EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Just Pru by Anne Pfeffer

Welcome, pull up a seat! Today I have an excerpt from a fun new book and there's a gift card giveaway. So make yourself comfortable, read, and enjoy! 

EXCERPT & GC GIVEAWAY: In For The Kill by Shannon McKenna

Shannon McKenna is the NYT bestselling author of over ten action packed, turbocharged romantic thrillers, among which are the stories of the wildly popular McCloud series. She loves tough and heroic alpha males, heroines with the brains and guts to match them, villains who challenge them to their utmost, adventure, scorching sensuality, and most of all, the redemptive power of true love. Since she was small she has loved abandoning herself to the magic of a good book, and her fond childhood fantasy was that writing would be just like that, but with the added benefit of being able to take credit for the story at the end. Alas, the alchemy of writing turned out to be messier than she'd ever dreamed. But what the hell, she loves it anyway, and hopes that readers enjoy the results of her alchemical experiments. She loves to hear from her readers. Contact her at her website, http://shannonmckenna.com, or join the newsletter by signing up here: http://shannonmckenna.com/connect.php.

Find Shannon Online:

Facebook

Twitter

Kensington Books Author Page

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Shadow Catcher by James R. Hannibal

Thriller
Re-Release: December 2, 2014

Blog Tour Review of The Burden of Souls by Andy Monk

Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Series: Hawker’s Drift #1
Format Read: Ebook
Source: Tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 6, 2014
Buying Links: | | | Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Small Town, Dark Heart…

A long way from anywhere, on a road going nowhere, lays a small, unremarkable town. It seems a peaceable, prosperous little place, on the surface at least.

Away from prying eyes however, in the shadows and the forgotten corners, there is a web being weaved through the lives of its inhabitants by the town’s urbane and mysterious Mayor. A man prepared to make a deal for your heart's desire and, maybe, for your very soul…

Welcome to Hawker’s Drift, a town where nothing is quite as it seems…

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Tainted Waters by Maggie Thom

Welcome to my stop on the tour for an exciting thriller, "Tainted Waters",  by Maggie Thom. An award winning author, Maggie took the challenge and leapt off, leaving a full time, twenty year career in management, to write full time. After publishing her first suspense/thriller book Captured Lies, October 2012, she published her second novel, Tainted Waters, April, 2013. Tainted Waters went on to win 2013 Suspense and Thriller Book of the Year through Turning the Pages Magazine and Captured Lies won book of the Month through LAS Reviews (February 2014). She published her third novel, Deceitful Truths (The Caspian Wine Series - Book 2), March 2014. An avid reader and writer her whole life, she decided to break the monotony of wishing to be an author by making it happen. She is a wholehearted nature lover and likes nothing better than to take a book, hike to a remote spot by a river or waterfalls and read. Married to her best friend, she is learning that humor, love and patience help her navigate her way through her twins’ teen years. Her motto: Escape to read and Read to escape. "Maggie Thom writes a fast paced thriller laced with romance that keeps the reader interested and on edge!" InDtale Magazine

Find Maggie Online:

Website: www.maggiethom.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaggieThom
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maggiethom2
Blog: http://maggiethom.wordpress.com/the-write-to-read/
Google +: https://plus.google.com/+MaggieThom/posts
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/maggiethom2/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6549592.Maggie_Thom

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Mind Games by Christine Amsden

Mind Games
By Christine Amsden

Urban Fantasy / Paranormal Romance / Mystery

  

Beware your heart and soul…

Evan broke Cassie’s heart two months ago, and she still doesn’t know why. She throws herself into family, friends and her new job at the sheriff’s department, but nothing helps. The only thing that finally allows her heal and move on is the love of a new man, mind mage Matthew Blair. Cassie finds him…irresistible.

Matthew may also be the only one who can help keep the non-magical residents of Eagle Rock from going crazy over the murder of a beloved pastor’s wife. It looks like a sorcerer is to blame, but while Cassie tries to figure out who, others take matters into their own hands. With tensions running so hot, a single spark might set Eagle Rock ablaze. Book 3 in the Cassie Scot series.

