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Friday, March 21, 2014

Desecration Excerpt + Giveaway

I came out of hibernation to share this excerpt with you.  Why?  I love the cover.  What can I say?  Some things never change...
Desecration: The Wizard Queen at Sixteen Synopsis:
In a hidden world of wizards where only men hold the power of magic, one girl arises with the power to change everything, if she isn’t killed first…
Adriana Victoriana Evangelista (Addie), daughter to the High Chancellor of the Wizard’s Council, has always been the perfect wizard girl. She never questions why men possess magical powers and women have no power at all, magical or otherwise. Male wizards blend into the modern human world, leading huge corporations while wizard women are sequestered away.  
On her sixteenth birthday, Addie discovers she possesses magic. Under wizard law, she is a desecration. An ancient prophecy surrounds the emergence of a girl magic-wielder, the wizard queen, who is destined to bring about the downfall of the wizard-kin.
Addie has long had a forbidden crush on a human boy who lives in the wizard stronghold, Rory Devlin. As she delves deeper into the dangerous mysteries surrounding her own destiny, she suspects Rory might be more than just human.

Addie’s fate sends her straight into the path of a powerful and evil sorcerer, but the worst danger of all may come from right inside her own home.
DESECRATION - Excerpt, Addie Discovers Her Magic

The sound of footsteps outside sent my heart racing. If Izzy got caught without her cloak on school property, we’d both get detention for a week. And worse, my father would murder me.
“Your cloak!” I whispered. I stretched out my hand as if I could somehow grab Izzy’s cloak from several feet away.
In answer to my thoughts, Izzy’s discarded forest-green cloak flew across the room, coming into my open hand.
I blinked at my hand and the cloak I clutched in my fist. I stared as my knuckles went white and my outstretched arm began to tremble. A thunderous pulse echoed in my ears and my limbs and I realized it was the pounding of my heart.
Finally, I met Izzy’s shocked stare. We both gaped at each other for a moment. Then our gazes whipped back and forth between the corner where her cloak had been and my hand, where it currently was. And then to the door, which fortunately remained closed.
I realized I’d stopped breathing. Gasping for air, I dropped Izzy’s cloak like it was on fire.
“Addie,” Izzy gasped, then giggled nervously, “you just did magic.” She pointed a finger at me. “You just did MAGIC!”
“No. Shhhh! Don’t even say that!” I shook my head spastically. I clutched my head between my hands. “No! No! No!”
“Yes, yes, yes! You did!” she sang back.
“It didn’t happen. It couldn’t have.” I kept shaking my head so vehemently that I started to get woozy. “I’m a girl. That’s impossible!”
“It is impossible. But you did it anyway.” I couldn’t seem to stop shaking my head.
“Ha! Your brat of a brother would look like such a total idiot right now. Bet he couldn’t do what you just did. His magic hasn’t come that far yet.”
“No,” I said, still in major denial. I could hear my father’s voice ranting; a

woman wielding magic is a desecration!
“There’s some prophecy about this.” Izzy tapped her palm against her forehead several times. “Hugo mentioned it a while back. Shoot! I can’t remember.”
“I can’t be part of some prophecy. My father will kill me.”
“Yeah, he isn’t exactly the understanding type,” Izzy agreed as her brows drew together. “That’s why we can’t tell anyone about this. You’ll be a virtual prisoner of the council, and you’ll probably be retrained.”
At any second I was sure my brain would explode. In a single elapsed moment, I’d become the antithesis to every precept of wizard culture, a desecration of our beliefs. How had it happened? I couldn’t even begin to fathom what was happening to me.
“I mean it, Addie. We can’t tell anyone about this, well except for Hugo. Seriously, they’ll poke and prod at you and find some way to control you. I’m sure of it.”
I didn’t keep secrets from my parents. I always did what they expected of me. “Maybe my father wou-”
“Wouldn’t cart you off to be retrained?” Izzy cut me short. “I’m sorry, Addie, but don’t kid yourself. Your father is the head of the council, and he’s the most uncompromising of all when it comes to enforcing the wizard laws. The illustrious Manfred Evangelista will do whatever needs to be done to protect wizard-kin even if it means treating you like a lab rat or worse.” 


