Release Day Launch: The Prince by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Excerpt + Trailer)

   , , , ,  No comments
   

Title: The Prince
Series: A Wicked Trilogy, #3.5; 1001 Dark Nights, #85
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Evil Eye Concepts Inc.
Publication Date: August 14, 2018

Synopsis: From #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes a new story in her Wicked series…

She’s everything he wants….

Cold. Heartless. Deadly. Whispers of his name alone bring fear to fae and mortals alike. The Prince. There is nothing in the mortal world more dangerous than him. Haunted by a past he couldn’t control, all Caden desires is revenge against those who’d wronged him, trapping him in never-ending nightmare. And there is one person he knows can help him.

She’s everything he can’t have…

Raised within the Order, Brighton Jussier knows just how dangerous the Prince is, reformed or not. She’d seen firsthand what atrocities he could be capable of. The last thing she wants to do is help him, but he leaves her little choice. Forced to work alongside him, she begins to see the man under the bitter ice. Yearning for him feels like the definition of insanity, but there’s no denying the heat in his touch and the wicked promise is his stare.

She’s everything he’ll take….

But there’s someone out there who wants to return the Prince to his former self. A walking, breathing nightmare that is hell bent on destroying the world and everyone close to him. The last thing either of them needs is a distraction, but with the attraction growing between them each now, the one thing he wants more than anything may be the one thing that will be his undoing.

She’s everything he’d die for….

 

About the Author: # 1 New York Times, USA Today and international bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV. She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.


  

Excerpt: 

Did it make you a bad friend if you were completely, a hundred percent envious of that friend? Yes? No? Kind of?

I figured it was somewhere in between.

That’s what I was mulling over as I watched Ivy Morgan brush thick, red curls over her shoulder, laughing at something her boyfriend Ren Owens had said to her.

At least I wasn’t envious of that—their love. Okay, well, that wasn’t entirely true. Pretty sure anyone who was as single as me would be envious of all that warm and fuzzy that was passed back and forth with each long look or casual brush of skin. The two could barely tear their gazes away from one another to eat the dinner we’d grabbed at the cute little diner inside the shopping center on Prytania Street.

I honest to God couldn’t be happier for them. They’d been through so much—way more than two people should ever have to go through to be together, and here they were, stronger and more in love than ever, and they deserved that happiness.

But their epic love story wasn’t the source of a current case of the green-eye monster that was sitting on my shoulder.

Ivy was just such a… badass.

Even right now, relaxed in the chair, surrounded by twinkling Christmas lights with her hand in Ren’s and her belly full of a cheeseburger deluxe and crinkle fries and half of my tater tots, she could kick ass and take names along with addresses, telephone numbers, and social security numbers.

If the proverbial poo hit the fan, you called Ivy or Ren.

If you needed to know what streets Royal intersected with, you called… me. Or if you needed coffee or fresh beignets but were currently busy, you know, saving the world, you’d call me.

The three of us were all members of the Order, a widespread organization that was literally the only thing that stood between mankind and complete, utter enslavement and destruction by the fae. And not the super cute fae found in Disney movies or some crap like that. Humans thought they were on top of the food chain. They were wrong. The fae were.

The only thing pop culture got right about the fae was their slightly pointy ears. That was it. The fae were more than just beings from another world—the Otherworld—they were capable of glamouring their appearance to blend in with humans. But all Order members, even me, were warded at birth against the glamour. We saw through the human façade to the creature that lurked beneath. 

   

Trailer:


     

-Kristen ♥

Blog Tour: The Gathering by Bernadette Giacomazzo (Guest Post + Giveaway)

   , ,  No comments

Title: The Gathering
Author: Bernadette Giacomazzo
Series: The Uprising, #1
Publication Date: March 31, 2018

Synopsis: The Uprising Series tells the story of three freedom fighters and their friends in high — and low — places that come together to overthrow a vainglorious Emperor and his militaristic Cabal to restore the city, and the way of life, they once knew and loved.

In The Gathering, Jamie Ryan has defected from the Cabal and has joined his former brothers-in-arms — Basile Perrinault and Kanoa Shinomura — to form a collective known as The Uprising. When an explosion leads to him crossing paths with Evanora Cunningham — a product of Jamie’s past — he discovers that The Uprising is bigger, and more important, than he thought.

