Monday, November 30, 2015

Love Found by Caylie Marcoe (@authorcayliem) #XpressoBookTours #BookBlitz #Giveawayx2


Love Found
Caylie Marcoe
Publication date: November 13th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Haley Cavanaugh’s heart is broken.
Shattered into a million pieces, and that’s just how she’d like it to stay.
She doesn’t believe she deserves happiness. She doesn’t understand how to move on while her life is falling apart and her reality is destroyed.
Enter Eli Park.
Eli is someone Haley thought she knew, but who turned out to be so much more than she remembered. He sees through her pain and refuses to be pushed away, even when she lashes out.
Eli’s patience is both frustrating and surprising. Haley was so sure she wanted to go on feeling nothing, but Eli stirs emotions she can’t deny.
Will Haley allow Eli to help her through this horrific time so she can find herself again? Or will she lose the only person who can help heal her heart?
On SALE for 99¢ for a limited time!
EXCERPT:
I swung back and forth for a while, letting the breeze settle my nerves. I don’t know how long I was out there for, but eventually, I heard a car pull up. The door shut and footsteps thumped up the stairs.
“Hello,” a masculine voice drifted towards me.
I opened my eyes and was greeted with crystal blue eyes, messy brown hair, a lopsided smirk and six feet of tall, lean man.
“Er…um…hi,” I croaked out. Okay…the man was gorgeous. Pretty sure I was blushing.
“Haley?” gorgeous mystery man asked.
I nodded. I didn’t know who this guy was, but he seemed to know me. And if I opened my mouth to ask him, I’m sure I would sound like an idiot again.
He gave me that adorable lopsided grin again. “Eli.” He pointed at himself, like I should know who he was. Eli was leaning against the porch railing, staring at me with amusement in his eyes. Maybe if he wasn’t so damn attractive I could get my brain to start working again. But for now, I could only stare.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked. “The four of us hung out together when I roomed with Noah in the dorms.”
Holy shit. This man in front of me couldn’t be Noah’s roommate. There was no possible way he was the same guy. I hung out with the kid all the time, and this guy…no, not him. Not him at all.
“You look nothing like you did freshman year.” I blurted out. Then quickly turned red and clamped my hand over my mouth.
Oh God, he’s going to think you are the biggest idiot.
Eli laughed. “I was a lot scrawnier back then. Had longer hair. Wore thick framed glasses all the time.” His voice still sounded the same. That was something at least. “When I moved back home to help my mom, I worked with my uncle at his construction company. I guess that helped me gain a little muscle.” He shrugged like he was not confident with how he looked.
The more I stared at him, the more he was becoming familiar. Freshman year, he was this quiet, slightly nerdy kid. He always wore comic book t-shirts. He had spent most of his time on his computer or playing video games with Noah. Kyler had kept telling me that he had a crush on me, and she even begged me to go out with him a few times, but I always came up with reasons I couldn’t. Mostly those excuses dealt with my crush at that time—Drew. Blah. I was so not going to think about that douche when Eli was standing in front of me.
I mean, I enjoyed hanging out with him as a friend, but dating? He was definitely not what I thought my type was. Though, what I thought my type was turned out to be a bunch of jerks, so maybe I should have given the nice guy a chance.
“You okay?” he asked gently, pushing off the railing and taking a seat next to me on the swing. “You seem lost in thought.”
I shrugged, not knowing what to say.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
“Oh no, I do.”

