Monday 29 February 2016

Audiobook Review: The Comfort of Black by Carter Wilson!


    The Comfort of Black Audiobook
  • Written by: Carter Wilson
  • Narrated by: Rebecca Roberts
  • Length: 9 hrs and 21 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:01-19-16
  • Publisher: Cherry Hill Publishing, LLC
  • Though they seem to have everything, Hannah Parks has watched her husband, Dallin, become increasingly distant. Her hope is buoyed when the couple decides to start a family, but what Dallin reveals in his sleep one night rocks Hannah to her core. As she starts to investigate a much darker side of Dallin than she ever knew existed, Hannah peels away the layers of a diseased relationship closely tied to her own abusive past.
    When Dallin attempts to have Hannah abducted, she is forced to run, doing so with the aid of a man named Black - an ex-con and expert at helping people disappear. Together they must keep Hannah safe from her husband's far-reaching grasp, all the while trying to solve the mystery behind Dallin's sudden violence. Does Hannah's dark family history hold the key to her survival?

My Thoughts:

Hannah's life hasn't always been easy, but now she has a handsome and successful husband, money and a happy life, but does she? When Dallin starts to become distant and less loving, Hannah is worried, but it's not till he talks in his sleep that Hannah discovers that her husband might not be who she thinks! She starts to delve deeper into his life only to have hers put in danger. Dallin attempts to have her abducted only for her to escape with the help of an ex-con named Black. As things start to become clearer though, Hannah doesn't know who to trust, and with past and present on a collision course, Hannah must do all she can to survive. 

Well this was a roller coaster to say the least!! When you think you know where it's going, bam, the author throws in something to turn the book on it's axis!! You never know who you can trust and you have no idea where it's going. It's an exceptionally well written and developed story and I loved it!! The whole way through you are questioning everything which, to me anyway, marks a great book. 

Character development was well done. Poor Hannah has had a hard life and finally thought all the hurt was behind her. She loves her husband and wants to start a family with him. My heart broke for her when the story took off. She finds out some devastating things, yet she still pushes through. She is by no means an angel, which you will find out when you read it, but you can't help but root for her. She is determined, has a strong spirit and is brave. 

Black was my favourite though. His story was heartbreaking!! I'm not going to say anything about it because he is a mystery better left alone and it adds to the story when you try to figure him out!! I loved the interactions between Black and Hannah and enjoyed seeing their relationship develop.

In all this was an incredible psychological thriller and one I can't recommend enough. It hit all the right notes and I devoured it. This is definitely an author I need to check out. 

Rebecca Roberts gave a flawless performance! Her portrayal of Hannah was superb as was her other tones for Black and Dallin. She captured the emotions of all the characters perfectly and totally made this book come alive. Never once, in all the books I've listened to read by her, has she failed to give her all!! She is a narrator I'd recommend time and time again. 

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.* 


Sunday 28 February 2016

Giveaway!!


Check out this amazing giveaway!





(7) winners get (1) Kindle Fire 7”
(1) winner gets (1) Kobo H2O Waterproof eReader
(1) winner gets (1) Kindle Paperwhite eReader
(4) winners get (1) $50 Amazon Gift Card

And EVERYBODY Who Enters Will Get:

A Free Digital Copy of MY VIKING VAMPIRE via Krystal Shannan
A Free Digital Copy of THE WEREWOLF COWBOY via Camryn Rhys
A Free Digital Copy of DUST OF MY WINGS via Carrie Ann Ryan
A Free Digital Copy of TAKEN BY THE BILLIONAIRE WEREWOLF via Mina Carter
A Free Digital Copy of HER DRAGON’S FIRE via Julia Mills
A Free Digital Copy of WILD (PART 1) via Vivi Anna
A Free Digital Copy of FUROCIOUS LUST (Vol. 1) via Milly Taiden
A Free Digital Copy of BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON via Jodi Vaughn
A Free Digital Copy of A TOUCH OF MIDNIGHT via Lara Adrian
A Free Digital Copy of FIRST MOON via Michelle Fox
A Free Digital Copy of HALFWAY DEAD via Terry Maggert
A Free Digital Copy of SWITCHING HOUR via Robyn Peterman
A Free Digital Copy of DEMON POSSESSION via Kiersten Fay
A Free Digital Copy of WAR’S PASSION via Lia Davis
A Free Digital Copy of HUNTER’S BLOOD via Marianne Morea
A Free Digital Copy of ASSASSINS TOUCH via Laurie London

You can enter the giveaway HERE


Saturday 27 February 2016

Audiobook Giveaway: Darla's Story & Ashfall by Mike Mullin!


