Monday 30 November 2015

RELEASE CELEBRATION RELEASE - READY TO ROCK - A ROCK STAR ROMANCE SERIES BY CARA CONNELLY

Title: Ready To Rock
Series: A Rock Star Romance
Author: Cara Connelly
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Charter Street Books LLC
Release Date: 1st December 2015

BLURB supplied by Barclay Publicity
His name's on everyone's lips--sexy rocker Jack McCabe. His gritty New York City band is red hot, almost as hot as his fiery affair with photography student Lil Marchone, the girl from his past, now the woman he loves. The problem is, Lil's controlling ex wants her back. Rich, powerful, and ruthless, he'll stop at nothing--including murder--to get Jack out of her life. But Jack's a badass himself, always up for a fight. And with the stakes this high, he'll risk everything for Lil, even his band. Even his life.

Goodreads Link
PURCHASE LINKS


TEASERS




EXCERPT
“Honey, you have to get help.” Mama’s tone was calm but urgent.
“Me? How?” I was frozen in place. I needed her to tell me what to do.
“Just open the door,” she said quietly, “and climb up to the road. Wave at the first car you see and tell them to call an ambulance.”
It sounded simple, but I was trapped in one of those dreams where you desperately want to run but your legs won’t move.
Then flames licked out from under the hood. Mama quit feigning calm. “Get out of the car!”
Galvanized, I yanked on the door handle. But the frame had bent. The door wouldn’t budge. “Mama, help me!”
“I can’t!” she shouted. And that’s when I noticed the dashboard sitting in her lap. Her legs were crushed, she was pinned to her seat. It was up to me to help her.
Unlocking my seatbelt, I leaned across to the other door. The car was tilted that way, so the door swung open when I touched the handle. But before I could bring my legs around, fire belched up from underneath. I leapt back, singed. Flames curled into the car. Mama was yelling. “Get out the back! Go! Go!” I yanked down the seat. The trunk was jammed with suitcases. I clawed at them. But Daddy had loaded the largest first, wedging it tight against the seat, braced by the smaller bags.
“I can’t,” I wailed. “I can’t move them!” And it was too late anyway. The flames were all around the car, the air inside so hot it seared my lungs. Reaching forward, I wrapped my arms around Mama’s neck; she clawed at my shoulders, trying to pull me between the seats, into her lap, to shield me with her body.
And then my door flew open, and a man thrust his shoulders right into that furnace. Mama saw him, and with all the strength she’d been using to pull me forward, she pushed me back toward him. “Take her! Take my daughter!” His arms locked around my waist and he hauled me backwards. Insanely, I clung to Mama, trying to bring her with me. She batted at my grasping hands. “Go with him!” And though I struggled at first, I had no choice. He was big and strong. He threw me over his shoulder and ran.
At the roadside, he set me down in the grass. The car was a fireball, the cottonwood jutting above it, burning like a torch against the dusky sky. “Mama!” I screamed, trying to get up.
The man pushed me down. Holding my face between his hands, he forced me to look into his eyes. “I’ll get them out, but you have to wait here. Promise me.” He seemed so steady and sure. I didn’t know what else to do, so I nodded. And without another word, he stood up and ran straight toward the car.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cara Connelly is the author of the Save the Date series of contemporary romances published by Avon Romance. The latest book in the series, The Wedding Gift, was released in May 2015. Cara’s smart and sexy stories have won several awards, including the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart, the Valley Forge Romance Writers’ Sheila, and the Music City Romance Writers’ Melody of Love. A former attorney and law professor, she lives with her husband Billy in the woods of upstate New York.