Writing Can Be Therapy
There are two things I hear most when people talk about Love Found.
1.       Cancer is such a touchy subject, why on Earth would you write about it?
2.       You wrote about it so beautifully, you must have first-hand knowledge on the subject.
Statement one is true.
Cancer is a topic most people shy away from. It seems as though it’s almost taboo to talk about in public, even though it’s everywhere and has affected so many. But still, you don’t talk about cancer. You just don’t.
And you definitely don’t write a book where the main character is dealing with her mom dying.
Nobody will read that stuff.
But you know what, I needed to write this book. I didn’t care about it being a taboo subject, I didn’t care that chances were a lot of people who read Choose Us weren’t going to read Love Found. All I cared about was writing this story.
It was a sort of therapy for me.
Because you see, the second statement is also true.
I lost my mom to cancer when I was ten years old. All of my childhood and all that I remember about her revolved around cancer. And I am 100% sure I kept feelings about that buried for many years.
This is the story my brain needed me to write. And I don’t think I realized just how much I needed to write it, until I was almost done.
I wouldn’t go as far to say this story was semi-autobiographical, because Haley is way cooler than I ever was and my life has zero parallels with hers, except for the mom thing.
But I would say, this is what I would have wanted to happen, had I lost my mom at 22 and not 10.
As a ten year old, you don’t really grasp everything that is going on….and you definitely don’t grasp the reality of everything in your life that will happen without your mom there.
When you’re ten, it’s even hard to grasp on to the fact that your mom is dying.
And of course, I kept any feeling buried deep.
Love Found was an ode to everything that I missed out on. It was everything I wish I could have done/said to my mom before she passed.
It was my mind playing out what I would have done if I was older and given the time to say goodbye.
But this is also two-fold now. Not only was I writing it from a daughter’s perspective, but I also wrote it from a mother’s view. How would I want my daughter to deal if I was dying? What advice would I give to her, knowing I only had a few moments like that left? How to make sure my daughter won’t shut people out and pretend to be strong on her own?
So while writing this book was therapeutic for me, I also had the hope that someone who was maybe in the same situation would pick it up, and maybe in some small way it could help them cope with everything that was happening in their life.

If there is one thing I learned from my mom’s death, is that it does get better. And you are capable of moving on with your life.


Author Bio:
Born and raised in the frozen tundra of Wisconsin, Caylie fell in love with reading at a young age. With her lively imagination, she created numerous stories in her head throughout her childhood and teenage years.
Her first novel, Choose Us, released in April 2014 and became an Amazon Bestseller.
When she isn't slaving away at the keyboard, Caylie is an avid reader, and lover of coffee... copious amounts of coffee. She also has an unhealthy addiction to coffee mugs, chapstick, water bottles, football, and tv shows--binge watching is her favorite.
She chases her two kids around the house all day, and has a husband whom she adores.
If you want to stay tuned in to all of the new release news, sign up for Caylie's spam-free newsletter. It only comes out when something exciting is happening...promise!
http://eepurl.com/T7sp5

GIVEAWAY!
Hosted by:
XBT250

Friday, November 20, 2015

Abby and the Cute One by @ErinButler @entangledteen and @yaboundtourspr #BlogTour #Giveaway

 
Abby and the Cute One (Backstage Pass #5)
Release Date: 11/16/15

Entangled Crush
Romance, Teens &YA
Publishing Date: November 16, 2015

He's cute. He's famous. And he could ruin everything...

Every member of Seconds to Juliet has a girlfriend-except for Nathan Strong. Now the band's manager is leaning hard on "The Cute One" to play the role of the band's heartthrob. With the band's sales in decline, it's up to Nathan to keep the fans' fantasy alive.

The plan is to stage a fake relationship and a fake breakup, and then let the fans fight to be the one to mend Nathan's broken heart. Just one problem. There's another girl in the picture-one Nathan can't stay away from. In private, Nathan's stealing kisses with the band's new opening act, Abby Curtis.

If they're caught, no one wins. Abby will be fired, and the band might not recover the success they need to survive. But even with the pressure mounting, Nathan and Abby can't stop themselves from stealing one more touch, one more kiss. And it's only a matter of time before it all falls apart.

This Entangled Teen Crush book is as forbidden as the secret romance it contains! It has hot kisses, graphic language, and extreme misbehaving. DO NOT GET CAUGHT WITH THIS BOOK…unless you want everyone to know you believe in true love.
GoodreadsAmazonBarnes & NobleiBooksKobo Books

Meet the Author's Dream Cast!

I started thinking about who to cast as Nathan and Abby before I even started writing the book and I KNOW I have the perfect Nathan. The best part? He can already sing.
Does anyone recognize him? It’s Nathan Sykes from a boy band called The Wanted. You might know their songs, I Found You, Chasing the Sun, Glad You Came, and Walks Like Rihanna. They even had a reality show called The Wanted Life. 

Before you ask, of course I watched the show! I freaking loved it! Nathan is sooooo adorable, has a British accent, and some pipes, too! Check out this live performance from YouTube: https://youtu.be/iRhUoTj6YTg You can watch the whole thing OR skip to 3:00 in and watch the boy sing. 


A little background info (Because I will never miss an opportunity to gush about boy bands!), the reason why this performance from The Wanted was so special is because Nathan had throat surgery (Scary!), and this was his first show back.

Since The Wanted broke up, Nathan Sykes has gone solo and has a few singles out. Don’t worry, my Nathan will never go solo! J But, you should check out Nathan Sykes’ new music because he’s a tremendous singer!