Hi guys. I have a treat for you today!!! Today I'm featuring the audiobooks in the Ashfall Series by Mike Mullin and the author very kindly gave me an audio copy  of Darla's Story (a novella) to giveaway! But wait, there's more, because this series is one of my all time favourite ones, I'm going to offer up an audio copy of book 1, Ashfall, also. So have a look at the books , and if they are something that you would love to listen to, well enter the giveaway below :) Firstly, let's have a look at both books!


Darla's Story Audiobook

  • Written by: Mike Mullin
  • Narrated by: Sarah Chevalier
  • Length: 1 hr and 35 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:02-02-16

  • Publisher: Mike Mullin

  • Darla Edmunds has faced a lot of challenges in her 17 years: her dad died in a farming accident when she was 14, and her mother retreated into hyper-religiosity, leaving Darla to run the family farm almost single-handedly. But those struggles pale in comparison to the one she faces after the Yellowstone super-volcano erupts, plummeting the world - and Darla's small corner of Iowa - into a cataclysmic natural disaster.
    Darla's Story is book 0.5 of the Ashfall trilogy (or should it be called a three-and-a-half-ology?) It's told from Darla's perspective, beginning with the eruption and ending when an injured stranger keels over in her barn. If you're new to the world of Ashfall, Darla's Story is a great place to start. Enjoy!
  • You can listen to the sample on the audible page here: http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Darlas-Story-Audiobook/B01BDH4EG4/
  • Also check out my review of the audio HERE

  • Ashfall Audiobook
  • Written by: Mike Mullin
  • Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne
  • Length: 11 hrs and 53 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:02-25-15


  • Publisher: Tanglewood
  • Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers in Yellowstone National Park lies a supervolcano so large that it can be seen only from a plane or satellite. Most people don't know it's there. But it's overdue for an eruption, which would obliterate the landscape and change the climate, creating a dark, volcanic winter that could last for years.For Alex, being left home alone for the weekend means the freedom to play his computer games and hang out with his friends without hassle from his mother. Then the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts, plunging his hometown into a nightmare of darkness, ash, and violence. Alex begins a harrowing trek to search for his family and finds help in Darla, a travel partner he meets along the way. Together they must find the strength and skills to survive and outlast an epic disaster.


  • You can listen to the sample on the audible page here: http://www.audible.com/pd/Teens/Ashfall-Audiobook/B00TZ8USXW/
  • Mike Mullin
    Mike Mullin’s first job was scraping the gum off the undersides of desks at his high school. From there, things went steadily downhill. He almost got fired by the owner of a bookstore due to his poor taste in earrings. He worked at a place that showed slides of poopy diapers during lunch (it did cut down on the cafeteria budget). The hazing process at the next company included eating live termites raised by the resident entomologist, so that didn’t last long either. For a while Mike juggled bottles at a wine shop, sometimes to disastrous effect. Oh, and then there was the job where swarms of wasps occasionally tried to chase him off ladders. So he’s really hoping this writing thing works out.
    Mike holds a black belt in Songahm Taekwondo. He lives in Indianapolis with his wife and her three cats. ASHFALL is his first novel. 

  • So, is this something you would listen to? I can highly recommend the series and have loved all the books. These books actually sparked my love of Post Apocalyptic fiction :)

  • Best of luck all!! 

  • Giveaway:

  • a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday 26 February 2016

Stinger and Bow by Orren Merton Blog Tour and Giveaway!


StingerAndBow_BlogTourBanner (1)

Welcome to my tour stop for Stinger and Bow by Orren Merton! This is a young adult urban fantasy and is the first book in a spin off series of The Sedumen Chronicles. The tour runs Feb. 15-26 with reviews, interviews, guest posts and excerpts.  Check out the tour page for the full schedule.

Pageflex Persona [document: PRS0000035_00009]About the Book:

Stinger needs a new crossbow.
Thirteen year-old Rachel Silver—or as she's known to the world, Stinger—needs a new crossbow. Her last bow failed her when she needed it most. Besides, Firebird Alex, her aunt and fellow Seduman—half-human, half-spirit being—wields a Sedu blade, made with spirit magic.
So Stinger designs herself a magic crossbow, then convinces her best friends to accompany her around the world and into the universe of Sediin to find the right craftsmen to have it made. Trouble is, warriors attract people who want to challenge them, whether they're ready or not. Stinger is still tormented by her last battle—she's suffering night-terrors, shakes, and cold sweats. When the situation turns deadly, will she be able to come to grips with her trauma and become the warrior she needs to be to save her friends?
***

My Thoughts:

This is a spin off from the The Sedumen Chronicles and whist it can be read as a stand alone, I did feel like I missed things. There were references to things that happened in the other series that I didn't get and I felt like I missed a lot of character development and bonding. It also took me a while to figure out the world and become immersed in it. It's still enjoyable and made me eager to read the first books though. 

