Cover Reveal: A Tragic Consequence by JC Morrows

Today is the cover reveal for A Tragic Consequence by JC Morrows. This cover reveal is organized by Lola's Blog Tours.

A Tragic Consequence (Order of the MoonStone #4)
by JC Morrows
Genre: Dystopian
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 25 October 2016

Blurb:
FORCED TO FLEE . . . WOUNDED . . . AND ON THE RUN . . .

Not exactly a safe place for a former assassin and a prince with a price on his head.

In the dark streets of Auralius, Kayden and her prince struggle to find a way to set the country right again. But the Order of the MoonStone has a long reach and a strong grip.

Will the two of them be able to find a way to bring down Kayden's former employers?

Or will Kayden's unusual charm help them to find an ally where there was none?

You can find A Tragic Consequence on Goodreads.

 

Check out the free series sampler!
The Order of the MoonStone sampler

by J.C. Morrows

Blurb:
A Country… A King… A Choice…

When she falls in love with her target, Kayden realizes she cannot fulfill her mission. Now she will have to reveal her deepest, darkest secrets to the Prince… or it could mean both their lives.

This FREE digital sampler includes excerpts from the first four books in JC Morrows' romantic, edge-of-your-seat suspense-filled, bestselling young adult series—as well as a teaser to the highly anticipated fifth book, A Broken Kingdom!

You can get this sampler for free at the following places:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Scribd
- Inketera


About the Author:
JC Morrows - Bestselling author of YA Christian speculative fiction, drinker of coffee and avid reader - is a storyteller in the truest sense of the word. JC has been telling stories in one form or another her entire life and once her mother convinced her to write them down, she couldn't stop.

You can find and contact JC Morrows here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Newsletter
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Tumblr

Giveaway
There is a cover reveal wide giveaway for the cover reveal of A Tragic Consequence. These are the prizes you can win:

• paperback copy of one book in the Order of the Moonstone series by JC Morrows, winners choice (US only)
• e-copy of one book in the Order of the Moonstone series by JC Morrows, winners choice (International)

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Adult MC Thriller Review: Iron Goddess by Dharma Kelleher

This is my stop during the blog tour for Iron Goddess by Dharma Kelleher. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 18 till 31 July, you can view the tour schedule here.

Iron Goddess (Shea Stevens Thriller #1)
by Dharma Kelleher
Genre: Noir Thriller
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 28 June 2016

Blurb:
In this gritty, fast-paced debut thriller, an ex-con biker chick turned law-abiding citizen risks everything to save her new life—and confront the demons of her past.

Shea Stevens is biker royalty. Her father was the president of the Confederate Thunder Motorcycle Club. Under his watchful eye, she learned how to pick locks, disable alarms, and hot-wire cars like a pro. But all that is ancient history. Or so she thought . . .

After a stint in prison, Shea has worked hard to make a quiet, happy life for herself in Arizona. She spends her time bonding with her big-city girlfriend and running her bike shop, Iron Goddess Custom Cycles, with her dedicated team of misfits. But when one of her employees is shot and three of her specially commissioned bikes are stolen, Shea’s new life collides with the criminal underworld she tried to leave behind.

Shea knows better than to trust the police. So, with her Glock on her hip, she takes the investigation into her own hands. Shea’s search for the bike thieves leads her straight to her father’s old gang—and her estranged sister, whose young daughter has been kidnapped by a rival club. The last thing Shea wants is to be caught in the middle of a war—but if she learned one thing from her old man, it’s that when someone comes at you, you push back. Hard. And that’s exactly what she’s going to do.

My Review:
Iron Goddess is about Shea Stevens, a young woman with a past who’s made a life for herself building custom bikes for women and employing folks with a past to give them a second chance at a normal life. All that is great, and then she finds one of her young employees, a former addict, lying shot on the floor of her shop and the three, shiny new custom bikes her crew just finished gone. After that, she gets pulled into a dangerous game of trying to track down the bikes and the niece she never knew she had while, at the same time, reconciling with her estranged sister.

Alright, first off, wow. This book’s a lot of fun. It’s exciting and dangerous, non-stop. I really had trouble putting it down. And it’s all like something out of a TV show; I could totally picture myself getting addicted to it. The main character is strong, but not unrealistically so. She fights back, but doesn’t always win. I also dug how the story isn’t solving just one crime, but multiple ones, and the culprits aren’t obvious. It gets really scary at times, and I felt emotionally invested early on.

Folks who dig an action-packed thriller, but fear this may be more of a romance based on the LGBT tag need not worry. This isn’t a romance, and there aren’t any detailed love scenes. Really, it just happens that the main character has a girlfriend and her business partner used to be a woman. All of it just seems to be how it is, nothing special, as it should be.

More importantly for folks who are sensitive to it, this book features graphic violence and holds no bars for strong language. After all, the main character is caught up in a gang war. It fits the genre; just don’t be surprised.

Overall, I loved this book, and I would highly recommend it to adult fans of action, MC, and strong heroines. It’s a gritty read, but exciting and satisfying. I’m looking forward to another installment. Oh, and I love that cover art and how it portrays Shea.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley so that I could review it on my blog for my stop on Lola’s Blog Tours.
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You can find Iron Goddess on Goodreads

You can buy Iron Goddess here:
- Amazon
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks


About the Author:
Dharma Kelleher writes gritty tales about outlaws, renegades, and misfits. Her hobbies include riding motorcycles, picking locks, and getting inked. Her debut novel IRON GODDESS will be published by Penguin Random House’s Alibi imprint on June 28, 2016. Learn more about her and her writing at dharmakelleher.com.