About the Author: With an impressive list of credentials earned over the course of two decades, Bernadette R. Giacomazzo is a multi-hyphenate in the truest sense of the word: an editor, writer, photographer, publicist, and digital marketing specialist who has demonstrated an uncanny ability to thrive in each industry with equal aplomb. Her work has been featured in Teen Vogue, People, Us Weekly, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and many, many more. She served as the news editor of Go! NYC Magazine for nearly a decade, the executive editor of LatinTRENDS Magazine for five years, the eye candy editor of XXL Magazine for two years, and the editor-at-large at iOne/Zona de Sabor for two years. As a publicist, she has worked with the likes of Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and his G-Unit record label, rapper Kool G. Rap, and various photographers, artists, and models. As a digital marketing specialist, Bernadette is Google Adwords certified, has an advanced knowledge of SEO, PPC, link-building, and other digital marketing techniques, and has worked for a variety of clients in the legal, medical, and real estate industries. Based in New York City, Bernadette is the co-author of Swimming with Sharks: A Real World, How-To Guide to Success (and Failure) in the Business of Music (for the 21st Century), and the author of the forthcoming dystopian fiction series, The Uprising. She also contributed a story to the upcoming Beyonce Knowles tribute anthology, The King Bey Bible, which will be available in bookstores nationwide in the summer of 2018.


Guest Post: Real World Inspirations

In the process of writing The Gathering: Book One of The Uprising Series, I drew a lot of “real world” inspiration. There are too many elements to list here, but here’s a list of my favorite – and most obvious – inspirations.

Trash and Vaudeville 

Trash & Vaudeville is legendary fashion store based, originally, in the Lower East Side of New York City. Its fashion director, Jimmy Webb, is a legend onto himself, and he’s dressed some of the biggest names in rock’n’roll. You can never leave Trash & Vaudeville without looking like a punk rock god, and that’s in no small part thanks to Jimmy.

CBGB 

I wasn’t around in NYC for the 1970s halcyon days of CBGB, but I was around when the final curtain fell on that hallowed stage. I watched, with horror, as the venerated rock venue became a John Varvatos. I recoiled with disgust as Target set up a fake CBGB to promote its debut on the Lower East Side. I curled up my lip as leather jackets – once free, and used to keep the bitter NYC cold out of our skin & bones – were marked up to $500 because safety pins were “ironically” placed in them as a fashion statement. For all that “red states” bitch about New York City – that we’re full of “coastal liberal elites” – nothing could be a symbol of the working man, a will to win based solely on grit and talent, and the champion of the underdog like CBGB. To watch it become commodified beyond recognition was a horrifying joke.

NYC Subway

The NYC Subway system is the conduit between what seems like totally different worlds. No two neighborhoods in NYC are exactly alike, and the Subway is the only way you can really go to all these different worlds without ever really leaving New York.

The Gangs of New York of the 1970s 

The New York City of the 1970s was a completely different city than the city you see today. There was a classic film called The Warriors (and yes, that’s where I got the name of the ‘native’ tribe that Pualani is a part of) that featured all of the different gangs of New York, such as the Savage Skulls, Black Spades, Ghetto Brothers, Deadly Bachelors, Javelin, Dirty Ones and the Tomahawks. The Ouroboros are a conglomerate of all the legendary “gangs of New York.”

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

Book Blitz: The Girl Who Sees by Dima Zales (Teaser + Giveaway)

   , ,  No comments

Title: The Girl Who Sees
Author: Dima Zales
Series: Sasha Urban, #1
Publisher: Mozaika Publications
Publication Date: August 7, 2018

Synopsis: I’m an illusionist, not a psychic.

Going on TV is supposed to advance my career, but things go wrong.

Like vampires and zombies kind of wrong.

My name is Sasha Urban, and this is how I learned what I am.