 I really liked Rachel. She may only be 13 but she is brave, smart and spunky. I actually thought she was a little older than she was!! I liked getting to know her abilities and seeing them in action. I really liked her relationship with her aunt, and her relationship with her foster parents. 

The plot, while not being the most action packed, was still thoroughly engaging. It was such a quick and easy read and I flew through it. I also loved the idea of the universe of Sediin and need to check out the first series to learn more about it. It was fascinating and unique. 

In all this is an intriguing and entertaining book. It's well written and developed and has definitely piqued my interest. I do think that you should start with the first book first though, to truly get the world and the characters that the author has created! 


Orren MertonAbout the Author:

Orren Merton started writing fantasy and science fiction at an embarrassingly young age. In high school, he picked up guitar and start playing up and down California in a few loud and moody bands, culminating in his current project  Ember After.  During that time, magazines, developers, and corporations began to pay him to write and edit music software related articles, manuals, and  books. Since then he has written the urban fantasy novel The Deviant and the science fiction novel Skye Entity before working on The Sedumen Chronicles, his current series of urban fantasy YA novels. He lives in Southern California with his family, pets, collection of sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia, and curiously large stuffed animal collection.
***
GIVEAWAY:
One winner gets a Kindle and digital copy of Stinger and Bow (US)
One winner gets a $25 gift card & digital copy of Stinger and Bow (INT)
Ends March 2nd
Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible in any way. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to enter. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.


#FridayReveals :Nobody's Lady by Amy McNulty Cover & Chapter 1 Reveal and Giveaway! #Month9Squad #Month9Books


Title: NOBODY’S LADY
Author: Amy McNulty
Pub. Date: April 12, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Format: Paperback & eBook
Find it: Amazon | Goodreads

Today Amy McNulty and Month9Books are revealing the cover and first chapter for NOBODY’S LADY! Book 2 in the Never Veil Series which releases April 12, 2016! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive an eGalley!!

On to the reveal!


For the first time in a thousand years, the men in Noll’s village possess the freedom to love whom they will. In order to give each man the chance to fully explore his feelings, the lord of the village decrees all marriages null and void until both spouses declare their love for one another and their desire to wed again. What many women think will be a simple matter becomes a source of village-wide tension as most men decide to leave their families and responsibilities behind.
Rejected by the lord and ashamed of her part in the village’s history, Noll withdraws from her family and lives life as an independent woodcarver. This changes when her sister accuses her of hiding her former husband Jurij from her—and when Jurij eventually does ask to move in. Determined not to make the same mistakes, Noll decides to support her male friends through their new emotional experiences, but she’s soon caught up in a darker plot than she ever dared imagine possible from the men she thought she knew so well. And the lord for whom she still has feelings may be hiding the most frightening truth of them all.



Excerpt


Chapter One

When I thought I understood real friendship, I was a long-lost queen. When I discovered there was so much more to my life than love and hate, that those around me were just pawns in a game whose rules I’d unwittingly put in place, I discovered I was a long-forgotten goddess. But goddess or not, powerless or powerful, my feet were taking me someplace I wasn’t sure I wanted to go. What did I hope to find? Did I truly believe I could hear him call me—that he’d want to call me? Yes, I did. I wanted to see him again. I wanted to hope, even if I wasn’t sure I was allowed. If I deserved to. I headed down the familiar dirt path beneath the lattice of trees overhead, pausing beside the bush with a partially snapped stem that jutted outward like a broken limb. The one that pointed to the secret cavern.

Only, it’s not much of a secret anymore, is it?

My feet picked themselves up. Glowing pools would never again tempt me.

I reached the black, towering fortress that had for so long shaken and screamed at the power of my glance.

For the first time in this lifetime, I stared up at it, and nothing moved. My legs, unused to such steady footing while in the sight of the lord’s castle, twitched in anticipation of a fall that never came.

There was no need. My feet dragged me forward.

At the grand wooden door, I raised a fist to knock.

But I stopped. I felt like if I touched it, the entire castle might crumble. It had done so once before. Not at my touch exactly. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was responsible for whatever destruction I’d find in this place. But that was presumptuous of me. He was strong-willed, and he wouldn’t crumble at the prospect of freedom. If anything, he’d be triumphant over it.

You can’t stop now. I pulled my sleeves over my wrists and propped both elbows against the door, pushing until it gave way.

The darkness inside the foyer tried to deceive me into thinking night had fallen. The stream of light that trickled from the familiar crack in the garden door called the darkness a liar.

I gripped the small iron handles, the material of my sleeves guarding the cold metal from my touch, and pulled.

