31 May 2020

Speakeasy - Book Blitz

Speakeasy
by A.M. Dunnewin




Suspense Thriller / Historical


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What they say: The novella is centred on Eddie Durante, owner of a speakeasy who's supported by his mobster uncle—the boss of the Durante family. Eddie is a young widower after his family's rival, the Caprice family, murdered his wife over a territory dispute. After devising a plan that retaliated against four of the rivaling capos, Eddie is left with the daunting task to try and move on. That is, until he's notified that the Caprices have put a hit man in the speakeasy—and Eddie's name is on the list. But things take an unexpected turn when Eddie instead starts to find the dead bodies of his relatives, the ones who had helped in the retaliation.

Behind the backdrop of jazz music and glistening flappers, murder after murder begins to unravel as revenge takes center stage, and Eddie soon learns that some secrets can’t be taken to the grave.


Excerpt:

Once the doors were closed, Sal didn’t take long to get right to the point. “They know it was you, Eddie.”

The words slapped him across the face, but Eddie didn’t respond.

“That you were the one who came up with the idea,” Sal continued. “They’re out for retaliation, and it’s rumored that they’ve sent a torpedo into this juice joint of yours. That’s part of the reason why I’m not being too open with the information. Afraid of who might be listening.”

A hit man in his speakeasy. Eddie stared out the windshield, watching Sal begin to light a cigarette out of the corner of his eye. “I had a lot of ideas,” he remarked hoarsely, fear and dread subtly mixing into his thoughts.

“Only took one,” Sal responded as he lit the cigarette. He silently offered one to Eddie, who refused with a shake of his head. “Sorry, kid,” Sal explained as he took a puff. “After what they did to your wife, I wouldn’t have blamed ya.”

Eddie remained silent, his eyes drifting to the bootleggers who were moving the last of the crates. No wonder they weren’t laying their eyes on him. He was a dead target.

Sal took another drag on his cigarette, taking a moment for himself. “Don’t worry, though,” he finally remarked. “Your family’s got your back. My brother-in-law, your dear uncle, has requested that Joe stay by your side until we can square away if there’s a torpedo and who it is.”

“What?” Eddie balked, shattering his calm exterior.

“It’s temporary,” Sal cooed, trying to calm the young man down. “He’s just some extra protection.”

Eddie gawked, unable to believe that they’d send Joe, of all people, to protect him. “He’s crazy,” was all Eddie could summarize when it came to his cousin.

“He’s happy,” Sal tried to smooth over.

“Trigger happy,” Eddie corrected.

Sal shrugged his shoulders. “He gets the job done. And when the boss’ favorite nephew needs protection, the boss will only send the very best.”

“I don’t need protection,” Eddie fought back, trying not to raise his voice to the lunacy. “And even if I did, I have Anthony and Marcus in there—”

“Little orphan Anthony and Baby Marcus?” Sal choked, half laughing, half sputtering on the cigarette smoke. “Marcus is too naive, and Anthony,” but Sal had to chuckle first before he could continue. “Well, ya better just pray your killer isn’t a female.”

“Thanks for warning me,” Eddie begrudgingly admitted as he pulled the door handle…


Author Spotlight:



A. M. Dunnewin grew up with a taste for mysteries and thrillers, inherited ever so lovingly from her family. An affiliate member of the Horror Writers Association, A. M.’s own stories cover a wide range of genres that tend to take a dark turn when least expected. With a B.A. in Psychology, she’s a gambler of words, obsessed with chai tea, and addicted to books – everything from classical literature to graphic novels. Other hobbies include art, history, music, equestrianism, and a good classic film. She currently dwells in Northern California.



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30 May 2020

The Black Cup - Book Blitz

The Black Cup
by Alec Lavictoire





Middle-Grade Fantasy
Published Date: May 29th 2020


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What they say: Twelve-year-old Max knows the King wants him dead. Born with his heart outside of his rib cage, Max is abandoned at birth by his father and raised by a kind witch who sacrifices all to keep him safe from the outside world. In time, Max’s father ruthlessly ascends to the throne and becomes the most feared king in history thanks to The Black Cup’s evil powers. When he learns that the baby he abandoned years ago still lives, and is now nearly a man, the King orders his troops to find and kill Max so that his rule will go unchallenged by his own blood. Rather than run away from the danger, Max embarks on a journey toward the city to seek his father and prevent further destruction of the kingdom and its people. That’s where the witch, the King, and Max are set on a collision course. The world they have known, and the lives they have lived, will be changed forever.