About the Author: Dima Zales is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of science fiction and fantasy. Prior to becoming a writer, he worked in the software development industry in New York as both a programmer and an executive. From high-frequency trading software for big banks to mobile apps for popular magazines, Dima has done it all. In 2013, he left the software industry in order to concentrate on his writing career and moved to Palm Coast, Florida, where he currently resides. Dima holds a Master's degree in Computer Science from NYU and a dual undergraduate degree in Computer Science / Psychology from Brooklyn College. He also has a number of hobbies and interests, the most unusual of which might be professional-level mentalism. He simulates mind reading on stage and close-up, and has done shows for corporations, wealthy individuals, and friends. He is also into healthy eating and fitness, so he should live long enough to finish all the book projects he starts. In fact, he very much hopes to catch the technological advancements that might let him live forever (biologically or otherwise). Aside from that, he also enjoys learning about current and future technologies that might enhance our lives, including artificial intelligence, biofeedback, brain-to-computer interfaces, and brain-enhancing implants. In addition to writing The Sorcery Code series and Mind Dimensions series, Dima has collaborated on a number of romance novels with his wife, Anna Zaires. The Krinar Chronicles, an erotic science fiction series, is an international bestseller and has been recognized by the likes of Marie Claire and Woman's Day. If you like erotic romance with a unique plot, please feel free to check it out, especially since the first book in the series (Close Liaisons) is available for free everywhere. Anna Zaires is the love of his life and a huge inspiration in every aspect of his writing. She definitely adds her magic touch to anything Dima creates, and the books would not be the same without her. Dima's fans are strongly encouraged to learn more about Anna and her work at http://www.annazaires.com.


Teaser:


Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

Blog Tour: Lovely, Dark, and Deep by Justina Chen (Tens List + Giveaway)

   , ,  No comments

Title: Lovely, Dark, and Deep
Author: Justina Chen
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books
Publication Date: July 31, 2018

Synopsis: What would you do if the sun became your enemy? 

That's exactly what happens to Viola Li after she returns from a trip abroad and develops a sudden and extreme case of photosensitivity -- an inexplicable allergy to sunlight. Thanks to her crisis-manager parents, she doesn't just have to wear layers of clothes and a hat the size of a spaceship. She has to stay away from all hint of light. Say goodbye to windows and running outdoors. Even her phone becomes a threat when its screen burns her.

Viola is determined to maintain a normal life, particularly after she meets Josh. He's a funny, talented Thor look-alike who carries his own mysterious grief. But the intensity of their romance makes her take more and more risks, and when a rebellion against her parents backfires dangerously, she must find her way to a life -- and love -- as deep and lovely as her dreams.

About the Author: Justina Chen is an award-winning writer. Her latest book, THE ART OF INSPIRATION: LEAD YOUR BEST STORY, is for any leader who wants to inspire employees, customers, and constituents. Her YA novel, NORTH OF BEAUTIFUL, was named to Best Books lists by Kirkus Reviews and Barnes & Noble. Her other novels include A Blind Spot for Boys, Return to Me, Girl Overboard (a Junior Library Guild premiere selections) and Nothing but the Truth (and a few white lies), which won the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature. Additionally, Justina co-founded readergirlz, a cutting-edge literacy and social media project for teens, which won the National Book Foundation's Award for Innovations in Reading. When she isn’t writing for teens, Justina is a story strategist who helps good leaders become great leaders through storytelling. Formerly, she was the speechwriter for a president of Microsoft Entertainment & Devices. She conducts popular storytelling workshops and has presented at organizations around the world.


Top Ten Facts I Learned While Writing Lovely, Dark, and Deep:

1. Sudden and inexplicable photosensitivity is a real—if rare—condition. There are actual reported cases where screens—computer and phones—can burn your skin, if you have this condition.

2. Sudden and inexplicable urge to purge a pantry is a real—if unrare—condition when you are procrastinating on writing a tough scene. That bizarre behavior is only matched by the sudden and inexplicable urge to stuff your face with alternating bites of potato chips and dark chocolate, as you comfort eat yourself through writing an emotionally wrenching scene.

3. Periodic sanitizing of your keyboard is essential in the life of a working writer. (See: above.)

4. Temperatures can climb to 117 degrees in Abu Dhabi where Viola (the heroine) wants to go to college.

5. Temperatures can climb to ultra-hot degrees when you are writing a steamy scene (say, one set inside a pick-up truck during a meteor shower).

6. Seattle has an abundance of staircases all over the city. And someone actually mapped them all!

7. Said staircases are the setting for a scene that I hope makes you go: “aww.”

8. Joy is researching all the different desserts and soups that Viola bakes and cooks throughout the book.

9. Deep sadness is discovering all that people with severe photosensitivity must give up.

10. 2017 was named the most dangerous year to be a journalist between being jailed or killed.