Hadley Holt Bio:
Hadley Holt, author of paranormal, and fantasy YA (Young Adult) has always loved to write. She also nurtures an incurable fascination with all things supernatural and fantastical. From a young age, she imagined stories about dragons, wizards, witches, ghosts, shape-shifters, vampires, and other magical creatures. As life often does, it blessed Hadley with family - a hunky husband and amazing children, and with family came a rewarding career. Hadley spent many years in the not-so-magical world of finance and mortgage banking, but the stories were always there in the back of her mind, demanding to be set free. 
Thanks to the housing market crash, Hadley finally realized her dreams. She now breathes life into her magical tales of reluctant young heroes finding their inner power to stand up against terrible creatures and even more terrible odds.

 Please visit me at HadleyHolt.com
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Thursday, January 9, 2014

Cover Reveal: Final Life by Rose Garcia


Nothing sucks more than being forced to move cross country during senior year. And Dominique Wells doesn't think things can get any worse until she's invited to a quirky neighbor's party. When pressured into playing a magical card game, Dominique's world goes from sucky to terrifying. She begins having visions of a red desert and an evil presence--a presence who hints at past lives and promises to kill her.

Plagued by fear and suspicion, and unaware of a family secret kept hidden from her, Dominique is determined to live. Together with a mysterious and gorgeous guy who's moved in while his parents are away, and a hot, popular guy from school, Dominique must seek clues to her past if she's to survive. That, and keep her emotions in check for the two guys she suddenly can't stop thinking about because if she doesn't, she'll be dead. For real.







Praise for FINAL LIFE

"Rose Garcia will explode your mind with action packed scenes and emotional turmoil.” - Moonlight Book Reviews

"The whole transhuman concept had the whole Sci-Fi/Fantasy element going on, yet Rose Garcia has written it in a way that is both fresh and believable, with the classic good versus evil theme incorporated." - Always YA at Heart


"Final Life is filled with magical moments, heart aching moments, action, and suspense. I look forward to the next chapter of Dominique's story." - WinterHaven Books



BOOK TRAILER



Available on  Amazon † Barnes & Noble



Author Rose Garcia will be taking over Good Choice Reading Facebook page tonight (January 9th) at 7 PM EST. She will be giving away extra prizes, and talking with readers. You can win a paperback signed copy of FINAL LIFE. Chat ends at 8 PM EST. Don't miss it! 

http://facebook.com/GCReading





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Rose Garcia is a lawyer turned writer who's always been fascinated by science fiction and fantasy. From a very young age, she often had her nose buried in books about other-worlds, fantastical creatures, and life and death situations. More recently she's been intrigued by a blend of science fiction and reality, and the idea that some supernatural events are, indeed, very real. Fueled by her imagination, she created The Transhuman Chronicles--a series of books about people who have overcome human limitations.

Rose lives in Houston with her husband and two kids. You can visit Rose at www.rosegarciabooks.com









Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Recover Reveal: WHISPER by Chelsea Cameron

Guys - I read this book awhile ago because once I read the first few pages, I was hooked.  I loved it and  if you like girl meets ghost stories, I'm sure you will too.  When I saw Chelsea was recovering the book, I jumped at the chance to be part of the reveal.  So without further ado, I give you:

Whisper by Chelsea M. Cameron

June 2012


BOOK SUMMARY: 
People think I'm crazy. Maybe I am, since I've been able to talk to spirits for as long as I can remember. They are the forgotten, the souls who have unfinished business and can't cross over. I help them, or at least I try to. There's this one in particular, Jack, I call him, who's been following me around a lot. Usually they tell me what they need to do and move on. Not him. 

It isn't until he brings another spirit, Tracy, the victim of an unsolved hit-and-run accident, that I know for sure he's something more than just your average spirit. Then I start seeing him. And feeling his touch. And falling for him. 

In our quest to get justice for Tracy and help her move on, Jack and I become something more than just a dead boy and a living girl. I'm just waiting to see what happens next…


Now for the teaser.


Now that you've got to have it, here are the Buy Links ~

Author Information

Chelsea M. Cameron is a YA/NA New York Times/USA Today Best Selling author from Maine. Lover of things random and ridiculous, Jane Austen/Charlotte and Emily Bronte Fangirl, red velvet cake enthusiast, obsessive tea drinker, vegetarian, former cheerleader and world's worst video gamer. When not writing, she enjoys watching infomercials, singing in the car and tweeting (this one time, she was tweeted by Neil Gaiman). She has a degree in journalism from the University of Maine, Orono that she promptly abandoned to write about the people in her own head. More often than not, these people turn out to be just as weird as she is.

