Thursday, July 30, 2015

#Giveaway & Blitz : Deacon by Cheryl Douglas

Deacon
by Cheryl Douglas





BLURB:

When Deacon Sarkis sets his sights on the gorgeous young model gracing the pages of his glossy catalogue, he knows he has to have her. One problem. She’s not available. But that won’t stop Deacon. He’s a man used to getting what he wants and he wants Mia.
Mia is stunned when she receives an email from the elusive billionaire who owns the lingerie company she models for. He tells her he’s intrigued. He’s not the only one. But she knows she’d be a fool to throw away an eight year relationship for a brief affair with the head honcho. He doesn’t do relationships and she doesn’t do casual sex. It seems they’re at an impasse. 
Who will come out on top in this battle of wills? The dominant one or the woman intent on teaching him the meaning of submission?




EXCERPT:

With the launch party at the forefront of my mind, I made my way downstairs to wardrobe.
Half a dozen women turned, gaping at me. I rarely made personal selections for my models, but I
didn’t think my presence warranted such stunned silence.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” I said, trying to hide my amusement.

“Hello, Mr. Starkis,” one of the women stammered. “How can we help you?”

“I’m here about the fashion show this weekend.”

She gestured toward several hanging racks. “Everything’s taken care of, sir. You’re
welcome to have a look at the samples. They’re right over there.”

“I’d like to see what Mia Barnes will be wearing.”

Two women exchanged curious glances before one said, “Of course, Mr. Starkis. I’ll get
those selections right away.”

I barely noticed the gorgeous models milling about half-naked, being fitted for the upcoming
show. Many were trying to get my attention, smiling or giving me sultry looks as they met my
eyes in the full-length mirror. They had been hand-selected for their talent and beauty, but none
were Mia, therefore none held my attention for long.

“Here they are,” the harried, middle-aged woman with the blond bob and pixie skirt said. “I
think these will look fabulous on Mia.” She laughed. “I’ve worked in this business a long time, and I can tell you it’s rare to find a model who looks amazing in everything she tries on. Most
have some flaw they wish to hide, but not our Mia.”

I smiled tightly. Our Mia? Wrong. She was my Mia. “I’m sure you’re right, but that one
won’t work,” I said, pointing at the lavender silk bra and matching panties on the white satin
hanger. “Next.”

Looking stricken, the woman said, “But—”

“It’s lovely…?”

“Barbara.”

“It’s lovely, Barbara. Just not what I have in mind for Mia. May I see the next one?”
She held up a black lace bustier with a matching thong, looking apprehensive. She had every
reason to be nervous. The only time I expected to see Mia parading around wearing that was
when she was modeling it for me.

“I want her to model the bridal collection.” I knew that was sexy yet demure.

“The bridal collection?” Barbara seemed stunned by my request.

“Is there a problem?”

“Um, no, but with Eleni’s darker coloring, I thought she would be perfect for the bridal
collection.”

“You thought wrong,” I said, pinning her with a stare that brooked no argument. “Switch
them. Eleni can wear these.” I gestured toward the pieces Mia had been slotted to wear. “Mia
will model the bridal collection.”

“Of course, Mr. Starkis. Anything you say, sir.” 





AUTHOR Bio and Links:

When one door closes, another one opens. I closed the door to my business for the last time in 2011, which left me with a decision. What now? Find another location and move my nutrition business, go to work for someone else, or take a chance on my dream? I chose the latter and I’ve never looked back!
I’ve always loved reading and writing, but it wasn’t until I jumped in with both feet and decided writing would be my career, instead of just a hobby, that my muse woke up from her deep slumber.
It was like someone flipped a switch inside my head and stories just came pouring out. At the end of the day, I would often look at the keyboard and wonder, ‘Who the heck wrote that? ‘Cause I’m pretty sure it wasn’t me!’
I don’t write books. I tell stories, or rather, I allow my characters to tell their stories through me. I’m not a plotter, never have been, never will be. Why? Because I have no idea how the story will evolve and it’s not my place to manipulate it. My job is to get to know these characters, figure out what makes them tick, then follow their journey wherever it takes me.
When I’m not writing, I’m daydreaming. Thankfully, I have an understanding husband and son who know I’ll re-join the land of the living just as soon as my muse decides it’s quitting time. I don’t work for myself. I work for her. She’s the boss. And I’m okay with that.
Book Links:
Kobo: Not Available Yet