My touch had come to the garden before me.

The rose bushes that surrounded the enclosed circular area were torn, ripped, trodden, and plucked. The blooms lay withered, scattered and turned to dust, their once-white petals a sickly shade of yellowish brown, smooth blooms turned coarse and wrinkled.

The fountain at the center no longer trickled with water. Its shallow pool was stagnant, piles of brown festering in mildewing green liquid. Dotted amongst the brown was pallid stone rubble. The tears of the weeping elf child statue, which belonged at the top of the fountain, had ceased at last. But the gash across its face told me the child’s tears had not been staunched by joy. I wondered if Ailill had had it carved to represent the pain I’d inflicted on him as a child. And I wondered if now he could no longer bear to remind himself of what I’d done.

I hadn’t done this. But I felt as if I had. If Ailill had gone on a rampage after he came back to the castle, it was because of what I’d done to him. Everything I touched turned sour. I yanked and pulled, trying to draw my hands further into my sleeves, but there wasn’t enough material to cover them entirely.

“Well, what a surprise.” I gazed into the shadow beside the doorway. How could I have not seen? The stone table was occupied. The place where I’d sat alone for hours, days, and months was littered with crumpled and decaying leaves, branches, and petals, obscuring the scars left by a dagger or knife striking time and time again across its surface. The matching bench that once nestled on the opposite side was toppled over, leaving only dark imprints in the dirt.

“A pity you could not make yourself at home here when you were welcome.”

My breath caught in my throat.

The man at the table was clad entirely in black, as I knew he would be. The full-length jacket had been swapped for a jerkin, but I could see the embossing of roses hadn’t been discarded in the exchange. He wore dark leather gloves, the fingers of which were crossed like the wings of a bird in flight. His pale elbows rested on the table amongst the leaves and branches and thorns. He wore the hat I was used to seeing him wear, a dark, pointed top resting on a wide brim. Its black metal band caught a ray of the sunlight almost imperceptibly. But I noticed. I always did.

His face was entirely uncovered. Those large and dark eyes, locked on me, demanded my attention. They were the same eyes of the boy I’d left alone to face my curse—not so long ago from my point of view. He was more frightened then, but there was no mistaking the hurt in those eyes both then and now.

“You are not welcome here, Olivière.”

His words sliced daggers through my stomach.

“I … I thought I heard you call me.”

He cocked his head to the side, his brown eyes moving askance. “You heard me call you?”

“Yes … ” I realized how foolish it sounded. I was a fool to come. Why had I let myself fall for that sound again, for my name whispered on the wind? Why was I so certain it was he who’d said my name?

He smiled, not kindly. “And where, pray tell, have you been lurking? Under a rose bush? Behind the garden door? Or do those rounded female ears possess a far greater sense of hearing than my jagged male ones?”

I brushed the tips of my ears self-consciously. Elric had been so fascinated by them, by what he saw as a mutilation. This lord—Ailill—wasn’t like that. He’d touched them once, as a child. He’d tried to heal them, thinking they were meant to be pointed.

The boy with a heart was the man sitting there before me. Even after all we’d been through, he’d still done me a kindness by healing my mother. “No, I just thought—”

“No, you did not think, or you would not have come.”

I clenched my jaw. My tongue was threatening to spew the vile anger that had gotten us into this mess to begin with.

He sighed and crossed his arms across his chest. “I gave explicit instructions that I not be disturbed.” He leaned back against the wall behind him, his chin jutting outward slightly.

I wiped my sweaty fingertips on my skirt. I wouldn’t let the rest of my hands out from the insides of my sleeves. The sweat had already soaked through them. “I needed to thank you.”

He scoffed. “Thank me for what? For your prolonged captivity, or for not murdering both your mother and your lover when I had the chance?”

So you admit you took Jurij to punish me? You admit they were both in danger in your “care”? Quickly, I had to clench my jaw to keep down the words that threatened to spill over. He’s not who I thought he was. He wouldn’t have harmed them.

I loosened the muscles in my jaw one hair’s breadth at a time.

“For healing me when you were a child. For accepting me into your castle instead of putting me to death for trespassing in it. For … For forgiving me for cursing you, even though you were innocent.” My voice was quiet, but I was determined to make it grow louder. “For saving my mother’s life.”

He waved one hand lazily in the air. “Unfinished projects irk me.”

“But you didn’t have to.”

A shrug. “The magic was nearly entirely spent on the churl anyway.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He leaned forward and placed both palms across the rotted forest remnants on the table. “My apologies,” he said, his lips curled into a sneer. “I simply meant that I wasted years and years and let the magic wither from my body to save a person of no consequence. You may thank me for that if you like. I would rather not be reminded of it.”

