Blog Tour Spotlight - The Last Dinner Party by Carly M. Duncan

The Last Dinner Party
Author: Carly M. Duncan
Publisher: Createspace
Pages: 390
Genre: Mystery

Book Description:
When Jeanie D'Alisa is found murdered in her bedroom after hosting a dinner party in her home, detectives Anna Cole and Kristy Hicks are called to investigate the crime. Known within her community for her generous, yet unpredictable nature, Jeanie's secrets unfold as family, friends and neighbors become suspects. Anna and Kristy discover stamped passport pages revealing travels unknown and a curious relationship between Jeanie and the charming salesman who frequents the apartment building. Meryl, Jeanie's devoted and needy friend, further complicates the investigation when she phones Jeanie's sister who is studying abroad and lies to her about the cause of death. Through a muddied pool of misdirection and betrayal, will Anna and Kristy be able to assemble the clues in order to bring Jeanie's killer to justice? The path to solving the mystery becomes tangled with faces of loved ones who are revealed to be foes in this story about the lengths people will go to in order to save themselves.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N

Blog Tour Guest Post - Bring Me to Life by Nicole Thorn

Bring Me to Life
Author: Nicole Thorn
Release Date: January 15, 2016

Keywords: urban fantasy, paranormal, witchcraft, romance, action, adventure, new adult
Categories: Paranormal Romance/Fantasy
Page Count: 498
ISBN: 978-1523276868 & 152327686X
Imprint: Howling Wolf

Book Description:
Anastasia wanted to be a witch. One of her friends even found a spell to give her magic. But before the spell is over, Anastasia dies. She wakes up in Hell, having to serve a purgatory sentence for her crime.

When Anastasia is suddenly ripped out of Hell and brought topside, Ezra, a demon working for Lucifer, is told to send her soul down below. When he finds her, there are questions that must be answered. He decides to keep her alive until he knows her friends won’t resurrect her again.

While he still has Anastasia, he’s sent on another assignment. They have to work together to stop a murderer. But as she and Ezra grow closer, the decision to get away from him becomes harder. To save her life and find out the truth behind her death, she must leave the only person who has made her ever feel alive.

One Liner:
Raised from the dead after meeting her demise in a blood magic ritual, Anastasia finds herself having to survive an assassin sent from Lucifer if she wants a second chance at life. 

Buy Links:

Amazon UK ¦ US ¦ B&N ¦ Kobo ¦ Google Play ¦ iBooks

Book Blast & Giveaway - The Urban Boys by K.N. Smith

I’m really exctied to be on the book blast for this Young Adult novel by K.N. Smith! THE URBAN BOYS: Discovery of the Five Senses is perfect for the young adult reader in your life – but don’t just take my word for it:

"The Urban Boys - an energetic YA adventure debut with stellar action sequences. Smith's writing is intelligent and often lyrical. Her exuberant prose never fails to dazzle." - Kirkus Reviews

The Urban Boys
Author: K.N. Smith
Pages: 292
Release Date: September 29th, 2015
Publisher: Two Petals Publishing

Book Description:

The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses is an action-adventure story about five teen boys who are mysteriously exposed to a foreign energy source that gives them extremely heightened senses. Sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell become hypersensitive gifts that forever change the world. The story chronicles their effortless interrelations and later exposes the testing of their deep bonds. It introduces the reader to an array of supporting characters who alter the boys’ lives forever. The Urban Boys offers young and mature readers central themes of loyalty, responsibility, honesty, fear, and triumph, which become artfully integrated with cinematic-level action and high drama. The story twists, turns, and grinds through elements of paranormal and action-adventure in a diverse, exciting, edge-of-your-seat narrative!

Overview: The story’s small town of Danville Heights, a carefully crafted universe, contrasts with the dark, gloomy town of Sandry Lake, where evil abounds. Upon the boys’ mysterious incident with the energy source, they’re instinctively called to Sandry Lake to root out evil. Their senses guide them each time. However, secrecy about their mission, furious battles with evil thugs, extreme fatigue, and stress and pressure soon overwhelm the boys, but they must find a way to embrace their fate. A lurking, Dark Stranger seems to know their plight, and a strikingly beautiful, fearless girl lends way to heightened confusion. Shocking details about these two characters, and the evil antagonist, the dreaded Druth, twist and grind the story even further.