Author Spotlight: 


Alec Lavictoire was born and raised in Northern Ontario and now resides in Orangeville, Canada with his wife and two sons who served as the inspiration for the hero of this tale. Alec’s love of adventure has taken him all over the world on extended backpack treks where he thrives on coming up against the unknowns hidden around every corner. Some of Alec’s short stories have appeared in Fiction on the Web, 50 Word Stories, and Commuter Lit. This is his first novel.



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29 May 2020

New Release - The Lady Alchemist

The Lady Alchemist
by Samantha Vitale




What they say: In a land torn between magic and alchemy, Sepha is an exceptional alchemist, able to bend the rules in ways no one else can. But when a slip of the tongue lands her in prison with a mountain of straw, even she has to admit that she can’t transmute straw into gold.

With the threat of a death sentence hanging over her, she’s forced to make a deal with a conniving magician. Sepha escapes with her life – but at a cost: she has one year to alchemically create a body for the magician, or else her firstborn child will be his.

As Sepha’s deadline approaches, she uncovers a deadly secret. How can she save her country when the body she owes the magician will be used to destroy it?

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28 May 2020

Am Reading - Thorn

Thorn - Dauntless Path #1
by Intisar Khanani




What they say: For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed.

Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.

But powerful men have powerful enemies--and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.

Thorn will be re-released by HarperTeen in Winter 2020.


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27 May 2020

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - The One and Only Bob

Cute!!

The One and Only Bob
The One and Only Ivan #2
by Katherine Applegate





What they say: Bob sets out on a dangerous journey in search of his long-lost sister with the help of his two best friends, Ivan and Ruby. As a hurricane approaches and time is running out, Bob finds courage he never knew he had and learns the true meaning of friendship and family.


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26 May 2020

Am Reading - Live Like Legends

Live Like Legends
by Kate Cornell



What they say: Princess Kalista spent her entire life preparing to be the wife of a prince from a peaceful kingdom. But then she is instead forced to marry the warrior prince of a cursed land. An immortal beast ravages Prince Carson’s kingdom, and now she’s expected to kill it because of some legend about her bloodline. But as lessons in swordplay lead to lessons in love, her destiny puts more than just her life at risk…

Releasing 1st June (US) 


Watch out for my review coming soon!
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25 May 2020

Review - Dark Reflections


Dark Reflections
by Kelsey Ketch




What they say: Being possessed by a vampire sucks!



Alana Jones’s world has been completely turned upside-down after being bitten by a vampire’s reflection in a cursed mirror. Now she’s forced to stay in an abandoned Victorian inn on an isolated island off the west coast of Florida, where Alana lives a double life: one as herself and one as a vicious murderer. Over the past year, she has spilt and drunk the blood of sixteen victims. The guilt of their deaths slowly eating away her sanity.

Sixteen dead . . .

However, things become even more complicated when Alana finds Cole, a surfer she felt a connection with the moment they met on the mainland, locked up in the island’s shed. Knowing his death is inevitable, she attempts to distant herself from him, continually reminding herself of the monster residing underneath her skin. Unfortunately, it’s a small island, and the more she interacts with Cole, the more her feelings grow for him.

Eventually, she has to make a decision. Either accept his fate or find a way to expel the vampire’s spirit from within herself before she murders him as well.



I received a copy in exchange for an honest review!

What I say: Alana is possessed by a vampire. Yep it was a new one for me too as most possession stories focus on spirits but I liked this take. The vampire, Charissa isn't exactly stable and is desperate to be free and doesn't care who she hurts *ahem* drinks and kills at night. Alana wakes up and is left to deal with the horrors and consequences of Charissa's actions.

