CBY Book Club

Wednesday, 24 September 2014

Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway - The Haunting of Secrets by Shelley R. Pickens

The Haunting of Secrets

Secrets Series

Book One

by Shelley R. Pickens

Genre: YA Paranormal

Publisher: Fire and Ice

Date of Publication: July 24th, 2014

Pages: 171

Word Count: 60,643

Cover Artist: Caroline Andrus

Book Description:

Are some secrets worth dying for?

Sixteen-year-old Aimee doesn't like to touch people. One touch and she sees their past. One graze over her skin and she can see all the good and bad deeds a person has ever done. It isn't until a bomb explodes during lunch that she realizes exactly how many dirty secrets the students in her school harbor-or exactly how far one of them would go to keep his secrets safe.

In the aftermath of that fateful day of the bombing Aimee is brushed by a fellow student as they are caught in the mob running for their lives. Images of tortured and murdered young girls rise up to choke her. The problem is, Aimee doesn't know who touched her. Somewhere in this school a fellow student is a killer, and Aimee is the only one that can find him before he murders again.

With the help of her friends Aimee must sift through her stolen memories to determine clues. The quest to find a killer unravels the very fabric of her carefully woven life. He won't stop until he silences her- for only she knows all his secrets.

She will have to summon all of her inner strength to decide what she must do: hunt or be hunted.

Are some secrets worth dying for?

Buy Links:

Amazon

Event Page

Press Play

Author: Eric Devine

Release Date: October 28, 2014

Publisher: Running Press Kids

Book Summary:

Greg Dunsmore, a.k.a. Dun the Ton, is focused on one thing: making a documentary that will guarantee his admission into the film school of his choice. Every day, Greg films his intense weight-loss focused workouts as well as the nonstop bullying that comes from his classmates. But when he captures footage of violent, extreme hazing by his high school’s championship-winning lacrosse team in the presence of his principal, Greg’s field of view is in for a readjustment.

Greg knows there is a story to be told, but it is not clear exactly what. And his attempts to find out the truth only create more obstacles, not to mention physical harm upon himself. Yet if Greg wants to make his exposé his ticket out of town rather than a veritable death sentence, he will have to learn to play the game and find a team to help him.

Combine the underbelly of Friday Night Lights with the unflinching honesty of Walter Dean Myers, and you will find yourself with Eric Devine’s novel of debatable truths, consequences, and realities.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N

Today we're excited to announce and share the cover of The Light of Day by Kristen Kehoe. The Light of Day is a New Adult contemporary. This is an installment in the Beyond the Horizon series, not a sequel and does not need to be read after Beyond the Horizon.

The Light of Day
by Kristen Kehoe
Release Date: October 2014

The first two chapters can be read at www.kristenkehoe.com.

Beautiful Curse

by Jen McConnel

Release Date: December 2014

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Mya Jones is cursed.

She is, hands down, the most beautiful creature on earth. But beauty can wound, and Mya finds herself reviled and shunned by her peers. If there is even a chance that she could start over, Mya longs to take it, no matter the risks.

So when the strange Mr. Merk offers her a new life away from home, Mya is hesitant but hopeful. Only she didn't count on the mysterious Ross, or her feelings for him.

BEAUTIFUL CURSE is a contemporary retelling of the myth of Psyche and Cupid.

Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - Stone of Thieves by Diane J. Reed

Tour Page

Stone of Thieves

(Robbin' Hearts Series #2)

by Diane J. Reed

Release Date: 05/08/14

Pages: 238 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

The Stone of Thieves . . . for centuries its magnetic draw has twisted the hearts of ambitious men and women with the promise of power, passion, and intrigue until it fell into the hands of unlikely thieves Robin and her boyfriend Creek. But can they steal their destiny away from the curse that pursues this magnificent ruby heart?