Giveaway:


a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

Book Blitz: The Geek and the Goddess by Allie Everhart (Excerpt + Giveaway)

   , ,  No comments

Title: The Geek and the Goddess
Author: Allie Everhart
Publisher: Waltham Publishing
Publication Date: August 7, 2018

Synopsis: People always say they wish they could predict the future. But not me. I already know my future. I’m going to lose my sight. I don’t know exactly when, but it’s going to happen. And it’s the reason I’ll never fall in love.

At least that’s what I thought. Until one day a guy walks into my chem class and changes all that.

I thought for sure he'd avoid me after he saw how people at school treat me. The teasing. The nicknames. Just being seen with me is enough to ruin his reputation, yet this guy still wanted to date me. And he wouldn’t take no for an answer.

That’s how it began. How it ended is not at all what I expected. Ours is an unlikely love story.

About the Author: Allie Everhart has published twenty-four novels and is the author of the bestselling Jade Series. Allie tells stories about love, often with a twist of mystery and suspense. She loves writing for hours on end, reading in the wee hours of the morning, drinking strong coffee, sipping bourbon, and sitting outside on a sunny day coming up with story ideas.


Excerpt:

A guy appears at the door. He looks back at it, like he’s double-checking the room number, then says something to a girl up front. She nods and he closes the door.

Everyone looks up and stares at him. He’s tall and thin, wearing jeans and a button-up white shirt with a blue blazer over it. And he has on a tie that’s blue and green plaid.

Who dresses like that for class? A blazer and a tie? Maybe he transferred here from a prep school.

“Greetings, earthlings,” he says in a deep voice. He smiles and a few people chuckle.

“Wesley,” Mr. Henderson says. “Welcome.”

“Thank you,” he says in a cheery tone, not seeming to care that people are staring at him.

“We have a seat for you back here,” Henderson says. He sees me and smiles. “Guess it’s my lucky day.”

Lucky day? What is he talking about?

Everyone watches as he makes his way to the back. As he approaches my table, I notice he’s carrying a briefcase. Like one of those hard covered briefcases men used to carry to work. He sets it down and opens the metal hinges. The briefcase pops open and inside is his laptop, a notebook, and some pens. He takes out the laptop, then closes the briefcase.

“Everyone, this is Wesley Deckle,” Mr. Henderson says. “He moved here last summer from Sacramento, California. Please welcome him to Wisconsin by introducing yourselves after class.” He walks over to his desk. “I want phones put away and books out. We’ll begin shortly.”

Wesley holds out his hand to me and smiles. “Hi. I’m Wesley. And you are?”

“Luna,” I say as I get a better look at his face. He’s kind of cute. His eyes are a swirly mix of blue that reminds me of those pictures of Earth taken from space. He has dark brown hair that’s a little long with curly waves that make it look messy but in a good way. And he has good skin. Not a single zit, which is rare for people our age.

“Luna,” he repeats, and I wait for him to follow that with whatever rude comment he’s going to make about my unusual name. But instead he says, “That’s the coolest name ever.”

I stare at him, skeptical of his words. It’s quite possible he’s being sarcastic. He looks like someone who uses sarcasm.

“Are you being serious?” I ask.

“Luna. Roman goddess of the moon,” he says, smiling. “You were named after a goddess. That’s cool, don’t you think?”

“Not really.” I look away from him. “I’ve never liked my name.”

“Why don’t you like it?”

“Let’s start by reviewing the syllabus,” Mr. Henderson says. I open my laptop, not answering Wesley’s question. Because answering it means telling him the history of my name and how it’s been used to tease me, ridicule me, make me an outcast. There’s no need to explain all that. He’ll find that out soon enough.

Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

Blog Tour: Echoes by Alice Reeds (Teaser + Giveaway)

   , ,  No comments

Title: Echoes
Author: Alice Reeds
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Publication Date: August 7, 2018

Synopsis: "Fast-paced and thrilling. ECHOES is a heart-pounding and addictive love story." —Mia Siegert, author of Jerkbait

They wake on a deserted island. Fiona and Miles, high school enemies now stranded together. No memory of how they got there. No plan to follow, no hope to hold on to.