AUTHOR LINKS
Website | Facebook | Twitter| GoodReads

***GIVEAWAY***

a Rafflecopter giveaway





BOOK BLITZ - ANARCHY FOUND - ALPHA LINCOLN - SUPERALPHA SERIES BY J.A. HUSS

Title: Anarchy Found – Alpha Lincoln
Series: SuperAlpha Series
Author:  JA Huss
Genre: Superhero Romance
Pre-order begins: 11-29-15
Publication date: 12-2-15

BLURB supplied by Xpresso Book Tours
Everyone needs a hero.
That’s what Detective Molly Masters tells me. “What we need,” she says, “what the whole world needs,” she pleads, “is a champion.”
The only thing I want to talk about with Molly Masters is how I’d like to make her scream my name when I push her up against a wall, slide my hand up her thigh, and live out my wildest fantasies.
“Someone who will fight against injustice,” she says.
I’ll fight against anything you want, honey. Just come a little closer.
“Someone who will stand tall in the face of adversity,” she says.
I’ll do it standing, sitting, or lying down. See how easy I am?
“Someone who believes in the value of a good deed,” she says.
I believe in the value of me, sweetheart. Because I’m Lincoln Wade. Jaded genius, obscenely wealthy, capable of violence, and looking for revenge.
Molly Masters might have delusions of grandeur. She might see me as some superman capable of cleaning up the scum, filth, and corruption in Cathedral City.
But I’m not the hero she’s looking for.
I’m the dark alley where all her good intentions hide.
So be careful what you wish for, Molly Masters.
Because you’re about to get it.


Visit the Super Alpha Website to check out the 


PURCHASE LINKS

TEASERS


BOOK TRAILER

***GIVEAWAY***




COVER REVEAL - ENERGY REBORN - ENERGY SERIES BY LYNN VROMAN

I think YOU may agree this cover is stunning?

Title: Energy Reborn
Series: Energy Series
Author: Lynn Vroman
Genre: YA, Fantasy Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Untold Press
Release Date: April 2016

BLURB supplied by Untold Press
After the trauma from their final battle with Exemplar, Tarek is certain Lena is better off without him. She deserves a life without the baggage he carries. She deserves someone…real. But he refuses to live as a useless shell. He fights alongside Oren as they protect Exemplian citizens from what is left of Exemplars government. As he fights, one thought keeps him sane:
Tarek didnt let Lena go. He gave her an out.

Lena has spent the last eight months trying to move forward. She has hope Tarek will heal, but she cant wallow; she has to raise fifteen-year-old Peter, who suffers from the same ghosts as her soul mate. Her goal is simple: make Peter happy. Make him so damn happy that he drowns in it—while in secret, she yearns for the other half of her heart. But then Peter runs away, back to Exemplar—again.

This time is different.

This time, Peter doesnt come back.

Lena soon grows desperate and reaches out to the one person able to help her—the one person who has sworn to leave her alone forever. Tarek.

Together again, Lena and Tarek find there is more than the problem of Peter to solve. Exemplian citizens are suffering under the repercussions of Lena and her armys actions. They blew up the important buildings last year, but they didnt kill every one intent on Exemplar remaining the superior world.

For Lena, the only answer is to finish what they started, but she wont stop there. Exemplars vulnerable citizens and Peter are not the only people who need saved.

Shell heal Tarek, too—whether he wants her to or not.


REST OF THE SERIES
Title: Tainted Energy 
Series: Energy Series
Author: Lynn Vroman
Genre: YA, Fantasy Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Untold Press
Release Date: April 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
For seventeen-year-old Lena, living in the trailer park with the rest of town’s throwaways isn’t exactly paradise. Dealing with a drunken father who can't keep his fists to himself doesn’t help matters either. The only good thing in her life, other than track, is the mysterious man who visits her dreams, promising to find her.
When a chair burns her arms, Lena chalks it up to stress-induced crazy. Yet as bizarre incidents escalate, even being crazy can’t explain it all away… until one day dream guy does find her.
Tarek lost Lena seventeen years ago after she was accused of treason and marked Tainted. He finally discovers her reborn on Earth into a life of suffering as punishment for her crime. However, someone else has already found her… and wants her dead. Willing to sacrifice everything, he fights to keep her safe so she can live the only life she’s ever known—even if that life doesn’t include him.
 


Goodreads Link


PURCHASE LINKS

Title: Tainted Energy 
Series: Energy Series
Author: Lynn Vroman
Genre: YA, Fantasy Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Untold Press
Release Date: April 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
Last spring, Lena discovered who she was.

