Cover Reveal for Fractured Truth by Rachel McClellan (book 3 in the Fractured Light Series)

It's finally time to reveal the cover for the much anticipated YA novel Fractured Soul, book three in the Fractured Light series.

“You guys don’t get it, do you?” I said. “You think Cyrus is done with us? You think he’s making more Vykens because it’s fun?”

I let my questions sink in before I added, “Cyrus is coming back, and he’s going to finish what he started. This isn’t just about saving the others; it’s about saving our race. The time is now. Are you ready?” 

**********************

Llona is determined to end the fight with the Vykens once and for all. All she needs is to find and destroy the Shadow—the ultimate source of dark power. But when she makes a startling discovery about someone she loves, Llona has to fight the toughest battle yet in this exciting conclusion to the Fractured Light series.

Pre order your copy on Amazon now! 

Find out more about Rachel McClellan and her books here: 

Blog | Website | Facebook | Amazon | Goodreads

Romance Is In the Air Blog Hop!

Ooh la la, it's time for some romance!  For this hop, I'm going to offer up a few different books for one lucky winner to choose from.  They are all books I have read lately that I really enjoyed, and they are all about LOVE.  So, one winner can choose between the following books.  They will be in ebook form so this giveaway is open all- US and INT.

This is a collection of short stories with one common theme- love letters!  You can check out my review here.

This is a short story-novella.  This is the latest story in the Better Date than Never series.  I love all the characters in this series and Susan really knows how to write romance!  You can check out my review of this book here.  If you choose this book and you are US, I also have a bit of swag to add to the pot.  :)

This is one of my new favorite clean romance authors.  This is the second book I've read by her and I loved it.  It's set in the jungles of Costa Rica and it's hot, hot, hot.  My review of this book can be found here.








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Third Daughter $50 Book Blast

Third Daughter by Susan Kaye Quinn Skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue... and, of course, kissing. The Third Daughter of the Queen wants her birthday to arrive so she'll be free to marry for love, but rumors of a new flying weapon may force her to accept a barbarian prince's proposal for a peace-brokering marriage. Desperate to marry the charming courtesan she loves, Aniri agrees to the prince's proposal as a subterfuge in order to spy on him, find the weapon, and hopefully avoid both war and an arranged marriage to a man she does not love.

 Third Daughter is the first book in the The Dharian Affairs Trilogy (Third Daughter, Second Daughter, First Daughter). This steampunk-goes-to-Bollywood (Bollypunk!) romance that takes place in an east-Indian-flavored alternate world filled with skyships, saber duels, and lots of royal intrigue. And, of course, kissing.   From the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, The Dharian Affairs is a new series filled with equal doses of action-adventure and romance, meant to appeal to fans of Mindjack.   NOMINATED for the Illinois Librarian's "Soon to be Famous Author Project" wherein librarians hope to discover local authors whose "work will jump off the page for readers."

"Third Daughter is vividly breathtaking. Quinn delivers royal intrigue, exotic locations, and sweeping romance. Not to be missed!" - Pavarti K. Tyler, author of Shadow on the Wall   "Susan Kaye Quinn writes characters that leap off the page... Incredibly well written, the vivid setting was crisp in my mind... As the plot raced on, I was cursing real life for not letting me just sit glued to my kindle, punching the touch screen to get to the next page." - Tiffany on Goodreads

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Excerpt A lone two-wheeled surrey ambled out of the shadows of the Samirian embassy and headed toward her dark corner of the Queen’s estate. Aniri held her breath and silently cursed the full two-moon night. If the carriage came much closer, the occupants would surely see her clinging to the side of the palace like a spider on her thread. The six-hooved beast pulling the surrey slowed as it neared the giant stone statue of Devkasera. The mother goddess of ancient Dharia loomed larger-than-life, threatening the carriage with a sword and a scroll—the powers of destruction and creation—clasped in two of her six hands. The Queen loved the ancient traditions, so the goddess held a place of respect in the middle of the palace lawns. Aniri preferred the clean streets and steam-driven inventions of modern Dharia to the unwashed feet and mystic religion of her country’s past, but that didn’t stop her from sending a silent prayer to Devkasera—for invisibility for herself or perhaps a sudden loss of sight by the persons in the carriage.

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Author Susan Kaye Quinn Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. The Dharian Affairs trilogy is her excuse to dress up in corsets and fight with swords. She also has a dark-and-gritty SF serial called The Debt Collector and a middle grade fantasy called Faery Swap. It's possible she's easily distracted. She always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can find out what she's up to by subscribing to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or by stopping by her blog (www.susankayequinn.com).

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Goodreads

     

  BookBlast Giveaway $50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 3/14/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Warrior's Moon Blog Tour + a $25 Giveaway

Warrior's Moon Medieval Historical Romance by Jaclyn M. Hawkes   Never in all the kingdom has there been a more brave and protective champion. Nor such a loyal and capable maiden. And they loved each other desperately. But is their love strong enough to withstand all their dark age holds—danger, feudalism, disease, and unfair oppression? Yes, they truly loved each other desperately. They loved their kingdom more.  

