Such A Daring Endeavor by Cortney Pearson book blitz with giveaway
Such A Daring Endeavor
Cortney Pearson
(Stolen Tears, #2)
Publication date: June 23rd 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Hope only fades if you allow it to…
Now that Talon Haraway has been taken captive by the Arcaians, Ambry knows it’s only a matter of time before he is executed. But to make matters worse, she must go against her once-best-friend, Gwynn Hawkes, to free him. Whether Ambry likes it or not, drinking those tears changed Gwynn. Not only is she subjecting her kinsmen’s magic, but with Tyrus preoccupied with his upcoming war, Gwynn is acting more and more in Tyrus’s stead, giving commands and leading skirmishes.
Ambry refuses to believe Gwynn is gone for good, however. Along with juggling with her forbidden feelings for Talon, her desire to free her people’s magic, and the ever-growing need to protect the tears from being drunk, the solution to stopping Gwynn means hoping harder than she ever has before. Hope can’t undo what magic has already done, but paired with action–and her newfound magic–Ambry’s hope in Gwynn might be just what her friend needs to leave the dark path she’s on.
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Sequel to:
Join Ambry Csille in her quest to rescue a stolen vial of tears containing the most powerful magic ever shed. Ambry makes deals with sirens, plunges deep into love with a mysterious warrior before knowing the secrets of his past (including the very reasons
she can’t be with him), and fights off soldiers who wield claws that can suck the very magic from her bones.
Get Such a Secret Place for only 99¢ – this week only!
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EXCERPT:
“In the vision, I was sitting on a bench,” says Jomeini, her eyes distant. “The sunlight beat warm against the stone I sat on, but the wind that blew was brisk and harsh. A storm rode on that wind, a storm I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop. Afterwards, I drew this.”
Jomeini pulls another card from beside the others and hands it to Shasa.
“It’s a coat,” Shasa says, confused. She traces a finger over the handless, headless trenchcoat, drawn as though it’s blowing in the very wind Jomeini claims she felt during its vision.
“I assumed it meant that I wouldn’t be comfortable in my home much longer, that I would need protection from whatever storm was riding on that wind. I assumed it meant that Grandfather was taking me from my refuge, my home in Xavienke, and that I would need to find protection in Valadir. And it did, in a sense. But the drawing was also literal. Whose coat do you see?”
Chills brush across Shasa’s skin. “Color it yellow, and that could be Craven’s.”
Jomeini rubs her arms as if chafing away whatever memory fills her mind at that moment. Shasa wonders if it’s the same one she’s recalling, the sight of the dingy yellow trenchcoat Craven wore the day he snatched Shasa from right in front of the Triad Palace into an abandoned building and stole her magic then and there.
“What does the star mean, then?” Shasa asks. When Jomeini doesn’t answer immediately, Shasa continues thinking aloud. “Stars provide light in the night sky. They’ve held their places for years, giving sailors something to sail by.”
“But this one is a shooting star,” Jomeini says. “This one is setting off on its own course.”
“And you think it pertains to Tyrus?”
Jomeini shakes her head. “I thought so at first. I Saw Tyrus, yes. But I Saw others with him. Among his soldiers was a blonde woman I didn’t recognize.”
“A group of stars,” Shasa says inwardly. “With one straying from all the rest.”
“It means change is coming, and someone is at the center of it. I thought it was Tyrus, but now I’m not so sure. See the other star beside this? See how the bursts on the star go one way, so it looks like the star can be spearing to the left? But if you look at it this way…” Jomeini turns the card until it’s upside down. “Now the star could be shooting to the right.”
“So Tyrus isn’t leaving?”
“Not in so many words. It’s more complicated than I can explain, but something Tyrus is going to do will be as vast as the effort of crossing an ocean with no other guide but the stars. It’s going to change the world as we know it. And depending on what we do, that change is going to veer the races one way or the other. For good.” She holds the star picture one way. “Or for ill.” She turns it the other direction.
Shasa swallows and takes the card, experimenting. The star’s direction turns with each flip, more indecisive than the weather. It’s like the picture of a smiling man with a furrow in his forehead her mother used to draw. She would turn it upside down, and though the picture hadn’t changed at all, the man would look sad and menacing instead. All because of one or two carefully placed lines.
“So how do we get this change to veer in the direction we want it to go?” Shasa asks.
Jomeini doesn’t answer. Instead, she fingers the collar at her throat. The two girls sit in the boat in silence, bathing in the deep wake of their thoughts.
Author Bio:
Cortney Pearson is a mother, a musician, and a lover of all things pink and sparkly. She is the author of Phobic, about doors that shouldn’t be opened, and the Stolen Tears series, about an enchanted vial of tears and the girl chosen to wield them. Cortney lives with her husband and three sons in a small Idaho farm town. She believes anything can be made better with a good attitude and a book tucked away for those just-in-case times.