Alana is feels a huge amount of guilt for Charissa's actions and struggles with what to do. When she wakes to find Charissa has 'befriend' ahem kidnapped Cole, a guy Alana had met and had an instant connection with, Alana is confused and furious as to why. I enjoyed seeing the connection between Alana and Cole grow, although I have to admit it took me a long time to warm to Alana because although I felt sorry for her situation I wanted her to be more proactive. As the story developed I began to like her more and really wanted her to find a way to break the curse and get rid of Charissa.

I liked the insights into the victims but I did feel that, at times at least, there was a little too much victim backstory because I wanted to see more of the action. Nikola was interesting... I'm trying to avoid spoilers here! 

I'm going to be wary of buying any antique mirrors for a while...

3.5 Stars in my Sky!

Hosted by YA Bound

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24 May 2020

Review - The Girl of Ink and Stars

The Girl of Ink and Stars
by Kiran Millwood Hargrave




What they say: Winner of the Waterstones Children's Book Prize 2017, and the British Book Awards' Children's Book of Year 2017 

Forbidden to leave her island, Isabella Riosse dreams of the faraway lands her father once mapped.

When her closest friend disappears into the island’s Forgotten Territories, she volunteers to guide the search. As a cartographer’s daughter, she’s equipped with elaborate ink maps and knowledge of the stars, and is eager to navigate the island’s forgotten heart.

But the world beyond the walls is a monster-filled wasteland – and beneath the dry rivers and smoking mountains, a legendary fire demon is stirring from its sleep. Soon, following her map, her heart and an ancient myth, Isabella discovers the true end of her journey: to save the island itself. 



What I say: The plot of The Girl of Ink and Stars is very different to the story I was expecting, but in a good way. It's a mature middle-grade/YA fantasy adventure meets coming of age story. There's a Moana wanderer vibe combined with a Lord of the Flies element, where people have the potential to be worse than the monsters. There is joy and adventure but real moments of sadness and difficulty.

Isabelle (Isa) wants to explore the world and help her cartographer father create maps. She dreams of wonderful adventures in the Forgotten Territories and beyond. The book itself is an elaborate map and the story has interconnection sections woven together like a map so that it becomes a living part of the story. Isa is brave, headstrong and charming. I wanted her to succeed and felt her sorrow at certain events.

The supporting characters are well developed and added to the story. Oh Lupe and Pablo! I'm also considering a pet chicken!

The message of hope and overcoming adversity really shines through. There's a real sins of the father vibe as well as brilliant friendships. I liked how the darker, more distressing elements were handled and not glossed over. It brings a touch of realism to a fantasy story.

The ending was bittersweet for me. I was happy with how it finished but sad at certain losses.

4 Stars in my sky!

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23 May 2020

Ancient Dreams - Book Blitz

Ancient Dreams
by JP Roth





YA Mythical Romance


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"My tale starts with a 'once upon a time' -- A long time ago, beings lived who could control the elements, immortality, and time. We called them gods and gave them our worship. They played with us like toys, took our lives and sabotaged our love. Now, the gods are myths. Stories in books--not to be confused with our modern world. I believed this until I found myself tumbling into a dream. This dream takes me to another life. To a forgotten time in a bloody age. I dream of Hades's son and a lustful goddess. I dream of limitless power and revolving time. I dream a death and love that was mine...
My name is Cara Wynter-- and this is my story."
Cara Wynter is a literature student living with her twin sister, Lily, in Fairhaven Washington. A daughter of witches, touch brings Cara only pain, and dark visions of pasts and futures she can rarely change. Already fighting to exist in her strange reality, she begins to crumble when the reoccurring dreams of her own death begin. In a desperate attempt to unlock the secrets in the violent images, she finds herself lost in a contest between love--and the will of the ancient gods. With only forgotten memories and the pages of a book to guide her, she struggles to understand her past and break a deadly curse. Cara must face her worst fears--to save the soul of a god she has treasured for centuries, and a love she cannot live without.


