Saturday, September 24, 2016

Book Tour Spotlight First Circle Club by Alex Siegel


Supernatural Fantasy
Date Published: September 25, 2015
 
Blurb:
 
When Virgil is betrayed and murdered, he thinks his days of catching fugitives as a U.S. Marshal are over. He is condemned to an eternity of filing paperwork in the First Circle of Hell. Then a demon lord gives Virgil an unprecedented assignment. He will return to Earth as part of a team: two souls from Heaven and two from Hell. They must stop another damned soul who escaped and is now murdering teenagers on Earth. The serial killer has supernatural skills and is part of a larger conspiracy which is well prepared for a fight. If he is not careful, Virgil could be murdered a second time.
 
 
Excerpt:
 
The angel touched down lightly on the sand. A supremely beautiful face made Sara want to cry with joy.
 
"I am Barachiel, chief of the guardian angels. You are Sara Bass"

Sara nodded. "What can I do for you?"

"The Lords of Hell screwed up and allowed an evil soul to escape to Earth. Now we have to clean up their mess."

"Oh. Sounds awful. What do you want me to do?"
 
"Go back to Earth as part of a search team," Barachiel said. "The soul belongs to a serial killer, and he has started to kill again. It's a uniquely important assignment."

"I guess you know my background. I was a medical examiner for many years."

"We picked you because of your background."

"We?" Sara said.

"The Council of Light."

The enormous magnitude of the situation was dawning on Sara. Of all the many millions of souls in Heaven, the Council had chosen her to return to Earth.

"Does this kind of thing happen often?"

"It has never happened before," Barachiel said. "This search team concept is completely new. It might be a disaster, but we don't have any other options. Regular angels aren't suited for something like this.  Hell is sending its own representatives. Try to be polite even if they smell bad."

Sara wrinkled her nose.

"And of course, you can come back to Heaven any time you want," Barachiel added. "If the job proves too much for you, we can find a replacement."

"I'm sure that won't be necessary." Sara was looking forward to doing something useful again. "But how did this happen? I didn't think it was possible to escape from Hell."

Barachiel shrugged its beautiful shoulders. "I'm sure incompetence was the cause. Demons are so consumed by sinful thoughts they can't think clearly. Regardless, it's a big mess now. With all the bickering and accusations, you would think the Apocalypse had arrived."

Sara doubted the explanation was so simple. 

About the Author:

Alex Siegel has written three series, full of hellish scenarios and diabolical plot twists. The First Circle Club is the first book in his latest series. He is a computer programmer by day and a passionate, even obsessive, writer by night. He lives in Chicago with his wife and triplet teenage boys. A gray cat and two guinea pigs complete the menagerie.

Contact Information
Twitter: @AlexSiegel_

Series Reading Order:
First Circle Club
Paradise Hacked
Gambling Demons
Trolling Heaven (Coming Soon)


Purchase Link

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Book Tour The Variant Conspiracy by Christine Hart w/ Giveaway and Review




The Variant Conspiracy 
by Christine Hart

GENRE: Sci Fi Romance

BLURBS:

In Irina's Cards

Irina Proffer leaves mundane small-town life behind when she experiences visions inspired by a strange deck of tarot cards. To get answers, she travels from her northern British Columbia home to the province’s coastal capital. She quickly discovers a world of fringe genetic science and supernatural mystery.

Working for Innoviro Industries, Irina is drawn in by a powerful first love and compelling, yet dangerous questions about the nature of the company’s business. Meeting other 'variants' brings Irina closer and closer to the dark truth about her origins. She finds herself at the heart of two overlapping love triangles as she scrambles to escape her employer's grip. Before she leaves the city, Irina realizes she has merely scratched the surface of a frightening conspiracy on a global scale.

REVIEW:


In Irina’s cards is one of those books that when you start it you want nothing more then to just keep going without regard to anything in the real world; it is a true escape into a world not our own.  The story starts off with a mystery and then you keep getting little pieces here and there and just when you think you have the story figured out a surprise hits you that tosses the idea out of the window.  The characters are deep and intricate and well developed.  You truly care about every one of them and hope for the best.  I love the fact that the variations that the variants each has is so wide and varied some can be in public while others have to hide.  For a first book in a series it does not disappoint.
 