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Cover Reveal: A Sprint to His Heart by Lyla Bardan with giveaway
A Sprint to His Heart
Lyla Bardan
Publication date: July 13th 2016
Genres: New Adult, Romance
An ordinary young woman with a dream to be a professional cyclist falls for an extraordinary young man who thinks she’s anything but ordinary.
Bailey Meyers doesn’t have time for distractions, much less a boyfriend, so why does she agree to date the drop-dead sexy Fae artist who loves to watch her race? Because for once, she’d like to take a risk off the racecourse, even after her coach’s reminder of his no dating policy. A policy that puts her racing career in jeopardy when she’s kicked off the team, as if a concussion from a crash and an accusation of doping with dark Fae blood wasn’t enough.
She can’t stay away from the enchanting Piran of Sava…until she discovers he’s not who she thought he was. Can their love stay on course when Bailey joins a cycling team a thousand miles away and Piran is promised to a Fae princess?
*Are you a reviewer? You can request an ARC of A Sprint to His Heart here!
Author Bio:
Lyla Bardan wrote her first romance in fifth grade and was horrified when her male teacher read it aloud in class. She wrote her second romance in the seventh grade after seeing two great horned owls engage in a rather fascinating courtship dance. As the male hooted, danced, and bobbed for the female, Lyla knew there was a story to be told. This discovery of passion in the animal world led to a lifelong interest in science, other worldly creatures, and their love stories.
While in college, Lyla joined a sci-fi/fantasy acting group, where she and others made puppets and produced plays for fellow students. Her favorite part was not creating the overly detailed and ornate puppets of fairies, demons, and dragons, but writing romance bits into every script.
It wasn’t until years into an unfulfilling scientific research career that Lyla came back to her roots of writing. Reaching into her dreams and fantasies, she left the research behind and now stays busy writing from the comfort of her home office, overlooking her well-maintained fairy garden, fruit bearing trees, and a number of birdhouses. There she can relax and remember that it was two birds that originally sparked her interest in love stories just begging to be told.
Note: Bits of this fascinating biography (written by Lyla’s daughter) are actually true!
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Shopping for a CEO’s Fiancée book blitz with giveaway
Shopping for a CEO’s Fiancée
Julia Kent
(Shopping for a Billionaire #9)
Publication date: June 22nd 2016
Genres: Comedy, New Adult, Romance
We skipped right over the whole fiancée thing and went straight from girlfriend to wife.
At least, I think that’s what happened. I woke up after my brother’s Vegas wedding reception with my luscious girlfriend in bed with me. We’re both wearing wedding rings.
So is her coworker, Josh.
And our Vegas chauffeur, Geordi.
Who the hell am I married to?
Unraveling this mystery will be as difficult as figuring out why Amanda and I are having panic attacks over the thought of being husband and wife.
Or, whoever we’re actually married to.
Oh, ^%$#.
It’s true that what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, with one exception:
If she’s my wife, we’ll make it work.
If she’s not?
I’ll make it happen.
Get the 9th book in Julia Kent’s New York Times bestselling romantic comedy series as Andrew and Amanda sort out their wild Vegas night…and the rest of their lives.
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EXCERPT:
“We’re not—you don’t really—we can’t be—”
“Married?”
She laughs, but it’s a brittle sound. “Come on. We didn’t actually have a wedding last night.”
“We didn’t? You’re sure?” I perk up. Great. She remembers last night. I squeeze my eyes and try to recall something—anything—that happened after Declan and Shannon said their goodbyes at the reception last night.
“I’m, well, I mean…” Twisting in my arms, she looks at me with those big, wide, trusting eyes, her left hand splayed against my bare chest, digging in where the robe has separated. “You don’t remember what happened?”
My voice drops with uncertainty.
Hers goes up.
“No.”
“Quit joking.”
“Not joking.”
“We both can’t remember any part of last night?”
“When does your memory end?” I ask.
Mascara is streaked along the corner of her eye, and any makeup she wore last night currently resides somewhere on my skin or on the bedsheets. I can only imagine what I look like.
Amanda, though, is gorgeous. In my arms and looking at me with a perplexed expression, biting her lower lip while she flips through the filing cabinets of memory in her mind, and—
“I don’t know.”
I sit up. “You’re the fixer.”
“I know! But I remember saying goodnight to Shannon, hugging Declan, and then—poof! Nothing.”
Poof.
“That’s when my memory ends, too,” I say, my skin beginning to crawl. “I know one thing: we did not have a foursome.”
“And I soooooo did not sleep with Josh. He’s gay. The man can’t handle watching a birth video. A real-life vagina would send him into cardiac arrest.”
“I know my heart pounds whenever I see yours,” I whisper. She gives me a reluctant smile, in spite of her hangover.
“That was baaaaaad,” she groans.
“All signs point to the sex question being put to rest. Worst case, all we did was sleep with each other,” I note.
“Worst case? Buddy, sleeping with me is best case. Best case. Always best.”
That was an unfortunate choice of words on my part. Before I can do damage control, she speaks.
“What if we are?” she hisses.
“Are what?”
Her eyes dart to mine.
“Married.”
