Book Blitz: Because of Lucy by Lisa Swallow

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Title: Because of Lucy.
Author: Lisa Swallow.
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult.
Publication Date: August 28th, 2013.
Publisher: Limitless Publishing LLC .
Format: eBook & Paperback, 220 pages.



*Recommended 17+ due to strong language and sexual content*

Ness’s parents are shocked when she turns down her place at Leeds University and takes on a full-time job in a call center. Determined to begin her adult life the way she wants, Ness moves to Leeds to live with her best friend Abby.

One night she meets Evan, who is everything she hates about guys. He may be hot but he’s also drunken, arrogant, and on top of that, he apparently has sex with girls and forgets about it. But Evan isn’t what he seems and Ness soon discovers they have more in common than she thought.

Evan is struggling to escape from his past too, and when Lucy appears she threatens his new relationship with Ness. Unsure if she can deal with the effect Lucy has on Evan, Ness makes a decision about her future which pulls them apart.

When their new lives don’t go as planned, Ness and Evan are both faced with difficult choices. All because of Lucy…

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Lisa is originally from the UK but now lives in Perth, Western Australia. She splits her time between writing, raising a family and running a business. She even leaves the house occasionally.

Lisa writes romance and is currently working on a series of new adult paranormal romance novels, the first book, Soul Ties, was published in July 2013. She also writes new adult contemporary - Because of Lucy was released August 2013.

Excerpt

I side step the sink and turn. A guy leans against the doorframe, trying to appear nonchalant but his slackened stance indicates he’s attempting to keep himself upright. His brown hair is longer at the front and spills into his face, and unfocused brown eyes appear to be looking in my direction. He’s one of the regulars. I don’t pay a lot of attention, but he’s a good-looking guy and they never go unnoticed.
“Yes?” I snap. I’m so not in the mood.
His eyes sweep my figure. Unbelievable... I straighten my sleeves and look at him with an eyebrow raised.
“Are you Abby’s housemate?”
“Who are you?”
“Evan.” He rubs his nose. “You’re not a student?”
“Correct, I am the one not lying in a drunken haze on the floor contemplating my navel.”
Evan takes a step forward, steadying himself with one hand as my witty repartee sails over his head. “Why?”
“Why am I not on the floor pissed?”
“Why aren’t you a student?”
“Because I work instead.”
“Hmm.” He pauses and grasps onto the sink, searching for a glass. I pass him the spare one. “Did you fail?”
“Fail what?”
Evan fills the glass. “Or are you just not smart enough for uni? What is it you do?” He gulps the water in three mouthfuls then wipes his mouth with his hand.
Arrogant wanker. “That’s right, I’m not smart enough. I’m living with Abby until I can find a nice man to marry then I can have 2.4 kids and a house in the suburbs. Because, as I’m not a student, I have no future.”
Evan leans against the sink. “Fair enough.”
Oh my god he believes me. How pissed is he exactly? “So, you think anyone who doesn’t go to university is inferior to you?” I demand.
I’ve seen her friends looking down their noses at me. Inverted snobbery. On top of that, the locals hate students and the students hate locals. I’m neither. I can’t win.

We’re close now and he stinks of alcohol and pot, a faint hint of deodorant lingering on his clothes. Evan’s T-shirt has come untucked and rides up as he leans against the sink. He’s toned, evidently works out. I can’t help myself, I check him out. Beneath his curls he has deep brown eyes. Incoherent eyes. I hate to admit, but something about him is seriously sexy.
Even if he is a dick.
“Well, if you’ll excuse me,” I say.
He sniggers.
“What’s funny?”
“You sound like the Queen.”
Not this again. I get enough crap at work. I move from Cheltenham to Yorkshire and suddenly I’m ‘stuck up home counties girl’. I don’t dignify his comment with an answer and turn away from him, and walk out of the kitchen.
“Want me to get the guy out of your bed?” he calls after me.
I stop and look round. “You know him?”
“I could replace him.”
My mouth drops open at his arrogance. An attempt at a flirtatious smile plays around his lips but the unfocused eyes kill the effect he’s trying to achieve. He’s serious. I imagine he has a ready supply of eager girls. No surprise with a body and looks like his, such a shame he needs a personality transplant.
I step towards him. “Evan. I am not pissed. Nor are you getting into my bed. Good night.”
Feeling happy with my retort, I saunter towards the stairs. Behind me, Evan impersonates my sentence with an exaggerated posh accent.