Publisher: Twilight Times Books
Series: Cassie Scott #3
Format: paperback and ebook
Release Date: April 10, 2014 (ebook), June 15 (paperback)

Buy Links:  Amazon* | Barnes and Noble

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY - Chronicles: The Library of Illumination by C.A. Pack

Chronicles: The Library of Illumination - Release Blitz

By C.A. Pack

Young Adult Fantasy

Date Published: April 29, 2014

  

Within the walls of a centuries-old building lies the magical Library of Illumination, a place where books literally come to life. 17-year-old Johanna Charette is the youngest curator ever chosen to oversee the day-to-day operation of the library and she knows, in case of trouble, having an assistant can be invaluable, so she hires 16-year-old Jackson Roth to give her a hand. Jackson gets off to a rocky start, but manages to prove his mettle. Besides, he’s kind of cute and a lot of fun.

Johanna is charming and brilliant—and a natural born leader. She keeps the library operating on an even keel. Jackson is clever and intrepid. He relies on his wits to keep them out of danger when trouble arises. Unfortunately, his derring-do is one of the reasons why they sometimes find themselves in awkward situations. So it shouldn’t be any surprise when his wanton curiosity sparks a journey to a distant realm, where they end up with front row seats in a battle against an ancient foe.

Publisher: Artiqua Press
Series: The Library of Illumination #1-5
Format: Hardcover, ebook

Buy Links:  Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Excerpt: Firefly Hollow by T.L. Haddix

  

The mysterious recluse…

Owen Campbell holds himself apart from other people. Badly scarred from emotional wounds that have never healed, he doesn’t expect to find true love or happiness. He remains isolated in a prison of his own making, determined to not let anyone close enough to hurt him again. But his willpower is shaken to the core when Sarah Browning enters his world.

The girl next door…

Sarah Jane Browning is three years into her college degree when a call from home changes everything. Back at the family homestead in the heart of Appalachia, she’s forced to reevaluate her hopes and dreams for the future.

Distraction from her heartache comes in the form of her parents’ neighbor. Whispers about “odd Owen Campbell” abound in their small community, and Sarah’s curiosity is aroused. When she breaks the rules and trespasses onto his land, what she finds is beyond her wildest imaginings.

As Sarah struggles to overcome tragedy and loss, her burgeoning relationship with Owen is sorely tested. Will love conquer all, or will the secrets from Owen’s past tear them apart forever?

Romance w/ Light Paranormal Elements
Date Published: 9/23/2012

Format: Kindle, paperback
Publisher: Streetlight Graphics Publishing
Purchase: Amazon*

Excerpt & Giveaway: My Name Is Rapunzel by K.C. Hilton

My tale has been told again and again, and I've heard each one. Except for my hair, I barely recognize the pitiful renditions. Muddled versions, crafted to entertain laughing children...but the children wouldn't have laughed if they'd known the real story. It wasn't their fault. They didn't know the truth. Nobody did. My name is Rapunzel. I will tell you my story. I will tell you the truth.

Young Adult Fantasy / Fairytale / Folklore
paperback & ebook
Published by: Createspace 

Date Published: 11/23/2013

Giveaway & Excerpt: A Canter of the Heart by E.E. West

 

I am such a sucker for books with horses on the cover or that have a horsey title and this has both! LOL I have an extensive excerpt from the book and at the end of the post is a giveaway so get your drink and get comfy.

Author E. E. West has been a resident of the Pacific Northwest for the better part of two decades, and blithely accepts life in the shadows of the nesting grounds of bald eagles while ensconced amidst the company of wild, damp and understandably nervous bunnies. She prefers to write at the dining room table, where the light is better and she can work next to Simon, the sweetest one hundred and twenty pound Rottweiler that you're ever likely to meet -- except when he's in the mood to editorialize, which he is only on rare occasions. She much prefers to write love stories that take place in warm, sunny and exotic locales as she admires and rates the latest downpour direct from the Pacific Northwest's over-active convergence zone, but in her heart she will forever be drawn back to the lucky country... Australia... and maybe one more lovely canter along an endless beach.

Find E.E. Online:

Website: EEWest.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/EEWest/326688010802247

Excerpt from Killing Bliss by E.C. Sheedy

Killing Bliss -

By E C Sheedy

Romantic Suspense

One night. Two bullets. Three runaways.