You can find and contact Dharma here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Instagram

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Iron Goddess. This giveaway is US and Canada only. Below are the prizes you can win:
- a 25$ amazon gift card
- earplugs with the Iron Goddess shop logo

For a chance to win enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Paula Berinstein's Top Ten Favorite Sleuths: Tour Stop for Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy

This is my stop during the blog tour for Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy by Paula Berinstein. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 18 till 31 July, you can view the complete tour schedule here. For my stop, I asked Paula to share her top ten favorite sleuths.

Paula Berinstein's Top Ten Favorite Sleuths

Selecting a top ten anything is difficult. Coming up with my top ten favorite sleuths is close to impossible. So I’ve created a list that includes both the classic and the new, the predictable and the offbeat. I’d love to hear what your choices would be! Here are mine.

Sherlock Holmes. Well, duh. C. Auguste Dupin might have been the “first” detective, but Holmes is indisputably the greatest—the one from whom all the others spring, so I gotta have him. My favorite Holmes story is The Hound of the Baskervilles because of the atmosphere.

Barbara Havers. Sergeant Havers is Thomas Lynley’s sidekick in Elizabeth George’s outstanding Inspector Lynley series, and she’s really grown on me. Her personal life is a disaster. She rumples her clothes just by looking at them and can barely manage to organize her life, if “organize” even applies to her. She flouts the rules and constantly brings trouble on herself. But she’s astute and perceptive and a top-notch detective. I just love her. Start with A Great Deliverance.

Nancy Drew. Another classic, and one I think of as formative for me personally. When I was a kid, my friends and I used to compete to see who could read the most Nancy Drew books. I can’t remember who won, but since it was so much fun it doesn’t matter. I love the Nancy Drew games too. I have tons of them. I don’t like the part in the middle where they start the clock and make you do things really fast, though. I always get stuck there. Start with The Secret of the Old Clock.

Aloysius Pendergast. Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child’s very rich, very weird FBI special agent from New Orleans is one of my current favorites. I love the way the authors infuse magical realism into their novels. Because of the almost supernatural element, Pendergast is practically superhuman, but not quite. I highly recommend this series for anyone who likes mysteries. The fifteenth title just came out, but start with Relic.

Hermione Granger. Now before you tell me that this Harry Potter kid isn’t a detective, think about the stories a little. Each of J.K. Rowling’s Potter books centers around a mystery: what and where is the philospher’s stone, where is the chamber of secrets and what does it hold, who is the Half-blood Prince, where are the horcruxes, etc. And who manages to get to the heart of each matter? Hermione. She’s so dedicated that she even time travels in order to make time for her sleuthing. Sure, she’s a little bossy, but nobody’s perfect.

Inspector Clouseau. Speaking of disasters, Blake Edwards’s detective from the Pink Panther movies is just about the silliest you’ll find. The TV detective Dirk Gently, played by Stephen Mangan, gives him a run for his money, but Clouseau is still the funniest with his signature “Do you have a room?” query and his combative houseboy.

Cracker. Sure, he’s a hard drinking, chain-smoking wreck of a human being, but Robbie Coltrane gives “Fitz” Fitzgerald such magnetism that I don’t care. I wish they’d made more episodes, though. Maybe they’ll bring him back?

Monk. I do seem to like dysfunctional detectives, and Adrian Monk is right up there. Of course if you’re going to give a detective a disease, obsessive-compulsive disorder is the perfect one because it helps him solve cases, even as it gets in the way of his life. Fortunately for us, the way Monk manifests his affliction is laugh out loud funny as well as highly effective.
 
Lieutenant Provenza. G.W. Bailey’s L.A. cop in the TV series “The Closer” and “Major Crimes” may be an old guy (ahem—he isn’t the only one), but he’s way sharper than his younger colleagues. And funny! I’d want him on my team if I were the captain. Or maybe he should be the captain.
Mma Precious Ramotswe. Talk about something different, this wonderful Botswanan detective from Alexander McCall Smith’s series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is a true pioneer. Despite a lack of funds and infrastructure, she sets up the first detective agency in the country and makes it thrive. Her secretary cum assistant detective, Mma Grace Makutsi, is a hoot as well. Start with The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

So, you ask, why not Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, G. Lestrade, Lord Peter Wimsey, Adam Dalgleish, Harriet Vane, Joe Pickett, Walt Longmire, Joe Leaphorn, Jim Chee, and Spencer Reid? Then again, why not Morse, Rebus, DCI Banks, Alec Hardy, the Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, John Watson, Harry Potter, Jules Maigret, Easy Rawlins, Thomas Lynley, Kinsey Millhone, Gerry Standing, Philip Marlowe, Sam Spade, Jane Tennison, or Anthony Dinozzo? Because I had to be ruthless. But I love them all too! (And there are more where they came from!)

Pink Sugar Conspiracy Blog Tour, July 2016
Paula Berinstein
*****
Facebook group event
On 28 July, Paula Berinstein will do an event in the Blind Date With a Book Facebook Group. There will be giveaways, discussions and more!

Start this series for free!
You can get Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy for free at Amazon, B&N, Kobo or Smashwords!

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (Amanda Lester, Detective #1)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade

Blurb:
Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.

When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these oddities mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.

Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

You can find Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy on Goodreads

Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy is free now on all vendor sites! Grab your free copy here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- Smashwords

Get the box set with the first four books in this series!
Amanda Lester box set (Amanda Lester, Detective #1-4)
by Paula Berinstein
Genre: Mystery/ Detective/ Fantasy
Age category: Middle Grade/ Young Adult
Release Date: July 4, 2016

Blurb:
"Sherlock Holmes meets Nancy Drew meets Harry Potter."

This set includes all four Amanda Lester, Detective books from the first year at the Legatum Continuatum Enduring School for Detectives.