Author Spotlight: 



Author, dreamer and wild child extraordinaire: JP Roth is an American Novelist, and owner of Rothic comics, founded in 2012, through which she has produced and published five of her original series. JP Roth lives in Long Beach, CA with her beautiful family, and their adorable Bichon Frise. Her days are spent writing fanciful stories, walking on the beach, and attending comic conventions across the globe. While JP Roth enjoys travelling to exotic locations, she admittedly prefers to stay home, wrapped in a soft fluffy blanket, drinking tea and penning her next novel.


Purchase here:




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22 May 2020

Am Reading - The Darkest Part of the Forest

The Darkest Part of the Forest
by Holly Black




What they say: Near the little town of Fairfold, in the darkest part of the forest, lies a glass casket. Inside the casket lies a sleeping faerie prince that none can rouse. He's the most fascinating thing Hazel and her brother Ben have ever seen. They dream of waking him - but what happens when dreams come true? In the darkest part of the forest, you must be careful what you wish for...

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20 May 2020

Whatcha Reading Wednesday - A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Frost and Starlight 
A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1
by Sarah J. Maas




What they say: Hope warms the coldest night.

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. 

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

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19 May 2020

Am Reading - Looking Glass

Looking Glass - The Chronicles of Alice
by Christina Henry



What they say: In four new novellas, Christina Henry returns to the universe she created for Alice and Red Queen, where magic runs more freely than anyone suspects, but so do secrets and blood.

Lovely Creature
In the New City lives a girl called Elizabeth, a girl who has a secret: she can do magic. But someone knows Elizabeth's secret--someone who has a secret of his own. That secret is a butterfly that lives in a jar, a butterfly made by a girl called Alice.

Girl in Amber
Alice and Hatcher are just looking for a place to rest. Alice has been dreaming of a cottage by a lake and a field of wildflowers, but while walking blind in a snowstorm they stumble into a castle that seems empty and abandoned...at least until nightfall.

When I First Came to Town
Hatcher wasn't always Hatcher. Once, he was a boy called Nicholas, and Nicholas fancied himself the best fighter in the Old City. No matter who fought him he always won. Then his boss tells him he's going to battle the fearsome Grinder, a man who never leaves his opponents alive.

The Mercy Seat
Alice has a secret--a secret that not even Hatcher knows yet, but pretty soon she won't be able to keep it from him.

More info over at GR...
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18 May 2020

Fire & Ice - Book Blitz

Fire & Ice
by Victoria R. Maybury




Young Adult Fantasy


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What they say: Fire and Ice is a fantasy young adult novel that follows a young woman on a big adventure, filled with love, mystery, and suspense.

Ash is forced into an arranged marriage, which does not turn out for the better, causing her to take refuge with the man she was supposed to marry. From there, she tries to find her parents' true murderers while surviving their attempts to find her. During this journey, she must fight her feelings for the man she believes to have killed her parents and his friends who accept her with open arms.


Purchase Links:




Excerpt:

Ash was free. She quickly walked away, pulling her hood and scarf up over the masterpiece that the maids had done. They are probably dead now. The thought popped into her head and she quickly shoved it away. Ash had to stay free. She could mourn the dead later. They probably were dead even if Ash didn’t want to accept that just yet. Her father had always been light on guards and warriors due to the fact that they would like to get paid for their work. So they had only had four guards, Carmel Baum, and a young warrior, Gillith Preslar, who had become Ash’s best—and only—friend. She and Gill had grown up together under Carmel’s training, and he was like a brother to her.

Now she worried about him. If he comes back, what will he do? Should I leave a message for him or just pray that he finds his way? She decided to go to the old hunting house, which she knew was nearby, and, hopefully, he would figure out where she was. She smiled a real smile for the first time that day and slowed down a bit to enjoy her newfound freedom, even though it had come at a terrible cost.

Then there was a shout. “Hey, you! Come back to your wedding!” a rough, male voice shouted.

Ash froze. Was she caught? How had they found her? Then she looked at her hands and saw that she still wore the gloves. She chided herself for her stupidity and bolted into the woods. As she reached the entrance to the forest, an ironic thought popped into her head: She was now being in hunted in the woods where she had once been a hunter.


