads by reviewers.

Brindi is an IT Project Manager by day and has a bachelor’s in communication-based studies from Southern New Hampshire University. She lives in suburban Minnesota where she likes to bike, indulge in video game lore, and spend time with her life partner, Kent, the world’s cutest pup, Burton, and the fluffle of cantankerous rabbits that hop around her house.

Brindi is published through Never & Ever Publishing and Midnight Tide Publishing.

Twitter Tags: 
@midnighttidepub @RRBookTours1 #RRBookTours #RomanceBooks

Instagram Tags: 
@brindiful @rrbooktours #rrbooktours #cometrueabadassgenieromance #cometrue #paranormalromance

Book Tour Schedule
July 25th
R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com
Nesie’s Place (Spotlight) https://nesiesplace.wordpress.com
Rambling Mads (Review) http://ramblingmads.com
@junk.journal.librarian (Review) https://www.instagram.com/junk.journal.librarian
I Smell Sheep (Spotlight) http://www.ismellsheep.com/
July 26th
Jessica Belmont (Review) https://jessicabelmont.com/
Liliyana Shadowlyn (Review) https://lshadowlynauthor.com/
July 27th
Cheryl’s Book Nook (Review) https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/
@stepintothepages (Review) www.instagram.com/stepintothepages
I Love Books & Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com
July 28th
Balancing Books and Beauties (Review) https://balancingbooksandbeauties.wordpress.com/
Misty’s Book Space (Review) http://mistysbookspace.wordpress.com
@gryffindorbookishnerd (Review) https://www.instagram.com/gryffindorbookishnerd/
See Sadie Read (Review) http://sadieforsythe.com/wp/
July 29th
@itsabookthing2021 (Spotlight) http://www.instagram.com/itsabookthing2021
Reads & Reels (Spotlight) http://readsandreels.com

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Saturday, July 23, 2022

Movie Review: The Gray Man (2022) Netflix

The Gray Man (2022)
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 15, 2022
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 22, 2022
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writer: Joe Russo, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Regé-Jean Page, Billy Bob Thornton
Runtime: 2h 9m
Distributor: Netflix
Rating: PG-13 (Strong Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Action
When the CIA's top asset -- his identity known to no one -- uncovers agency secrets, he triggers a global hunt by assassins set loose by his ex-colleague.

The Gray Man, based on the book 
by Mark Greaney, is action-packed from start to finish in typical Russo fashion. Chris Evans and Ryan Gosling were just the frostings on the exploding cake.

The storyline is full of action movie clichés and predictable but it's still a lot of fun! Chris Evans' character isn't deep... just an over-the-top bad-guy psychopath. But they don't try to make him a serious character evidenced by the porn-stache. 

My husband and I were entertained and glad we watched. There are 12 Gray Man books so this could be the start of a franchise. I'm there for it like Bourne and Jack Reacher.

If you enjoy blow'em-up movies with outrageous car chases then you want to see this one.

My husband and I give it 4 "Gray" Sheep





SharonS