Book 1, Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy
Book 2, Amanda Lester and the Orange Crystal Crisis
Book 3, Amanda Lester and the Purple Rainbow Puzzle
Book 4, Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks' Secret

Amanda Lester wouldn’t be caught dead going into the family business. Her ancestor, Sherlock Holmes’s colleague Inspector G. Lestrade, is a twit. Nevertheless her parents refuse to see his flaws, and she’s going to a secret English school for the descendants of famous detectives whether she likes it or not.

When Amanda arrives at the dreaded school, she considers running away—until she and her new friends discover blood and weird pink substances in odd places. At first they’re not sure whether these oddities mean anything, but when Amanda’s father disappears and the cook is found dead with her head in a bag of sugar, they’re certain that crimes are taking place.

Now Amanda must embrace her destiny and uncover the truth. The only snag is that arch-villain Blixus Moriarty, a descendant of Holmes’s nemesis Professor James Moriarty, might be involved, and he doesn’t like nosy little girls interfering in his business.

Follow the exciting adventures of the girl who learned that sometimes you need to be part of something larger than yourself.

You can find Amanda Lester box set on Goodreads

You can buy the Amanda Lester box set here:
- Amazon
- Amazon UK

About the Author:
Paula Berinstein is nothing like Amanda. For one thing, she’s crazy about Sherlock Holmes. For another, she’s never wanted to be a filmmaker. In addition, compared to Amanda she’s a big chicken! And she wouldn’t mind going to a secret school at all. In fact, she’s hoping that some day she’ll get to build one.

You can find and contact Paula here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Paula's blog on Goodreads
- The Writing Show podcasts
- Newsletter

Giveaway!
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy. Open International. These are the prizes you can win:
- One $40 Amazon gift card
- Two copies Amanda Lester and the Pink Sugar Conspiracy (hardback edition)
- One copy Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: The Illustrated Edition (hardback)
- One Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Book 1 Audible – Unabridged, narrator Jim Dale
- One Nancy Drew videogame from Her Interactive (winner's choice).
- One surprise book, you pick the genre. Paperback only.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review of Debut Novel: After Impact (After Impact #1) by Nicole Stark

After Impact (After Impact #1)
by Nicole Stark
Published 10FEB2016

Description
Avalon wakes up from a 100-year-old cryosleep in a new habitat with few memories and lots of questions. At first, HOPE (Humanity's One Plan for Escape) habitat appears to be a well-oiled machine, preparing 5,000 carefully chosen inhabitants for a new Earth. However, a medical assistant named Ilium reveals that certain members of the habitat have been falling ill from a mysterious virus they were inoculated against. Soon, HOPE habitat's tranquil illusion is shattered as Avalon plays a perplexing message left by her father. If Avalon is to survive this dangerous new environment, she will have to find the strength to navigate a habitat enveloped in secrets.
This is a relentless page-turning thriller, and the first in a series by debut author Nicole Stark.


My Review
After Impact is the first book in a series about the survivors of a meteor-strike apocalypse. Avalon is only one of 5,000 cryogenically frozen young people preserved to seed the future of mankind. But she’s awoken early, and that’s only the first of several odd things she discovers as she tries to find her place in the HOPE habitat.

There were several things I liked about this story. First of these is the virus. It was central to a plot that I expected to go one way, but went in an entirely different, unexpected way. The second thing I liked is that the story isn’t predictable (though it seemed so at first). The third thing I liked is how Avalon and Ilium try to champion the less fortunate and fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. It’s not an uncommon theme in dystopian/post-apocalyptic stories, but I like seeing it (probably why I like the genre). Oh, and there seems to be some sort of genetic mayhem going on that promises for some interesting twists in future installments.

On the other hand, certain inclinations in the writing tended to kick me out of the story and send alternate wordings running through my mind. Also, while there are some fascinating technologies, ideas, and character interactions in the story, some of them are presented in a bit of a heavy-handed manner. On a good note, though, it’s obvious the story was meticulously copyedited. I don’t recall seeing any outright errors.

Overall, I somewhat like this story and the direction the series seems to be taking, though the writing lacks some of the polish experience would bring. Based on that, I think folks who enjoy discovering new authors in the post-apocalyptic/dystopian genre might find this to their liking, but folks who are looking for something that feels a bit more practiced might not.

I received a review copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.

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Intrigued? Check out the author and her works on the following sites:

Amazon

Goodreads

Her Author Page

Cozy Mystery Review: The Daydreamer Detective Braves the Winter by S.J. Pajonas

Today is my stop during the blog tour for The Daydreamer Detective Braves The Winter by SJ Pajonas. This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The blog tour runs from 11 till 15 July, you can view the complete tour schedule here.
There's a tour wide giveaway during this tour, the giveaway can be found at the bottom of this post.

Start this series for free!
The Daydreamer Detective, the first book in this series is free for a limited time! You can grab your copy of The Daydreamer Detective for free on Amazon, B&N, Kobo and iBooks!

The Daydreamer Detective Braves the Winter (Miso Cozy Mysteries #2)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Mystery/ Cozy Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 7 July 2016

Blurb:
December has set in and just when the rural town of Chikata is recovering from one murder, Mei and her new boyfriend, Yasahiro, find their friend, Etsuko, dead in her apartment. Etsuko was sweet and talented, and now everyone suspects her longtime boyfriend killed her. Mei doesn’t believe it, though, and she vows to help solve the crime.

But Mei has more to think about than murder. With the barn gone and their vegetable stores destroyed, she and her mother are down to their last canned goods and no money for heat. Mei’s mom is fortunate to find work, but Mei must fend for herself, get a job, and keep their financial situation a secret from Yasahiro. In pursuit of paying work, she stumbles onto a new witness to the crime, and before long, the dead woman's secret life unravels before everyone’s eyes. Half-starving and out of her element, Mei is on thin ice, and it’s going to take a whole lot of ingenuity and quick thinking to solve the crime before the killer gets to her as well.