EXTRA LINKS:




~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Cheryl Douglas will be awarding a $25 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Friday, July 17, 2015

Guest Post : A list of your favorite books of all time, why they made the list and/or how they've impacted you. | #Giveaway



Grant wrote this post:


So many books, so little time. It has always been a problem. Well, maybe not for you, but for me, certainly.


I don’t know if people have changed, or maybe it’s just the people in my neck of the woods, but I don’t see a lot of folks wandering around with a book in their hands anymore. In my house you’ll certainly see us with a book or two on the go (except my for my son, who prefers to carry around an xbox controller), but in general, reading doesn’t seem to be as big of a pass-time for many.


As a youngster I would slip off to a shadowed corner to lose myself in some dark and mysterious fantasy world or another. One of my all time favorite series was Dennis L. McKiernan’s the “Iron Tower” Trilogy. At the time (I was twelve) it was one of the most amazing things I had ever read. For years I passed it on to anyone that showed an interest. Then I discovered The Lord of the Rings when I was sixteen and something terrible happened.


I realized that most of that which I had loved about McKiernan’s work had been borrowed (I use the term loosely) from Tolkien’s passages; McKiernan almost copied directly from the greatest fantasy book ever written. I was disgusted.


Moving on….


When I was fourteen I discovered a book that would change my life. David A. Gemmell’s  -Knight’s of Dark Renown.


I couldn’t believe the way Gemmell wrote his villains. Did bad guys really have feelings that motivated them to do these terrible things? Were these villains, plain folk that had experienced awful things that changed their perspectives on life?


I still read the book once every few years, and though the story no longer has the power to move me as it once did, its magic lives on in another way. David Gemmell taught me how to write.


For the next few years I devoured everything Mr. Gemmell wrote. Now some of it wasn’t that great, but then there were the other tales, those that moved me beyond words. Heroic, action packed stories that still stand up with the best of them (the Rigante series is my favorite…).


It is because of David A. Gemmell that I put pen to paper and wrote my first novel, “Shadow of the Makarios.” Without his influence, I never would have undertaken the journey.


Other novels I enjoyed as a kid/teen:


Dog stories:
Old yeller
Where the Red Fern Grows
Call of the Wild
White Fang
The Incredible Journey


Survival stories:
Two against the north
Curse of the Viking grave
Hatchet


Fantasy:
Dragonlance books
Forgotten Realms
The Crystal Cave







Funny Fruit
by Grant and Gary Reed


BLURB:

After ninety years of warring, exploring, and saving the realm, brothers Yarl and Fonn, must take up the title of Master again. If they don’t, someone else will surely steal all the fame, glory, and fertile women. How will they ever train new apprentices, save the kingdom, and still find time to fit in that extra order of chicken wings? Make no mistake, the old Masters have a lot to pass on and only a short timeframe to do it.

Will young Garrett flourish as an apprentice Sworvei? Can his partner Azilda master the ‘Nesting Nightingale’? And who in hell invited the ogres?

Join this rag-tag group of ‘Protectors of the Realm’ to see if they can pull off the biggest upset of the Continental Games, by saving young King Renli from the clutches of the evil First General.



EXCERPT
“His name is James Lacie. Once he was one of the top alchemists in Cassadia. He was highly sought after for his many time-saving inventions and numerous elixirs. At any given time his shop carried wart remover, air fresheners, love potions, and something closer to that which you seek.”


Miss Mia turned back to her mirror and dabbed at her rosy cheeks again, humming to herself. Milo reached to his belt and produced a small leather bag. Opening the pouch he emptied it into the palm of his left hand. A pair of opal earrings spilled forth. “Closer to that which I seek, you say?” he inquired.


“Yes, a chemical fruit that when eaten would unknowingly render the eater susceptible to suggestion. A great party favourite a few years back. The unsuspecting victim would eat the fruit and was then told to cluck like a chicken or act like a coconut. Its effects would sometimes last the duration of a good party.”