How odd it was to see the face I’d imagined come to life. The mocking, the condescending—it was all there. I just hadn’t known the canvas before.

And what a strange and beautiful canvas it was. That creamy peach skin, the brownish tint of his shoulder-length tresses. He was so much paler than any person I had ever seen. Save for the specters.

Despite the paleness, part of me felt I wasn’t wrong to have mistaken one brother for another. Elric had been dark-skinned, but they seemed almost like reflections of the same person; they shared the same brows, the same lips, and even eyes of a similar shape if not color. Perhaps the face before me was a bit gaunter, the nose a bit longer. It was easier to focus on the differences. Thinking of the similarities made me want to punch the face in front of me all the more—and that would undermine everything I had set out to do when I made my way to him. I wanted to see if you were really restored to life. Say it. I wanted to know if you really forgave me. Say it. I wanted to know why I … Why I feel this way about you, why I keep thinking about you, when I used to be unable to stand the sight of you. Say it, Noll! I dug my nails into my palm and shook the thoughts from my head. He’d called my mother a “churl.” I couldn’t just tell him everything I was thinking. “Have you no sense of empathy?”

“What a coincidence that you should mention that. I am sending Ailill to the village with an edict. He can escort

you there.” “Ailill?” But aren’t you him? Could I have been mistaken? Oh, goddess, help me, why do I do this to myself? Why do I think I know everything?

He waved his hand, and one of the specters appeared beside me from the foyer.

The specters. There were about a hundred of them in the castle. Pale as snow in skin and hair with red, burning eyes. Mute servants who seemed to anticipate the lord’s every command. Only now I knew who they really were.

Oh. “You call him by your own name?” I asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “I call them all by my name. They are me, remember?”

His icy stare sent another invisible dagger through my stomach. “Yes, but—”

“A shame you never cared to ask my name when you were my guest,” he said. “I have a feeling things might have turned out much differently—for all of us.”

“You knew what would happen! Why didn’t you warn me?” I had to squeeze my fists and teeth together to stop myself from screaming. This wasn’t going at all like I had hoped. But what had I hoped? What could I have possibly expected? I thought I’d be forgiven. I thought that Ailill and I might start over, that we could be friends, perhaps even … What a fool I’ve been.

Ailill turned slightly, his attention suddenly absorbed in a single white petal that remained on a half-trodden bush beside him. “I was not entirely in control of my emotions,” he said, “as you may well know.”

“I tried to give you a way out!” My jaw wouldn’t stay shut.

Ailill laughed and reached over to pluck the petal from its thorns. “Remind me exactly when that was? Perhaps between condemning me to an eternal life of solitude and wretchedness and providing yourself with a way to feel less guilty about the whole affair? And then you just popped right back to the present, I suppose, skipping over those endless years in a matter of moments.” He crushed the petal in his hand.

“A way to let myself feel less guilty?” He wasn’t entirely wrong. But it wasn’t as if he had done nothing wrong.

Ailill bolted upright, slamming the fist that gripped the petal against the twigs and grass on the table. “Your last words to me were entirely for your own benefit, as well you know!”

If, after your own Returning, you can find it in your heart to forgive me, the last of the men whose blood runs with his own power will free all men bound by my curse.

“How is wishing to break the curse on the village for my benefit?”

“Perhaps because the curse was your doing? Perhaps because you only wanted the curse broken to free your lover from it in the first place?”

“Stop calling Jurij my ‘lover.’ He’s not—”

“And you did free him with those words. You knew I would forgive you.”

“How could I have known? I didn’t think it possible you’d forgive me, not after all we’ve been through.”

“You knew because you knew I wanted to be free myself. That I would do anything—even forgive you for half a moment—to earn that freedom.” His voice grew quieter. “You never wanted anything from me, not really. I was just a pawn in your game, a way to free the other men in your village, a way to punish the men from mine.”

I fought back what I couldn’t believe was threatening to spring to my eyes. No tears, not in front of him.

“The men of the old village deserved everything they got,” I spat at last, knowing full well that wasn’t the whole story.

Ailill scoffed and put both hands on his hips, his arms akimbo. Oh, how I tired of that pose. The crushed petal remained on the table. Its bright white added a bit of life to the decay.

“There were plenty of young boys not yet corrupted,” he said. “And some that might have never been.” He took a deep breath. “But, of course, you are not entirely to blame. I blame myself every day for ever taking a childish interest in you. That should not have counted as love.”

I swallowed. Of course. Before the curse of the village had broken, a woman had absolute power over the one man who loved or yearned for her. When I visited the past through the pool in the secret cavern, I discovered a horde of lusty men who knew nothing of love but were overcome with desire. Since so many had lusted for any female who walked before them, and I had carried the power from my own version of the village with me, it had been child’s play to control the men. But why had that power extended to Ailill? He had only been a boy then, broken, near silent—and kindhearted. He couldn’t have regarded me with more than a simple crush on an older sisterly figure, but it had been enough.