My Review:
The Daydreamer Detective is back, and plunging temperatures and finances have thrown her and her mom into dire straits. Add to that a shocking murder, a promise to get to the truth, and a drive to also make enough money to get through the winter, and Mei has her work cut out for her.

This was another delightful cozy mystery/romance. Mei’s a sweet girl, but tough. I love how she strives to be self-sufficient, but still caves enough when needed. I also enjoy how she’s just a regular girl trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life and how she just happens to be caught up in solving a crime. And what an ending! The danger builds and builds as the story progresses, ending in a satisfying and thrilling finale.

As for the romance, it seems realistic, but in a good way. It left me with warm fuzzy feelings and high hopes, but there’s still room for further developments in the coming books. The romance isn’t really the focus of the story, but it’s important to it.

The length of the book is also a plus here, at least for me. It’s a nice sized book, but it doesn’t feel like a long book.

Overall, I loved this book. It’s a fun read with a good dose of romance, mystery and danger. Folks who love cozy mysteries in far off places will likely enjoy this story.

I received an advanced review copy of this book from the author via Lola’s Blog Tours in order to provide this review.

You can find The Daydreamer Detective Braves the Winter on Goodreads

You can buy The Daydreamer Detective Braves the Winter here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iBooks

The First book in the series:
The Daydreamer Detective (Miso Cozy Mysteries #1)
By SJ Pajonas
Genre: Mystery/ Cozy Mystery
Age category: Adult
Release Date: 31 march 2016

Blurb:
Luck? Forget it. Mei Yamagawa is fresh out of it. She's just been downsized from her 3rd job in five years and her bank account is dry. Now, to keep her head above water, she must leave Tokyo and move back to her rural Japanese hometown. And there's nothing worse than having to face your old rivals and ex-boyfriends as a failure while starting life over as a farm girl.

But when her best friend's father is murdered, and her best friend is named the main suspect, Mei turns her daydreaming ways towards solving the crime. Between dates disguised as lunches with the town's hottest bachelor chef, searching for clues, and harvesting sweet potatoes, Mei has a lot of non-paying work cut out for her.

Will she catch the killer before her bad luck turns worse? Or will she fry in the fire with the rest of her dreams of success?

You can check out my review of book #1 here.

You can find The Daydreamer Detective on Goodreads

You can get your free copy of The Daydreamer Detective here:
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- iBooks

About the Author:
Stephanie (S. J.) is a writer, knitter, amateur astrologer, Capricorn, and Japanophile. She loves foxes, owls, sushi, yoga pants, Evernote, and black tea. When she’s not writing, she’s thinking about writing or spending time outside, unless it’s winter. She hates winter. Someday she’ll own a house in both hemispheres so she can avoid the season entirely. She’s a mom to two great kids and lives with her husband and family outside NYC. They have no pets. Yet. When it comes to her work, expect the unexpected. She doesn’t write anything typical. Find her online at http://www.spajonas.com.

You can find and contact SJ Pajonas here:
- Website
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Tumblr
- Instagram
- Youtube
- Wattpad
- Amazon

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Daydreamer Detective Braves the Winter. One winner will win a bundle of S. J. Pajonas ebooks. Including: Removed, Revealed, Washing Statue Wanderlust, and The Daydreamer Detective.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Excerpt and Review: Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor by Meena Jelks

This is my stop during the book blitz for Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor by Meena Jelks. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and runs from 11 till 15 July. View the tour schedule here

Read this book for free!
From 11 till 15 July Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor by Meena Jelks will be free on amazon.

Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor
by Meena Jelks
Genre: Teen Fiction/ Contemporary
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: 31 May, 2016

Blurb:
Fifteen year old Gaby swore she’d always put books before boys. She could solve an algebraic expression faster than anyone in her class, play Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor with better technique than her music teacher, but couldn’t tell her best friend Anna that she secretly adored her older brother, Josh.

Gaby’s secret feelings tormented her for almost a year. Now that they were all going to be counselors at Camp Sesquahade for the summer, Gaby wondered how long she’d be able to keep her own secret.

Surrounded by temptation, she worries about shattering her good-girl image. Will Gaby get through summer without falling victim to her furtive feelings?
How can she be with Josh while standing firm on her values and morals?

My Review:
Teenage Temptation and Personal Honor is a coming of age story about a practical girl named Gaby. She’s got her eyes on getting straight As, getting into college, and following her dreams. She also has her eyes on Josh, her best friend’s brother. But she is practical, as I said, and cautious, doing her best to resist temptation, despite pressure from her friends, pleadings from Josh, and even her own wants.
This story caught my eye because of the description, mainly because the main character reminds me of myself as a teen. Good grades, inexperience with boys, and yet still someone with crushes and a desire to fit in. I thought the story did pretty well at making Gaby a realistic girl, and though at times things get tragic and might seem out there in the realms of probability, I remember some of my friends actually experiencing the things the kids in the book do. Shocking things. Tragic things.

And that leads me to the moral of the book, and yes, this is one of those rare YA books where there is an actual purpose beyond entertainment or selling more books. All these things are happening around Gaby and to her. She questions her decisions, but consistently chooses brain over heart, while her friends often seem to do the opposite.

All of these other stories about her friends and family are almost like glimpses into the future of possible choices. If this, then that. But the moral isn’t to follow your brain and ignore your heart. It’s actually that we all make decisions, and there isn’t really one right or wrong way to go, but all of those decisions do affect our lives, for good or bad. That’s the main one, I think, but as Gaby learns more about herself, many insightful philosophies shine through. On the downside, the book sometimes reads more like a cautionary tale than a teenage romance or coming of age. 