“Yes, the gag would be much funnier if the victim was unsuspecting,” mused Milo. “Tell me, where can I find this James Lacie’s shop?”


“He no longer has one,” replied Mia. “It had something to do with a potion mix up. The king’s cousin ended up falling in love with a sheep, as I recall. The royal family was not impressed, and you know how the Chronicle can be when it gets its hands on what it deems to be a front page story. Ruined the man’s career, or so I’m told. Anyway Mr. Lacie has been on the lam ever since.”


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

#Giveaway & Blog Tour : Center of Gravity by Laura McNeill


Center of Gravity
by Laura McNeill

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB:

Her whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her mother’s expectations. So when Mitchell Carson sweeps into her life with his adorable son, the ready-made family seems like a dream come true.

In the blink of an eye, she’s married, has a new baby, and life is grand.

Or is it?

When her picture-perfect marriage begins unraveling at the seams, Ava convinces herself she can fix it. It's temporary. It’s the stress. It’s Mitchell’s tragic history of loss.
If only Ava could believe her own excuses.

Mitchell is no longer the charming, thoughtful man she married. He grows more controlling by the day, revealing a violent jealous streak. His behavior is recklessly erratic, and the unanswered questions about his past now hint at something far more sinister than Ava can stomach. Before she can fit the pieces together, Mitchell files for divorce and demands full custody of their boys.

Fueled by fierce love for her children and aided by Graham Thomas, a new attorney in town —Ava takes matters into her own hands, digging deep into the past. But will finding the truth be enough to beat Mitchell at his own game?

Center of Gravity weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth that things—and people—are not always what they seem.  



Excerpt :
When your children are stolen, the pain swallows you whole. Logic fades, reason retreats. Desperation permeates the tiniest crevices of your mind. Nothing soothes the ache in your wounded soul.

Right in front of me, my sweet, charmed life fell to pieces. Everything destroyed; a hailstorm’s wrath on a field of wildflowers. All I’d known—gone. Foolish me, I’d believed in magic, clung tight to false promises. The lies, spoken from tender lips, haunt me now, follow me, and whisper into my ear like a scorned lover.

What’s left is emptiness.

Give up, a voice urges. Let go.

No! I argue back. My children aren’t gone. Not yet.     Precious and delicate, tiny fossils, they exist in glass-boxed isolation. Hidden. Protected.

And so tonight, I run. Blood pulses through my legs, my muscles protest; my lungs scream for more oxygen. Thick storm clouds brew in the distance. The rain falls in blinding sheets. The force of it pricks my skin like needles, but the pain only makes me push harder.

I will rescue them.

Lightning flashes across the wet driveway. The bulk of his truck looms large in the black night. I skid to a stop and catch my breath, pressing a hand to my heaving chest.

They’re here. My children are here.

Thunder booms and crashes, nearer now, the wind whips my hair. A gust tosses tree branches to the ground. Birds cry and flutter to safety. An escaped sandbox bucket spins, clattering on the blacktop.

I grasp the railing and pull myself up the steps. At the top, the door’s shiny-slick with water and humidity. Mother Nature howls and drowns out my knocking.

“Hello! Can you hear me?” With my palm open wide, I slap at the barrier, willing it to open. I will rescue my children. I will rescue them . . . or I will die trying.


AUTHOR Bio and Links:

After six years behind the anchor desk at two CBS affiliates, Laura moved to the Alabama Gulf Coast to raise her family. Her accolades in broadcasting include awards from the Associated Press, including Best News Anchor and Best Specialized Reporter.

Laura works at Spring Hill College as the school’s web content and social media manager and​ is active in her community—participating in fundraisers for the American Cancer Society, Ronald McDonald House, and Providence Hospital’s Festival of Flowers.

Laura was recently awarded a 2-book deal with Thomas Nelson Publishing, a division of HarperCollins. Her novel, Center of Gravity, set in Mobile, Ala., will be published in July of 2015. Laura is represented by Elizabeth Winick Rubenstein, president of McIntosh and Otis literary agency in New York.​ Her writing awards include those from William Faulkner-Wisdom Creative Writing Competition, Writer’s Digest, RWA, and the Eric Hoffer competition.