Despite tension and fierce battles, will the boys hold it together long enough to fulfill their destiny?

Intriguing, intelligent, and full of action, The Urban Boys: Discovery of the Five Senses offers a memorable, emotion-packed, thrilling ride for young and mature readers alike!

Buy Links:

Amazon | B&N | iTunes

Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - The Keepsake (The Empress Chronicles #2) by Suzy Vitello

The Keepsake (The Empress Chronicles #2)
Author: Suzy Vitello
Release Date: October 1st, 2015

Book Description:
In this second Empress Chronicles book, Liz and Sisi continue their intertwined journey through time. On the heels of discovering a magical locket in the empress diary, Liz comes to understand its very special power: the wearer must speak the truth. Not only that, but it turns out that there are three lockets, each with their own magic and power.

Meanwhile, Sisi realizes that she’s communicating with a girl who lives 150 years in the future. A girl who knows what awaits her if she marries the emperor: lack of personal freedom and a legacy that will refer to her as the "reluctant empress."
With the world's future hanging in the balance, the two heroines must work together to thwart Lola, whose ambition to rule the Habsburg Empire will rewrite history, and lead to a terrifying new version of reality.

Buy Links:

Powells

Book Blitz & Giveaway - Kahayatle by Elle Casey

Kahayatle
(Apocalypsis #1)
Author: Elle Casey
Publication date: June 22nd, 2012
Genres: Horror, Post-Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Young Adult

Book Description:
NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR, ELLE CASEY, brings readers Book 1 of 4 in the YA Dystopian APOCALYPSIS Series, suitable for older teens and adults.

KAHAYATLE. My name’s Bryn Mathis. I’m seventeen years old, and I live in a neighborhood outside of Orlando, Florida. I live alone because my dad died almost a year ago, along with all the other adults in the world. I’m almost out of food and the gangs of kids that roam around my town are getting more vicious by the day. It’s time for me to leave and find another place to live … a place where I can find food and shelter … a place where they won’t be able to find me. Alone, it might have been possible, but now I’ve got company. I’m worried that I don’t have what it takes to get from here to my final destination, and I have no idea what might be waiting for me when I get there.

Content Warning: Mild violence and some foul language. Meant for older Young Adult readers (age 15+). This book is in the Dark Science Fiction / Horror / Post-Apocalyptic genres, featuring teen characters only.

APOCALYPSIS SERIES READING ORDER
Kahayatle (Apocalypsis Book 1) **Special introductory ebook price**
Warpaint (Apocalypsis Book 2)
Exodus (Apocalypsis Book 3)
Haven (Apocalypsis Book 4)

This series is dedicated to the amazing, wonderful Native Americans who populate our nation, continuing their traditions and reminding the rest of us that sometimes, progress isn’t always the best thing for our people. I invite you to learn more about the Miccosukee tribe, their history, culture, and lifestyle by visiting this website: http://www.miccosukee.com/indian-village/

(Currently available for FREE!)

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ iBooks ¦ GooglePlay ¦ Kobo

Blog Tour Promo & Giveaway - United (The United Trilogy #1) by Jaci Wheeler

United (The United Trilogy #1)
Author: Jaci Wheeler
Release Date: January 19th, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing

Book Description:
When the United States of America crumbles under civilian protests and riots, a new United America rises from the ashes…

After a reformation, United America runs like a well-oiled machine. Solar power trumps fossil fuels, strict laws keep crime at an all-time low, and at sixteen, residents are assigned their role in society—and fulfill it without complaints. But unbeknownst to the citizens, they are also under constant monitoring, and reigning President Vaughn has eyes in every sector of the gleaming country.

When Rosaline Thatcher turns sixteen, it is time to receive her position in society…

When President Vaughn calls Rosaline to the stage, she dutifully follows orders. Though she dare not disobey, it’s unclear why she is being singled out. As she passes her best friend, Wesley, she’s reminded of what’s at stake. With her new role, she could be torn from her friends and family forever.

Rosaline goes from ordinary citizen to leader of the free world…

Shocked and overwhelmed, Rosaline can’t understand why she was chosen for the most vital position of all. But with great power comes great responsibility, and with the help of those closest to her, the fate of their thriving country rests in her hands.

When she discovers a secret location only known as the O.C., the United America Rosaline thought she knew may turn out to be history’s greatest fraud…

In a society where citizens obey without question, what will happen when one girl dares to defy, and what will that mean for United America?

