COVER REVEAL& EXCERPT - I'll Be Home for Christmas by Jessica Scott

Woooo, another Jessica Scott book! Her books rip my guts out but I love them; they are powerful, tender, heartbreaking, real and full of hope. Her next book, "I'll Be Home for Christmas", is due to be released November 5th, just in time for the holidays. It's part of her Coming Home series and shines the light on Carponti, who was in earlier stories.

Jessica had this so say about "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - "I can't tell you how excited I am to share the cover for Carponti's Christmas novella I'll Be Home For Christmas. I really loved writing his story and it's a story that came about because fans kept asking for him."

Blurb from Goodreads -

Sergeant Vic Carponti takes everything as a joke, even the war. And yet, as he leaves on this latest deployment, even the resolute struggles to keep everyone around him smiling. As Carponti faces his darkest fear, it is his wife Nicole's steadfast love and support that will get him through.

Publisher: Forever Yours
Format: ebook
Length: @100 pages
Release Date: November 5, 2013
Buying Links:  iBooks | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Drum roll please ......

Review of Carniepunk, an anthology

Publisher: Gallery Books
Format Read: eGalley (I was about 2/3 of the way done when the pub sent a finished print copy)
Source: The publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: July 23, 2013
Buying Links:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | The Book Depository

Blurb from goodreads:

A star-studded urban fantasy anthology featuring bestselling authors Rachel Caine, Rob Thurman, Seanan McGuire, Jennifer Estep, and Kevin Hearne, whose stories explore the creepy, mysterious, and, yes, sometimes magical world of traveling carnivals.

The traveling carnival is a leftover of a bygone era, a curiosity lurking on the outskirts of town. It is a place of contradictions—the bright lights mask the peeling paint; a carnie in greasy overalls slinks away from the direction of the Barker’s seductive call. It is a place of illusion—is that woman’s beard real? How can she live locked in that watery box?

And while many are tricked by sleight of hand, there are hints of something truly magical going on. One must remain alert and learn quickly the unwritten rules of this dark show. To beat the carnival, one had better have either a whole lot of luck or a whole lot of guns—or maybe some magic of one’s own.

Featuring stories grotesque and comical, outrageous and action-packed, Carniepunk is the first anthology to channel the energy and attitude of urban fantasy into the bizarre world of creaking machinery, twisted myths, and vivid new magic.  

Bea's Thoughts: 

I'll do my usual anthology process and give a mini-review of each story. I was excited about this anthology as it has a mix of authors I love, authors I've been wanting to read and one I hadn't heard of before. All the stories involve carnivals to one degree or another, but the punk aspect is vaguer and missing completely from some of the stories. I've marked my favorites with an asterisk.

Quote-Tastic #12 Do you two ever finish your own sentences?

Anna at Herding Cats & Burning Soup has created a new weekly meme. 

Want to join along? Click on the link above. Anna is posting hers on Mondays, as am I, but you can choose any day of the week that works for you. Leave me a link in your comment and I will check out your quotes! 

This week's quote is from "Wanderlust" by Ann Aguirre. It's science fiction with a strong romantic theme. After a battle, Sirantha and Vel get separated from the rest of their party. Here, they have all met up again at the med center. It's a sweet, tender scene (contains mild swearing).

"Good work out there today." That seems to register where nothing else has.

"Thanks. You, too. You did exactly as I hoped you would. You got Vel medical attention and kept safe."
"You scared the shit out of me," I admit, low.
March turns to me then and pulls me into his arms. I drop my head onto his chest, even though he's covered in dried blood. "I know. I took my turn, trust me. You must've been asleep when I started trying to find you again, Jax. It was like..." He pauses, and I know he's thinking of when Vel took me. When he thought I was dead. "I'm sorry I put you through that, but I couldn't-"
"I know," I say softly. I just thought, well, I was afraid-"
"You didn't let me down."
"Do you two ever finish your own sentences?" Jael asks.
Shit, I forgot he is here. If he didn't look so beat-up, I'd hit him. "Rarely."
I expect him to make some wisecrack, but he merely says, perhaps a touch wistfully, "Must be nice."

GC Giveaway & Spotlight: The Hero's Lot by Patrick W. Carr

 

The Hero's Lot Blurb ~

 Riveting Sequel from Christian Fantasy's Most Talented New Voice. When Sarin Valon, the corrupt secondus of the conclave, flees Erinon and the kingdom, Errol Stone believes his troubles have at last ended. But other forces bent on the destruction of the kingdom remain and conspire to accuse Errol and his friends of a conspiracy to usurp the throne. In a bid to keep the three of them from the axe, Archbenefice Canon sends Martin and Luis to Errol's home village, Callowford, to discover what makes him so important to the kingdom. But Errol is also accused of consorting with spirits. Convicted, his punishment is a journey to the enemy kingdom of Merakh, where he must find Sarin Valon, and kill him. To enforce their sentence, Errol is placed under a compulsion, and he is driven to accomplish his task or die resisting.

Publisher: Bethany House Publishers

Series: The Staff and The Sword #2

Genre: YA, Christian Fiction, Epic Fantasy

Format: ebook, paperback

Release Date: July 15, 2013

Buying Links:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Hero's Lot is the Sequel to A Cast of Stones -
 

A Cast of Stones ~  An Epic Medieval Saga Fantasy Readers Will Love. In the backwater village of Callowford, Errol Stone's search for a drink is interrupted by a church messenger who arrives with urgent missives for the hermit priest in the hills. Desperate for coin, Errol volunteers to deliver them but soon finds himself hunted by deadly assassins. Forced to flee with the priest and a small band of travelers, Errol soon learns he's joined a quest that could change the fate of his kingdom. Protected for millennia by the heirs of the first king, the kingdom's dynasty is near an end and a new king must be selected. As tension and danger mount, Errol must leave behind his drunkenness and grief, learn to fight, and come to know his God in order to survive a journey to discover his destiny.