Now all she wants to do is move on—and find a way to be with Tarek, the new Warden of Arcus and the love of her life. Even though worlds separate them now, she holds onto the hope they’ll be together again. Until then, Lena focuses on being truly happy for the first time in her life…this life. She has new friends, an apartment free from her abusive father, and the chance to live a normal life.

But for Lena, the past never stays gone.

A woman from another lifetime reveals Cassondra, Exemplian’s new authority commander, is seeking revenge against Tarek for killing her brother. There is only one way to end this new threat…

This time, it will take more than Wilma to keep the monsters away. It’ll take an entire army–an army who remembers Lena from her past life, and who might just want her dead, too.

Lena’s past will shape her future more than she could ever imagine.


Goodreads Link


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Title: Fractured Energy 
Series: Energy Series
Author: Lynn Vroman
Genre: YA, Fantasy Paranormal, Romance
Publisher: Untold Press
Release Date: July 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
When Cassondra took Wilma’s energy, Lena’s mission changed. Only revenge matters now. 

For the past year, Lena and her small army have tried to finish what they started, beginning with Earth: close the lines between worlds and end Exemplar's hold on humanity. Unfortunately, the task is daunting. But unlike before, Lena has no problem pulling the trigger. As soon as her army takes care of threats in Earth, Lena goes back to Arcus—only to find out where the next war will be.

Tarek will do anything to mend Lena's heart, even while she pushes him away. Only death for a death seems to ease the pain tearing her apart. But as much as he desires to heal the woman he loves, Tarek has to make sure Arcus stays safe from extermination. 

After an attack, refugees Tarek has sworn to protect are terrified Exemplian authority will destroy their new home. Not able to defeat Exemplar's direct assault, only one solution remains—a solution that will more than likely end in catastrophe: take the war to Exemplar and shut down their power source. 

Lena doesn't see disaster for her army—she sees victory and demands to go, refusing to miss a chance to kill more Exemplians. 

While Lena hopes to save Wilma's energy during the impossible mission, Tarek fears Lena will lose more than the war. 

If she fails, Lena may lose herself completely.


Goodreads Link


PURCHASE LINKS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Born in Pennsylvania, Lynn spent most of her childhood, especially during math class, daydreaming. The main result that came from honing her imagination skills was brilliantly failing algebra. Today, she still spends an obscene amount of time in her head, only now she writes down all the cool stuff.

With a degree in English Literature, Lynn used college as an excuse to read for four years straight. She lives in the Pocono Mountains with her husband, raising the four most incredible human beings on the planet. She writes young adult novels, both fantasy and contemporary.

AUTHOR LINKS

Wattpad: https://www.wattpad.com/user/Lynn_Vroman










Sunday 29 November 2015

REVIEW - SECRET GARDEN - ARTISTS EDITION BY JOHANNA BASFORD

Are you looking for the perfect gift for an artistic person in your life?
Then check this out, it may be exactly what you are looking for!

Title: Secret Garden
Edition: The Artists Edition
Author/Illustrator: Johanna Basford
Genre: Non Fiction, Colouring Books
Publisher: Laurence King Publishers
Release Date: 7th September 2015

About The Book
Following the chart topping success of Johanna Basford's Secret Garden and Enchanted Forest, Laurence King Publishing releases Secret Garden: Artists Edition, A special edition of the world's most popular colouring book, it features 20 beautiful, pull out and frame posters, each printed onto high-quality card. Secret Garden Artists Edition will allow colouring fans of all ages to display their intricate creations beyond the pages of their colouring book for the first time.


PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK

PRAISE ABOUT THE BOOK
"One of the world's most popular authors" ~ New York Times
"Single-handedly inventing the most lucrative new genre in publishing" ~ The Times
"Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford is topping the charts" ~ The Guardian

"A surprise hit world-wide" ~ The Telegraph


INITIAL THOUGHTS
I was quite surprised to be sent an email from Midas PR asking me if I'd like to review this book. To be totally truthful I wasn't even sure how I would go about reviewing a colouring book, however after speaking to Midas PR I decided I should give it a go. 