The Compendium

Irina and her renegade variant friends are scrambling to pick up the trail of their former employer, Ivan, and his globally catastrophic scheme. After strategically sharing their story with the media, the group heads south from Vancouver to Seattle hoping to recruit more experienced—and lethal—variants to their cause.

Their attention develops a laser focus on an engineered disaster mere days ahead of them. Ivan is using what staff and resources remain of Innoviro Industries to set off a violent earthquake in San Francisco. While they fight to stop the earthquake, Irina pushes the love of her life Jonah as far away as she can, trying to keep his unstable genetic degradation in check.

Irina’s friends think they’ve seen the worst that Innoviro could bring forth by the time they reach a secret facility in the Mojave Desert. As they near the property, the group uncovers a horror none of them had ever imagined.

REVIEW:



The Compendium starts back up right where the previous story ended.  There was no weird segue into where are we what is going on now.  It is a heart pounding race against the total destruction of San Francisco with twists and turns and oh no moments that you hope none of the main characters to the story fall to harm.  Each scene is detailed and important to the story.  As with the first novel you get sucked in straight away and it is a fast paced ride from start to finish.  I can not wait for the conclusion to this story.


Excerpt from The Compendium:

I awoke standing on an orange cliff under a purple sky. An unfamiliar canyon wound under the horizon on either side. I looked down to see a river of metallic sludge oozing along the canyon floor. Chunks of debris floated in the sludge. Steam intermittently bubbled here and there. The sky darkened as I watched the river. Lights streaked across the sky, red and white, blinking. Black pellets fell from the lights, exploding in the distance as they hit the ground.

A figure walked through the smoke left by an explosion on the cliff directly opposite from me. While the smoke cleared, Ivan reached the edge of the cliff. His face distorted with a ripple. He reached up with both arms, burying his hands in his hair. His fingertips pulled on his scalp. Ivan’s expression melted. He peeled off his face in a downward motion taking the rest of his body with it. In Ivan’s place stood a red-eyed humanoid reptile with giant curling horns, identical to what I’d seen reflected in the window of Ivan’s apartment.

The horned figure let out a ferocious roar. The ground shook. The landscape shivered until the canyon transformed into a green valley below dry sage-covered hills. Ivan seemed himself again, smiling and tapping his wristwatch, strolling toward me. I shuddered, shaking my head. The green grass floor trembled and a crack opened horizontally between us. Trembling turned to shaking. The crack ripped into the ground in both directions until a canyon separated us.

A hand brushed my cheek. I whirled to find the source of the touch. I found myself lying in bed back in the guest bedroom in Josh’s farm house. I shouted and sat up.

Terra Nova

The end of the humanity and an unrecognizable future Earth are now days away. After their first glimpse of the Terra Nova virus, Irina and her variant friends know their former employer’s plans are almost at hand. Their failed attempt to publicize Ivan and Innoviro Industries’ horrific activities has left them utterly reliant on their own wits and weapons.

After surviving a catastrophic earthquake in San Francisco and destroying a secret viral testing facility, Irina’s crew has traveled by a variant portal to London. On the other side of the world, they begin tracking when and where Terra Nova will be unleashed on the world. They know stopping Terra Nova is only the beginning of unraveling Ivan’s plans to reinvent the planet, but if they can’t stop this virus, there will be no one left to save.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Located on BC’s beautiful West Coast, I make my home at the intersection of a lush rainforest and an urban underbelly. I love writing about places and spaces with rich history and visually fascinating elements as a backdrop for the surreal and spectacular. 

In addition to my undergraduate degree in writing and literature, my background also includes corporate communications and design. I am a current member of the Federation of BC Writers and SF Canada.