Okay, wow, I just fell down a Nathan Sykes YouTube black hole! Let’s get to Abby before I waste the entire day! J
It’s Caroline from The Vampire Diaries! AKA Candice Accola. This pic of her completely embodies how I pictured Abby in my head. She’s even got her hat on!! And seriously, don’t they make the cutest couple?? 

I’m totally shipping them in real life!





 








Giveaway Info: Choice of Backstage Pass Swag Pack or  $25 Amazon gift card.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


About the Author
Erin Butler is lucky enough to have two jobs she truly loves. As a librarian, she gets to work with books all day long, and as an author, Erin uses her active imagination to write the kinds of books she loves to read. Young Adult and New Adult books are her favorites, but she especially fangirls over a sigh-worthy romance.

She lives in Central New York with her very understanding husband, a stepson, and doggie BFF, Maxie. Preferring to spend her time indoors reading or writing, she’ll only willingly go outside for chocolate and sunshine—in that order.

Author Links:


Book Tour Organized by:


Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Fire in Frost by Alica Rades @aliciarades @yaboundtourspr #BookBlitz #Giveaway


Fire in Frost
Release Date: 2015
242 pages

Summary from Goodreads:
Crystal Frost has spent her whole life believing she's ordinary, and her mother has long held the secret of her heritage. When Crystal begins seeing the ghost of a dead classmate, her life spirals out of control. She’s faced with the threat that everyone will find out she’s a freak, as if the struggle to figure out her new-found abilities wasn’t enough pressure. 

Crystal has to find some way to save the people who have come to her for help all while trying to keep her abilities a secret. Will she be able to fulfill these overwhelming demands while solving the mystery that is the ghost of Olivia Owen?



Buy Links:
Amazon



My heart pounded on the walls of my chest, reverberating through my ears as I neared the door. I began to feel faint. I grabbed the handle with my damp palms and twisted slowly, and then in one quick motion, I whipped the door open.

My heart beat slowed when I found nothing in the storage room but a bunch of boxes. I switched off the light and let the door fall shut with a click.

Once I was back in the dark hallway by myself and ready to leave, the humming noise caught my attention once again. What was that? I followed the sound and pressed my ear against the door that led to the break room.

I could hear muffled voices, but I didn’t see a light under the door. Who was in there? The sound, I realized, was a woman humming a stagnant note.

“We’re here to help you,” Sophie’s voice rang over the humming.

I didn’t take a moment to consider what they were doing behind the door. Once I was sure it was my mother and her friends, I wasn’t scared anymore.


I had only a split second to take in the scene. The three girls sat in a circle around the break table, their hands connected as if in prayer. Candles lit up their faces. Just beyond the table stood another girl with blonde hair and brown eyes. Olivia Owen’s ghost stared back at me with that same look of urgency.


About the Author
Alicia Rades has always had a passion for writing and wrote her first poem when she was 8. Although most of her writing continued as poetry and eventually as song writing, she wrote a few short stories along the way. In 2010, Alicia began freelance writing, creating blog posts and other online content. Today, she is a freelance writer, blogger, and editor who lives in Wisconsin with her husband. When inspiration strikes, she's also an author. Visit her author website at aliciaradesauthor.com.
Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png

GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book Blitz Organized by:


Monday, November 16, 2015

LOST (The Caelian Cycle #1) by Donnielle Tyner (@donnielletyner) #Review

LOST (The Caelian Cycle #1)
by Donnielle Tyner
Genre(s): Young Adult, Paranormal/Sci-Fi


During WW1, a meteorite crashed, releasing a mist that changed the DNA of all who were exposed. One hundred years has passed and society is divided between the Norms and the Caelians, whose changed DNA awakened dormant gifts, called Talents.
Sadie is over it!
She’s an orphan, her boyfriend was murdered, and she’s the only Caelian at St. Vincent’s without a Talent. Once she turns 18, there will be no place for her in the world. That is, until a chance encounter with Kian, a Caelian boy who makes her feel uncomfortable and alive at the same time.
Secrets of her past are uncovered and Sadie’s latent, rare Talent is exposed. With great power comes the hunters, hired by an egomaniac who wants to use Sadie’s power to establish Caelian dominance. On the run with Kian and her friends, Sadie will have to decide: hide or fight.
Will Sadie accept her new reality or will she stay lost? 