MY REVIEW
So I guess most people will have heard of the whole adult colouring craze but this book is a little bit extra special. This beautifully presented book has thick high quality cream sheets of card each measuring, 10" x 13" / 25.5cm x 33cm / 255mm x 330mm. (I have measured them myslef) The 20 images for you to colour in and then frame actually come from the original book. The fantastic thing about the thickness of the card is that you can use whatever types of pens etc you wish to colour in your chosen illustration without the worry of it thinning the paper or bleeding into the paper making it weak, or of the colour seeping through the paper onto the next image either.
The 20 illustrations are so attractive you really will be spoilt for choice. As my 19yr old saw the image of the owl she immediately claimed that one, so when she has finished it I am hoping to frame that one for some artwork in my bedroom. I finally chose one design to begin to colour, 

I chose one with a watering can with a wide selection of a delicate assortment of flowers, petals and leaves cascading from the watering can.

The first illustration in the totally fits with the title of the book "Secret Garden" as there is an old fashioned door with elaborate door hinges on it. The door is set into a wall, which has flowers and foliage growing all around it representing the title of the book perfectly.. 
The details within the images are so intricate and amazing. The paper. . .well it isn't paper it is a what I would say is a high quality thick card. There is even a small flower logo on the back of each card.
The other images in the book contain birds such as a kingfisher, owls, butterflies, dragon flies, bee's as well as a huge array of flowers, petals, and leaves. Honestly every time you look at the illustrations you discover something else new. I just glanced across at the cover of the book and a little snail that I hadn't really noticed before caught my eye!
So what do I think to the book? I love it. Would I recommend the book? I really think this colouring book would make a brilliant gift for an older teen or adult who enjoys the art and intricacies of colouring along with some appropriately high quality pens or pencils with it too of course! Or maybe you need a treat for yourself. Would I buy another colouring book by Johanna Basford? Oh yes her illustrations are so beautifully detailed. Will I buy other colouring books? I already has as gifts and for my own use too.

Friday 27 November 2015

SERIES PROMOTION - PERFECTED BY KATE JARVIK BIRCH & REVIEW - TARNISHED - PERFECTED BY KATE JARVIK BIRCH

I really want to say before I go any further at all with this post that 
I totally adore the covers, they are so eye catching and they suit the plots of both books so incredibly well! 
What do you think?. . . .

Title: Tarnished 
Series: Perfected #2
Author: Kate Jarvik Birch
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: 1st December 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
Freedom comes at a cost...

Ella was genetically engineered to be the perfect pet—graceful, demure...and kept. In a daring move, she escaped her captivity and took refuge in Canada. But while she can think and act as she pleases, the life of a liberated pet is just as confining as the Congressman’s gilded cage. Her escape started a revolution, but she’s trapped, unable to get back to Penn—the boy she loves—or help the girls who need her.

Back in the United States, pets are turning up dead. With help from a very unexpected source, Ella slips deep into the dangerous black market, posing as a tarnished pet available to buy or sell. If she's lucky, she'll be able to rescue Penn and expose the truth about the breeding program. If she fails, Ella will pay not only with her life, but the lives of everyone she's tried to save...



REST OF THE SERIES SO FAR


Title: Perfected
Series: Perfected #1
Author: Kate Jarvik Birch
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: 1st July 2014

BLURB from Goodreads
Perfection comes at a price.

As soon as the government passed legislation allowing humans to be genetically engineered and sold as pets, the rich and powerful rushed to own beautiful girls like Ella. Trained from birth to be graceful, demure, and above all, perfect, these “family companions” enter their masters’ homes prepared to live a life of idle luxury.

Ella is happy with her new role as playmate for a congressman’s bubbly young daughter, but she doesn’t expect Penn, the congressman’s handsome and rebellious son. He’s the only person who sees beyond the perfect exterior to the girl within. Falling for him goes against every rule she knows… and the freedom she finds with him is intoxicating.

But when Ella is kidnapped and thrust into the dark underworld lurking beneath her pampered life, she’s faced with an unthinkable choice. Because the only thing more dangerous than staying with Penn’s family is leaving… and if she’s unsuccessful, she’ll face a fate far worse than death.


PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon UK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kate Jarvik Birch is a visual artist, author, playwright, daydreamer, and professional procrastinator. As a child, she wanted to grow up to be either a unicorn or mermaid. Luckily, being a writer turned out to be just as magical. Her essays and short stories have been published in literary journals including Indiana Review and Saint Ann’s Review. She lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with her husband and three kids.

AUTHOR LINKS


REVIEW


Title: Tarnished 
Series: Perfected #2
Author: Kate Jarvik Birch
Publisher: Entangled Teen
Release Date: 1st December 2015

BLURB from Goodreads
Freedom comes at a cost...

Ella was genetically engineered to be the perfect pet—graceful, demure...and kept. In a daring move, she escaped her captivity and took refuge in Canada. But while she can think and act as she pleases, the life of a liberated pet is just as confining as the Congressman’s gilded cage. Her escape started a revolution, but she’s trapped, unable to get back to Penn—the boy she loves—or help the girls who need her.

Back in the United States, pets are turning up dead. With help from a very unexpected source, Ella slips deep into the dangerous black market, posing as a tarnished pet available to buy or sell. If she's lucky, she'll be able to rescue Penn and expose the truth about the breeding program. If she fails, Ella will pay not only with her life, but the lives of everyone she's tried to save...

INITIAL THOUGHTS
After reading and thoroughly enjoying Perfected I was really looking forward to reading Tarnished. the only slight worry I had was that sometime the second book in a series doesn't quite live up to the first!