It’s a good thing that I’m sober otherwise I’d go back there and punch him.

Book Blitz: First Kiss by Cindy M. Hogan

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Title: First Kiss.
Series: Confessions of a 16-Year-Old Virgin Lips, #1.
Author: Cindy M. Hogan.
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult.
Publication Date: July 3rd, 2013.
Publisher: O'neal Publishing.
Format: eBook.



VL. Virgin Lips. You may not have heard of it, but where I live, it’s a thing with a card, even if it is a figurative card. I was Brooklyn Hill, certified virgin lips, and I planned on clinging to that figurative card with all I had—while dating as many of the hottest guys at school as I could.

Maybe that’s a bit strange. I mean, what teenage girl isn’t interested in kissing? Locking lips definitely interested me, but the drama that came with it didn’t. No kissing, no drama. Simple.

But on my sixteenth birthday, on my first real date even, the drama found me. His name was Luke Graham—cute, funny, and bad news for the whole female race.

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Cindy M. Hogan graduated with a secondary education teaching degree and enjoys spending time with unpredictable teenagers. More than anything she loves the time she has with her own teenage daughters and wishes she could freeze them at this fun age. If she's not reading or writing, you'll find her snuggled up with the love of her life watching a great movie or planning their next party. She loves to bake, garden and be outdoors doing a myriad of activities.

Excerpt

“Yes siree, the two of us will die old and decrepit, kiss-less…unless, of course,” he said with a flourish, “we find that special someone.”
Only Parker could get away with a speech like that and not come out looking like a total loser. I wondered why that was. Why some could get away with stuff and others couldn’t.
“Then you’ll be missing out on the best stuff in life,” Ty said. Ty was on the swim team with Parker and me and was known for his roving lips.
“Just ‘cause you’re a lip-slut, Ty,” Ali said, “doesn’t mean you can diss on those saving themselves for something special.”
“Ohhh!” Harrison said, “Ali’s on the war path tonight. You guys better be careful what you say!”
“From the mouth of the oldest VL in the group,” Ty shot back at Ali and splashed her with water.
I could tell she was blushing wildly even in the semi-darkness.
“Actually,” I said, “Ali isn’t in the club.”
“No way!” Parker called out. “Ali, you disappoint me.” He frowned in an exaggerated way.
Ali splashed me. “Thanks a lot, birthday girl.”
That started everyone telling about their first kisses.
Mike said, “I went away with sore teeth after my first kiss. Instead of leading with our lips, our teeth clacked hard against each others’. But don’t worry, Brooklyn, I’ve got all that worked out, now.”
Before I could be too embarrassed, Katherine spoke up. “Nobody’s first kiss was worse than mine. He was salivating so much it dripped down my chin.”
“Well, my first was amazing. After all, I am Ty.”
Alyssa scoffed, “Yeah right.”
“I’m serious. We were just sitting there, not talking, and all of a sudden—a shooting star streaked across the sky.” He shushed all the mocking and sounds of disbelief. “It totally happened! And then, it was like we were telepathically connected, we looked at each other and without even thinking about it, I kissed her, soft and slow. When we stopped, she asked me my wish was, and I said—‘I just got it.’”
All the girls in the group sighed wistfully. I was impressed. I had no idea Ty was such a romantic. Then he broke the spell. “And, man, her lips were so hot. I’ll never forget those lips.”
The girls all groaned and splashed him. “Typical!” Alyssa said, rolling her eyes.
A few more kids shared their first kiss stories. Most sounded awful. We were either laughing hysterically or completely grossed out during the conversation. I held hope that my first kiss would be dreamy, like Ty said his was.

Book Blitz: The Crescent Chronicles by Alyssa Rose Ivy

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Title: Flight.
Series: The Crescent Chronicles, #1.
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy.
Publication Date: August 16th, 2012.
Publisher: Create Space.
Format: Paperback & eBook, 268 pages.



Sometimes you just have to take flight.