As the stone begins to spread its sorcery, Robin races to find her long-lost mother in Italy in the hopes of discovering the truth about her unique gypsy heritage and the ruby heart that is rumored to steal souls. Yet when the desire for this stone by powerful members of her family threatens their very lives, Creek decides to take matters into his own hands to protect Robin, his greatest treasure of all . . .

Stone of Thieves is a sensual, stand-alone new adult novel and the sequel to Robin in the Hood in the Robbin’ Hearts Series. Due to mature themes, readership is advised for ages 17+.

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

Tour Page

Silvern

by Christina L. Farley

Synopsis:

Jae Hwa Lee has destroyed Haemosu, the dangerous demi-god that held her ancestors captive, and now she’s ready to forget about immortals and move on with her life. Then the god of darkness, Kud, sends an assassin to kill her. Jae escapes with the knowledge that Kud is seeking the lost White Tiger Orb, and joins the Guardians of Shinshi to seek out the orb before Kud can find it.

But Kud is stronger and more devious than Haemosu ever was. Jae is soon painfully reminded that by making an enemy of Kud, she has placed her closest friends in danger, and must decide how much she can bear to sacrifice to defeat one of the most powerful immortals in all of Korea.

Buy Links:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Cover Reveal & Giveaway - Hunting in Bruges by E.J. Stevens

It's time for a cover reveal! Feast your eyes on the cover for HUNTING IN BRUGES, the debut novel in the Hunters' Guild urban fantasy series by E.J. Stevens.

Keep reading for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Hunting in Bruges

(Hunters' Guild #1)

by E.J. Stevens

Release Date: November 11, 2014

Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy

Fading Light

Shadow Born

Book 2

by Angela Dennis

Genre: Urban Fantasy

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Date of Publication: September 23, 2014

Number of pages: 279

Word Count: 76,000

Cover Artist: Kanaxa

Tagline: Everyone has a breaking point.

Book Description:

Her hundred-year penance lifted, Shadow Bearer Brenna Baudouin returns to the Earthly plane with her partner, Gray Warlow, to keep the peace between humans and supernatural creatures—and to prevent another apocalyptic war from happening.

The attraction between them is nearing a critical point, but their checkered history has left Brenna unable to trust either her heart or her instincts.

It’s chaotic business as usual until humans begin turning to statues of dust. There is no explanation, no sign of magical foul play or a biological toxin. The humans are convinced it’s the work of a deviant supernatural faction, twisting the knife in the already tense relationship between their species. Brenna and Gray agree—the deaths have a former comrade-turned-rogue stamped all over them.

In a race against time, they enlist the help of both friend and foe to save the human race and stop the impending civil war. Along the way, they are forced to come to terms with their past and decide, once and for all, whether they will come together or fall apart.

Warning: Contains a heroine who knows her weapons but not her own heart, an outbreak of supernatural proportions, copious bloodletting, and a race to save an endangered species—humans. All tied up in a tight bow of sexual tension.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ BN ¦ Kobo ¦ iTunes ¦ Google Play

Blog Tour Interview & Giveaway - The Necromancer’s Betrayal by Mimi Sebastian

The Necromancer’s Betrayal

The Necromancer Series

Book 2

by Mimi Sebastian

Genre: Urban Fantasy/Paranormal Romance

Publisher: ImaJinn/Belle Books

Number of pages: 226

Cover Artist: Patricia Lazarus

Book Description:

Her powers have been hobbled. Her enemies are growing stronger.

Old loves challenge her. And her worst betrayer may be herself.

Necromancer Ruby Montagne is battling for her life in the realm of demons. Unfairly branded for the death of a fellow necromancer, she’s got to prove her innocence without the full use of her magic. And the real culprit is still on the loose.

While someone is stalking her friends among the witches, Ruby searches for answers inside the dark intrigues of both the demon and necromancer worlds. Ruby must confront this new, sinister threat while reconciling her feelings for her former lover, a demon warrior. Only it’s difficult . . . because a sexy vampire is making it clear that he’d like to be a lot more than just friends.

