Monday, December 10, 2012

Alchemist Book Blast! Win a $50 gift card!



The Alchemists Academy Book 1: Stones to Ashes by Kailin Gow

What do you learn here...at the Academy? Wirt asks. Magic? The responsibility to use your powers responsibly? Uh...something like that, his roommate Spencer said. More like how to rule worlds. Wirt, is used to being shuffled from foster home to foster home, adopting a devil-may-care attitude toward the world along the way. Now he s in a school he can t escape, learning to develop his latent magical abilities, for what use, he doesn't know...to save his world or to destroy it...


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Excerpt from Stones to Ashes

Wirt screwed his eyes shut, wishing fervently that he was somewhere, anywhere else. Right now, being back with Joan and Peter was looking an awful lot more appetizing. First, though, he had to find some way to get out of here…

Wirt doubled up as his stomach suddenly cramped. For a moment, he though he had been hit, but that hypothesis went by the wayside as the feeling spread to every muscle in his body at once. As far as Wirt knew, and thanks to some of his earlier misadventures he did know, not even three people could manage to hit you everywhere simultaneously. Wirt forced his eyes open, and then quickly shut them again, because the golden radiance surrounding him was simply too bright to look though. Around him, the gasps of the three bullies were clearly audible.

“He’s glowing, Rich. Why is he glowing?”

“How should I know? Look, just grab him.”

“You grab him. He could be radioactive or something, the way he’s glowing.”

“Oh, so it’s all right for me to grab radiation boy, is it?”

The sounds of a scuffle came to Wirt, but they were quickly replaced by silence. He didn’t really care, because by now the unpleasant sensation running through his body had reached unbearable levels, feeling as though every scrap of him were being pulled in a different direction.

As suddenly as it had come, the sensation passed. Wirt had to concentrate just to breathe, and he stood like that for long seconds. He didn’t dare open his eyes, at least until it occurred to him that the three older boys might still be there waiting to hit him. That made his eyes snap open so quickly that for a second he couldn’t make sense of anything around him. When he did, Wirt took a step back, and that itself was surprising enough, given that there should have been a chain link fence in the way. Instead, he was standing in the middle of a field, with no sign of any fences anywhere in sight.




The Alchemists Academy Book 2: Elemental Explosions by Kailin Gow

A new student has entered The Alchemists Academy, and he brings with him an explosive power that threatens the Academy and the legend of Merlin. Wirt thought he was the only bad boy at the Academy, but he was wrong. Not only is Roland Black worse than Wirt, but a new teacher had replaced one of their beloved teachers, and she has more planned for Wirt and his friends than just lesson plans. Alana, his crush has grown prettier, and now he is rivals for her attention with not only his best friend Spencer, but newcomer Roland, as well. On top of that, it is their second year, and the year where all the students must pass a test to move on to the Elite Class at the Academy. The Elite Class is the only class in the third year at the Academy, and the students who fail will be sent home, others will face something even deadlier.

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Excerpt from Elemental Explosions

The moment didn’t last long, and Wirt opened his gift in a shower of wrapping paper. His parents looked on, those same smiles present on their faces. He looked down into the box, only to see that it was empty. Or not quite empty. Inside was a square of paper, on which careful handwriting stood out clearly. Wirt picked it up and read the words “Merry Christmas, beloved son. You cannot see, taste, or smell your gift, but you will know it when you feel it.”

“What?” Wirt asked. “I don’t understand. Is this some sort of riddle?”

His dream mother and father didn’t say anything. They just smiled and stared at the box in a way that suggested that Wirt was missing something. Not knowing what else to do, Wirt reached down into it, searching it by feel in case there was something at the bottom that he might not have noticed.

There was. Wirt yelped as something closed around his wrist, and tried to yank his arm back. It didn’t move, and as Wirt looked down, he saw dark fingers clasped on his arm. They weren’t just dark-skinned; they were absolutely black, as though carved from onyx or jet. They were as implacable as stone too, refusing to relinquish their grip as Wirt tried to jerk away.

“Help me,” he said to his parents, but they just shook their heads sadly, staring in that way parents had that told you that whatever was happening was for your own good.

The arm pulled at Wirt, and it pulled with far more strength than Wirt had ever experienced. He tried his best to brace himself against it, but slowly, inexorably, the hand drew him towards the box. That swirled with darkness now, and Wirt got the feeling that it was suddenly far deeper than it had been a moment ago.

He found out as the hand dragged him in, though how he fit into the box, Wirt wasn’t sure. He only knew that he fell. Only after a second or two, he wasn’t falling. He was walking along a tunnel instead. The walls were of natural earth, while huge tree roots showed up at intervals like roof beams and standing stones lined the walls, marks on them seeming to tell a story that Wirt could not understand.






Author Kailin Gow

Kailin Gow is the award-winning, international bestselling author of over 80 distinct books.