“But you did forgive me.” Why couldn’t I stop the words from flowing?

Ailill shook his head and let a weary smile spread across his features. “Forgive you? I could never forgive you. No more than I could forgive myself for daring to think, if just for a moment, that I … ” He stopped.

I shook my head. “The curse wouldn’t have been broken. The men in the village wouldn’t now be walking around without masks. Nor you without your veil. If you hadn’t forgiven me.”

Ailill tilted his head slightly. His dark eyes searched mine, perhaps for some answer he thought could be found there. “I would still need the veil even now?” he asked, his voice quiet. “Are you certain?”

Removing the veil before the curse was broken would have required the Returning, a ritual in which I freely and earnestly bestowed my heart and affection to him. It would have never happened, not with the man I knew at the time to be mine. So yes, he would still need the veil to survive the gaze of women. I was sure of it. He’d been arrogant, erratic, and even cruel. Perhaps not so much as Elric, Ailill’s even more volatile older brother, the one who wound up with a mob of angry, murderous women in his castle and a gouge through his heart. But even so.

It was my turn to cross my arms and sneer. “I said you could break the curse after your own Returning, and I specified that you didn’t need my affection to have a Returning. All you needed to do was crawl out of whatever abyss I’d sent you to.” I shifted uncomfortably in place. “And I suppose I should be grateful—for my mother’s sake—that you did.”

Ailill waved a hand at the specter beside me and brushed aside a pile of clippings on the table to reveal a hand-written letter. It was yellowed and a tad soggy. “Yes, well, the endless droning that made up your curse gets a bit foggy in my mind—assuming it even made sense in your mind to begin with. I am afraid I lack the ability to retain exact memories of an event that took place a hundred lifetimes ago when I was but a scarred child terrified of the monster before him.” He looked up to face me as the specter retrieved the letter from his extended hand. “But I suppose it was not all that long ago for the monster, was it?” He turned again to the table, shuffling brush about aimlessly. “Take her with you to the market,” he said.

The specter made to grab my arm as he passed. I slipped out of his reach only to back into another specter who had appeared quick as lightning from the foyer. He grabbed one arm, and the first specter seized the other.

“Let go of me!” I shouted as they began to drag me away.

The specters didn’t pause, as they once would have.

“Stop!” called Ailill from behind me. The specters did as they were told.

Ailill spoke. “I forgot to inform you that my retainers lost all desire to follow your orders when I did.” He waved his fingers in the air. “Carry on.”

I struggled against the grip the specters had on my arms. Again. He has me under his thumb again. “I can walk by myself!” I screamed as my toes slid awkwardly against the dark foyer floor. “I don’t need to go to the market!”

A black carriage awaited us outside the castle doorway. A third specter opened the carriage door, and my captors heaved me up into the seat like a sack of grain. The one with the letter slid in and took the seat across from me. He stared vacantly at the top of the seat behind me.

I leaned forward, whipping my hand out to stop the carriage door as one of the specters moved to close it. I didn’t care what I touched in the castle anymore. Let the whole thing crumble.

A black-gloved hand covered mine. I jumped back. Ailill stuck his head inside the carriage. His face stopped right before mine, the brim of his hat practically shading me under it. The sight of his face so close to mine, unveiled and painted with disdain, caused a thunderous racing of my heart. It was as if I’d just run the length of the entire village.

“You kept your hair short,” he said. He reached his free hand toward it, then pulled back.

I’d once let the bushy mess of black hair grow as long as it wanted, but once I cropped it closely to my scalp, I found it easier to deal with. “There hasn’t been enough time for it to grow, anyway. Not for me.”

He snorted. “Of course. But it makes me remember you as you were, long ago. When you cursed me and every man whether he deserved it or not.” He leaned back a bit, putting more space between our faces. “I think you will be most interested in going with my servants to the market,” he said. “But there will be no need to thank me in person afterward. I would rather not see you again.” His eyes drifted upwards, thoughtfully. “In fact, remind the villagers that I am closed to all audiences. My servants will be out there to see that my edict is obeyed.”

Before I could speak, he leaned back and let my hand fall from his. He reached around the door to close it.

“Wait—”

And slammed it in my face.



About Amy: 


Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently writes professionally about everything from business marketing to anime. In her down time, you can find her crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings. Visit her website at amymcnulty.com.



Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive an eBook of NOBODY’S GODDESS and an eGalley of NOBODY’S LADY. International.