When not writing, I have a habit of breaking stuff and making stuff – in that order – under the guise of my Etsy alter-ego Sleepless Storyteller (https://www.etsy.com/shop/sleeplessstoryteller).  I share my eclectic home and lifestyle with my husband and two children.

Portfolio and author profile at www.christine-hart.ca.
  
Work experience and professional background at ca.linkedin.com.


https://www.amazon.com/Compendium-Variant-Conspiracy-Book-ebook/dp/B01HQ87Z06

Friday, September 9, 2016

Book Tour Spotlight Smoke and Mirrors by Jess Haines


 

Young Adult / New Adult Fantasy
Date Published: May 1, 2016


A girl who uses her illusions to fool the world into thinking she's just like all the other magi.

A dragon who sees through her lies.

Together they just might survive a world that wants to control or destroy them both.

Kimberly may wield ultimate cosmic power, but even a mage has to pay the rent. No one will hire her for her magic talents until she's got the credentials, so she’s stuck in a crappy rent controlled apartment with her mother, yearning for treats she can't afford at her part time job in a café, counting down the days until she graduates the secret Blackhollow Academy school for magi. Only then will she have the certificate she needs to land her dream job in a coven.
 
The problem? She needs a familiar to graduate.
 
As an illusionist, she doesn't have the ability to summon or create a familiar of her own. Her only option is to convince a supernatural creature to let her bind it instead. Since having a powerful Other at her beck and call would guarantee her a place in a coven after she graduates—and legendary treasure hoards are an added bonus—she thinks binding a dragon as her familiar will solve all her problems...

Because sometimes a girl needs a dragon, not a knight.
 
Excerpt:
 
Viper made a soft hissing sound of irritation between his teeth, pulling back from her. “Cormac has no vision. I know what I want and I’m prepared to offer anything to get it. You have but to ask.”
Well. There was one thing. Her cheeks flared crimson and she squirmed a bit before stuttering out another question, swallowing back her embarrassment.
“You keep a hoard like a dragon, right? I don’t suppose you would consider loaning me a little? I swear I’d pay it back.”
His head tipped to one side, and he looked her up and down anew. She suspected he was just noticing her frayed cuffs and cheap shoes. He’d been so intent on getting whatever it was he wanted out of her that he hadn’t paid attention to the package it came in until now. When she caught the very slight curl of his lip, there and gone in a flash, embarrassed heat filled her cheeks.
Feeling both dirty and humiliated, she ducked her head. “Never mind. I shouldn’t have asked. I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do this.”
“Come now, I’m sure it’s not that hard. All it takes is a yes.”
“No,” she said, this time with a bit more vehemence. Cormac was right. There was something off about Viper, and never mind what a perfect ass she’d just made of herself. Worst of all, that flash of disgust showed he obviously had no respect for her. At least Cormac never made her feel tolerated. “Thank you for the offer, but I’ll find some other way of getting what I need.”
He slowly rose to stand, heaving a sigh as he settled back on his heels.
“That’s unfortunate. This would have been much easier if you had agreed.”
Kimberly would have asked what he meant by that, but the look in his eyes froze her in place.
His eyes burned a molten gold as he spread his arms, which were expanding and shifting at an alarming rate. Faster than she might have thought possible, he was growing, his clothing melting and skin disappearing under a layer of metallic scales. Nearby, people were noticing, shouting and screaming in fear as they stampeded in every direction to escape the shapechanging Other in their midst.
When he ceased growing, from the tip of his nose to the end of his tail, he was over thirty feet long, with a wingspan half again that size.
Kimberly sat immobile, unable to so much as squeak in terror as the beast before her lurched back to arch its neck and spread its wings, barbed tail lashing as it growled at her. One thick, talon-tipped paw lashed out, flattening her on the grass and squeezing the air out of her lungs. It gave an awkward, one-legged hop forward to catch its balance before clenching its claws to dig deep furrows in the grass and close around her waist and legs, pinning her.
Then those wide, ribbed wings began to flap, the sun playing off the tones of brass and copper and gold. The ground fell away, people scattering before the airborne monster.
And Kimberly could do nothing but pray, staring up at this great beast that had her in its claws.
She’d gotten what she’d asked for. Now she would have to pay the price.
 