Her New Adult Contemporary Romance titles include My Favorite Mistake, which has been bought by Harlequin along with a sequel, Deeper We Fall and Faster We Burn (April 20, 2013)

Her Young Adult books include Nocturnal, Nightmare and Neither, the first three books in The Noctalis Chronicles. The fourth and final book, Neverend will be out in 2013. Whisper, the first in The Whisper Trilogy is also available, with the second book in the series, Silence and the final book, LIsten coming out in 2014.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

ANTIGODDESS by Kendare Blake

Ok, so I missed last week.  Blame it on Thanksgiving - hope you all had a great one!  And I don't see any upcoming releases this week, so I figured I'd tell you about the book I just finished.  You all remember Kendare Blake, author of Anna Dressed in Blood, right?  When I met her last year in Decatur, she told me about this mythology-based novel she was writing and I about died.  You know me and mythology.  Well, the book is out and I've read it.

ANTIGODDESS by Kendare Blake
Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 
These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out. 
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

I admit, it was a bit difficult to relate to Athena at first.  She is cold, calculating.  What you might expect of a war goddess, but not a relatable YA lead.  Cassandra, on the other hand, I quickly identified with.  She has this awesome relationship with Aiden, a great brother, and a really cool bestie (she's captain of the hockey team and can kick some serious butt).

I really enjoyed the irony of the way each of the gods and goddesses were meeting their fate.  Kendare was clever with her death sentences and they were believable and often horrific at the same time.

What kept me going most in the story was the plot and pacing.  The stakes just kept getting higher for Athena, Hermes, Cassandra (and the others who aren't mentioned in the description, so I won't spoil it for you.  Not every god or goddess makes an appearance though - I will tell you that.)  I kept thinking, I don't know how they can survive this.  The tension kept me flipping the pages and I stayed up way late reading it.

Because the gods basically lack any power, you don't get much of a mythology feel in the classical sense, but there are plenty of references to the Trojan War and the roles everyone played there.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. I thought it was unique and fast-paced.  If you like books with loads of action, a dash of romance, and a side of mythology, I recommend Antigoddess.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

MOONLESS - Excerpt + Contest!

Today I'm really excited to be a part of Crystal Collier's MOONLESS Blog Tour.  She's worked so hard to put this together and make this a really fun adventure for her readers.  So I won't make you read any more from me.  :)

Title: Moonless 
Author: Crystal Collier 
Series: Maiden of Time #1 
Publication: November 13th, 2013 
Category: Young Adult (YA) 
Genre: Historical Paranormal Romance 

Alexia’s nightmares become reality: a dead baron, red-eyed wraiths, and forbidden love with a man hunted by these creatures. After an attack close to home, Alexia realizes she cannot keep one foot in her old life and one in this new world. To protect her family she must either be sold into a loveless marriage, or escape with her beloved and risk becoming one of the Soulless. MOONLESS is Jane Eyre meets Supernatural. 

Unravel the mystery of the Moonless night! Hidden in each of the 8 blog tour excerpts is a single word. Gather all 8 and figure out the sentence to win a free copy of Moonless. Send your mystery sentence to crystal (AT) crystal-collier.com with the subject MYSTERY SENTENCE before December 10, 2013, and you will be entered to win one of 10 copies of MOONLESS—just in time for Christmas. Happy hunting!

Excerpt #5

Kiren extended a hand to help her up, and she took it. Her feet were instantly below her—so quickly that she stumbled and landed against his solid form. An arm rounded her back tenderly, her legs threatening to give at the elation of his touch.
He turned in the direction of the house, pulling her forward with him, moving out of the garden and up to solid brick walls. They halted at a window, the study window. Father sat within, gazing at the portrait of Dana, fingers tracing the details.
“He gave her up.” Her attention snapped back to her breathtaking captor, inhaling his oaken tang. “He could have kept her for his own, and he gave her up.”
His eyes met hers. The azure depths broke in a myriad of lighter flecks, like stars reflected in an ocean tide. They consumed her, igniting a fire within her breast—an irrational hunger for the tremor in his arm against her back, the heat of his side against hers, the feel of his hand vacillating ever so slightly . . .
He released her and took a few steps back. “You need to go now.”



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