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Thursday 25 February 2016

Facsimile by Vicki L. Weavil Trailer Reveal and Giveaway! #FridayReveals #Month9Squad #Month9Books


Title: FACSIMILE
Author: Vicki L. Weavil
Pub. Date: March 8, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Format: Hardcover, Paperback & eBook
Find it: Amazon | B&N | Goodreads
 
Welcome to this week’s M9B Friday Reveal! But wait it's a Thursday you're probably asking yourself! Yes it is but we have a super special reveal for you today and we will have a reveal tomorrow as well!

This week, we are revealing the trailer for
Facsimile by Vicki L. Weavil
an upcoming Month9Books Title!
 
facsimile ebook final
For a ticket to Earth, seventeen-year-old Anna-Maria “Ann” Solano is willing to jettison her birth planet, best friend, and the boy who loves her. Especially since all she’s required to do is escort Dace Keeling, a young naturalist, through the wilderness of the partially terraformed planet Eco. Ann‘s determination to escape the limitations of her small, frontier colony never falters, until Dace’s expeditions uncover three secrets. One offers riches, one shatters Ann’s perceptions of herself, and one reveals that the humans stranded on Eco are not its only inhabitants. Ann’s willing to sacrifice friendship and love for a new life on Earth. But when an entire species is placed in jeopardy by her actions, she must make a choice – fulfill the dream that’s always sustained her, or save the planet she’s never considered home.
Now here's the trailer!
 


 
Vicki Weavil 11Vicki L. Weavil is represented by Fran Black of Literary Counsel. Her Young Adult Fantasy, CROWN OF ICE -- a dark YA retelling of H.C. Andersen's "The Snow Queen" -- is published by Month9Books. Two companion books to CROWN OF ICE -- SCEPTER OF FIRE and ORB OF LIGHT -- will be published in 2016 and 2017. Her YA SciFi -- FACSIMILE -- will be published by Month9Books in 2016, with a sequel, DERIVATION, to follow. A new YA Fantasy, THE DIAMOND THIMBLE, will be published by Month9Books in 2018. She also writes adult SciFi.
Author Links: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Tumblr
 

Complete the Rafflecopter below for a chance to win. Title will be sent upon its release.
 

Sunday 21 February 2016

Tainted Cure by Ashley Fontainne Review!


28898366Title: Tainted  Cure
Series: The Rememdium Series Book 1
Author: Ashley Fontainne
Pages: 168
Published: March 11th 2016
Publisher: RMSW Press
Source: From Author


Scientists attempted to find a cure for addiction. They failed. 
Dr. Everett Berning, a leading researcher into the causes of addiction in the brain, spent ten years of his life dedicated to one thing: finding the cure. Recruited after a strange encounter with the enigmatic Dr. Roberta Flint, Director of Research on Code Name: Rememdium, Dr. Berning is sent to work in a secret lab as part of the research team. 
When the moment the scientists waited on for years arrives, Dr. Flint and her team are ecstatic. 
Unfortunately, not everyone in the world feels the same way. 
Benito San Nicholas isn't ready to give up his lucrative business. When the news of a cure arrives on his doorstep from a crooked informant, Benito enlists the help of other drug lords from around the world to stop the cure from hitting the streets and destroying their livelihoods. 
What happens next ends up uniting the globe--just not the way society ever intended or hoped.

My  Thoughts:

Here's me thinking Ashley Fontainne can't get any better, yet she proves me wrong yet again!! In her first foray into the Zombie genre, she has created a different take on how the Zombies came to be. This author never fails to surprise me in how good she is, she has dipped her toes into multiple genres and never failed to deliver!

So in this, Dr. Everett Berning is recruited to help find a cure for addiction. Years and many trials later, the cure has been created, and best of all it works. After successful human trials, it's ready to be unleashed, but someone is intent on not letting it. Benito San Nicholas, is a drug lord and doesn't want the cure being distributed. He enlists some help and gets the cure, but what happens to it in his hands is devastating and the whole world suffers. 

Everything about this book rocked. I loved the idea of the cure for addiction being found, only for it to fall into the wrong hands and being changed. It's definitely different to the virus angle and actually believable. Plus Ashley adds in her twists and turns at every opportunity. I particularly thought it was good what happened to Benitos girlfriend!!! At first I was like, how in the world could she get sick, did I miss something, then when it was revealed, I was like, oooooh! Lol. 

Anyway, once again, this author has created an amazing start to what's sure to be an equally, if not better, series!! The ending will leave you wanting the next book right away and leave you wanting to check out more by this extremely talented author. This isn't just a Zombie book, this is so much more and I urge you to try it! 


Caught Bread Handed by Ellie Alexander Cover reveal and Giveaway!