Kailin Gow is also the President of a media company, a media personality, and has been writing full-time since she was first published. Holding a Masters in communications management and leadership positions in Fortune 500 corporations, she puts her leadership abilities, her experience, and desire to help others into her fiction books. As a result, she has written the forthcoming, Finding the Heroine in You book which is also a national tour. She is a mother and spends whatever spare time she has volunteering at the Red Cross, Battered Women's Shelters, and other organizations.

Currently her Frost Series is in development for a major international MMO Game, and she has over 14,000 and growing Frosters on her facebook fan page.



Links:


Tour Schedule


Book Blast $50 Giveaway Details
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 12/31/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it for the first person you follow and leave the others blank.

Open to anyone 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's permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Sunday, December 9, 2012

For What It's Worth Review, blog tour and $25 Amazon GIVEAWAY!

Twenty-four year-old, Abby Benson has dreams of owning her own wedding cake shop. An inheritance from her aunt gives her the ability to make those dreams come true. She hires Dane, a handsome contractor, to help her get the bakery up and running and soon they’re moving toward their own happy ending.

Unsure what to charge for her cakes, Abby has a crazy idea to let the customer decide what they think their cake is worth. This plan has its ups and downs, but the novelty of the idea makes her a local celebrity. When she is interviewed on television about the unusual idea, business booms and Abby has cake adventures she never dreamed possible. But as her fame grows, Abby is swept up in a whirlwind that threatens everything she values. With the challenges that face her, will she be able to determine what is worth the most?

First off, I sure would love to have a rich aunt leave me an obnoxious amount of money to make all my dreams come true!  Sweet set up, that!  Alas, I have no rich aunt with mounds of money.  I'll have to settle for reading all about that kind of thing in sweet romance books such as For What It's Worth.

Abby is a smart girl.  A good business head on her shoulders.  I like her gutsy approach to business selling wedding cakes.  I have a great appreciation for anyone who has the patience to bake and decorate wedding cakes.  I have zip.  No talent or patience.  Through this book I gained an even greater appreciation for the art of cake decorating.

Dane.  Love him.  Enough said.

I loved the recipes at the beginning of each chapter.  Not only did it give me some great recipe ideas (Lemon Chocolate Chip Muffins, Lemon Kiss cookies, Peanut Butter Cake),it also made me wonder how that certain baked item might come up in the chapter I was reading.

The title and even the running theme in this book of "worth" really made me think.  What is something worth?  Why are some things worth more to some people than others?  Is time worth some things and not others?  It was an interesting theme in this book.  I like how Abby determines what is of most worth to her and works at a plan to achieve it.

This is an LDS fiction novel but there isn't anything over the top or especially preachy.  I loved reading this book.  It fit right into my happy reading place.  :)

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Book Trailer





Author Karey White

Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.





Links

Blog Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card + A Copy of For What It's Worth
Paperback available to US only, Ebook Available Internationally


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone 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's permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Friday, December 7, 2012

The Dark Eagles First Flight Review


A Tale of Adventure and Freedom

Kief loves exploring the rugged mountains on his horse, Natch, with his best friend Tarc. But when he receives a mysterious map on his birthday, left behind for him by his dead grandfather, Kief is thrown into an
adventure beyond even his imagination.

Leaving home to pursue his childhood dream of attending the merchant academy on the coast, extraordinary events unfold propelling Kief, along with his friends and his map, toward the same perilous destiny.

This book is exactly what it professes to be:  "A Tale of Adventure and Freedom."  Kief is adventurous and daring.  He lives for the thrill and adrenalin rush.  He has a trusty horse that he loves a secret map and some good friends.  All the makings for some good story telling.

Throughout much of the book I felt like the characters acted much younger than they were.  But, if I forgot about that fact and just pictured them younger, it wasn't a big deal.

I loved when Kief finally set out to the merchant academy.  The story started to pick up and I was able to settle into it.  I enjoyed the drawings in the book.  They helped me visualize things a little better.  Anytime I read about people banding together to defend freedoms and raise against injustice I am hooked.  I just love stories like that.

Overall a good read.  Kief has even more adventure in front of him as the book ends so I'll be looking forward to continuing on with him.  I think he's finally going to reach his childhood dream of being on the water in this next book.  At least I hope so.

You can purchase The Dark Eagles First Flight at Amazon.


David was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and spent most of his childhood on a farm in Heber City, located in the Wasatch Mountains. He loved exploring the mountains on his horse looking for adventures to follow. Growing up, he wanted to be a movie director and used his own Super 8 camera to make silent movies with his friends and brothers and sister. Instead he earned a Bachelors in Engineering at the University of Utah. While there, he met the love of his life, Jenelle, and they were blessed with three amazing sons: Josh, Tate, and Porter. David later earned his Masters in Business Administration from Northwestern University and pursued a path in the corporate world. But his creative side continued to tug at him for years until finally through the encouragement of his wife and boys, he realized that it’s never too late to follow your dream. So David set off to write an epic adventure of a boy and his horse and created a story of freedom, adventure, love, courage and sacrifice. When he's not writing, David enjoys outdoor activities with his family, and especially loves surfing with his three boys in Southern California where he resides.