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From the very beginning, Chantaya's story is full of heartbreak and hardship but it is also full of Peyton and that is the constant, sustaining force for good in her life.

Chantaya is a strong female lead character.  I'm finding this is very typical for author Jaclyn Hawkes.  Most of her female characters are over the top amazing heroin's and this is no exception.  There is nothing Chantaya cannot do.  She is an amazing cook, she can handle a sword and defend herself, she rides horses expertly, she is literate, smart, beautiful, and everyone loves her.  She defends her country, works as a spy and has a good man to love her.  Chantaya definitely has struggles and challenges that she faces, but she always faces them with strength and determination.

Peyton is everything a good knight should be.  Loyal, brave and true.  He loves Chantaya with everything he is.  His role as protector started early when he save Chantaya from the wreckage of an awful accident.  That role never stopped but increased in depth as they became friends.  Peyton has always loved Chantaya.  It was just meant to be.

There is action, intrigue and romance in this book.  The secondary characters really complete and fill this story.  I loved them.  This is a clean romance and has Christian overtones.

Jaclyn M. Hawkes grew up in Utah with 6 sisters, 4 brothers and any number of pets. (It was never boring!) She got a bachelor’s degree, had a career and traveled extensively before settling down to her life’s work of being the mother of four magnificent and sometimes challenging children. She loves shellfish, the out of doors, the youth and hearing her children laugh. She and her fine husband, their family, and their sometimes very large pets, now live in a mountain valley in northern Utah, where it smells like heaven and kids still move sprinkler pipe.

Website * Facebook * Twitter

  Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 2/23/14 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.   a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Spy Noon by Jordan McCollum

We're celebrating the launch of Spy Noon, a prequel novella to I, Spy! You can also find Spy Noon at the special 99¢ launch discount through Singles Awareness Day (Feb 14) on Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and JordanMcCollum.com!

About the Book

Canada's the last place you'd expect to find an American spy, but CIA operative Talia Reynolds has problems piling up higher than a Canadian snowbank. When Elliott Monteith, her ridiculously handsome new coworker, shows up (and shows her up), Talia decides it's game on. She'll be the first to track down a dangerous counter-spy, and she'll give Elliott an unforgettable souvenir of his time in Ottawa: some humble pie.

Her plans don't work as well as she expects, though. Elliott's over-the-top flirting dredges up too many painful memories for Talia and undermines the confidence she's worked hard to regain. To do her job and keep her integrity intact, she'll have to keep her personal feelings at bay. Now Talia must find a way to work alongside Elliott—and maybe even trust him—to outsmart the enemy.

This is a review I squeezed in at the last minute because I just couldn't stand to not be a part of it. This spy series by Jordan McCollum is one of my favorites. It is fun, fast paced and full of wit and humor. Spy Noon is a prequel to the full length novels. It is a novella, super short, but also provides that little bit of insight and understanding into the relationship between Talia and Elliott.

 

Elliott is such a character.  Talia has a hard time knowing what he's really about with all the flirting, joking and cockiness.  He's driving Talia crazy but even she has to admit that he is good at what he does and he always has her back.  I loved Talia's "ah-ha" moment at the end of the book.  It settled things in her mind, in my mind, and set the whole stage for the rest of the books.

I loved this novella just as I have loved this whole series.  I'm always happy to see an email pop up regarding something "spy" and new.  It makes me happy.  If you haven't read this series yet, you really, really should.

This book is clean.  :)

Read an excerpt!

This excerpt comes from chapter six. Talia and her handsome (and cocky) new coworker are alone together on an assignment.

Our “date” comes too soon, with me and Elliott stuck in the back of a surveillance van again once the sun sets. We haven’t seen our target coming or going here, but we’re trying to be patient.

Patience is a more than a virtue for a spy. It’s a saving grace. As in something that actually saves you.

Will’s in the Marriott lounge, chilling on one of those yellow leather chairs. Elliott and I stand — sit — at the ready to spring into action, too. As soon as one of us sees the right guy.

Elliott kicks back in his chair again, watching the live feed on the laptop. “So, Canada.”

I don’t move. “You just figure out what country you’re in?”

“I was going to ask you for the lay of the land. Baselining, you know.”

Now I move — to scrutinize him. “You wanted my take?”

“Yeah, sure.”

For a long second of silence, I consider that. He might really think I have something worth contributing?

“Or you could stare at me,” he says. “I’m told it’s a great view.”

Ugh. “How stupid of me, believing you were capable of thinking about work for sixty consecutive seconds.”

“Thinking about work? I was just playing hard to get.” Elliott grins, bowing closer to me. “You know you love me.”

I glare. “Shut. Up. Elliott.”

He reconfigures his smile, growing more mysterious. Like he thinks I’m flirting back — or no, not quite that. But whatever he believes this is, he likes it.

Why this scene? Jordan loves this interchange in particular because she lived it.

More about Spy Noon | Add Spy Noon to Goodreads! 