The competition for Ruby’s trust heats up as the enemy pushes her toward a dark side that could threaten the entire realm. Yet what can Ruby do when she’s not even sure what she is? With the fabric separating the realms at stake, she must decide whom to trust. But will the ultimate betrayal be her own?

Buy Links:

Amazon

Tavern on the Edge of Time

Author: Peter Durrach

Publisher: CreateSpace

Pages: 366

Genre: Sci-fi

Format: Paperback

Book Summary:

During the year 2125, former asteroid miners Max Cody and Elaine Zhou never get a moment’s rest. No sooner have they doused the flames of war between Earth and Mars or returned from their first trip to the Tavern on the Edge of Time when they are called upon to help fit out the fledging Martian colony orbiting Jupiter’s moon Callisto. In parallel, Earth extradites the war’s fomenter, ex-billionaire arms merchant Xanthus Rex, hoping to gain from his insights into Martian teleportation technology, but he manages to turn Earth’s resources toward private revenge against Max, Mars, and the Callisto Colony. In the meantime aliens are leaking into the Earth-Mars continuum from the Tavern, whose proprietor repaired and upgraded Max after accidentally injuring him during an asteroid mining expedition. Max’s enhancements help, of course, but when strange beings with the power to animate matter—the Assemblers—find their way to Earth, Max, Mars, and humanity are sorely beset. Worse yet, the Tavern itself is becoming unstable, its acquisitive host having overstretched his considerable powers. His prospecting for collapsed neutron matter has also opened portals between continua, inadvertently adding still more aliens to the mix. That’s when the Assemblers’ overlord arrives and Max finally meets his match. Oh, and Elaine is expecting their hybrid baby. Yes, you might say these are difficult times at the Tavern on the Edge of Time.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N ¦ iTunes

XENA: Warrior Princess Promo & Giveaway - 20th Anniversary & Billy Bobble Makes a Magic Wand

The 20th Anniversary of Xena: Warrior Princess – From Ancient Scrolls to E-Books.

By RS Mellette aka Xenastaff

Next year is the 20th anniversary of the first airing of the TV show Xena: Warrior Princess, but for me the anniversary is now. I was the writer's assistant from 1994 to 1997. Besides doing normal office work, I monitored the net forum as Xenastaff, wrote any dialogue that needed to be added after an episode was cut together, and wrote The Xena Scrolls for Universal's website. When an episode based on the online characters aired in 1997, it became the first intellectual property to move from the web to television.

Now, 20 years later, I'm about to publish a novel as an e-book. Oh how far we've come. I remember a Xena fan posting on the forum that he discovered the show online when he did a search for "Amazon." I thought, that makes sense. I mean, Xena isn't technically an Amazon, but what else should turn up when you search on that? Someone then explained to me that there was a new online bookstore called Amazon.com. That was 1995.

You would think the anniversary would make me feel old, but that happened the first time I heard a co-worker say, "I loved Xena when I was a kid." Instead, I'm looking back on Xena, and forward to the release of my novel, Billy Bobble Makes A Magic Wand. It might shock some in the literary world, but I learned a lot about being a novelist from my work as an apprentice writer on a TV show.

One of those things was how to write a story for all ages. Xena was "syndicated for broadcast." Syndicated meaning it was sold directly to independent TV stations and Broadcast meaning it had to adhere to FCC rules (unlike subscription channels: HBO, Showtime, etc.).

Independent stations could play Xena any time they saw fit. In some cities it screened at midnight for adults. Other cities showed it on Saturday afternoons for kids. That's a wide age range, and believe it or not, the show's numbers were even across the board. We had as many men & women between 18 and 49 as we did girls & boys between 12 and 17 and 55 & over.

In the publishing world, the insistence to declare what age range a book is targeted to clashes with what I learned on Xena. Every time I hear someone say their book is "Middle Grade" or "Young Adult" all I think is, Why have you cut out the majority of the people on the planet?