DISCLAIMER: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. This review might (might not) contain spoilers. . . Might also be short for the purpose of getting you guy to read it for yourselves . . . I would have had this review up sooner, but life has kept me busier than usual.

Reading the prologue left me with oodles of book feels! I could not "shake it off"! The story starts off the pace with the birth of the main protagonist. As Sadie is born, she is drawing her mother's Talent out of her in the process, thus leading to her mother's death. Her mother even feels that her baby is taking her Talent as she is being born. Now, Lucinda, Sadie's mother, has known that this would happen, because she saw it take place in a vision. To protect Sadie, Lucinda has her closest friend bring the baby to St. Vincent's, which is an orphanage for unwanted children who have a Talent. As far as the reader knows in the beginning, Sadie is the only orphan in the home who does not have a Talent. 

Sadie states that she is a little introverted, even for someone living amongst "the rejected" of the community. She is not the average Caelian, as her skin and hair are different from the usual colors. Sadie is also undergoing grief-recovery after her boyfriend is murdered. Just when things look like they could either get worse, or worse than that. . . But you would have to read the book to truly find out for yourself.

My Rating:
I rate this book a 5 of 5 stars; the plot was brilliant! I found myself captivated. The flow of the writing was fantastic, characters were developed; the climax brought me to a place where I thought it would not have anymore to give at the ending, but it did! I have grown fond of Sadie's character. I think she is brilliantly created. The plot from start to finish was amazing! This was such a fantastic read. Thoroughly recommend that you pick it up, and be sure to give the author some love.



About the Author 
Author of 'Lost & Bound, of The Caelian Cycle'
Hello! Donnielle here. I’m a new indie young adult author. When I’m not writing, I spend my time reading, binge watching Netflix, homeschooling my two children, and hanging out with my husband.

A few fun facts about me:

1. I began writing when I was in junior high. A teacher approached me with a poetry book and I fell in love. Writing poetry has helped me express myself through some of the darkest times in my life.

2. I am always reading something and own hundreds of eBooks. I thank the technology gods for the invention of e-readers. Series are my favorite. I love it when I feel like I cannot stop reading a book. My favorite genre is sci-fi and paranormal.

3. I am a HUGE nerd and enjoy every medium of nerdom from comic books to Magic! The Gathering.

4. I am a serious introvert and need plenty of alone time so I don’t go insane. Seriously! I will cut someone if they cut in to my “me” time.

5. I have a passion for holistic medicine and create many of my own household products. My kids and husband will ask for some “oils” when they aren’t feeling well. I love growing herbs to make my own blends of herbal tea.

6. I read YA almost exclusively. There is just something about it that calls to my heart above other genres.

7. When I read paranormal it’s either about shifters or faeries.

8. Writing has always been a passion and a dream. I had many jobs and they never fulfilled me the way writing has.




Bound (The Caelian Cyle, Book 2) by Donnielle Tyner @donnielletyner @yaboundtourspr #BookBlitz #Giveaway


Bound
Release Date: 10/19/15

Summary from Goodreads:
Bound by Vengeance.

Sadie has found the resolve to fight the man who caused so much pain in her life. Her tentative alliance with the HCA underground gives her the resources to train both her body and Talent for when she comes face to face with her grandfather.

Bound by Loss.

Being separated from her friends at St Vincent’s is harder than she could have ever realized and it doesn’t help that Kian has withdrawn from her as well. With help from a new friend, Sadie uncovers more about her past and that someone close to her has been keeping secrets from Sadie her entire life.

Bound by Fear.

Tragedy strikes close to home, giving a longstanding enemy, one desperate and willing to do anything to have Sadie on their side, an opportunity to arise. Allies and friends come together to stand against evil, but at a terrible cost. Sadie’s history and future collide while the world is thrown into chaos.

Sadie must overcome or forever be Bound. 


Buy Links:

Book Playlist:
·         X Ambassadors – Renegades
·         M.I.A. - Bad Girls
·         Muse – Assassin
·         Banks - Beggin For Thread
·         Bastille – Flaws
·         Alabama Shakes - Don't Wanna Fight
·         First Aid Kit - My Silver Lining
·         Dorothy - Gun In My Hand
·         Imagine Dragons – Shots
·         Dorothy - Bang Bang Bang
·         Betty Who - Missing You
·         The Wombats - Your Body Is A Weapon
·         Lykke Li - No Rest For The Wicked
·         Johnny Cash – Hurt
·         AWOLNATION – Jailbreak
·         Santigold - Disparate Youth

·         Wolf Alice - Moaning Lisa Smile

About the Author
Hello! Donnielle here. I’m a new indie young adult author. When I’m not writing, I spend my time reading, binge watching Netflix, homeschooling my two children, and hanging out with my husband.