As for the book itself, it goes a little fast in places, particularly in the dialog. I think a little more attention to the non-verbal behaviors that go along with talking might have helped with those parts. Also, my copy of the book had no paragraph indents, which sometimes made it difficult to tell where one person stopped talking and another started, and sometimes that also made it seem a bit choppy. On the other hand, some of the descriptions and language in the book are truly beautiful. The author has a particular knack for describing the diverse characters in the book. I usually don’t picture a person in detail when I’m reading, more just an image, but I found it easy with these. And again, the language used to describe them was quite nice, unique, and enjoyable.

Overall, I somewhat liked this story. Folks who like coming-of-age and teenaged drama might also like this book.

I received a copy of this book from the author via Lola’s Blog Tours in order to provide this review.
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You can find Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor on Goodreads

View the book trailer for Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor here on Youtube

You can buy Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor here:
- Amazon
- Amazon Paperback
- Amazon UK

Note from the author:
My YA novel, Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor, is finally complete at 74,059 words. Fifteen-year-old Gabrielle Perez is a straight A good-girl musical prodigy. Gaby comes from a hard-working, two parent, loving home, lives in an upper-middle class neighborhood in a small town in upstate NY and has lived a pretty sheltered life up until now. With her junior year ending and summer camp looming around the corner, Gaby isn’t sure how long she can keep her secret from her best friend, Anna. What’s her secret: she is in love with Anna’s older brother Josh. Gaby is forced to deal with her hidden feelings this summer as they all attend Camp Sesquahade as summer counselors.

Over the summer, Gaby gets a taste of her first kiss, first crush and first heartache. She realizes quickly that being book smart isn’t the same as being street smart. And that being into a boy doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to give into your desires. Gaby is faced with the decision to follow behind what all her friends are doing, or staying true to her values and morals. But Gaby’s life is changing with unexpected and meaningful relationships that broaden her sense of what love and loss is. These new relationships along with the discovery of love, maturing and following your dreams leads Gaby down a path of uncertainty and confusion. How will she ever learn to balance it all?

This is a coming of age story of self-discovery, self-empowerment and how the many shapes of love – maternal, romantic and platonic – lead to Gaby’s struggle to come to terms with growing up and owning your destiny.

This novel was has been a labor of love for so very long. I hope that you enjoy reading it. My personal experiences as a teenager (oh so many years ago) being exposed to similar scenarios and just having a longing for characters that realistically portray a young girl’s growing up.

About the Author:
Meena Jelks is a dreamer. From an early age, she developed a voracious appetite for reading, writing and daydreaming. Being a writer was always something she loved but never thought would ever come to fruition. That is, until she decided to take her writing seriously, bypassing the traditional limitations of the literary industry as a whole.

A fan of punchier, pacier, and chattier books, her love for Young Adult (YA) fiction cultivated her desire to do what makes her happiest--she believes you don't have to be a teen to enjoy reading or writing stories of self-exploration, new-found love, or uncharted waters.

Young Adult/Teen fiction is exploding now, it's finally getting the recognition that it deserves. Meena is so happy to be contributing to such an amazing movement right now. Her first book, Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor will debut May, 2016.

You can find and contact Meena Jelks here:
- Website - Facebook
- Twitter
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Instagram

Everything BluEmber Summer Swag Bag Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of Teenage Temptation & Personal Honor. One winner will win an Everything BluEmber Summer Swag Bag (US Only).
This swag bag will include a BluEmber Books Cotton Zippered Tote filled with:
- an Amazon Fire Tablet
- BluEmber Books Silicon Wristband
- BluEmber Books Aluminum Water Bottle
- a Beach Towel

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz: True Calling Series by Siobhan Davis

This is my stop during the book blitz for the True Calling series by Siobhan Davis! This blitz will run from 28 June till 4 July. The book blitz is organized by Lola’s Blog Tours. The tour schedule can be viewed here.

True Calling is a fully completed YA sci-fi dystopian romance series that will appeal to readers who enjoy fast-paced action adventure, sublime world building, strong character development, and tons of swoon-worthy romance. With over 500 five-star ratings on Goodreads, the True Calling series is currently FREE to download from Kindle Unlimited! If you don't read on KU you can benefit from significant discounts during the blitz - read the first 3 books for 99c!

All books in the series are listed below, and check out the cool giveaway!
- True Calling – free!
- Lovestruck - free during blitz!
- Beyond Reach – 0.99$ during blitz
- True Calling Boxset – all books plus bonus content for only $7.99
 

True Calling (True Calling #1)
By Siobhan Davis
Genre: Science Fiction Romance
Age category: Young Adult

Blurb:
Welcome to Novo: Your new home in Space

For Ariana Skyee, Planet Novo was everything it promised to be until the authorities introduced "The Calling" as their response to repopulation. Now, all seventeen-year-olds are to participate in this Bachelor-style pageant to find their perfect match, marry, and have children.

But that's not Ariana's only concern. Thanks to the government-sanctioned memory erase, Ariana has no recollection of Zane, the mystery boy who haunts her dreams. Things are further complicated when the pageant commences and her feelings for fellow Cadet Cal Remus intensify. Together, they start to realize not everything about their new home is as it seems.

Entangled in a dangerous web of deceit, Ariana sets out to identify the truth. Conflicted over warnings that Cal isn’t trustworthy and alarmed at the government's increasing interest in her, she doesn’t know where to turn. But her search for the truth comes at a high personal price. When her world implodes, discovering the past shapes her future with devastating consequences.

You can find True Calling on Goodreads

You can get your free copy of True Calling here:
- Amazon
- Amazon UK
- Barnes & Noble
- Kobo
- iBooks

All the books in this series:

Lovestruck (True Calling #1.5) by Siobhan Davis
You can find Lovestruck on Goodreads. Get your free copy of Lovestruck from June 28 till July 2 on Amazon or Amazon UK.