Buy Links:

Amazon 

Blog Tour Spotlight & Giveaway - Mirror World by John Calicchia

Mirror World
Author: John Calicchia

Publisher: Psychangel Books

Pages: 404

Genre: YA Fantasy

Book Description:

What would you do if you saw the future apocalypse of the world in a mirror? Would you try to save the world and those you love, or die trying?

Welcome to my life, this is the vision of the future I've been cursed to see.    – Cailyssa Larkin

When Cailyssa Larkin looks in a mirror she has an ominous feeling that someone is watching her. Stranger still, she has visions that foretell the future. While visiting her Uncle Spencer, Cailyssa gazes into a mirror and sees a dark future that only she can change. With the future of her own world hanging in the balance, Cailyssa bravely enters the portal to the Mirror World. Here, the Dark Lord controls all the mirrors and bends reflections so all creatures see evil within themselves. With her sister Terry, her mysterious best friend Daemon, and a host of weird and wonderful creatures, Cailyssa embarks on an epic quest to overcome the evil forces trying to destroy her world. She can only defeat the Dark Lord by finding her true self and discovering the family secret that has led her to Mirror World.

This book, written by a psychology professor, integrates famous psychological studies in the story. Readers will enjoy learning important life lessons through the psychological concepts illustrated in the book.

Author Link:

Amazon

Blog Tour Excerpt - The Holiday Killer by Holly Hunt

The Holiday Killer
Author: Holly Hunt
Genre: Thriller/Crime
Date Published: December 7, 2015

Book Description:
Happy Holidays…

Around the world, Christmas Eve is a time of joy, hope and new beginnings, where children open presents, parents smile, and all is right with the world.

Except in Matryville.

Holidays are dreaded, rather than anticipated. A killer is on the loose, and he strikes as parents hide their kids, fearing the bogeyman’s wrath…

Liz Rhodes, Special Detective at the Matryville Central Police Department, is heading the investigation of the Holiday Killer. She’s close on his tail, a suspect in her grasp…

… and then her son is taken.

Will Liz be able to track down the Killer before it’s too late? Or will Jamie pay the price for her arrogance? Only time will tell...

Buy Links:

Amazon

2016 TBR List

I can't remember the last time I read a book that I just couldn't put down. Nowadays, all I seem to be doing is putting books down. The problem isn't with me finding the incentive to pick the book up; it's that I can't seem to get to the end. I lose interest, and then I just give up and move on to the next book. It's driving me insane. I want to have that feeling of excitement again, so I've been browsing Goodreads and have come up with a To Be Read (TBR) list that I hope will reignite my passion for reading.

Warning: Will contain mostly, if not all, YA books.

Recommendations are welcome (even if it's your own book).

2016 TBR List

Blog Tour Spotlight - Sabotage by Bryan Koepke

Sabotage
Author: Bryan Koepke
Publisher: Writers Cabin Press, Ltd.
Pages: 316
Genre: Thriller

Book Description:
Reece Culver and his friend Haisley Averton travel to Scotland with only one thing on their minds - fishing.  After witnessing an automobile accident involving a freelance journalist they quickly realize that something far greater than a crash caused his SUV to sink into the frigid waters of the North Atlantic.

With increasing curiosity, Reece inserts himself into the complicated life of Marie Rhodes who is in the middle of her own crises as she watches her 20-year marriage crumble.

Realizing that they’ll never make it out fishing, Haisley uses his skills in computer forensics to find out who hacked into Karl Rhodes’ office computer at Draecon International and made it appear that he’d remotely accessed the dead journalists laptop.  As Haisley combs through logs on the chief of strategy’s computer he stumbles upon an even bigger plot involving a secret drone factory somewhere in the United Kingdom, what looks like funds being embezzled out of Draecon International, and a plot that threatens the national security of the U.K.

Reece spends increasingly greater amounts of time with Marie Rhodes trying to learn what she knows and soon finds that he can’t resist the temptation of falling in love with the woman of his dreams.  But as things heat up he questions her true motives.