Visit the website: http://www.thedarkeagles.com/

Thursday, December 6, 2012

All I Want Book Blast with a $50 Gift Card Giveaway!


ALL I WANT

THREE STORIES. THREE COUPLES. ONE HOLIDAY.

Pretty Near Perfect

by Jolene Perry

The last thing Norah needs is to be attracted to anyone – especially in her deceased fiancĂ©'s parents' home. Collin’s starting a new career, and has no business getting involved – especially while staying with his roommate’s family, who very kindly offered to take him in for the holidays. Unfortunately, you just don’t always pick the most convenient time and place to fall for someone.


Six Days of Christmas
by Kaylee Baldwin

When Natalie goes home with her best friend for Christmas, she expects plenty of quiet time to work on a winning ad so she can turn her dream internship into her dream job. Instead, she gets time-consuming Christmas festivities, a house full of children, and Jimmy, her best friend’s brother - someone who makes her question everything she’s always thought she wanted.


Twist of Fate
by Rachael Anderson

When a postcard meant for Kenzie winds up in Ty's mailbox, Ty's faced with a decision. Should he tell her that her fiancĂ© is breaking up with her and let it ruin her favorite holiday, or should he do what he’s wanted to do since he met her - make a move and hope that he can win her over before she discovers there won’t be a wedding after all.





Author Jolene Perry

Jolene Perry is an enigmatic figure. She is most often seen behind her laptop, staring at the words flying onto the screen with reckless abandon.

She survived growing up in rural Alaska, driving like a lunatic, and her husband’s careers in the military, as a perpetual student, and an Alaska State Prosecutor. She also survived as a middle school math teacher using her degree of Political Science and French.

One day Jolene was playing her guitar (probably some-thing juvenile for her kids) when she wondered what it would be like to write a song for a rockstar, and her first book was born. (that book is shelved)

She now lives a very glamorous life as a stay at home mom, elbow deep in dirty dishes and peanut butter sandwiches. She doesn’t even attempt to keep up with the laundry because non-writing time is precious, and her family is sorta awesome.

Links:




Author Rachael Anderson

Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.




Links:




Author Kaylee Baldwin

I grew up in Mesa, Arizona, and graduated from Arizona State University

with a degree in English literature.
I currently live in southern Arizona with my husband, Jeremy, and our three children. When I am not writing, I enjoy reading, starting new craft projects, and spending time with my family.



Links:




All I Want Blog Tour
November 26th to Decmber 21st
Includes a $25 gift card giveaway

Tour Schedule





Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card of Paypal Cash
Ends 12/22/12
You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow the authors then you can leave the others blank.

Open to anyone 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's permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

For What It's Worth Book Blast + Win $50 Giftcard!


For What It's Worth by Karey White


Twenty-four year-old, Abby Benson has dreams of owning her own wedding cake shop. An inheritance from her aunt gives her the ability to make those dreams come true. She hires Dane, a handsome contractor, to help her get the bakery up and running and soon they’re moving toward their own happy ending.

Unsure what to charge for her cakes, Abby has a crazy idea to let the customer decide what they think their cake is worth. This plan has its ups and downs, but the novelty of the idea makes her a local celebrity. When she is interviewed on television about the unusual idea, business booms and Abby has cake adventures she never dreamed possible. But as her fame grows, Abby is swept up in a whirlwind that threatens everything she values. With the challenges that face her, will she be able to determine what is worth the most?

Praise for For What It's Worth

Reading Karey White’s books, like eating chocolate cake, is always satisfying and brings a smile to my face. For What It’s Worth is light, romantic, and delicious. It’s a great pleasure read. Sit down and get lost in the charming world of wedding cakes and love. As an added bonus, each chapter  starts with a recipe, so it’s a novel and cookbook all in one. A fun read!
—Teri Harman, KSL columnist, Studio 5 contributor, and author of Blood Moon, available June 22, 2013

I just loved the book – loved it. Hated putting it down and hated finishing it. Karey White is my new Maeve Binchy, her writing as warm as the bakery her novel is set in. For What It’s Worth surprised me, made me smile, say “no” out loud in a public place. I love when a character feels like my sister. I didn’t want to finish it, so now I may try the recipes that began every chapter.
—Amanda Dickson, author and radio personality

This book oozes charm, romance, and mouth-watering recipes. If you want to escape reality and curl up with a darling story, For What It’s Worth is the perfect fit. Thank you, Karey White!
—Rachael Anderson, author

This is a book worth every penny of the price. In the business of baking wedding cakes, every detail must be perfection, but this story remembers that real life is oh-so-messy. White’s clear and honest writing left me hungry for good food, a close family, and a little romance. A beautiful marriage of food, family, and faith.
—Regina Sirois, author of On Little Wings, 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award

Purchase

Book Trailer





Author Karey White


Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.