Billy Bobble Makes A Magic Wand is a book for the whole family – which is probably why it's being published independently. The majors love to find a book "with crossover potential," but at the same time, don't want to hear that your book isn't targeted for a certain age range. They seem to think that crossover potential is rare, but anyone who knows their literary or theatre history – or who has worked in Broadcast TV – can tell you how to create a crossover work. Stick to these three rules:

1) Include characters of various ages, or follow the life of one character from young to old

2) Keep sex to what one may see in public and language to what your mother would approve of

3) Target age ranges in beats within the story, not for the whole piece.

Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop - Book Of Choice

Banned Books Week Giveaway Hop

September 21 - 27th

Hosted by I Am A Reader

& BookHounds

Several blogs are taking part, so there's lots of amazing gifts to be won. Check out the rules of the other blogs. I will choose a winner within 5 days following the end of this contest. I will contact the winner via email. Winner will also be announced on this page.

***Giveaway***

My giveaway is for a Book of Choice of one ebook from the list below or winner may choose their own book from The Book Depository (up to $10).

Ends September 27th (midnight GMT).

International.

Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be selected. The winner will be posted on this page after the winner responds. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

My Book Choices

So there you have my list of books. Winner may choose one from the list.

Enter the giveaway and then hop on to the next one.

Thanks and good luck to everyone!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blast & Giveaway - Rewind to You by Laura Johnston

Rewind to You

by Laura Johnston

Book Summary:

One last summer before college on beautiful Tybee Island is supposed to help Sienna forget. But how can she? This is where her family spent every summer before everything changed, before the world as she knew it was ripped away.

But the past isn’t easily left behind. Especially when Sienna keeps having episodes that take her back to the night she wants to forget. Even when she meets the mysterious Austin Dobbs, the guy with the intense blue eyes, athlete’s body, and weakness for pralines who scooped her out of trouble when she blacked out on River Street.

When she’s with Austin, Sienna feels a whole new world opening up to her. Austin has secrets, and she has history. But caught between the past and the future, Sienna can still choose what happens now…

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ Barnes & Noble ¦ Kobo

Blog Tour Guest Post - Forbidden Forests: The Dragon Holder by Wilson Feliz

Forbidden Forests: The Dragon Holder
by Wilson Feliz

Book Summary:
The Forbidden Forest Series: Book One, The Dragon Holder is a young-adult fantasy novel set in the magical land of Sindergan. Once protected by the now-extinct dragons and their holders, Sindergan is under attack. The evil Decent Brotherhood and their shadow warriors will stop at nothing to destroy the kingdom and all the light within it. Hope for survival lies in the hands of twin witches, Hope and Destiny; a mage warrior, Anaya; an elf, Danche; an ogre; and Liam, the last dragon holder.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ IN ¦ UK ¦ DE ¦ FR ¦ ES

IT ¦ JP ¦ BR ¦ CA ¦ MX ¦ AU

The Burden of Souls
by Andy Monk
Genre: Sci-Fi / Dark Fantasy
Date Published: September 2014

Book Summary:
Small Town, Dark Heart…

A long way from anywhere, on a road going nowhere, lays a small, unremarkable town. It seems a peaceable, prosperous little place, on the surface at least.

Away from prying eyes however, in the shadows and the forgotten corners, there is a web being weaved through the lives of its inhabitants by the town’s urbane and mysterious Mayor. A man prepared to make a deal for your heart's desire and, maybe, for your very soul…

Welcome to Hawker’s Drift, a town where nothing is quite as it seems…

Buy Links:

Amazon

Highlander Giveaway Hop

September 20 - 30th

Hosted by MK McClintock

***Giveaway***

My giveaway is for a Book of Choice of one ebook from the list below or winner may choose their own highlander book from The Book Depository (up to $10).

Ends September 30th (midnight GMT).

International.

My Book Choices