Author Links:
 photo iconwebsite-32x32_zps1f477f69.png  photo icongoodreads32_zps60f83491.png  photo icontwitter-32x32_zpsae13e2b2.png  photo iconfacebook-32x32_zps64a79d4a.png





GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz Organized by:



Tuesday, November 3, 2015

All the Way to Heaven (The Fallout Series, #1) by Becky Doughty #BookBlitz #Giveaway


All the Way to Heaven
Becky Doughty
(The Fallout Series, #1)
Published by: Clean Teen Publishing
Publication date: November 2nd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Anica Tomlin, business major, has just learned that the man she’s been planning her future around, her Global Finance professor, already has a beautiful wife and family. Ani cashes in her graduation gift to herself a little early—a trip to Tuscany—but from the moment she boards the wrong train in Pisa, her plans for solitude and self-indulgence begin to unravel around her.
When a bicycle accident thrusts Ani into the skilled hands of the dashing Dr. Cosimo Lazzaro, she reluctantly accepts his invitation to recover in his family’s country villa, perched on a hilltop surrounded by the Lazzaro olive groves. But it’s been a black year for olive growers all over Italy, and generations of tradition are being put to the test like never before.
Ani is swept up in the drama of life in Tuscany, the convergence of old and new, and the passions that drive people to pursue the desires of their hearts. Just as Ani begins to get her feet under her again, an unexpected turn of events leaves her doubting the very existence of happily-ever-after, unless she can learn to trust the desires of her own heart.
Although All the Way to Heaven is a stand-alone novel, it is the first book in The Fallout Series, a collection of sweet contemporary romances that follow characters featured in the first book.

Ten Trivial Truths About Becky Doughty

1.   I’m part chameleon. Not because I can change colors on demand (which would be AWESOME!), but because I can move my eyes independently of each other. It gives me a serious eye-strain headache, but it’s entertaining. I may post a video one day….
2.   I live in Southern California, but I can’t stand the sun. It burns my eyes and makes my skin turn glittery–er, I mean, red. I should live somewhere like Ireland or Scotland where it rains a lot. Or Forks.
3.   Speaking of Ireland, I ran The Dublin Marathon in Dublin, Ireland, in the year 2000. That was my “epic millennial triumph” for the turn of the millennium. It rained the whole 26.2 miles. Chafing and blisters commenced.
4.   I am adopted. It’s pretty cool. I come from nowhere, anywhere, and everywhere. I’m pretty much a superhero.
5.   Speaking of being adopted, one of my favorite pastimes is people-watching. In airports, and waiting rooms, etc., I pretend to read, but really, I look for people who might be my long-lost birth relatives, then I write reunion scenes in my head. Someday, I might publish those reunion stories.
6.   I still read aloud to our 20-something year-old married children after dinner during our weekly Family Night. We like all things Middle Earth, Otherworld, Time-travel, and non-Muggle. We keep it real, baby.
7.   I have a secret that I can’t tell you.
8.   My children have some incredible tattoos.
9.   Book stuff: I love to read historical and dystopian fiction, but I usually write contemporary fiction. I keep threatening to put out a nonfiction book…but I kinda like the whole…ahem… ‘creative license’ thing with fiction. Baby, I was BORN TO LIE!  (Bumper sticker, anyone?)

10.  I grew up in the boonies, so we had no television. But a supporter sent a shipment of all the Nancy Drew books ever published to us for Christmas one year. No, I wasn’t Nancy. I was George.


Author Bio:
Becky Doughty is the author of the best-selling Elderberry Croft series, The Gustafson Girls series, Waters Fall, and more. She’s also the voice behind BraveHeart Audiobooks. She writes Women’s Fiction with strong elements of romance, as well as Young Adult and New Adult Fiction. Becky’s favorite people are edge-dwellers, those who live on that fine line where hope and despair meet, where love is the only answer and grace becomes truly amazing. Becky is married to her champion of more than 25 years. They have three children, two of whom are grown and starting families of their own, and they all live within a few miles of each other in Southern California. They share their lives with too many animals, a large vegetable garden, and a strange underground concrete room they’re certain was built for dark and sinister purposes….

GIVEAWAY:
Mystery Box Banner
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:
XBT250