Addy Michaels, living her careful life on a forgotten back road, thinks she's safe--that her past and its corpses are long buried. Surely after fifteen years the cops have quit looking for the street kids believed to have kidnapped a baby and killed their prostitute foster mother, Belle Bliss.

Addy couldn't be more wrong.

A cold case. Hot again, when the missing child's grandmother hires renowned profiler Cade Harding to find her grandson. Cade tracks Addy to her safe haven in a remote area of Washington state. Their attraction to each other is immediate, dangerous, and badly timed because...

Cade isn't alone.

A twisted killer, faceless and unknowable, follows in Cade's footsteps--on the hunt for anyone who can tell the truth about killing Bliss.

All roads lead to Addy.

Giveaway & Excerpt from The Merchant of Venice Beach by Celia Bonaduce

I'm back with another excerpt, this one from a contemporary romance, "The Merchant of Venice Beach" by Celia Bonaduce. Currently a Field Producer on HGTV’s House Hunters, Celia Bonaduce's TV credits cover a lot of ground - everything from field-producing ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition to writing for many of Nickelodeon’s animated series, including Hey, Arnold and Chalkzone.  

An avid reader, entering the world of books has always been a lifelong ambition. The Merchant of Venice Beach, A Venice Beach Romance, was published August 1st, 2013 by eKensington.

Find Celia Online: 

Website: http://celiabonaduce.com  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Celia-Bonaduce/352890508156101 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/CeliaBonaduce 

eKensington Author Page: http://www.ekensingtonbooks.com/author.aspx/26393 

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7039196.Celia_Bonaduce 

Excerpt & Giveaway from The Seacrest by Aaron Lazar

Excerpt time again and it's another thriller, this time a romantic suspense. I'm sure it's no surprise the horses on the cover caught me eye; I'm so easy. :D

">Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming releases SANCTUARY (2014), and VIRTUOSO (2014).

Find Paul Online:

Website    http://www.lazarbooks.com

Blog1       http://www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com

Blog2     http://www.murderby4.blogspot.com

Facebook1     https://www.facebook.com/AaronPaulLazarTwitter  (personal page)

Facebook2   https://www.facebook.com/aplazar2  (author page)

Goodreads   http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/629566.Aaron_Paul_Lazar

Google Plus: https://plus.google.com/106903480874581085678/posts

Author’s Den: http://www.authorsden.com/aaronplazar1

Excerpt from Cast the Cards by Shyla Colt

Cast The Cards - Release Day Blitz

By Shyla Colt

Blurb from the author ~ 

Savannah escaped a kidnapping but her best friend Clark—the man she secretly loved—didn’t. Guilt-ridden and changed after the event, she gives up her dream of teaching and earns a position in the F.B.I as a profiler. When she’s targeted by the very same kidnappers wishing to finish the job, she is armed with her skills, backed by her first love’s twin brother, and forced to revisit her demons when Clark’s ghost appears.

After his twin’s murder, Officer Carey Carr loses more than his brother. Savannah avoids him for a decade. Her return—and her steaming-hot body—stir brand new feelings in Carey. But Clark’s reappearance has Carey battling to control his primal desires around the woman his twin loved.

As Savannah and Carey, with Clark’s help, embark on a cruel game of cat and mouse with the kidnappers, the twins come to an understanding that involves Savannah and more pleasure than the three of them have ever dreamed.

Genre: Romantic Suspense
Format: ebook
Release Date: 8/2/2013
Buy Links: Amazon | Kobo | Barnes and Noble

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Time is almost up to take advantage of the Reading Addiction Blog Tours Summer Discount. All Tours/PROMOs must start before August 31st to be eligible.  *Note, there is a 2-week notice for all PROMO's and a 4-week notice for all Tours! So make sure you book ASAP! * Summer Discount PROMOTION Reading Addiction Blog Tours will is offering 15% Off to All Authors who book a Tour/PROMO this summer! (Tours must start by August 31st) Contact us HERE and mention the CODE WORD: SUMMER

If you aren't familiar with RABT, check out their site. 

Disclosure: By posting and sharing this information, I am eligible to win a $20 Gift Card.