Beyond Reach (True Calling #2) by Siobhan Davis
You can find Beyond Reach on Goodreads. You can buy Beyond Reach for only 0.99$ during the blitz on Amazon or Amazon UK.

Light of a Thousand Stars (True Calling #2.5) by Siobhan Davis
You can find Light of a Thousand Stars on Goodreads. You can buy Light of a Thousand Stars on Amazon or Amazon UK.

Destiny Rising (True Calling #3) by Siobhan Davis
You can find Destiny Rising on Goodreads. You can buy Destiny Rising on Amazon or Amazon UK.

Praise for the True Calling series:
"In a word, WOW!! Talk about a fascinating and magnetic tale!" Tome Tender

"With intergalactic battle, love that traverses countries—entire planets—and endless twists and turns, this series deserves a spot on your e-reader." A Leisure Moment

"True Calling is a dystopian sci-fi romance that is FABULOUS!" The Caffeinated Booknerd

"Fresh with original ideas, exciting characters, great storyline, and a realistic love story." Amazon reviewer.

"This series deserves to become as well-known as popular series such as The Maze Runner, The Hunger Games, Divergent, etc... it's that good." Paranormal Books.

“I cannot put my love for Siobhan Davis' True Calling series into words - it's easily one of my favorite series." RamblingB00ks

"This isn't just a book I couldn't put down, but a series I cannot put down. All I can say is wow!" Patricia Hamill. Author-Blogger. Puretextuality (Yep, that's me!)

"It's Hunger Games meets Twilight but only better!" Amazon reviewer.


About the Author:
Siobhan Davis writes young adult science fiction fantasy romance books, and she is the author of the Amazon bestselling True Calling series. The first book in her new Saven series was released in December 2015.

A self-professed teenager forever--at least when it comes to books, music, and films, Siobhan is totally addicted to teen fiction and superhero/blockbuster movies. She loves baking, shoes, bags, makeup, anti-wrinkle cream, anything pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Robert Pattinson (definitely Team Edward).

Before pursuing a full-time writing career, Siobhan forged a successful corporate career in Human Resources over the last twenty years. She resides in the Garden County of Ireland with her husband and two sons.

You can find and contact Siobhan here:
- Website
- Blog
- Facebook
- Twitter
- Google +
- Goodreads
- Amazon
- Newsletter

Sample chapters, quotes, reviews and book excerpts are all available to download from the authors website

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the book blitz of the True Calling series. These are the prizes you can win:
- Paperbacks of the three books in the Selection trilogy by Kiera Cass
- Paperbacks of the three books in the True Calling series by Siobhan Davis

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
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Cover Reveal and First Chapter: Clanless (Nameless #2) by Jennifer Jenkins

Today Jennifer Jenkins and Month9Books are revealing the cover and first chapter for CLANLESS, book 2 in the NAMELESS Series which releases October 4, 2016! Check out the gorgeous cover and enter to be one of the first readers to receive a paperback of NAMELESS or an eGalley of CLANLESS!!

Here’s a message from the author.

Clanless is Gryphon's story in the way Nameless was Zo's. It encompasses the struggle of self discovery and taking the hard road to find happiness. At its heart though, this book is a love story, with two people determined to fight overwhelming odds, even death, to be together. Clanless provides readers a view of the world outside Ram's Gate, exploring both the Raven and Kodiak Clans in more depth. 

I LOVE THIS COVER. I love the way Gryphon is depicted and the symbolism of of the white background in contrast to the black of the Nameless cover. I personally think the series only gets better with every book, and I hope readers agree.On to the reveal! 

Title: CLANLESS (Nameless #2)

Author: Jennifer Jenkins

Pub. Date: October 4, 2016

Publisher: Month9Books

Format: Paperback & eBook

Find it: Amazon | B&N | TBD | Goodreads

Striker Gryphon has lost his position of honor among the Ram, and is now a hunted man. A traitor.

Zo, the object of his affection, was murdered by members of his former clan. To honor her memory, he journeys to the highly secretive Raven “Nest” to warn strangers of their impending demise—though it could cost him more than just his pride.

He doesn’t know that Zo is very much alive and in another part of the region assisting Nameless refugees over a mountain swarming with wild men known as “Clanless.”

As each struggle to make sense of what their lives have become, they fight and claw to reach the Allied Camp, their last hope in bringing peace to the region.

But the road back to one another is treacherous and uncertain. And freedom will come with a price.

Excerpt

Gryphon never thought he’d die at the hands of the Ram. Of course, he never thought he’d become a traitor to his clan, either.

He awaited a likely public execution, sitting in a patch of mud outside the walls of Ram’s Gate, his clan’s stronghold, as rain filtered through the trees overhead. Bristled ropes rubbed raw his bound ankles. Iron manacles secured his wrists behind his back. Gryphon clutched the hidden key to his restraints inside a bloody fist and glared at a man he never thought he’d call an enemy.

Zander, Gryphon’s captain, stood at attention as the rain rolled off his brown hair and banked along the harsh angles of his cheekbones and jaw. He held a seven-foot spear like a walking stick, the blunt end buried in the mud at his feet. His short sword was sheathed at his hip, his round shield slung across his back. The perfect Ram warrior, and one of the best swordsmen Gryphon had ever known.

The fifteen members of his mess sat like stones in a field, unmoving but hard and very present. Most of Gryphon’s former mess, including his best friend, Ajax, kept their backs to him, as if his treason were contagious. Some slept under thick wool blankets that repelled the rain while others stewed with the restlessness that plagued so many warriors.

No one bothered to light a fire. Whether they were too impatient to find something dry enough to burn or felt they deserved the cold, Gryphon didn’t know. Ram were experts at self-discipline—not to be confused with self-control.