About the Author:
I'm a displaced New Yorker with a penchant for the silly, the obscure, and the fantastical. These days, you can find me in the Tampa area. I'm currently working on the H&W Investigations urban fantasy series and the Blackhollow Academy young adult/new adult contemporary fantasy series. Find out more about my books, drop me a line, or join my mailing list at www.jesshaines.com!

Contact Information


Purchase Links
Amazon Everywhere Else: http://hyperurl.co/d7dv3u 

Saturday, September 3, 2016

Interview Prodigal Son by Lisa Beth Darling




Prodigal Son-Sister Christian Finale
Blurb:
When the Hour is Darkest Love and Faith Can Conquer All.
In the final installment of the Sister Christian Series, the Court has demanded a hearing regarding Hannah's capacity. Hannah and Nick are falling deeper and deeper in love. Looking forward to a bright future together they begin planning their life together. A shadowy stranger from the past has set his sights on Hannah and her 3.5 million dollar trust fund. Is he really Rick MacNeill, the son Hannah thought died in the terrible fire at Saint Anne's? Is he someone sinister? The last of the family secrets come to light in this roller coaster ride of suspense, love, betrayal, and faith.
SHORT-EXCERPT:

Coming through the soup kitchen line on that fourth day, she smiled at him as she asked; "You're from Michigan?"
Knowing that his plan was working he did his best to keep his cool as he made full eye contact with her for the first time since he started coming here, "Pardon, ma'am?"
Hannah was thunderstruck by the sight of those piercing blue eyes. Her stomach turned and a knot twisted in her throat making her feel as though she were about to vomit. Catching her breath and trying hard not to stare at those eyes or the arch of his brow and the line of his nose, she cleared her throat as she fumbled for recovery, "I saw the plate on your car yesterday, I'm from Michigan too, Victorville, you probably never heard of it."
"Me too," he mumbled and held his burnt hands out for the steaming cup but she didn't release it to him right away.
Trying not to stare at him and appear rude, Hannah thought he man looked oddly familiar but she couldn't quite place him. He seemed far too young for her to have known when she lived there but it was the only logical explanation coming to her mind, "Did you go to Saint Mark's?" No, probably hadn't been in her class but maybe he was the younger brother or even the son of one of her old classmates.
"Me? No, ma'am, I went to school at Saint Mary's Orphanage, that's where I grew up. But I was born at Saint Anne's." He'd been anticipating a reaction but when her eyes welled with tears and the hot cup between them spilled its hot contents over her hands it was more than he'd hoped, "Ma'am? Are you ok? Here let me take that."
Letting go of the cup she picked up a nearby dishrag to wipe the hot broth from her hands, "Clumsy sometimes, I'm sorry, did you get…did you get burned?" Even as she handed over the dishrag for him to clean his hands, Hannah shook her head slightly admonishing herself. Of course he'd been burned, what a stupid thing to say.
Settling the cup of soup down on his tray he gave her a smile as he held up his hands for her to get a really good look, "They don't feel anything. I got burned a long time ago all the way to the bone."
A bolt of ice shot down Hannah's spine as she wavered on her feet with her knees suddenly threatening to give out from under her. "I'm-I'm sorry about that."
"Why? You didn't do it, did'ja?"
With her throat threatening to swell so much it cut off her air supply and her knees growing weaker, Hannah grabbed her side of the counter to keep steady as she choked out a question, "What's your name?"
"Richard, my friends call me Ricky." Without waiting for her to reply he slid the tray down the line where the nun was waiting to give him French fries and a chicken salad sandwich.  Taking his customary seat where he could see Hannah serving people from behind the line he watched her excuse herself and run off into the kitchen.  Trying not to be too obvious about it, he adjusted his seat and craned his neck until he saw her downing a few pills from the bottle in her pocket. She grabbed the side of the long metal preparing table, bent over it, and tried to catch her breath even as she shook her head, "Got'cha, hook, line and sinker."
INTERVIEW
Tell us a bit about yourselves.
I'm glad you said 'yourselves' because my stories are definitely a collaboration between The Muse and me. I don't always win in fact, he wins out far more often than I do. As for me; I'm rapidly approaching my 50th birthday, I've been married for 30 years to my wonderful husband and together we've raised two daughters. I love chocolate, can't live without it for too long, my cats (I have 3). I love to grow things in the nice weather although I no longer have an in-ground garden, I still do it in containers on my deck and converted a small row boat into an herb garden. I'm a big movie buff with a collection of more than 500 DVDs and Blu-ray discs. That doesn't count the hundreds of VHS tapes stored away that will never be watched again because I no longer own a VHS player but I just can't part with them. So it's a good thing I finally got a Netflix account now I don't have to buy as many discs but I still buy the ones I know I'll watch over and over again such as "The Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" series (all extended versions, of course), all of "The Avengers" associated movies; geez I love 'Captain America', and my latest favorite "Dead Pool".

