Wednesday, July 31, 2013

King Hall by Scarlett Dawn






Blurb:
A fresh, meaty, sink-your-teeth-in-and-hold-on-tight new adult fantasy series kicks off with King Hall…

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Rulers: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the Revolution.

Review:
OMG...y'all.  I have got to say that King Hall is rivaling the Control series for my #1 spot in 2013.  About a month ago Scarlett posted on Facebook looking for blogs that would suit her book so we could read it early and let you know about King Hall as it publishes, tomorrow, August 1, 2013.  I of course responded to see if Stephanie's Book Reports would be "good enough!"  I was approved!  Whoop!  Ok, so while I was waiting to get the book I kept wondering why there was an approval process and of course how good will this debut novel be?

HOLY COW! I can say without a shadow of a doubt y'all need to buy this book TODAY!  I am a fan of paranormal books, especially ones with romance involved.  So, let's get into the story.  Lily Ruckler is a hybrid Mystical that should have never been allowed to live.  She's half shifter, half vampire.  Her vampire father doesn't know she exists.  Lily is raised attending human, or Commoner, schools until it's time for her to attend King Hall.  King Hall is a prestigious school for Mysticals and here is where she meets her mate.  He is the Prodigy (King to be) of the Shifters.  Now, I'm not spoiling this story for you, but let's just say Lily finds herself the Prodigy (Queen to be) of the Shifters.  She's forced to study three years of Mystical schooling in one year.  

There are three other Mystical Prodigies, and these four become fast friends, and share most all about themselves.  The current Kings can not understand why these four are so close and try many times to separate them through out the year.  Each time they prove to the Kings they're better together than they are apart.  

This book is full of exciting drama, little bit of steamy, and a whole lot of mischief.  When I was reading this book I stayed up to 1 AM to finish, as I'd been reading it all day, and when I got to the end I was like...NOOOOOO!!!  I sent Scarlett a message on Facebook telling her she had to be kidding me!  LOL  I am beside myself waiting for book #2!  

It's over the moon good, people.  5+ stars for Scarlett Dawn's DEBUT novel, King Hall!


Find Scarlett here on Facebook.  

Find Scarlett here on GoodReads.

Watch the Kign Hall trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYngB6EHiHk



Monday, July 29, 2013

Beautiful Broken Rules by Kimberly Lauren Blog Tour & Giveaway








Synopsis:
What happens when you create rules to keep others out?

One thing Emerson Moore has come to terms with is that she is the school slut. She knows her way around a frat house and how to get what she wants. She doesn’t make any excuses for her actions and she doesn’t pretend to be anything different. She is who she is and with that she knows how to have a good time. She’s made rules to keep relationships at bay and avoid the demons of her past.

When her best friend, Cole has his two friends from back home move in with him she begins to think she has met her match with Jaxon Riley. Jax is the perfect mixture of tattooed muscle and a sweet-talking mouth. With “hand” written notes, a voice that exudes sex and knowing just how to get under her skin, Jaxon learns how to break all the rules. But will he just end up breaking her heart anyway?

Review:
I was really intrigued by this story when I read the synopsis.  I wanted to read this book to see how the story would end.  The female lead, Emerson (Em) Moore felt she had nothing to give to a relationship.  She would just screw it up or the man she was committed to would either leave her, cheat, or die.  She didn't think she would survive any of that happening.  

All alone in the world, orphaned, and an only child Em embraces her sexuality and settles on 3 rules when it comes to men.  The 3rd being never to sleep w/ a man more than 3 times.  That works well for her until she meets Jaxon Riley.  He's the male version of Emerson, and the only person who gets away calling her by her full name.  

They have a pull and tug relationship/friendship.  Of course it's bumpy.  Mjor issues, etc.  I thought this story was well written and the book flowed very well.  Y'all know I'm not going to give away any secrets on this book.  You'll have to buy it and read it.  It's worth it.  I would have liked to have seen an epilogue of 5-10 years down the road at the end of the book.  But was satisfied otherwise how it ended.  

4 Stars to Beautiful Broken Rules!

About the Author:
I'm a wanderer, an adventurer, a traveler.

I want to see it all. I haven't been everywhere but it's on my list.

"She travels the world & home is always in her heart."

Lately if I'm not traveling or chasing a toddler, I'm writing. Which is weird because I hated writing in college. Oh wait, that's because that was boring. Who really wants to sit there and cite all your sources into APA format? Not this girl. Writing for yourself is enjoyable and cathartic. Please try it. Then tell me about because I love indie authors.

When I was 19, I packed up and followed my high school sweetheart from Texas to California. We had a blast living it up in San Diego. Four years later we made a crazy decision and packed up again and moved to Germany. What? Yep, you read that right. Guess what? Best decision ever! We OWNED Europe. For three years we saw as much as we possibly could. We lived an hour outside of France, a couple from Switzerland and Italy. Most amazing time of my life. Please go out there and see the world, you won't regret it. After Europe we moved back to California, and for now we're just debating our next adventure.