She holds a master’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Clarion University of Pennsylvania. She is currently pursuing a second master’s degree in interactive technology from the University of Alabama. She is a native of Upstate New York and currently resides near the Alabama Gulf Coast with her two children.

Author's Website: http://lauramcneill.com/


~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Laura McNeill will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn host.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday, June 22, 2015

#Giveaway & Highlight : The Awakened Fate Series by Skye Malone



Title: Awaken
AuthorSkye Malone 
Series: Awakened Fate (Book One)
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Wildflower Isle
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
Cover Designer: Karri Klawiter

Running away from home was never Chloe Kowalski’s plan. Neither was ending up the target of killers, or having her body change in unusual ways. She only wanted a vacation, someplace far from her crazy parents and their irrational fear of water. She only wanted to do something normal for once, and maybe get to know her best friend’s hot stepbrother a bit better at the same time.

But the first day she goes out on the ocean, strange things start to happen. Dangerous things that should be impossible. Things to which ‘normal’ doesn’t even begin to apply.

Now madmen are hunting her. A mysterious guy with glowing blue eyes is following her. And her best friend’s stepbrother seems to be hiding secrets all his own.

It was supposed to be a vacation. It’s turning out to be a whole lot more. 



Purchase (currently on sale for 99¢!!)


The Series:

  

  


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Maddox slowed the boat, killed the engine, and then lowered the anchor. At least a mile off, the shore was a mosaic of green mountains and white buildings below. Puffs of clouds drifted over Santa Lucina, but out here, only the barest wisps hovered in the brilliant blue sky. Baylie leaned back on her seat, a smile on her face, while her dog just eyed the water as though trying to figure out how the demented humans could possibly think this was a good idea. 

“So…” Noah started. “Anyone want to go for a swim?” 

I smiled. My parents being so psychotic and all, we didn’t even have a bathtub in the house, just a stand-up shower the size of a broom closet. I’d never been able to teach myself how to hold my breath underwater, let alone swim. 

But that was going to change, starting now. 

“Well, um,” I began, feeling a bit reckless with excitement. “If you wouldn’t mind teaching me?” 

His eyebrows climbed. “Uh, no. I mean, sure. I–” The boat jumped. 

“What the hell?” Maddox cried as the rest of us grabbed at the guardrails. 

“Did we hit something?” Noah asked, scanning the water. 

Maddox shook his head. “I don’t–” 

The ocean around the boat began to bubble and roil. 

Noah swore. “Get us out of here!” he called to Maddox. 

His brother didn’t need the encouragement. Quickly, he scrambled back toward the driver’s seat and turned the key in the ignition.

The engine wouldn’t respond. 

Shudders shook the boat, while all around, the ocean’s surface began to foam like the calm sea had suddenly become a boiling pot on a stove. Waves surged from every direction at once, growing more violent by the second, and on all sides the water darkened, as though a shadow was spreading below us. 

“What’s happening?” Baylie cried. 

No one could answer. As if shoved from beneath, the deck tipped up at a sharp angle and then just as quickly rocked back, wrenching us hard as we fought to hang onto the guardrails. The lurching came again, throwing us forward and back. 

My grip broke. The metal rail hit me, knocking the air from my lungs. 

And then came the water. 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------




Skye Malone is a fantasy and paranormal romance author, which means she spends most of her time not-quite-convinced that the magical things she imagines couldn't actually exist. A Midwestern girl who migrated to the Pacific Northwest, she dreams someday of travelling the world – though in the meantime she’ll take any story that whisks her off to a place where the fantastic lives inside the everyday. She loves strong and passionate characters, complex villains, and satisfying endings that stay with you long after the book is done. An inveterate writer, she can’t go a day without getting her hands on a keyboard, and can usually be found typing away while she listens to all the adventures unfolding in her head.

Skye also writes YA urban fantasy as Megan Joel Peterson and is the author of The Children and the Blood series. 


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Click the image below to enter!