What do you absolutely have to have nearby when writing?
Like me my desk is very eclectic I have scented candles, a Dancing Groot, a Peanut puppet that talks, a crystal ball, and all kinds of kitchy stuff. Those items are permanent. When writing I must have 1 hot drink and 1 cold drink (preferably potent), some burning incense, the iTunes blaring Classic Rock, and my cigs along with another…ah…all-natural smokeable substance.

 What's the weirdest thing you've googled?
Wow, tough one. Being an author I Google a lot of weird stuff and hope the NSA isn't checking out my browser history. LOL I've researched everything from poisons to derive/extract from plants along with how fast they work and their symptoms to rabies, medieval weaponry/torture devices, and an assortment of medical aliments with the drugs used to treat them.

 What is your guilty pleasure, I can’t miss it TV show?
Supernatural. Oh, I just love Sam and Dean. If I miss an episode I can be upset for days when its' gone on hiatus I watch the past seasons on Netflix.

 If you could go anywhere real or fictional where would it be?
A real place would be Greece I want to dance until dawn uninhibited—maybe naked-- on a white sandy beach with a big glass of Ouzo in my hand and visit all of the ancient ruins. For fictional place I really want to live in Hobbiton. I think it's just a wonderfully peaceful place and I would fit right in. Besides, I'm height-challenged so those Hobbit Holes are perfect for me.

 Are you a coffee or tea woman?
COFFEE!! I can't live without it! Honestly, I just do not function without several cups of good old Colombian coffee.

 Paperbacks, hardcovers, or ebooks?
If it's an author I just adore then I buy the hardcovers otherwise I'll go for the paperback. I haven't caught up with the times; I don't even own an e-reader.

 Do you currently have anything in the works?  If so can you give us any hints?
My latest release, "Prodigal Son" is the fourth and final installment in my Sister Christian series. It releases on August 30, 2016. Don't let the title of the series fool you, even though it is suitable for a Christian audience, it is definitely not a 'Christian' or 'religious' series. In fact, the title comes from the Night Range tune of the same name. It's about a long-lost brother and sister; Richard Mason and Hannah Rice. In this installment the last of the family secrets is revealed when a shadowy figure lurks around Hannah, pretending to be the son she lost in a fire shortly after his birth.
AUTHOR BIO:
Lisa Beth Darling is 49 years-old, lives in her hometown of New London, CT with her husband of 30 years, Roy and is mother to their two daughters.  She is the author of more than fifteen novels along with several short stories and non-fiction books. When she’s not writing she likes to garden and is an avid movie buff.
Author links:
Blog: http://lbdarling.wordpress.com
Twitter: @lb_darling
Facebook: http://facebook.com/lbdarling
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1577311.Lisa_Beth_Darling
Purchase Links:
Amazon/Kindle: http://amazon.com/author/lisadarling
Nook: http://barnesandnoble.com/c/lisa-beth-darling
iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/lisa-beth-darling/id411650358?mt=11
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lisadarling