I earned a degree in Child Development. And now I write novels. Makes perfect sense! I write because I walk around all day with these stories in my head. It's nice to be able to get them out of my head in an organized fashion. I hope that someone out there enjoys them, because I have enjoyed so many others'.


Social Links:

Tour Schedule Link:

Buy Links:

Giveaway Code:
4 Amazon Gift Cards Each $25
2 signed paperbacks (US Only)


Saturday, July 27, 2013

Forever Breathing by Heather Allen Blog Tour

Blurb:
Ever Harding has finally found where she belongs, with Jack in the sea. Just when she thought she could start her new life, a new threat forms on the horizon. She must make her biggest choice yet. Is she willing to risk everything to save the love of her life and all she holds dear?


James discovers yet again that his purpose is greater than anything he could ever imagine. He thought he had it all figured out, but sometimes things can be very deceiving. Is he willing to stand up for all he believes is right?


In the final book of the ‘Just Breath’ trilogy, Ever and James find themselves not against each other but fighting together to preserve the freedoms of others. Will they be able to defend the right to choose when the odds are hugely against them?
Playlist:

 

Ever Teaser:

We enter the Erebus caves and I shudder at the thought of being on my own in an unknown place. Jaspen meets us in his new favorite room, the one filled with maps. He must feel powerful in there or something. Truth be told, I wouldn’t be showing off the fact that a city twice the size of this one is coming to defeat us, but I never really understood Jaspen.

"Ever, there you are, yet again, the most important person in our fight."

I catch the look on Jack’s face as he hears this. It seems like a touch of fear. I have to assure them both that I can do this. I push back my shoulders and try to make myself a little taller.

"Yep, that’s me." My voice does not exude the confidence I need, at least not in my ears.

Jaspen chuckles, which seems to annoy Jack even more. Maybe Amber was right. Maybe he is going to do an ‘Ever’ and lose it when I’m gone. I definitely can’t let that happen. I grab his hand and squeeze a little tighter than I mean to.

He looks over startled, "Whoa there killer."

I smirk uneasily and loosen my grip.

He brings my hand to his lips and kisses it gently.

"Hey, it’s going to be alright."

When exactly did the tables turn here? A minute ago I was afraid Jack was going to lose it, now suddenly I’m teetering on the edge.

Jaspen speaks up amused by our little interlude, "Do you understand what you need to do?"

I nod repeating what he told me the other day, "Find Alex and when I get there convince him that I changed my mind about…being with him." My voice cracks at the last part. I’m sad that Jack must hear this. It betrays us.

I continue, "Find out their plan of attack when, and how many people they have fighting, and what weapons they are using."

Jaspen responds, "Yes, and don’t forget…"

We both say at the same time, "Find out who is leading this attack."

He turns and tells us, "I’ll leave you to say your good-byes."

As the door closes Jack gathers me in his arms. His touch shoots the familiar sparks through my body and I focus as they travel down my fin and up into my neck. He lowers his face to my ear and whispers, "Ever, I love you. You are my heart. Please come back to me."

A tear rolls down my cheek. I move my face so my lips meet his and we kiss. This definitely will not be our last.

We pull apart and his hand lingers caressing my cheek.

"I’ll see you soon."

I smile and tell him, ‘I love you!"

I back away and close my eyes before I can have second thoughts. I feel his hand fall from my face and focus on the water far away to the South. It stirs around me and I can tell before I open my eyes that the light in the water has changed positions. I open my eyes and see the most incredible and scary sight all at the same time. The city is far in front of me. It is immense and beautiful. My stomach does a flip and I tell myself, stay strong.


Review: 5 stars
I was gifted all three of these book in exchange for an honest review. 
I decided that I had to read this trilogy when I saw the covers they are just beautiful!  I was excited when the chance to do the tour came up and I got to read all of them. Then I was a little nervous when I heard that it was a trilogy about mermaids.  I have never read a mermaid book before and I wasn't sure what to expect.  Well I loved it! I read all three of them and once I picked up the first one I couldn't put them down until I finished the last one. So this review may end up being about how much I love the trilogy as a whole because I read them back to back and loved them all.  It was so much more than I expected.  The series is a story of love, friendship, family, and fighting to figure out what is right.

Heather did an amazing job of writing the story so you are just engrossed in the characters and their lives that you forget about everything but the story.  I loved how the relationships grow and intertwine between the group of characters.

In Forever breathing she continues the story and without getting to much into it provides a fantastic love story, action, and the happy ending the readers all hope for even if it was a bumpy rode to get there.