When Karl Rhodes’ executive secretary is found dead Reece agrees to protect Marie’s soon to be ex-husband Karl.  In a tricky game of cat and mouse Reece travels the globe as he tries to keep Marie, her husband, and Karl’s mistress out of harms way, and unknowingly puts himself directly into the crosshairs of a hired assassin.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Book Blitz & Giveaway - The Lost Heir by Allison Whitmore (with Erin Virginia & Grace Arden)

The Lost Heir
Author: Allison Whitmore (with Erin Virginia and Grace Arden)
Published by: Booktrope Publishing
Publication date: December 8th, 2015
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult

Book Description:
Isabella Foxworthy was just another girl…until she learned she was an empath, able to read the energy of others. A secret world known as the Violet City lies beneath her family’s hotel in Los Angeles. Through this discovery, Isabella is catapulted into a whirlwind of magic, adventure, and danger. The Violet City holds the key to protecting her stability; her family hotel, her friends, and her very sanity.

With morphlings, empaths, and fair folk also comes a powerful entity that twists her mind into knots, threatening everything she loves. Now, Isabella and her new friends—a guitar-playing jock, his gifted but neurotic brother, and a set of over-indulged twins—have until her 16th birthday to save her world with the help of someone who’s been lost for a very long time…the lost Foxworthy heir. But will they find him in time? And will he be a friend or foe?

(99 cent for a limited time only!)

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N

Blog Tour Spotlight - Realm Walker Series by Kathleen Collins

Realm Walker
Realm Walker Series
Book One
Author: Kathleen Collins
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Publisher: Carina Press
Date of Publication:  October 28, 2013
ISBN: 9781426896545
ASIN: B00E1V5S3S
Word Count: 76,000

Book Description:
An estranged mate, a mangled body and a powerful demon who calls her by name…

As a Realm Walker for the Agency, Juliana Norris tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability to see magical signatures. She excels at her job, but her friends worry about her mysterious habit of dying in the line of duty without staying dead. That's only the first of her secrets.

Most people don't know Juliana became the mate of master vampire Thomas Kendrick before he abandoned her seven years ago. Most people don't know the horrors she endured at the hands of the vampire he left in command. Most people don't know her true parentage, or why a demon on a world-threatening rampage has taken a personal interest in her…

Even as Juliana pursues the demon, it goes after all she holds dear—including Thomas, who is back to claim her for his own. But if she can't reconcile her past and learn to trust herself again, she will lose him forever.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ BN ¦ Harlequin Print

Blog Tour Spotlight - Caskets From Costco by Kelly Wilson

CASKETS FROM COSTCO
Author: Kelly Wilson
Publisher: Gravity
Pages: 182
Genre: Memoir/Humor

Book Description:
For twenty years, I thought that I had been marching through the stages of grief in a straight line. I had been following the formula, crossing each processed grief experience off my list.

Except that I was totally deluded. And I didn’t discover that until Jim, my beloved father-in-law, died. I found myself drying off from my shower the morning after his death, really hoping he couldn’t see me naked. Or, if he could, that he was averting his eyes.

From that moment, my path through grief resembled a roller coaster, spiraling and twisting and turning, circling back around. Echoes of past trauma, including childhood abuse and cheating death, would no longer be ignored. I somehow needed to get from the beginning to the end of this grief adventure, and I don't have a good sense of direction.

But what is always present during a journey through grief, regardless of the path chosen?

Hope.

Caskets From Costco is a funny book about grief that demonstrates the certainty of hope and healing in an uncertain and painful world.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N

Book Blitz & Giveaway - Lightning Kissed by Lila Felix

Lightning Kissed
Author: Lila Felix
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: January 4th, 2016
Genres: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult

Book Description:
Colby Evans can leap from one country to the next in a heartbeat. She can see every sunset in every time zone in the same day. She can travel across the world in a flash. She defies gravity and physics with every breath she takes. She’s tested her abilities and found them limitless.

She is the lightning. She is Lucent. And nothing can stop her.

Except him.

Theodore Ramsey isn’t supposed to be able to flash like Colby. The power of travel is passed on from mother to daughter in their people. Except once in every hundred generations.

Theo is the one.

He can flash like Colby. And it makes him a target to their enemies and to himself. His abilities change everything he knows about life and throws his future into an uncertain tangent. In fact, the only thing certain in his life is the love he feels for Colby.

Their love defies time and space and has been the only constant thing in their lives since childhood. But even their infallible love will be stretched to its limits.