Excerpt from Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf by Victoria Danann

Wheeeeeee, another excerpt, this time from a brand-new paranormal romance by Victoria Danann. For the past fourteen years, Victoria has illustrated and authored Seasons of the Witch calendars and planners and written several non-fiction books on magickal arts. She lives in a town north of Houston known as The Woodlands even though the idea of the witch in the woods may be a cliché. She owns 7th House Publishing and contributes to its enterprises. In addition to art and writing, she plays Classic Rock music (keys, rhythm guitar, vocals) and manages one of Houston's premier party bands. Married. Four children.


Find Victoria online:

website
facebook
Pinterest
goodreads
twitter

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Moonlight: The Big Bad Wolf by

Victoria Danann

Publisher: 7th House
Series: The Black Swan Saga #4
Formats: ebook
Length: 647 KB
Release Date: May 25, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon |Barnes & Noble

ISBN ebook 978-1-933320-69-4

ISBN Print   978-1-933320-64-9

Blurb from author:

The fourth installment in The Order of the Black Swan serial saga. The story of B Team continues while the romance centers on Stalkson Grey, head of the Elk Mountain Reservation Tribe of werewolves. He embarks on an adventure he would never have dreamed possible, willing to take any risk to save his pack from extinction. Along the way he learns that true love can find you in the strangest places, even when you're far, far from home.

Spa GC Giveaway & An Excerpt From Riverbend by Tess Thompson

 

Welcome, today I have another excerpt, this one from a romantic suspense, "Riverbend" by Tess Thompson. Tess is a novelist and playwright with a BFA in Drama from the University of Southern California. Her first novel, Riversong, became a bestselling ebook in 2012, reaching #1 on Nook and spending over a month in Amazon’s Top 100. On May 14 she will release her third novel, Riverbend, the second book in the River Valley Series.

Like many of the characters in the River Valley series, Tess is from a small town in Oregon. She currently lives in Seattle, Washington with her two young daughters, Emerson and Ella, and their puppy Patches, where she is inspired daily by the view of the Cascade Mountains from her home office window. Tess is working on her fourth novel and regularly blogs about her journey as a mother, author and friend at www.tesswrites.com.

Find Tess online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest

 

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EXCERPT

Two days later, the first Monday she was to start work for Drake Webber, Annie dreamt of a man chasing her down the streets of Los Angeles as she carried baby Alder in her arms. Was it Marco? She couldn’t be sure. At a bump in the sidewalk, she tripped and fell. Blood spilled onto the cement. Then, there was a phone ringing, an old-fashioned ring tone like phones from her childhood.

With a start, she awakened, sitting up in bed, the blankets tangled around her legs and her pajamas soaking wet from perspiration. The ringing continued; it was her cell phone. She’d recently changed the ringtone to that of the old rotary phones. Rubbing sleep from her eyes, she reached for the phone on the bedside table. What time was it? Not yet six a.m. Who would be calling this early? It was probably her mother with news of another boyfriend who left her penniless and unable to pay rent. This happened every year or so and Annie always sent money. And her mother always found one more loser to move in with a short time later.

“Hello,” she said, fully prepared to be annoyed that her mother had awakened her so early.

“Tag. I found you.”

Her stomach, like it might during a sudden five-story drop in an elevator, sank below her knees. Marco. His voice was rough, hard—she would recognize it anywhere. Was she still asleep? Please, God, let this still be my nightmare, she prayed silently. She trembled, the sweat-soaked pajamas cold on her skin. Her hand twitched, as if in a move to hang up the phone, but he spoke again. “What? Cat got your tongue?” She continued her silence, frozen. “Listen, bitch, I know it’s you. You’re all over the Internet these days. All you have to do is put your whore name into Google and there’s a dozen articles on you. You’re looking good, especially compared to what a cow you used to be. I’m coming to town. Shouldn’t be hard to find you. And then you’ll pay for what you did to me.”

She dropped the phone like it was hot and stared at it. Then she picked it up and punched the hang-up button before tossing it back on the bed. She folded her knees, wrapping her arms around them and rocking back and forth for several minutes. Oh no, no, no, no, a roar in her head.