I say don't be worried about the mermaid story like I was and read the series.

Get them all today:



About the Author:
Heather Allen is the author of Just Breathe, Barely Breathing, and Forever Breathing. Heather lives in sunny Florida with her husband and three children. She has dedicated her life to education for the past fifteen years with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. She finally realized her dream of becoming an author only recently. She savors every moment on this new journey and continues to touch the lives of children now, not only through teaching but also her books.
 
Find her at: Twitter: @kelconcar Her Blog Facebook Goodreads


 

Friday, July 26, 2013

Undying Love by Teresa Mummert Cover Reveal


Cover designed by Berto Designs http://rebeccaberto.com



Novellas one through three of the Undying Love Vampire Series combined to make a full length novel. Bonus: map of Beisa, Pennsylvania It tells the story of a young girl with a chip on her shoulder, braving it in a world in which she feels utterly alone. That is until she meets Caleb. The much anticipated book two of the series is titled 9 Lives. It continues the tale of Kat and Caleb's turbulent romance with a supernatural twist. Kat Fight, book three, will break all the rules and force readers to choose sides. Nothing is what is seems in this mind-bending tale.



Everything I've Never Had by Lynetta Halat Cover Reveal & Giveaway



Title: Everything I’ve Never Had
Author: Lynetta Halat
Cover Designer: Sarah Hansen at Okay Creations.

Release date: 9/2/2013
Genre: Contemporary Romance

Add it to your TBR on Goodreads


Blurb:
Celeste Hebert has always appeared to have it all, but there are many things she's never had, been forbidden from having.

One night. One song. One kiss. The perfect trifecta to unleash the floodgates of a forbidden attraction between the widow and her husband’s bad boy cousin, Adrian.

Celeste endeavors to rebury the feelings that surface after this one night since her powerful family despises him. Kindred spirits, best of friends they attempt to douse their attraction; however, Adrian always seems to know exactly how to push her buttons and may prove too much to resist.

Having defied his family by making his way on his own terms, Adrian struggles to regain their acceptance. When he meets his cousin’s wife and wants her for his own, he feels he’s finally lived down to the title—black sheep. But, when his cousin dies unexpectedly, Adrian fights his attraction and swears to honor them both by helping her raise her boys.

Finding himself enveloped in a cocoon of love and acceptance, Adrian knows it’s more than just physical attraction. However, unforeseen events threaten to destroy those he now holds dear and his newfound peace.

Will the ties that bind them be their undoing?

Excerpt #1—Everything I’ve Never Had by Lynetta Halat—Sept. 2013 (Unedited and subject to change.)

Adrian runs his hands up my arms and shoulders until they grasp both sides of my neck to tilt my head back so that I'm staring straight into his arctic blue eyes. I immediately start trembling, and it's not with fear. "Celeste, I'm begging you not to leave here looking like that. You look gorgeous, babe, but I can't sit here all night wondering who's hitting on you, who's imagining moving that scrap of fabric over to get a glimpse at what is..."

"What is what?" I breathe heavily.

"What is underneath it all." His brow wrinkles, and I feel his hands tighten their pleasurably painful grip. "What is underneath it all?"

"Just me, Adrian, just me," I breathe. "That's all."

"So everything then. Just like I thought." He removes one of his hands to run it up the back of my thigh. My eyes widen and I swallow hard.

"That's not a good idea," I whisper. His hand wraps all the way around my thigh, his fingertips coming to rest along the crease of my left cheek. My thigh pulses with fire.

"Why not?" His fingertips tease back and forth a little. Even though it’s a light touch, it feels like his calloused fingertips mark me.

"Why not? Look at us. We can't even have a civil conversation for everything that has passed between us, and you want to further complicate it. What you're doing will further complicate matters."

His hand stills. He exhales loudly and lets his head drop on my chest. "You do this to me. I don't act like this. That day in the park, watching you cross and uncross your legs. Throwing your hair over your shoulder. Laughing without a care in the world. Cheering me on like it was your favorite thing to do! It killed me. Killed me. I've never wanted a woman the way I want you. Never."

His words rain down on me like fiery drops of lust. I close my eyes and rewrite that memory. I thought he was just being an ass, but his unexpected anger was because he was yearning for me. I bite my lip, open my eyes, and shake my head. "It's just because you can't have me, Adrian. I'm nothing special."

"Oh, baby, you have no idea." He runs his nose up my throat, scenting me as he goes. I lean my neck back, giving him more access even as my brain screams at me to run—not walk—out of this room. But when he says, "You're everything to me." My head falls back even further and my eyes close again as I feel him slant his head and attack my chin, throat, and neck with closed-mouth kisses. I hear myself moan and give myself one more little jolt to try to spare myself from this delicious torment that will only end in frustration.