Author Bio:
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Julia Kent writes romantic comedy with an edge, and new adult books that push contemporary boundaries. From billionaires to BBWs to rock stars, Julia finds a sensual, goofy joy in every book she writes, but unlike Trevor from Random Acts of Crazy, she has never kissed a chicken. She loves to hear from her readers by email at julia@jkentauthor.com
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Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander
Life After Juliet by Shannon Lee Alexander
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Becca Hanson was always pretty much a loner burying herself in her books and living through what she read. That is until she became best friends with her one and only real life friend Charlotte. But now Becca finds herself broken after her only friend has passed away. She’s back to burying herself in her books to escape her heartache and loneliness.
As Becca’s junior year at Sandstone High begins she finds herself with a class project that ends up with her in drama club. Becca begins to make new friends as she finds herself unexpectedly cast as Juliet in the school play. She also finds that she has a lot in common with Max who works behind the scenes in the play.
Life After Juliet is a companion book to Love and Other Unknown Variables by Shannon Lee Alexander. The first book was told from Becca’s brother’s POV and this one now tells Becca’s story after the end of the first book. I haven’t read Love and Other Unknown Variables myself but I do believe this one worked fine as a standalone novel and reading the first wasn’t needed to truly understand this one.
This book starts off with a rather somber beginning with Becca dealing with the loss of her best friend. It’s highly emotional all the way through as she learns how to deal with her heartache and learn to make new friends and go on with life without Charlotte.
The book is set around Becca becoming involved in the play and as a little bit of a twist in the style the author has separated the chapters with different Acts and Scenes as if the whole story is a play. The characters in here were all enjoyable with their personalities feeling real with each being so different but coming together in this book.
Overall, a YA contemporary romance that will tug at your heart strings as the main character tries to find herself after a huge loss in her life.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Bad Boys After Dark: Mick by Melissa Foster blitz with giveaway
Bad Boys After Dark: Mick
Melissa Foster
Publication date: June 22nd 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance
The Bad Boys are a series of stand-alone romances that may also be enjoyed as part of the larger Love in Bloom series.
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Indulge your inner vixen…
You asked for naughtier lovers, with the same fierce loyalty as The Bradens – Meet the Bad Boys… Four sinfully sexy, uber alpha brothers, about to fall head over heels for their leading ladies.
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Everything’s naughtier after dark…
Amanda Jenner is done being a boring-man magnet and has finally taken control of her love life. As any smart paralegal would, she’s researched the hell out of how to seduce a man. She’s waxed, primped, and ready to put her newfound skills into action–and a masquerade bar crawl is the perfect venue for her solo coming-out party.
Entertainment attorney Mick Bad lives by two hard and fast rules. He never mixes business with pleasure, and he doesn’t do relationships, which makes the anonymity of a masquerade bar crawl the perfect place for a onetime hookup.
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Amanda thinks she’s hit the jackpot when she bags a tall, dark, and sinfully delicious masked man–until she discovers the man she’s made out with is her off-limits boss. Mick’s already crossed a line he can never uncross, and one taste of sweet and sexy Amanda has only whet his appetite. When Mick offers to give Amanda a lesson in seduction–no strings, no regrets, and for goodness’ sake, come Monday, no quitting–the tables turn, and Mick’s totally unprepared for the lessons this sweet temptress provides.
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BAD BOYS AFTER DARK
Mick
Dylan (coming soon)
Carson (coming soon)
Brett (coming soon)
More After Dark books:
WILD BOYS AFTER DARK (Available Now!)
Logan
Heath
Jackson
Cooper
The AFTER DARK series are part of the LOVE IN BLOOM big family romance collection. Each book may be read as a stand-alone novel, or as part of the series.
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SNEAK PEEK:
LURED BY THE pulse of sex and anonymity, Amanda Jenner moved through the dusky bar, brushing against silk, satin, cotton, and flesh, each graze feeding the adrenaline coursing through her veins. Blue lights misted over sweaty strangers lost in the seductive bump and grind of foreplay and hoping for a night of erotic pleasure. If Amanda tried hard enough, she could smell tomorrow’s scent du jour—regret. Tonight she had no room for the confidence-crushing worry of what tomorrow would bring. She scanned the crowd, as she had in the previous three bars, immediately dismissing anyone who wasn’t in costume. Her world was full of boring men who excelled at wining, dining, and boring her to sleep. Ten years of romance novels and movies had led her astray, looking for the elusive needle in a haystack. She’d led herself astray, always the careful thinker, careful dresser. Or as her younger sister, Ally, would say, Careful kisser, careful lover. Ally, however, had taken charge of her sex life—and she’d found the perfect man.
Now it’s my turn.
Author Bio:
Melissa Foster is a New York Times & USA Today bestselling and award-winning author. She writes contemporary romance, new adult, contemporary women’s fiction, suspense, and historical fiction with emotionally compelling characters that stay with you long after you turn the last page. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the World Literary Café and Fostering Success. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on Fostering Success. Melissa has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.
Melissa hosts an Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.
Visit Melissa on social media. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.
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