EXCERPT, GUEST POST & GIVEAWAY: My Buddhist Christmas by Jeremy Phillips

I know, I know, it's only October, too early for Christmas posts but the author wanted October so here we are. I couldn't resist the premise of this story as I've long had an interest in Buddhism and a former minister at my church was a Buddhist.

Jeremy Phillips has been interested in Buddhist philosophy for more than twenty years, and attends services at a Shin Buddhist temple in Spokane, Washington. When he isn't writing or keeping busy being a father and husband, he works as a Respiratory Therapist at several different hospitals. He lives in Spokane with his wife, children, dogs, and bonsai trees.

Bea and Jax Review Led Astray: The Best of Kelley Armstrong

Publisher: Tachyon Publications 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: August 17, 2015
Challenges:  What An Animal | NetGalley & Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to the many worlds of #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong (Otherworld, Cainsville). As her SyFy channel series, Bitten, enters its second season, Armstrong continues to breathe new life into city-dwelling vampires, werewolves, and zombies. Now travel even further with her, to a post-apocalyptic fortress, a superstitious village, a supernatural brothel, and even feudal Japan.

In Led Astray, you’ll discover the stories of new characters from within and outside Armstrong’s popular novels. Here you will find two original tales from Cainsville, plus journeys to and beyond the worlds of Darkest Powers, Age of Legends, Otherworld, and more.

Bold and humorous, passionate and heart-stopping, here is Kelley Armstrong at her versatile best.

Review & Giveaway: Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman

Publisher: Saga Press
Series: The Devil's West #1
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 6, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?

Isobelle, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.

Interview with Laura Anne Gilman & A Giveaway

I am delighted to have author Laura Anne Gilman here today. She kindly sat down and answered some questions for me and she's giving away an ARC of her forthcoming book, "Silver on the Road". I've been reading her for years, enjoying her epic fantasy, her urban fantasy, her PNR (under the name Anna Leonard), and her mysteries (under the name L.A. Kornestsky).

By the time she was fourteen, Laura Anne Gilman knew she would be an editor, a teacher, or a writer.

By thirty, she was all three. She's a little focused that way (when not being distracted by -oooh shiny!).

After fifteen years working in NY publishing, Laura Anne became a full-time writer, with more than twenty novels under her various bylines, including the SILVER ON THE ROAD, the Nebula Award-nominated Vineart War trilogy, and the 10-book, 4-novella Cosa Nostradamus series. She is also a serial short fiction writer, but her friends seem to like her anyway...

She's also the mystery writer L.A. Kornetsky.

Waiting on Wednesday - The Masked Truth by Kelley Armstrong

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine where bloggers have the chance to spotlight upcoming releases they're anticipating.

Ooo, Kelley has a contemporary YA suspense thriller, "The Masked Truth". coming out next month on the 13th! It's suspense and it's Kelley, I'm pretty much guaranteed to like it. <3

EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY: Saga by J.A. Campbell

I'm thrilled to be part of the release for another adventure by J.A. Campbell. Saga—Legends of the Travelers is the first book in this new series and is sure to excite fantasy fans of all ages with its action and suspense. To find more books by J.A. Campbell stop by Untold Press.

About the Author ~ 

J.A. Campbell Julie has been many things over the last few years, from college student, to bookstore clerk and an over the road trucker. She’s worked as a 911 dispatcher and in computer tech support, but through it all she’s been a writer and when she’s not out riding horses, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer. She lives in Colorado with her three cats, her vampire-hunting dog Kira, her new horse and Traveler-in training, Triska, and her Irish Sailor.She is the author of many Vampire and Ghost-Hunting Dog stories and the young adult fantasy series Tales of the Travelers. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Dog Writers of America Association and the editor for Steampunk Trails fiction magazine.

Bea Reviews A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

Publisher: Disney
Series: Twisted Tales #1
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Kobo  | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Welcome to a new YA series that reimagines classic Disney stories in surprising new ways. Each book asks the question: What if one key moment from a familiar Disney film was changed? This dark and daring version of Aladdin twists the original story with the question: What if Jafar was the first one to summon the Genie?

When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish.To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.

What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of Aladdin in the same way again.

Steph's Review of The Network Series by Katie Cross

Publisher: Antebellum Publishing
Series: Network Series #1
Format Read: E-Book
Source: From the pr firm in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Smashwords*  | iTunes | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Never underestimate the power of a determined witch.

Letum Wood is a forest of fog and deadfall, home to the quietly famous Miss Mabel’s School for Girls, a place where young witches learn the art of magic.

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Monroe has inherited a deadly curse. Determined to break free before it kills her, she enrolls in the respected school to confront the cunning witch who cast the curse: Miss Mabel.