Each step forward reveals the mystery behind the forces that brought them here. And soon, the most chilling discovery: something else is on the island with them.

Something that won't let them leave alive.

Echoes is a thrilling adventure about confronting the impossible, discovering love in the most unexpected places, and, above all, finding hope in the face of the unknown.

About the Author: Alice Reeds was born in a small town in Germany but spent her first eight years in Florida, USA. Later on, she moved back to Europe, where her family moved around a lot. She was raised trilingual and has a basic understanding of Russian, read and spoken. After getting her International Baccalaureate Diploma, Alice is studying English Language and Literature at University. In her free time Alice mostly writes, reads, figure and/or roller skates, or watches countless let's plays and figure skating videos.


Teaser:


Giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

-Kristen ♥

The Edelweiss Pirates by Jennifer Elvgren, illustrated by Daniela Stamatiadi

   , ,  No comments


In a country where any form of resistance or rebellion against the repressive Nazi regime almost always meant certain death, most resisters and defiers went underground and worked from there. But one group that was more open in their defiance was the Edelweiss Pirates. This was loosely connected groups of youths throughout Germany who lived by their own moral code, refused to participate in the Hitler Youth, and continued to do things the way they wanted and that included swing dancing and listening to jazz, both of which were prohibited in Nazi Germany.



Now, Jennifer Elvgren, who wrote the excellent book The Whispering Town, has successfully captured the rebellion of the Edelweiss Pirates in her new book. Taking place in 1938, and told in the first person present, it is the story of Kurt, the younger brother of Albert, a member of the Pirates. Kurt desperately wants to be just like his brother and join him with his friends swing dancing, listening to and playing the music of great jazz artists like Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. But as Albert sneaks out one night, he tells Kurt that he's too young and it's too dangerous - they could be arrested. Instead, Albert gives Kurt a Louis Armstrong album.



That weekend, Kurt invites his Jewish friend Fritz to listen to the album with him. Fritz sneaks in through the same window Albert sneaks out of. The two boys are soon playing the music on the album by ear - Fritz on sax, Kurt on trumpet. At school, Kurt becomes more and more troubled as he sees anti-Semitic incidents directed at Fritz, but knows it is not the place challenge these acts. Instead he waits impatiently until he can be an Edelweiss Pirate like his brother - painting over swastikas and spreading around anti-Hitler leaflets.



Even after witnessing Fritz being forced to read a story to the whole class that says the Jews are their enemy, Kurt still does nothing to help his friend. Then, the school concert comes around, and the students are supposed to play music by Hitler's favorite composer, Richard Wagner. With his parents sitting in the audience, there to hear him play his trumpet, Kurt thinks of all the humiliations he has seen Fritz subjected to and before he knows it, he has finally finds a way to declare his defiance by loudly playing Louis Armstrong"s Saint Louis Blues instead, to the surprising accompaniment of Albert and the other Pirates, and even with some support from the audience, including his parents.



Such acts of open defiance were dealt with harshly, and Kurt is aware of that, but it was worth the risk. The next morning he discovers a note with an Edelweiss pin from his brother. Kurt is finally a Pirate, with the code name Blues.



The Edelweiss Pirates is indeed an interesting look at a group of resisters that most people have never really heard of, and although they didn't start out as saboteurs, by 1938, they were beginning to increase their subversive acts against the Nazis.



I liked that the story was told from Kurt's point of view. This coming of age story allows his frustration at not being able to protest the things he is seeing to grow until he must take a stand, even at the risk of severe punishment at school, and possibly at home. 



Stamatiadi's earth-toned illustrations are simple, but never let the reader forget that they are reading a book that is set in Nazi Germany by including the symbols of that regime throughout, including the required picture of Hitler in the classroom.



At a time when most people were afraid to speak out against the injustices and cruelties they were witnessing on a daily basis, Kurt is an inspiring character, finding his voice and means to protest. This is indeed a picture book for older readers that should resonate with strongly with them even today.



Be sure to read the Author's Note at the back of the book to learn more about the history of the Edelweiss Pirates. You'll also see that there aren't any recommendations for age appropriate further reading on this topic because there simply wasn't anything until The Edelweiss Pirates was published.



This book is recommended for readers age 8+

This book was obtained from the author at BookExpo