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Riverbend by Tess Thompson
Publisher: Booktrope
Series: River Valley
Genre: Romance, mystery
Formats: Paperback
Length: 272 pages
Release Date: May 19, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

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Excerpt from The World Below by Mike Phillips

Welcome to today's stop on the blog tour for "The World Below"; I have an excerpt for you to enjoy. Mike is the author of not only "The World Below" but "Reign of the Nightmare Prince". His short stories have appeared in ParAbnormal Digest, Cemetery Moon, Sinister Tales, Beyond Centauri, the World of Myth, Mystic Signals and many others. Online, his work has appeared in Lorelei Signal, Kzine, Bewildering Stories, Midnight Times, and Fringe. He is best known for his Crow Witch and Patrick Donegal series.

Find Mike online:  

Website: mikephillipsfantasy.com

 

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Mike has a brief message for you all:

Good morning, everyone. Mike Phillips here. Thank you for joining us on the book tour. I hope you check out The World Below. I was asked to say a little something about the authors that have influenced my work. The poetry of WB Yates has been a big influence on my writing. I love the imagery. My style of writing is most influenced by James Lee Burke. Beyond that, I must give a nod to Dean Koontz. He taught me how to write suspense, how to draw out key moments to the action more dramatic. Thanks again for joining us. I’m off to work, but I’ll be checking in during the day. Please visit me at mikephillipsfantasy.com Take care, Mike Phillips

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EXCERPT

Magic sigils were hidden all over the city, but along the Riverwalk powers of earth and water converged. Magic here was strange and unpredictable, but always strong. A star was carved on the nearest of the old cottonwoods. It was ancient magic, made perhaps by the native tribes who once inhabited this place. 

Hume could not guess what its purpose was. For all he knew, it would take him away to some desperate corner of the underworld to be forever enslaved. He did nothing to protect himself. He had to let events run their course.

Finding Lady Elizabeth proved impossible. If this stranger had information, then he would surrender himself to free his sister. 

A breath of chill air interrupted his thoughts. He shivered. 

It was his humanity giving him warning. People who didn’t know any better would attach some old wives’ tale to the feeling, but he was not so blinded by the mundane. No one tread on his future grave. Evil approached.

In the world outside the reach of the cottonwood, the sun escaped below the horizon. Night had come.

Darkness coalesced; growing deeper in this haven below the trees, gathering until the river and the bay and everything beyond the sphere of darkness was lost. A black bird flew to a nearby piling. The crow was mangy and looked only moments from death by old age. It ruffled its ancient feathers and stared at Hume, penetrating his mind. 

Unafraid, he stared back, filling his thoughts with a variety of deaths the crow might suffer at his hand. The bird cawed angrily, its harsh voice a show of defiance. 

“Let’s get on with it,” he said. “Sunset was an hour ago.”

“Nightfall is now,” snapped the bird. 

“Point taken. My mistake.” 

The crow’s voice was as harsh as its call. “Patience Hume, your eagerness does you no credit. A lesser being than I might take it as a sign of weakness, but no advantage will I press. I know what it is to have a loved one in danger.” 

“Oh? So, is that why you are here? How nice.”

“Yes, I wish to help you, and I have other reasons.”

“What are they?”

“Patience, Hume. Patience” The crow laughed. “We’ll get to that later.”

“Lovely.”

Another crow flew to the piling. Soon the place within the dark was full of crows. They raced to the piling, circling Hume like a cyclone. He stood still, and though the impossibility of safety seemed assured, he wasn’t touch. 

The birds fused together, forming something in the shape of a man. The man was covered in black feathers. He had a crow’s head with a sharp beak and beady eyes. A mantle of greater feathers ringed his neck. 

“That’s a little much,” Hume said. “Who are you trying to impress?”

“I must admit I’ve always had the knack for the dramatic. As a show of trust I appear to you as my true self.”

“Does that make you a murder or a man?”

“Ha, ha, quite clever,” said the crow man. “I shall have to remember that one. Yes, quite clever indeed.” 

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The World Below by Mike Phillips

Publisher: Damnation Books
Series: Chronicles of the Goblin King, #1
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Formats: paperback, ebook
Length: 206 pages, 799 KB
Release Date: March 1, 2013
Buying Links:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Damnation Books 

The book is on sale for half off if you buy direct from the publisher, use code: 50worldbelow The discount ends June 2nd.

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