Links


Blog Tour December 2012
Tour Schedule

Book Blast Giveaway Details
$50 Amazon Gift Card or PayPal Cash from Author Karey White
Ends 12/14/12
*You need not enter your twitter name for each entry. Simply enter it when you follow Karey and leave the others blank.


Open to anyone 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's permission. 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. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Monday, December 3, 2012

Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop!

I love the image for this giveaway hop!  So pretty!  I love this time of the year.  (well, minus the snow and the cold)  

I am giving one book of your choice, $12 or less shipping from Amazon if you are US and The Book Depository if you are INT (and they ship to your country for free).  

However you celebrate, wherever you are, I wish you the best of Holiday seasons.

Happy Hopping and Happy Reading!


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On Tour with Keepers of the Zodiac + Giveaway!

The stars have shifted and the Earth is rapidly moving into the throes of chaos.

Four god-like beings known as the Zodiac High Council, send their winged herald, Syrie, out with twelve sealed envelopes. His mission? To bring a chosen group of thirteen future Zodiac Keepers, including a set of mesmerizing twins, to the Isle of Oriba for training.

Syrie never could have imagined that he would fall in love along the way--ultimately forcing him to choose between betrayal and death.

Keepers of the Zodiac is an enthralling tale of obligatory fate, temporary hope, and impossible love.

I love the premise of this book.  The world in turmoil, in need of "keepers"  to put the stars back in order.  Each set of keepers is over a zodiac sign, for me it would be Sagittarius.  :)  The keepers have to go through training to develop their skills and hopefully reign in the chaos of earth.  Great idea, right?  I've always loved the stars and the zodiac star constellations.  

I also love the idea of Syrie.  He sounds so mythical and magical and well, handsome!  He is a great character.

While I did enjoy reading this book, I felt like I was being told a lot of things instead of shown.  Our first glimpse of the Zodiac High Council is a long list of This is so and so.  He is this, this, this and this.  It just felt like I was getting a run down on who everyone was and what they looked like.  For me, the connection with the characters was missing.  I will say though that I think there is promise for the next book.  I think the build up of book one will hopefully lead to some exciting things.  We sure do get a bit of a cliff hanger ending so for me, this will be a book to follow up with.

If you are a fan of insta love, this book is full of it.  Insta, insta love.  

Oh, my favorite part of the book was the island that Syrie takes Simone.  It's also the place Simone visits and sees the two stars light up.  :)  You'll have to read the book to find out why the stars light up!  

Content:  a sexual situation and some swearing.

Enjoy this excerpt from Keepers of the Zodiac!

It was around four in the morning, and Gabe was having trouble sleeping. Rather than lie in bed and toss and turn, he decided to get an early start to his chores. Before heading outside, he stopped in the kitchen to pour himself a glass of milk. Staring out the window into the darkness, he saw something bright fall from the sky and land in the field. Grabbing the same rifle that had been pointed at him not too many years ago, Gabe ran out to, thanks but no thanks to the moonlight, find a naked man standing before him. He cocked back the gun and pointed it at the trespasser.

Knowing that Gabe normally didn’t start working until six in the morning, Syrie hadn’t even settled on an outfit for the day yet, which explained his lack of clothing. Hands up in surrender, Syrie carefully said, “I’m just going to reach over here and grab my clothes.” In reality, there had been no clothes on the ground, but just by thinking about them, he made them appear. He reached for his new pile of clothes, and, hesitating a bit, said, “Now, I’m going to put them on.” Gabe nodded an approval, and although he wanted to turn away, he wasn’t about to let the naked man out of his sight.

Syrie finished dressing into his plaid and flannel shirt, tight jeans, cowboy boots, and cowboy hat. He couldn’t help but be annoyed with himself for his outfit choice, but as he had had little time to think at the moment, he’d just thrown the word cowboy out there, and those were the clothes that appeared. He would really have loved a pair of underwear, seeing as how the jeans were so tight, but knew that beggars could not be choosers when one had a gun staring them in the face. Pointing to the gun, he asked, “Do you think you can put that thing away?”

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Smashwords

Sharon Wood is a married, mother of two boys. She was born and raised in Northern California, and attended college at San Jose State University, where she studied Marketing. A self-proclaimed Disney fanatic, Sharon enjoys collecting Vinylmations and talking about Disney related things to anyone that will listen. Besides writing, she enjoys playing and coaching volleyball, dancing, and reading. Keepers of the Zodiac is her first novel, and she is currently hard at work on the sequel!

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