She will risk her life to protect him. But he will risk everything to protect them all.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N ¦ iTunes

YA Author Rendezvous Launch Party & Giveaway

Let us introduce YA Author Rendezvous – a group of independent Young Adult, Middle Grade and Children’s Book authors who have banded together to bring their stories to as wide an audience as possible. Visit them online and find some great reads!

Website ¦ Twitter ¦ Pinterest ¦ Instagram ¦ Facebook

Today we’re featuring YA Author Rendezvous author, Bethany Wicker!

Favorite YAAR Supporting Characters

Everyone gets to know and fall in love with the MC, or Main Character. I, however, tend to fall for supporting characters. In our group YAAR, short for Young Adult Author Rendezvous, there are several great characters to choose from, but I’d like to talk about a few of my favorites.

We’ll start with Unexpected Alpha, by Bethany Wicker (yours truly.) I’m in love with Marie, the best friend of the MC. She provides comedic relief. I may be biased because she’s based off my best friend in real life, Mariah, but her bubbliness is hard to hate. She also becomes a badass werewolf when necessary.

Next up, The Institute Series by Kayla Howarth. I’m SO IN LOVE WITH DREW! Sorry, went a little fan girl. He betrays Allira in the beginning, but fights so hard to make things right throughout the series that Kayla made it had to not fall for him. Who doesn’t love a bad guy who tries to make things right in the end?

Then, there’s Joshua’s Island by Patrick Hodges. Who doesn’t love Kelsey? Sure, she gets her own novel in Ethan’s Secret, but before that she was a supporting character. She was so hardcore, stood up to the bullies, and stood for what’s right. She helps Joshua in so many ways to develop the courage he needs to stand up for himself.

The Awaken Series, by Michelle Bryan has several intriguing characters: Finn, Po, Tater, and my favorite, Jax. He’s SO ATTRACTIVE, hold on, need to shift away from fan girl mode. He comes to Tara’s aid when you least expect it and continues to help her on her journey. His snide comments are a bonus and there’s no instant love between them, which always ruins a good story.

Dawn of the Rebellion, by Michelle Lynn is up next with Drew. Yes, another Drew. I swear it isn’t the name! Drew’s originally Gabby’s boyfriend, but when she’s taken, Dawn and Drew set out to rescue her. Their relationship blossoms slowly and you see his true character come to life, and it’s very desirable. I’m not going to spoil anything but I cried at the end… read and see why.

Lastly, there’s Rise of the Shadow Seekers, by Korey Ward. My favorite of the trio is Nelson. I loved him from the moment he was introduced. He defended Alex from the bullies, but his looks scream otherwise. He’s broad and intimidating, but doesn’t use it for his own gain. Instead, he helps Alex in his quest and quickly becomes one of his first friends. A friend that anyone would want.

There are plenty characters out there that I didn’t have enough room to give credit to, but check them out in the YAAR library and be on the lookout for those enchanting supporting characters.

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - The Key of Alanar by Rory B. Mackay

The Key of Alanar 
(The Alanar Ascendant #1)
Author: Rory B. Mackay
Publication date: August 15th, 2015
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy

Book Description:
Lasandria: an ancient, advanced civilization, consigned to oblivion by the greed and power-lust of its own people. The coming apocalypse heralds the arrival of a new evil that will ravage the world of Alanar for an entire age. Yet on the eve of Lasandria’s destruction, the ethereal overseers of the mortal realm grant a dispensation—a promise of hope for the future.

That hope lies with an orphaned teenager named David, born some ten millennia later; a boy whose isolated and uncertain existence leads him on a journey upon which hinges the fate of not just his world, but countless others.

On the run from a brutal military force, David’s quest is one born of shattered dreams and tainted by the thirst for revenge. As an inter-dimensional war that has been waged since the beginning of time threatens to consume his world, the dark force that destroyed Lasandria lurks in the shadows, ready to take possession of the one thing that will either save Alanar or destroy it: David.

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N

Blog Tour Excerpt & Giveaway - On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander

On Thin Icing
Author: Ellie Alexander

Book Descroption:
Welcome to Torte-a small-town family bakeshop where the treats are killer good.

It’s the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she’s asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up…until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

“An intriguing new series.”-Reader to Reader

Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules’s own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit…and make sure he gets his just desserts.

“A delectable tale of murder and intrigue.”-Portland Book Review on Meet Your Baker

Buy Links:

Amazon ¦ B&N ¦ Powells