The Spy Another Day series

I, Spy Book One	Spy for a Spy Book Two
To save her secrets and her country, CIA operative Talia Reynolds must sacrifice the man she loves.	Talia's new boss is her ex-boyfriend. And that's the just beginning of her problems.
Finalist 2013 Whitney Awards	Finalist 2013 Whitney Awards
Mr. Nice Spy Prequel novella Elliott Monteith must choose between  his fiancée and his fellow spy. Cake. Now free! Chronologically, Spy Noon is the first in the series.

An award-winning author, Jordan McCollum can’t resist a story where good defeats evil and true love conquers all. In her day job, she coerces people to do things they don’t want to, elicits information and generally manipulates the people she loves most—she’s a mom.

Jordan holds a degree in American Studies and Linguistics from Brigham Young University. When she catches a spare minute, her hobbies include reading, knitting and music. She lives with her husband and four children in Utah.

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Tour Stops

February 3
Readalot Rhonda
Shooting Stars Reviews  

February 4
Jae Randall
Rebecca Shelley

February 5
Lisa Swinton, Queen of Random
Getting Your Read On  

February 6
I Love to Read and Review Books
The Stubby Pencil
Tressa's Wishful Endings

Counting to D by Kate Scott

Release: Feb. 2014

Publisher: EB Elliott Books

ISBN: 978-0-9895947-0-7

Price: $13.99 Paperback

Price: $2.99 e-book

Pages: 228

Size: 6" x 9"

The kids at Sam's school never knew if they should make fun of her for being too smart or too dumb. That's what it means to be dyslexic: smart, and illiterate. Sam is sick of it. So when her mom gets a job in a faraway city, Sam decides not to tell anyone about her little illiteracy problem. Without her paradox of a reputation, she falls in with a new group of highly competitive friends who call themselves the Brain Trust. When she meets Nate, her charming valedictorian lab partner, she declares her new reality perfect. But in order to keep it that way, she has to keep her learning disability a secret. The books are stacked against her and so are the lies. Sam's got to get the grades, get the guy, and get it straight--without being able to read.

NOTE ABOUT THE FONT: The font used in Counting to D is specially designed to be easier to read for dyslexics.

Learning to read was a breeze for me.  No struggle, no problems.  I've always excelled at reading and I love it.  It's hard for me to imagine not being able to read.  One of the reasons I really liked this book was because it gave me a better idea of what life would be like if I had a disability like dyslexia.  I like when books remind me of the very real struggles others deal with.  It brings out a desire in me to be more grateful for what I have and also brings a better understanding and empathy.

I've never really read a book that tackles dyslexia quite this way.  Sam is so incredibly smart and her coping methods are crazy intelligent.  What a lot of extra work it was for Sam to not only keep her secret, but to flourish in her studies.  I admired Sam- her hard work, her intelligence, her perseverance.  I was interested in her and I liked her.

This was a typical teenage world in high school.  Dealing with peers, pressures, dating and classes.  The whole high school scene was believable and the characters fit right in.

I enjoyed the book but was bothered by the language (as I always am).  I know people speak this way, even teenagers, but I don't agree with it.  It's a personal preference and also a caution for others who feel the same way.  

As for content, there is swearing, as mentioned above and also profanity.  There is talk of sex and sexual situations.  Characters attend parties where alcohol is present and teenagers are getting drunk and having sex.

You can find Counting to D at Amazon.

Kate Scott lives in the suburbs outside Portland, Oregon with her husband Warren. Kate was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child but somehow managed to fall in love with stories anyway. Counting to D is her first novel. When Kate isn’t writing, she enjoys listening to audiobooks, camping, and spending time with her friends and family. Kate also spends a lot of time doing math and sciency things and is a licensed professional engineer.

Sonic Drive-In Partners with Scholastic Book for Reading Fun for Kids!

Hey Everyone!  I just wanted to tell you about this cool thing Sonic Drive-In is doing.  They have partnered up with Scholastic books to provide this awesome book reading experience that you can share with the kids (grandkids, nephews, nieces, . . .) in your life.  When you head to Sonic between now and Feb. 17th and order a Wacky Pack, you will receive a book as well as a code to download an electronic version of that same book. I love anything that promotes reading and not just reading but reading with your kids.  It's so, so important to read with kids.  Not only is it quality time spent, but it also helps kids develop a love for learning through reading.  I'm all about that.  Especially if it involves food and a tasty Sonic drink!

As you can see, there are 4 different books that you can collect.  I had a chance to check out the online versions and they were amazing and so fun.  The online versions are interactive so kids can click on words and pictures that will take them to explanations and definitions.  The pictures are colorful and all four books are subjects that kids love to learn about.

I really loved the Night Sky book.  It was all about signs of the Zodiac and it was just fun to look through with my kids.  We found their signs and saw how the stars looked in the sky, watched little videos and read about personality traits associated with their signs.  It was fun to spend that time together learning and laughing.  That's what reading should be about.

So, head to Sonic with your kids and check out the reading fun!

Just FYI if you live in Utah- the Brigham City Sonic had no idea about this program even though it is advertised on their drive-up boards and has been going on for more than 10 days.  The franchise owner didn't even know about it and was quite rude when I spoke with him about it.  So, don't go to that Sonic or you will be disappointed.