A summer in New Orleans is exactly what Allie needs before starting college. Accepting her dad’s invitation to work at his hotel offers an escape from her ex-boyfriend and the chance to spend the summer with her best friend. Meeting a guy is the last thing on her mind—until she sees Levi.

Unable to resist the infuriating yet alluring Levi, Allie finds herself at the center of a supernatural society and forced to decide between following the path she has always trusted or saving a city that might just save her.

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Title: Focus.
Series: The Crescent Chronicles, #1.
Author: Alyssa Rose Ivy.
Publication Date: January 31st, 2013.
Publisher: Create Space.



Freshman year of college is hard even when you're not tied to the future king of a supernatural society.

Allie dives into college head first with Hailey as her roommate and the city of New Orleans as her backyard. As things within The Society heat up, Allie realizes that whether she’s with Levi or not, she's in far too deep to turn back.

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Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

Flight Excerpt

We walked through the French Quarter slowly, and I tried to take it all in. The music, the crowds, and the atmosphere still felt surreal. Music spilled out of the endless bars and clubs.

“Wow, are those people seriously dressed up as vampires?” I asked, looking in at a dark bar on the corner. Inside I watched a man and woman holding up a chalice and smiling with fangs showing.
Levi laughed. “If you think those people are weird, you’d be freaked out by the real thing.”
“The real thing? Very funny.”
“What, you don’t think vampires are real?”
“No, and I’m glad they aren’t.”
“Why? Do they scare you?” Levi stopped walking, and turned me to look at him.
“Does the thought of blood sucking monsters scare me? Hell yes. Who wouldn’t be scared of that? ”
He laughed again even louder. “Trust me sweetheart, in New Orleans vampires are the least of your worries.”
“What do you mean?” Something about the glint in his eyes made me feel a little uneasy.
Levi’s face turned into a faint smile. “I’m really glad you asked that.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’ll have to wait and see.”
“Okay, listen, scaring me isn’t a good way to get me interested, so if you have any weird tricks up your sleeve just shelve them.” I wondered if this was the time to tell him I avoided horror movies like the plague.

“No tricks, hon.” Levi pulled his phone out of his pocket and texted a few times. I continued my people watching. I’d never seen so many middle-aged people laughing and partying before. It almost felt like the twilight zone.

Levi slipped his phone back in his pocket. “We’re meeting everyone over at Club 360.” “What’s that?”
“The lounge on the top of the World Trade Center down by the river.”
“Okay, is it a cool view?”
“Yeah, it’s got a good view.” Levi laughed again and I had the distinct impression he was hiding something from me.
“You promise you aren’t luring me into some trap?”
“A trap? No. Let’s just call it a new experience.”
My stomach dropped. What the heck did I get myself into?

Book Blitz: Obscura Burning by Suzanne Rooyen & Giveaway

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Title: Obscura Burning.
Author: Suzanne van Rooyen.
Publication Date: December 7th, 2012.
Publisher: Etopia Press.
Format: Paperback & eBook, 300 pages.



The world's going to end in fire…and it's all Kyle's fault.

Kyle Wolfe's world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle's two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle's friends aren't all that dead anymore.

Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it's Shira who's alive...and now they're friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he's not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He's pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents' marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world...

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Suzanne is a freelance writer and author from South Africa. She currently lives in Finland and finds the cold, dark forests nothing if not inspiring. Suzanne is the author of the cyberpunk novel Dragon’s Teeth (Divertir), the YA science fiction novel Obscura Burning (Etopia) and has had several short stories published by Golden Visions Magazine, Space and Time and Niteblade. Niteblade nominated her short story Where dreams are grown for the Pushcart Prize. Her non-fiction articles on travel, music and other topics can be found scattered throughout the Internet. Although she has a Master’s degree in music, Suzanne prefers conjuring strange worlds and creating quirky characters. When not writing you can find her teaching dance to ninth graders or playing in the snow with her shiba inu.
Suzanne is represented by Jordy Albert of the Booker Albert Agency.