Welcome to the cover reveal of Caught Bread Handed by Ellie Alexander! This is the fourth book in the Bakeshop Mystery series and releases June 28 by St. Martin's Press.


About the Book:
Welcome to Torte—a friendly, small-town family bakeshop where the oven is heating up as high as the body count…
Jules Capshaw is still chewing over her husband Carlos’s return to Ashland, Oregon. Could there be too many cooks in the kitchen? Whatever is stirring between those two will have to wait. Despite the Oregon Shakespeare Festival being dark for the winter, the bakeshop is bustling, the dough is rolling, and there’s no rest for the weary… especially when murder is thrown into the mix.
When Mindy Nolan, the owner of a new restaurant in town, turns up dead, the batter at hand thickens. Jules knows that there was bad blood between Mindy and others in town, and tracking the killer could prove to be an unwelcome treat. And to top it all off, there’s Carlos, who is pleading—with those delicious dark eyes and sexy Spanish accent—for Jules to take him back. Is home where the heart is or will she make a fresh start… and risk getting burned?

***
About the Author:

Ellie Alexander is a Pacific Northwest native who spends ample time testing pastry recipes in her home kitchen or at one of the many famed coffeehouses nearby. When she’s not coated in flour, you’ll find her outside exploring hiking trails and trying to burn off calories consumed in the name of research. Follow her on Facebook or Twitter to learn more.

***
GIVEAWAY:

Signed copies of the first 3 books in the series plus a signed cover flat of CAUGHT BREAD HANDED
Triple chocolate chip cookie mix
Oregon Chai
Dagoba (Ashland) chocolate chai
Dagoba chocolates
Spiced apple cider
Open to US addresses only
Ends March 23, 2016

Prizing is provided by the author, hosts are not responsible. Must be 13 or older to enter and have parental permission if under 17. Void where prohibited by law. No purchase necessary to win.

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This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.



Saturday 20 February 2016

Audiobook Review: The Tesla Legacy by Rebecca Cantrell!



    The Tesla Legacy Audiobook
  • Written by: Rebecca Cantrell
  • Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer
  • Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins 
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Release Date:05-06-15
  • Publisher: Rebecca Cantrell

  • In New York Times best-selling author Rebecca Cantrell's sequel to the award-winning The World Beneath, software genius Joe Tesla confronts an equally brilliant and far more powerful foe.Still crippled by agoraphobia and confined to the tunnels under New York City, Joe is haunted by the fact that he cannot even attend his father's funeral. His father's death brings threats to the safety of Joe's underground home: guilt over the broken relationship that can never be healed, a mysterious box of papers inherited from eccentric inventor Nikola Tesla, and a ruthless enemy determined to steal those papers no matter the cost.Mystified by why his inheritance is so valuable, Joe and his service dog, Edison, follow clues left a century ago by Joe's famous ancestor to reveal the power of his family legacy. While Joe must rely on his considerable talents as a hacker, he must also reach out to friends.But whom can he trust as he battles to save his beloved city from...The Tesla Legacy?
  • My Thoughts:
  • While I really enjoyed the first book, this one just took my breathe away! Breathtaking adventure, tense scenes and the heart pounding action, makes for an amazing book!

    The synopsis pretty much tells all so I'll get straight to my thoughts. 

    One thing I love about this story is Joe and his dog. Despite his agoraphobia, Joe will do all he can to solve the mystery of the oscillator. He shows that even with the debilitating condition, he can lead a fairly normal (for him anyway) life. That even stuck in the darkness, he can push through. It did break my heart though to see what he went through when he sees the outside. Poor Joe!!!

    And as for Edison, he rocks!! Such a faithful, loyal and smart dog.

    As with the first, this is a fast paced, edge of your seat, ride and one you won't want to get off. The author is a phenomenal writer and captured my attention from the very first page. I loved how she brought the Tesla inventions into the story and found the inventions themselves to be fascinating. It truly shows how much effort and research she put into this book, but you know what, it was worth it because the story was amazing. I will be checking out more of her books!!!

    In all, this was an amazing second book filled with action, adventure and suspense. I loved the plot and how it came together, I loved the characters and how well written and developed they are and I loved the fact that it was so exciting and engrossing. I started this and found it hard to take out my headphones, particularly with what happened to Joe!! My poor heart was in my mouth! 

    This book, and indeed, the series is a must read!! I highly recommend and I honestly can't wait for the next installment in this fantastic series. 

    Jeffrey Kafer was as awesome as always. It's so easy to become engrossed in an excellent book, when you have such an easy to listen to narrator. Every book I've listened to that's read by him, he always delivers! If you are new to audios, I'd recommend listening to one of his narrations. 

    *I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affected my thoughts.*