Inside Ram’s Gate, Gryphon grew up training every day until his body ached. On days he struggled to do everything his leaders asked of him, he would sentence himself to mountain sprints until he literally passed out from exhaustion. Like every other Ram boy, he willingly walked into scheduled yearly beatings that were meant to train his body to block pain, making him nearly invincible on the battlefield.

A little rain was nothing.

Sitting cross-legged in the mud with his hands chained behind his back, Gryphon let the rain muffle the sound of his struggle to insert the small key into the unseen lock of his manacles. Each metallic scrap wound his nerves that much tighter. His wrists burned from bending at an awkward angle and his shoulders strained as he struggled to keep his face a mask of indifference.

Zander watched him, barely blinking. Gryphon needed to distract him—to break his intent focus.

“Why do you think they haven’t let down the rope ladder?” Gryphon asked, speaking as though his impending execution meant little to him.

Zander’s lip raised in a snarl. “Barnabas has the Raven invasion to prepare for, the gate to repair. He will deal with you in his own time.”

Gryphon adjusted his grip on the key to approach the lock from a different angle.

“It seems Barnabas is content to let you sit out in the cold for the night. Do you think you’ll lose your command over this?” Gryphon raised his chin and smiled.

Zander drew a knife so fast Gryphon fumbled with the key.

“Barnabas ordered you brought back alive, but I don’t think he’d mind if I took out your tongue.”

Gryphon had been trained to use the emotions of his enemies against them. People made mistakes when they weren’t stable. Plus the conversation muffled the sound of the key scraping futilely against the metal lock behind his back.

A few of the heads in the wet camp turned to watch the exchange.

Zander leaned back, battling with his composure. “I might lose my command, but I’ll return to my bunk with our brothers of the mess and rest well after seeing your body hang from a noose.” He shook his head. “I knew you had a strange fascination with that slave—that Wolf. I just didn’t realize your treason extended to all the Nameless inside the Gate.”

Just yesterday, Gryphon had inadvertently helped hundreds of Nameless slaves flee the massive walls of Ram’s Gate. To slow the Ram pursuit, he disabled the only exit—a gate so large it required forty Nameless to open it. Even though only a fraction of the Nameless slaves escaped, it would be days before the chain connecting the gate to the counterweight could be repaired.

The key finally slipped into the lock. Gryphon let his head fall back, just a fraction, and closed his eyes in relief. Zander’s hate-filled gaze greeted him as he opened his eyes, but that didn’t stop him from turning the key. The lock clicked open, the sound lost in the rain.

With one hand free, Gryphon still kept both hands behind his back, though he relaxed his shoulders some to alleviate the ache from being bound. The metal key in Gryphon’s hand was warm. The grooves pressed uncomfortably into his palm, but Gryphon didn’t loosen his hold, refusing to let go of the hope Ajax had given him.

Not only was the key his only chance of escaping the certain death that awaited him inside the giant walls of his clan, but it also represented a dim hope that Zo was still alive. That Ajax—Gryphon’s best friend—hadn’t followed through with Zander’s order to find and kill her and the others after Gryphon’s capture.

The vivid scenes of the morning replayed in Gryphon’s mind again and again. Everyone asleep under the tree, except Zo and Gryphon. Ram circling the perimeter of the giant fir like bloodhounds sniffing out prey. Zo taking his hand, pretending to be brave even though her eyes—they were always so easy to read—proved it a lie. Her warm lips. The feel of her body pressed against his . . .

A shudder that had nothing to do with the cold ran up Gryphon’s back. He’d been captured not far from the tree, trying to lead the Ram away from the people he cared for most.

If only he could ask Ajax if they were alive, though the chances were as likely as staying dry in this storm. Ajax had a family to protect, and the penalty for deceiving his captain was as deadly as deceiving Chief Barnabas himself. Dangerous.

Lightning struck not far away, brightening half of Zander’s face in the fast-approaching darkness.

“Come back to me,” Zo had said, just before she’d leaned into him, touching her soft lips to his.

Gryphon slid the key into the second lock.

He chewed on the inside of his lip until he tasted blood. He fought the urge to spit in Zander’s face, to unlock the chains binding his wrist and strangle him with his bare hands. He was sure he could finish the job before he took a spear to the gut. It felt like the only way to quench the hungry blackness that consumed his insides.

Gryphon hung his head, remembering the promise he made to Zo before they separated. Whether Zo was alive or not, he needed to survive to warn the Raven Clan of an impending attack. Countless lives would be spared if the Raven had time to flee the Nest before the Ram arrived. Getting himself killed wouldn’t serve them, even if it meant an escape from the overwhelming ache in his chest.

Thunder rolled again. Zander stared. Gryphon prayed for a miracle . . . and hoped he deserved one.

He turned the key.

The lock clicked open.

But his manacles clattered to the ground before he could catch them.

***

“We’re not waking him.” Zo’s head throbbed as she held Joshua’s wrist to check his pulse for the tenth time in as many minutes.

The boy lay unconscious, but his heart beat a steady rhythm. Zo needed to feel that pulse; it was her tether to sanity. The sound of Ram fists connecting with Gryphon’s body . . . the muffled grunts betraying his pain . . . they still echoed in her mind when she didn’t check her thoughts. From her hiding place, she hadn’t seen Gryphon’s capture, but she had heard. She’d wanted to run out and fight alongside him. Even though she had Joshua and Tess to think of, her inaction tasted like betrayal.

Rain fell all around them, but they’d managed to stay mostly dry beneath the skirt of a giant fir tree.

“This is insane,” said Eva. She had the long nose of her Ram ancestors, set off by a thin mouth. “Do you have any idea what will happen to us if the Ram come back here?” Eva lay flat on her stomach—all leather and long legs—as she scanned the ground outside their fir tree haven.