MY REVIEW
So as I said at the very beginning of the post about the covers for this book series so far you already know I love the covers! The dress featured on the cover is Tarnish is definitely a statement dress and certainly catches your eye! The dress and it's colours had a lot of meanings within the book. I mean its a beautiful dress belonging to a pet, but it is also bright red! and whoever wears it is going to really stand out and draw attention to themselves. . . will they receive the type of interest they really want or maybe receive the wrong kind of attention. The dress kind of explodes on this cover and that is a great way to describe the whole subject of pets in this book. There is also a fantastic byline on this book cover "Freedom comes at a cost. . . " and we learn through Ella's story what price she has to pay for her freedom, a life without Penn? We also see Ella discovering the prive Missy is willing to pay to help her too. So, my usual question, would the cover make me stop and encourage me to pick it up from the book store shelf? Definitely yes!
At the end of Perfected we saw Ella finally escape being a pet, so part of her dream of freedom coming true. However Ella and Penn were separated on the border, her pulled to freedom on the Canadian side and Penn held back ny the police on the USA side. So though Ella has her freedom she is not spending it with the love of her life Penn. Tarnished quite literally picks up Ella's story a few days after the ending of Perfected. Ella is living or more like existing in a refugee centre with other pets. To Ella she seems as if she has exchanged on set of enclosing walls for a different set of enclosing walls. Ella is plotting to break out and escape the refugee centre, her dream slightly altered, she wants to return to the USA and be reunited with Penn, then flee to someplace new for them both where they are unknown people to start a life together with each other. Ella does not trust any of the other girls in the refugee centre, she is planning on going it alone with her plans. Ella tricks a centre worker into leaving her alone, though she hates doing so as she knows they are trying to help her reajust to life etc long enough for her to acquire items she feels will be useful to her escape plan. Ella repeats a mantra to herself over and over again to give herself strength to do what must be done "You need to find Penn. You need to make sure he is safe". Ella is drawn to the TV room when she sees the girls transfixed by what they are watching on the screen. It is Congressman Kimble, her owner, the one who gave her a collar as a gift. The collar/pendant is the only materialistic possession she has. Ella see's the other members of the Kimble family. Elise the Congressman's wife and their daughter Ruby, and Penn is standing near his father. John Kimble is saying their Pet, Ella has been stolen and how sad they all are she is no longer with them. They are appealing for her to be returned to the family and even offering a reward! John forces Penn to speak, to appeal for peace and the return of Ella. Ella can see Penn is not himself, he is not the loving Penn she knows and loves dearly. He is being forced or coerced into speaking, the bruise on his face is still quite clearly visible despite what looks like the attempts of a make up artists to cover it up. The reward for Ella's safe return is a large one! It's a hundred thousand dollars!!
Ella swiftly leave the TV room and returns to her dingy room, checking her other stolen items and re-hiding them out of sight, she now has a wallet, a folding knife, needle & thread and the map book she just stole too.
When Ella does manage to sneak out of the centre she has been living in for the past week she is somewhat disorientated and is almost immediately grabbed. Ella initially struggles but the voice belonging to the person who grabbed her tells her they are here to help her etc.
The mystery person indeed helps Ella to evade recapture and ends up playing a major role in the journey Ella embarks on as well as being a constant support to Ella and her plan of action. The mystery helper is Missy, the pet that lived with the neighbours next door to the Kimbles! The very pet that Ella still blames for ratting her out all that time ago when she went to her for help. The two pets have a lot to talk about and work through before they can begin on what turns out to be one heck of an adventure! Initially Missy attempts to talk Ella out of going back for Penn, but soon realises Ella is set in her decision so she decides to tag along and help Ella. Missy turns out to be a true friend to Ella on many occasions, from sharing her food with her, to helping her disguise herself and somewhat sheltering Ella from the harsher realities of being a pet on the run. Missy has to be stern with Ella and demands that she listens to her and does as Missy tells her too. To begin with as a reader you may think Missy is just enjoying being in charge but it soon becomes apparent that Missy's escape and travel to Canada was a hard, difficult journey with many compromises and sacrifices made along the way. There are many occasions where Ella's naivete irks Missy but the more street wise pet never fully reveals all she has had to endure to survive. In fact Missy is prepared to do all the awful "jobs" on the black market to keep Ella sheltered and remain innocent. It is only when Ella disobeys Missy and goes wandering off exploring alone that Ella discovers exactly how far Missy has had to go to secure their survival.
This book is full of action, mystery and intrigue galore. It keeps you reading long after you meant to put the book down for the night, and has you looking forward to the next stolen moment you can pick up the book to devote some time to reading it.
We learn even more about Nupet and how far they are prepared to go to make money and cover up past mistakes in the process. Nupet manages to stoop to even lower standards and deeds than we knew about in Perfected in this book.
I loved the origin of where the title comes within the book. A second hand pet is said to be "Tarnished". We discover the black market in this second book of the Perfected series. We get to revisit much loved characters from Perfected such as Ruby when Ella manages to sneak into the Kimble household once again. As well as meeting new characters to love, like Carlie whose talent is drawing. In fact it is Carlie's drawing of Ella that makes her determined to succeed in her plans. It is also that same drawing that Ella gives to Ruby as an apology for leaving and a token of love too.
In this book we see the good in some unlikely places, such as Seth (from the black market) helping Missy and Ella escape his Uncle's clutches and being bought back by the kennels they originally came from. This book also shows us the bad in the society in Tarnished, where pets have no rights and no one seems to care at all what happens to them. There's the seediness of the black market and of journalism too. The good things in the book are, the glimpses of friendship between the other pets. The eventual and strong kinship that grows between Missy and Ella, each prepared to sacrifice what ever is necessary for the well being, care an safety of the other. 
This book takes us on Penn's journey too, the scales falling from his eyes as he see's the plain cruelty and true  unscrupulous character traits in his father that have made him play along and even help Nupet in their quest for monetary gain over being humane.
There really is such a lot in this book, so many issues, brilliant characters both old and new and yet I feel there is still even more to come from the next book in the series and I am certainly looking forward to reading that one as soon as it is available too.
So did I enjoy the book? Really simply put, yes. Though just saying yes seems so inadequate. I hope you can tell from my review that I truly adored this book, the style it is written in and the characters and plot that unfold within its pages.
Would I recommend the book? Certainly, this book is so much more! It is thought provoking. It makes you wonder what you would do in Ella & Missy's position. Would you be pro Nupet? or be a Liberationalist who would protest against Nupet? 
Would I want to read another book in this series? Definitely, I'm looking forward to even more, meeting certain characters you are given a little information about in this book as well as perhaps learning more about the Liberationalists in the next book too.
Would I want to read other titles written by this author? I do have another title by this author on my kindle which I intend reading as soon as time permits.