All rights reserved. Copyright Lynetta Halat 2013.




About the author:



For as long as she can remember, Lynetta Halat has lived to read and has written countless stories and plays since she was a young girl. A teacher by day and an avid reader and closet writer by night, she has always dreamt of penning books that people could connect with and remember; and her first novel, Every Rose, was the perfect catalyst to launch her into the world of publishing. Her love of the English language prompted her to attain her master's degree in English from Old Dominion University in Virginia. A self-proclaimed "Coast Girl," she lives in Mississippi with her adorable husband, two amazing sons, and two loveable dogs. She is currently at work on her third book.
Author links:Facebook Website Goodreads Twitter@LynettaHalat

Giveaway: $25 Amazon or Barnes& Noble giftcard

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Searching for Tomorrow by Katie Mac Cover Reveal & Giveaway






Blurb:

What happens when you find the one person who completes you, and then life conspires against you? How do you set your grief and anguish aside? How do you pick up the shattered pieces, put those pieces back together again, and try to move on?

Katie and Tripp met on the playground the first day of third grade when Tripp tried to rescue Katie from Zack, her twin brother. A lifelong friendship that later blossomed into love began that day.

Broken beyond her own ability to repair, Katie boxes her grief up and attempts to raise her three girls the best she can on her own. As time slowly passes, Katie relives her times with Tripp while struggling most days to even get out of bed. She is reminded of him at every turn.

Zack is Katie's twin brother and was Tripp's best friend. Having lost his own love, he dedicates himself to helping Katie put her life back together. Throw in a mother-in-law who torments at every turn and poor Katie can't even find a chance to breathe, much less a desire to somehow search for tomorrow. 




Author Interview:

Tell us 5 surprising things about yourself.
  • 1.     I am a PK. If you know what that means, then you know what that means.
    2.     I have always wanted to be a red head with long, beautiful corkscrew curls.
    3.     No matter what I’m doing, I would rather be outside, day or night, hot or cold, rain or shine.
    4.     I was awarded two separate scholarships when I graduated high school. One was a teaching fellowship and the other was for writing.
    5.     I love to cook, almost as much as I like to eat. I spent a couple of years as a private cook for a local family and loved every minute of it

    What is your writing environment?


At the moment, I have a makeshift office in my pantry! If need be, I can shut the door and cut off part of the noise. I hope to have a more permanent space soon.


One of your favorite quotes.

                  To whom much is given, much is required.          


Random things about my novel.

Just a bit of nonsense. I am Kathryn Anne, and my two sisters are Rebekah Elizabeth and Sarah Margaret. My husband is Channing, and my son is Zachary. One of my daughters is Elizabeth, and I still have to work my daughter Brittany into the book. Highlands is my most favorite place in the world to go when my soul need refreshing. Last, but not least, I actually had a great-grandma Tiddy!
             


Flirting Questions

What does love feel like? 

Warm, fuzzy, secure, safe, sheltered

How did you meet your significant other? 

In the lobby of the bank that I worked in. I was on all fours under a Christmas tree tightening the screws in the base. What can I say? Baby got back!

If you could take a romantic trip, where would it be? 

Any trip I take with Hubs is romantic. One of his favorite things to do is to whisk me away to wine and dine me.

Do you believe in love at first sight? 

Absolutely! Ask me how I feel about my grandson Grayson!





Author Links

Bio:

About this author If you are reading this, I think you should know that "About me" sounds so very pretentious to me. I guess that is what I am supposed to write about, so here it goes!

Katie Mac is a simple country girl who likes to spend time with her hubba, hunka hubby, her three kids and her friends. She loves to cook and really loves to eat! During the spring and summer, you will more than likely find her outside puttering around in her garden. When the veggies start coming in, she will probably be sweating over a hot canner in the kitchen, canning all the goodies she is blessed with. Katie likes to hike and go camping, and as a Girl Scout leader, she gets to do this pretty often! On cold winter nights, you will probably find her wrapped in a warm blanket, lost in a good book, while sitting in her rocking chair on the front porch!
Katie was born and raised in North Carolina, and while she loves to travel, she can't imagine ever leaving the mountains that she has come to call home. Not a day goes by that Katie doesn't thank God for abundantly blessing her. He has been so good to her, and she is very grateful. She holds Jeremiah 29:11 very close to her heart and believes it with every fiber of her being. "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Katie loves flip flops, chocolate, sweet tea and dirt between her toes. As far back as she can remember, she's had a book in her hand. Reading has carried her to places she will never go. It has introduced her to people that she will never meet. When life is great and when it is rough, she's always been able to find a book to carry her through. She finally decided to write down some of the stories in her head (yes, be scared) and heart after dawdling around and wasting years dreaming. She hopes you enjoy reading those stories as much as she loves writing them!/span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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