Author Spotlight:

Upcoming teen author Victoria R. Maybury grew up in Togo, West Africa where she learned about many cultures and ways of life that can be seen in her writing today. After she and her family moved to Canada, Maybury was inspired by a dream to compose her first book.





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17 May 2020

Coming Soon - Ruthless Princess

This one is definitely not for younger readers!

Ruthless Princess
by Rachel Van Dyken



What they say: A mafia romance about best friends turned enemies by Rachel Van Dyken, the number one New York Times bestselling author of the Eagle Elite series.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend…
I never thought my father would ask this of me, to become the second generation at Eagle Elite University, to rule with an iron fist, and to take care of anyone who gets in our way.
But ever since the incident.
Ever since Him.
There’s been a war in our little clique.
After all, a house divided cannot stand.
He’s the problem, not me.
He used to kiss me like I was his oxygen.
Now he looks at me like I’m his poison.
But we both drank it, again and again, never believing there would be a day when our love would start a war.
And our friendship would shatter into a million pieces.
Then again, the worst thing you could do in the mafia is hang on to hope that your life will be normal.
The second worse thing?
Fall in love with your best friend.
Enemy.
And heir to the Nicolasi throne


More info here!
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16 May 2020

Reread - Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes

Fun children's book - I love a cupcake hunt!

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes
by Kimberly and James Dean




What they say: Join Pete the Cat as he counts cupcakes! Help Pete the Cat and his friends find the missing cupcakes! Pete the Cat and his friends are busy as can be baking cupcakes for a party, and Pete can’t wait to perform with his groovy band. But some of the cupcakes have gone missing! Who could have taken them? In this latest Pete the Cat picture book adventure, by New York Times bestselling authors James and Kimberly Dean, Pete and the gang solve the mystery of the missing cupcakes and learn that it’s cool to be kind.

The fun never stops—watch the grovin’ video online.

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15 May 2020

Spotlight - Tyrannosaurus Wrecks

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks - FunJungle #6
by Stuart Gibbs



What they say: In the latest novel in New York Times bestselling author Stuart Gibbs’s FunJungle series, Teddy Fitzroy returns as FunJungle’s resident sleuth to solve his most improbable mystery yet—with a victim that’s 65 million years old.

Teddy was all set for a campout at his friend Sage’s family ranch—but then Sage gets terrible news: The skull of a rare dinosaur that was being excavated on his property has mysteriously vanished overnight in the middle of a rainstorm, even though it weighed 500 pounds. Not a single footprint has been left behind. Since the dinosaur was top secret, the police don’t believe anyone outside the dig could have stolen it.

A T-rex skull can sell for millions of dollars, and everyone is a suspect—including J.J. McCracken, the owner of FunJungle.

Meanwhile, Teddy’s old foes, the Barksdale twins, have gotten into trouble with an illegally purchased anaconda, and Teddy’s girlfriend Summer wants to find out who’s behind the local trade in black market reptiles. The two cases will drag Teddy into more danger and chaos than ever before, in this mystery that’s stranger than fiction.

For more info on Tyrannosaurus Wrecks head here!
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14 May 2020

Am Reading - Dark Reflections

Dark Reflections
by Kelsey Ketch




What they say: Being possessed by a vampire sucks!

Alana Jones’s world has been completely turned upside-down after being bitten by a vampire’s reflection in a cursed mirror. Now she’s forced to stay in an abandoned Victorian inn on an isolated island off the west coast of Florida, where Alana lives a double life: one as herself and one as a vicious murderer. Over the past year, she has spilt and drunk the blood of sixteen victims. The guilt of their deaths slowly eating away her sanity.

Sixteen dead...

However, things become even more complicated when Alana finds Cole, a surfer she felt a connection with the moment they met on the mainland, locked up in the island’s shed. Knowing his death is inevitable, she attempts to distant herself from him, continually reminding herself of the monster residing underneath her skin. Unfortunately, it’s a small island, and the more she interacts with Cole, the more her feelings grow for him.

Eventually, she has to make a decision. Either accept his fate or find a way to expel the vampire’s spirit from within herself before she murders him as well.


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