Thursday, September 1, 2016

Book Tour Lyrical Press Contemporary Romances w/ Giveaway






A Moment of Bliss
by Heather McGovern

GENRE: Contemporary Romance

BLURB:

Nestled in the lush green mountains of North Carolina, the Honeywilde Inn will be a romantic’s dream getaway—if only the Bradley siblings can keep it running. It will take a combination of hard work, good luck, and the kind of love that dreams are made of…

Roark Bradley is no stranger to responsibility. Growing up, he practically raised his younger siblings while his parents threw themselves into working the inn—and arguing with each other. Determined to make the Honeywilde shine once more, Roark jumps at the chance to conduct business with a no-nonsense event planner who approaches him about celebrity nuptials that could put the inn back on the map. If only it wasn’t so tempting to discuss some no-strings attached pleasure with her instead…

Madison Kline is done with weddings—at least personally. Her own youthful mistake is a well-guarded secret, and one she refuses to repeat. But as she and bold, broad-shouldered Roark work together to make a rock star couple’s wedding a reality, she finds herself wishing romance didn’t feel like a four-letter word. Can either of them surrender their hard-won independence and workaholic ways for something sweeter—and even more rewarding?...

Excerpt:

“Wright named them that. Says it’s because they’ll make your eyes roll back in pleasure. His words, not mine. And he calls the frosted ones Frosty Fixations.”

She rubbed at her mouth to hide her grin over the ridiculous names.

“He’s a fanatic, I’m telling you. But I can’t eat just one. Would you like to try a Pumpkin Pleasure Roll?”

Would she like to try one?

She barely managed not to laugh like a hyena. Hell yes, she would like to try a whole plate of them and then roll around in the crumbs, but she was not going to fall victim to the inn’s goodies yet. Not until she knew this deal wasn’t going to blow up in her face.

“No, thank you.”

“Seriously?”

She couldn’t believe it either. The self-restraint she was practicing right now would impress a nun.

Roark stepped aside. “Suit yourself then. Feel free to have a look around the kitchen. You’ll see the enormous vat of vanilla mixture over there. It’s been known to attack. Give it a wide berth.”

Madison turned away so he couldn’t see her smile. She was here to work; to broker a deal that meant she was capable of succeeding on her own. That deal meant practically taking over his inn for a weekend and pulling off the impossible in about three weeks. She was not here to smile and laugh with the good-looking inn owner.

The kitchen was clean but recently used and cluttered. Wright might be a messy chef, but he tidied up afterwards. The revamps Roark had mentioned showed in the new commercial oven and appliances.

Luckily, she was capable of doing a thorough yet speedy overview of everything. The longer she spent in this kitchen, the more tempted she was to stuff a cookie in her mouth.

A scenario ran through her mind. What was the likelihood she could scarf down one, possibly three, cookies without anyone noticing?

She finished checking out the kitchen and wound back around to the front, right in time to find Roark polishing off a Pumpkin Pleasure Roll.

His cheeks full, he dipped his chin, color rushing to his face. When he got done chewing, the strong line of his jaw was back in place, but his cheeks were still pink. Roark’s flush was a complete contradiction to his steady gaze and serious look. He wiped his fingers on a napkin and smoothed his shirt down, as though straightening a tie that wasn’t there.

“Busted.” He smiled, showing the tiniest hint of a dimple in his right cheek.

In that moment, Madison finally admitted the truth to herself. Between the cookies and the resort owner, Roark Bradley was the yummiest choice.



AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Heather McGovern writes contemporary romance in swoony, southern settings. While her love of travel and adventure takes her far, there is no place quite like home. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and son, and a collection of Legos that's threatening to take over the house. When she isn't writing, she's working out, or binging on books and Netflix.
She is a member of Romance Writers of America, as well as Carolina Romance Writers, and she's represented by Nicole Resciniti of The Seymour Agency.
Connect with Heather on her website, Facebook, Twitter, or her group blog. She'd love to hear to from you!

Buy the book:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-moment-of-bliss-heather-mcgovern/1123015011?ean=9781601838360