Publisher: Bethany House Publishing

Series: The Staff and the Sword #1

Genre: YA, Christian, Epic Fantasy

Format: ebook, paperback

Release Date: February 1, 2013

Buying Links: Amazon * Barnes & Noble

 

Author Patrick W. Carr Patrick Carr was born on an Air Force base in West Germany at the height of the cold war. He has been told this was not his fault. As an Air Force brat, he experienced a change in locale every three years until his father retired to Tennessee. Patrick saw more of the world on his own through a varied and somewhat eclectic education and work history. He graduated from Georgia Tech in 1984 and has worked as a draftsman at a nuclear plant, did design work for the Air Force, worked for a printing company, and consulted as an engineer. Patrick’s day gig for the last five years has been teaching high school math in Nashville, TN. He currently makes his home in Nashville with his wonderfully patient wife, Mary, and four sons he thinks are amazing: Patrick, Connor, Daniel, and Ethan. Sometime in the future he would like to be a jazz pianist. Patrick thinks writing about himself in the third person is kind of weird.

Find Patrick Online:

Website * Facebook

   

 Book Blast Giveaway 

 $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash 

 Ends 8/11/13 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author.  

VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. 

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sunday Book Share #46

 

 

I'm participating in The Sunday Post, hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer; Showcase Sunday hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea; and Stacking the Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews. These  memes allow book bloggers the chance to share print and digital books they've received, and different posts and events at their blogs.

We had another heat wave last week and I still don't have A/C. My condo is a sauna; it's one way to lose weight. I was also busy editing and trying to read some review books. Still, it was a good week and there's only one month left before school closes for a week and then we start the new year. We got our assignments for next year and I got the classroom I requested. :) I'll be with the ones and twos again; it's such a fun age. 

Bea Reviews The Libra Affair by Daco

Publisher: Crimson Romance
Format Read: Mobi file
Source: BookTrib in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: April 8, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | OmniLit
* affiliate link; clicking & purchasing results in a small commission for the blog.

Blurb from goodreads:

Her Mission: Launch an ICBM

Code Name: Libra

Obstacle: Love

When it s time for double-agent Jordan Jakes, a CIA covert operative, to launch a missile in the remote desert of the Middle East, she s forced to tell her blind asset, NASA scientist Ben Johnson, that their love affair is finished. Only the breakup turns out to be more difficult than she anticipates and it s not just because she's developed intense feelings for the guy.

When she disappears without a trace, Ben will stop at nothing to find the one woman who he s fallen for hard and fast even if it means boarding a plane that lands him in the middle of a country most Americans might think twice about entering Iran.Surviving takes more than being one step ahead of their enemies. Jordan and Ben must peel back the layers of their emotional armor to overcome a series of obstacles before they can accomplish Jordan s mission. If they have any hope of making it out of the Middle East alive and forming a lasting relationship, they must surrender to love.

Sensuality Level: Sensual

Chat with Stephanie Evanovich July 24th

Join BookTrib on July 24th at 3:00 p.m. EST on http://booktribchat.com/ to chat live with Stephanie Evanovich to discuss her debut novel, BIG GIRL PANTIES.

During the chat you can:

• Ask Stephanie questions directly
• WIN a free copy of the book

Click on the image above to join in the chat.

Jax Reviews The Lost Code and The Dark Shore: Books One & Two of the Atlanteans by Kevin Emerson

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Format Read: Nook book
Source: Free Friday read from Barnes & Noble
Release Date: May 22, 2012
Purchasing links: The Lost Code: Amazon* Barnes and Noble Omnilit
The Dark Shore: Amazon* Barnes and Noble Omnilit

*affiliate link; clicking & making a purchase will result in a small commission for the blog.

Book Blurb: (taken from goodreads)

The Lost Code: In the year 2086, Camp Eden promises summer “the way things used to be,” back before the oceans rose, the sun became a daily enemy, and modern civilization sank into chaos. Located inside the EdenWest BioDome, the camp is an oasis of pine trees, cool water, and rustic charm.
But all at Camp Eden is not what it seems.
No one will know this better than 15-year-old Owen Parker. A strange underwater vision, even stranger wounds on Owen’s neck, and a cryptic warning from the enchanting lifeguard Lilly hint at a mystery that will take Owen deep beneath Lake Eden and even deeper into the past. What he discovers could give him the chance to save the tattered planet. But first, Owen will have to escape Camp Eden alive…

WHAT IS OLDEST WILL BE NEW,

WHAT WAS LOST SHALL BE FOUND

The Dark Shore: Owen and Lilly have escaped Camp Eden, but the next step on their journey to find Atlantis and protect it from Paul and Project Elysium involves crossing the perilous wastelands of a wrecked planet. And unlike in EdenWest, where bloody truths were kept hidden beneath the surface, out here the horrors live bright beneath the poisonous sun.
With treachery at every turn, Owen has no choice but to bring his wounded clan to the dark shores of Desenna, a city built from the ashes of EdenSouth. Desenna's blood-soaked walls may hold the key to Owen's journey in the form of the third Atlantean as well as a deeper understanding of the true purpose of the Three, but there are also secrets lurking in the shadows, waiting to be unleashed, and once they rise, there may be no escape.