Even with a full moon, it was impossible to see far beyond the confines of their shelter. “They have Gryphon. They’ll know you and Joshua are close.” Eva ran her hand over her cropped hair, oblivious to the action. “If I were tracking us, I would have found us hours ago.”

Eva was a Ram, just like the soldiers she feared. She’d fled the Gate with Zo for the sake of her unborn child. A baby who would have been killed at birth because it belonged, not to her betrothed, but to a man in the Ram’s slave class known as the Nameless.

Zo gazed up at the tree trunk, hoping to inhale a bit of patience along with the strong scent of pine. “We wait until Joshua’s ready, Eva. Not a moment sooner.”

“But the Nameless will be miles away by now.”

Zo conceded the point. At that moment, hundreds of escaped slaves traveled to get as far from Ram’s Gate as possible to protect their newfound freedom. They didn’t know how to find the Allied Camp. Zo had told Stone, Eva’s lover and the leader of the Nameless rebellion, it was south of Ram’s Gate, but that was the extent of their knowledge, and it wouldn’t be enough to find the slot canyon that led to the Allies.

The Nameless needed her. So did her little sister Tess, Joshua, and even Eva. None of them would survive without Zo’s ability to lead them to the Allies. But it didn’t change the fact that all Zo wanted to do at the moment was sprint up the mountain to Ram’s Gate—the place from which they’d just escaped—and demand the release of the young man she’d come to care for. The man who’d saved her life and the life of her sister, even though doing so had caused him to lose everything.

Gryphon.

Zo’s little sister, Tess, sat like a watchdog beside Joshua’s head, playing with the boy’s red hair. In the low light, she looked even smaller than her eight years.

“Zo’s smart. She knows what to do,” said Tess. She was blond with dirt smeared across her nose and cheeks. She glared at Eva with her giant blue-green eyes, almost daring her to contradict her big sister.

Zo hugged her knees to her chest, fighting a sudden surge of nausea, hoping Tess was right to trust her so completely.

“Someone’s coming,” Eva hissed. She pushed up onto her knees, wielding two deadly looking knives. At the same time, Zo yanked Tess to the ground and threw herself over her and Joshua’s body. It was a futile effort to save them, but fear took over all rational thought.

Soft footfalls crept outside their shelter, each step marking the final moments of their lives. Zo glanced around for some kind of weapon or stick to help defend the two people—two children—for whom she was responsible. All she found in the darkness was a bed of dry pine needles and her medical satchel—nothing to defend them against fighters from the deadliest clan in the region.

The footsteps came closer, muted by the soggy earth. Eva moved from her knees to the balls of her feet, a compressed spring ready to fly into an attack. She adjusted her grip on her knives.

Hope fled. Zo couldn’t catch her breath. Tess. Joshua. Eva. The Nameless. Dying today under this tree meant the deaths of so many others as well. Gryphon’s sacrifice had been in vain.

Large boots stopped mere feet from Zo’s hiding place. Boots she’d recognize anywhere.

“Don’t,” she cried, trying to stop Eva before she attacked.

But her warning was too late.

Eva sprang, blades in hand, aimed at the intruder’s chest.

With her degree in History and Secondary Education, Jennifer had every intention of teaching teens to love George Washington and appreciate the finer points of ancient battle stratagem. (Seriously, she’s obsessed with ancient warfare.) However, life had different plans in store when the writing began. As a proud member of Writers Cubed, and a co-founder of the Teen Author Boot Camp, she feels blessed to be able to fulfill both her ambition to work with teens as well as write Young Adult fiction.

Jennifer has three children who are experts at naming her characters, one loving, supportive husband, a dog with little-man syndrome, and three chickens (of whom she is secretly afraid).

Visit her online at jajenkins.com

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest |Instagram

1 winner will receive a paperback of NAMELESS, US Only.

3 winners will receive an eGalley of CLANLESS, International.

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Time Travel Serial Review: Gravity Spike (#6 Chronicles of the Harekaiian) by Shanna Lauffey

Gravity Spike: Episode Six of The Chronicles of the Harekaiian
by Shanna Lauffey

Description:
The past comes back to haunt Kallie when she travels back to a time in her youth to follow Mason's trail. Other lives and other loves distract her from her task; to determine how Mason is traveling through time.

Another time traveler is discovered who may hold the secret Kallie needs to discover, but first she needs to secure the elusive nemesis who has plagued her across the years and to discover where and when Connor has exiled Julia.

Episode six of a time travel Mystery that spans ten volumes and many adventures of a people who can shift through time or space, but not both at the same time.

My Review:
So, this is book six in the Chronicles of the Harekaiian serial, which follows Kallie, one of a nomadic race of people who can travel through space or time at will (though not at the same time). The story started off in book one when someone began to kidnap Kallie’s people for nefarious experiments. This one picks up a few years later now that she’s thoroughly embroiled in the mess that arose from all that.

Like the others in this serial, this one blends past and present as it pulls Kallie towards more answers and also brings up more questions. There’s a fair bit of nostalgia, too, though most of the events and references were before my time in this round. I was caught up in the convoluted twists and turns because the story revolves around time travel, along with all its mind bending complications.

So overall, I really liked this installment. This would be great for fans of time travel who like to read serials. It’s also a good one for folks who enjoy stories laced with some deep intellectual and scientific theory.

I received a copy of this story from the author so that I could write this review.

About the Author:
Shanna Lauffey is a native Californian currently living in Europe. She spends her time between homes in Sweden, France and the UK. She writes Science Fiction, Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance in her spare time between attending university and travelling.

Her first novel, She-Wȕlf, was released 1st January 2012. A Science Fiction series involving time travel is in progress.

Follow Shanna:
On Amazon
On Goodreads
On Twitter @ShannaLauffey