Bianca finds herself faced with dark magic she didn’t expect, with lessons more dangerous than she could have ever imagined. Will Bianca have the courage to save herself from the curse, or will Miss Mabel’s sinister plan be too powerful?

Miss Mabel’s School for Girls is the first novel in The Network Series, an exciting new fantasy collection. A gripping tale about the struggle to survive, it will take you to a new place and time, one you’ll never want to leave

Review & Giveaway of Wolfskin by W.R. Gingell

Publisher: W.R. Gingell
Source: Blog tour company in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: May 1, 2015
Buying Links: Amazon*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Synopsis:

‘If you want adventure, you have to march right up to it and kick it in the shins . . .’

At fourteen, barefoot and running wild, Rose is delighted to be apprenticed to Akiva, the witch of the forest. She thinks it will be all enchantment and excitement, and not so much fuss about baths. The reality is much more sober and practical- that is, until she meets a mysterious wolf in the forest and is tricked into stepping off the path . . .
In young, naive Rose, Bastian sees a way of escape. Cursed to remain in the shape of a wolf after running afoul of a powerful enchantress, he has lived many decades under a spell, and now he is both desperate and ruthless. But by breaking part of Bastian’s curse, Rose has caught the attention of Cassandra, the enchantress who cursed him: and Cassandra is by no means ready to forgive and forget.
Meanwhile, wardens have been disappearing from the forest, one by one. Rose is certain that Cassandra is behind the disappearances, but can she and Bastian get to the bottom of the matter before Akiva disappears as well? And are Bastian’s motives entirely to be trusted?

Sometimes the little girl in the red hood doesn’t get eaten, and sometimes the wolf isn’t the most frightening thing in the forest.

Read Proud Listen Proud: Connecting with LGBTQ Teens through Literature

I got a press release about this the other day and decided it was worth sharing (I delete about 98% of the press releases that I get). On a related note, one day after receiving the email, on June 26th, the US Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states of the US. :)

Into the West by J.A. Campbell: EXCERPT & GIVEAWAY

"Into the West" is an edited re-release of a serial that came out several years ago. I enjoyed the original book and am excited to be part of its re-release. The author, J.A. Campbell, has been a guest on the blog many times over the years; I always enjoy her books. Note: Jax was one of the proofreaders for the revised edition and I was for the original edition.

J.A. Campbell has been many things over the last few years, from college student, to bookstore clerk and an over the road trucker. She’s worked as a 911 dispatcher and in computer tech support, but through it all she’s been a writer and when she’s not out riding horses, she can usually be found sitting in front of her computer. She lives in Colorado with her three cats, her vampire-hunting dog Kira, her new horse and Traveler-in training, Triska, and her Irish Sailor. She is the author of many Vampire and Ghost-Hunting Dog stories and the young adult fantasy series Tales of the Travelers. She’s a member of the Horror Writers Association and the Dog Writers of America Association and the editor for Steampunk Trails fiction magazine.

Bea Reviews Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co 
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: June 2, 2015
Challenges: May 2015 Clean Sweep ARC Challenge |  NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | OmniLit* |  Kobo | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A hidden book. A found cipher. A game begins . . . .

Twelve-year-old Emily is on the move again. Her family is relocating to San Francisco, home of her literary idol: Garrison Griswold, creator of the online sensation Book Scavenger, a game where books are hidden all over the country and clues to find them are revealed through puzzles. But Emily soon learns that Griswold has been attacked and is in a coma, and no one knows anything about the epic new game he had been poised to launch. Then Emily and her new friend James discover an odd book, which they come to believe is from Griswold and leads to a valuable prize. But there are others on the hunt for this book, and Emily and James must race to solve the puzzles Griswold left behind before Griswold's attackers make them their next target.

Bea Reviews Flashback by Simon Rose

Publisher: Tyche Books Ltd
Source: the author/pr firm/publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 25, 2015
Challenges: May 2015 Clean Sweep ARC Challenge
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble | Tyche Books | Kobo
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Lots of kids have an imaginary friend. Max certainly did. Then one day, Max’s friend said something that scared him. Max never saw his friend again.

Several years later, Max’s imaginary childhood friend returns – older, wiser, and disturbingly real. He tells Max of events concealed for over twenty years, events that someone will go to deadly lengths to keep that way. Max must journey into his friend’s past, not knowing how his actions will affect what he knows as reality.

Steph Reviews Escape Through the Wilderness by Gary Rodriguez

Publisher: Tate Publishing
Format Read: Paperback
Source: the author/pr firm/publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Challenges:
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

What was that?" Savi whispered anxiously. "It couldn't be Vexel, could it?" Again, they heard more rustling in the woods, they knew it was getting closer.

Sixteen-year-old Savannah Evans walks with a slight limp thanks to a gymnastics, accident that dashed her Olympic dreams, but didn't stop her from attending an adventure camp in Idaho. At Camp Arrowhead, she quickly befriends Jade Chang and Rico Cruz, but Conner Swift taunts Savi because of her injury.

When the four are teamed together for an overnight white-water river rafting adventure, Savi refuses to get in the same raft with Conner. Unfortunately, the director will not reassign her.

A fun expedition down the river turns into a nightmare when their raft slams into a huge rock and their adult guide disappears down the river.

Without their guide and desperately trying to steer an out-of-control raft, they pass the "last chance" marker and enter the larger rapids. With Jade pinned between the raft and a rock, and Rico clinging to a lifeline, Savi must cut the raft free.

When the four drag themselves out of the river, they're bruised, beaten, lost, and twenty-five miles from camp. Because of late-night campfire tales of Vexel, a vicious animal that roams the nearby woods, Savi and the others are terrified.

Savi becomes the unlikely leader who tries to guide the group back to Camp Arrowhead. Limited supplies, injuries, and the constant threat of Vexel, who Savi fears is stalking them, complicate the harrowing return trip.

Readers will enjoy dramatic survival scenes and the group working together, solving problems, and learning to overcome adversity.

Jax Reviews Taken With A Grain of Salt by Aaron Galvin

Publisher:  Aaron Galvin
Series: Salt Series, book 2
Format Read: ebook
Source: From author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 24, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Get a signed copy from the author's site
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Anyone can be taken - a simple truth for Salt folk, a stark reality for innocent teens Garrett Weaver and Kellen Winstel. Kidnapped by Selkie slave catchers and dragged into the realm beneath the waves, both teens must adapt to their new surroundings if they hope to see the shore again. Yet even if they escape their captors, both will need to embrace their fears. For darker things than Selkies lurk in the Salted depths and not all of them have pure intentions for the innocent ones brought down into their watery world.

Bea Reviews The Tiger by Federico Brremaud, Illustrated by Federico Bertolucci

Publisher: Magnetic Press
Series: Love Volume #1
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 1, 2015
Challenges: NetGalley and Edelweiss Reading Challenge | What An Animal
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble 
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

A day in the life of the king of the jungle, this lavishly illustrated story follows a single majestic tiger through a wordless adventure of survival as it hunts prey and defends itself from other would-be killers defending their territory. This exciting tale is told without narration or dialogue, conveyed entirely through the beautiful illustrations of Federico Bertolucci. A beautiful, all-ages title that explores genuine natural behavior through the dramatic lens of Disney-esque storytelling. Like a nature documentary in illustration. 

Interview with Author Denise Kelly LeBlanc

Please welcome debut author Denise LeBlanc to the Nook today. Denise is another author from Kelley Armstrong's defunct message board. She recently self-published her first book,"Inheritance", a YA urban fantasy. Although it's her first book, she's published some stories.

Denise is a kickass jeweler and chainmailler. She can also cook, dance and swear. She has been writing for years. And she can spell all the big words. Denise lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with her bestie and 4 unemployed cats.

Find Denise Online:

website/blog
twitter
facebook 
goodreads

Cover Reveal - Into the West by J.A. Campbell

 

A YA Romantic/Time Travel Adventure -

INTO THE WEST

by

J.A. Campbell

Quote-Tastic: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

Join us every Monday and share a favorite quote that's grabbed you for one reason or another. Everyone's welcome to join in - authors, bloggers, readers. The more the merrier! Just grab the button and put up your post :) Don't have a blog? No worries, just leave your favorites in the comment section.  Quote-tastic is hosted by Herding Cats & Burning Soup.

I borrowed the Kindle version of this book from my library. It had some excellent quotes but for this week I have two quotes around love. Meg is 18 and Paul is in his 20's, maybe mid-20's

It takes time to really, truly fall for someone. Yet I believe in a moment. A moment when you glimpse the truth within someone, and they glimpse the truth within you.In that moment, you don't belong to yourself any longer, not completely. Part of you belongs to him; part of him belongs to you.

"I would love you in any shape, in any world, with any past. Never doubt that."

Jax Reviews Snatched by Katherine McIntyre

Publisher: Jupiter Gardens Fiction
Format Read: ebook
Source: from author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: November 11, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* |  OmniLit* | Barnes & Noble |
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

When Kara was ten, the shifters took her parents.

A year ago, they took her best friend Hunter.

And now, the night before her first military strike against those monsters on the surface, the shifters take the only person she has left: her little sister Lizzy.

The snatched don’t come back. That’s what Kara’s believed her entire life, but the first person she finds above ground is the best friend she thought lost forever. Turns out, the higher ups lied. Other colonies are out there, hell even folks who toughed it up above. If anyone knows how to get her sister back, these people would. However, unless she can rally these surfacers into an army, one girl with a shotgun won’t survive long against the very creatures that overturned her world.