Excerpt

Closing my eyes, I imagine New Mexico burning, can almost smell it, the pungent pine, fireball mesquite, and smouldering cacti. I should be worried about the damage the UV’s doing to my scars, but after tonight, none of that will matter. Just when you think it can’t possibly get any hotter or the mercury will explode, the temperature rises just a few more degrees. Today, Coyote’s Luck lies in a simmering mirage, hotter than any hell imaginable.

The crush of mesquite huddling between the tombstones offers little respite from the sun. Sticking to the dappled shade, I thread my way toward Danny’s grave. I’m not alone.
She looks like a ghost with the white sundress fanning around her legs, her long black hair teased by the warm breeze. For a moment, I think it’s one of the ch’iindi made flesh, until she turns at the sound of my step.

Gabriela, her face a teary-eyed frown. She folds her arms and returns her gaze to the grave. When did she get so thin? She was always so voluptuous, a shorter, less saggy version of her mother. Now she looks more like a sixteen-year-old kid, barely there in layers of cotton.
We stand in silence, both just staring at the grave. The rosaries dangle over the stone, tied in knots around the stems of already dead flowers. There’s a white and blue beaded one, the one that was attached to Danny’s bed, the one he’d kiss at night before going to sleep.
“I miss him so much,” Gabriela says eventually.
“So do I.”
“I blame you, you know.” She casts me a sidelong glance.
“Maybe you should.”
She nods and sniffs and fingers one of the blooms turned brown by the heat.
“Dead, all of it.” She tears the petals from the stalk. “Little Maria, now Daniel.” She turns her dark eyes on me, searching for something I wish I could give her.
“This is killing my parents. Daniel was their only son. They’ll never have more children. Once, I had a brother. Now I’m alone. Sister to dead siblings.”
That’s the most Gabriela’s ever said, to me at least. I’m stunned into uncomfortable silence. There’s nothing I can say that’ll make it right. But tonight, maybe there’ll be something I can do.
“I wish I could make it right.” My words sound so pathetic.
She harrumphs and digs her sandaled toe into the dirt. “Nothing can make Daniel dying right.”
“I’m sorry.” There is nothing else I can say without trying to explain the whole confusing story and Gabriela’s not the type to believe in rifts in reality. “Tell Daniel you’re sorry. He’s the one who died because of you.” She takes a deliberate step away from me, crosses herself, offering prayers in Spanish to the ether.
“I loved him, you know.” Maybe I am to blame, but she makes it sound like I don’t give a crap that he’s dead.
“Obviously not enough.”

Author Interview

1. Do you judge a book by its cover?
All the time. That’s not to say that all my judgements are accurate but a book cover is really important. If I’m standing in a store torn between two books of equal price with equally interesting blurbs, I’ll certainly take the one with the nicer cover - that’s just the way it is.

2. Is there a series you'll read over and over again and never get tired of?
Series? No. I’m not really into series. I find myself often reading the first book and never further. I may make exceptions for trilogies and I’ll have to see how it goes with The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater before changing my mind on book series.

3. What are two of your favorite fictional worlds that you'd like to see together?
Wow - that’s tough. Merging two worlds. Hm... I think Capt. Jack Harkness from Dr Who and Torchwood could just about take on anything and anyone so I’d like to see him take on some comic book heroes. I reckon Capt. Jack should make a guest appearance in The Avengers or X-Men - get Torchwood on the hunt for Magneto or Loki. That could be fun!

4. If you could meet a fictional character, who would it be and why?
It’s a tie between Capt. Jack Harkness and Morpheus, the Sandman and King of Dreams. Capt. Jack because he is awesome and has seen the future and would be infinitely interesting to talk to and Morpheus because he lives inside people’s dreams - I think he’d have a unique perspective on the human condition.

5. How do you feel about book to movies or book to TV shows?
Love them when they’re done well, which isn’t all that often. I’m a bit of purist tending to prefer the book to adaptation but I’m the first to admit that movies like Stardust and Coraline are fantastic and actually improve upon the original books. I think all the Nicholas Sparks movies have been an improvement on the books but the one that wins hands down is The Vampire Diaries. I could never get into the books despite trying more than once. The TV series however? Yeah I’m a total Damon Salvatore fangirl.

6. How many unread books do you have? On your TBR list?
Hundreds. I add more than I can ever hope to read but at least it gives me options. I love the sample function on Amazon - makes life easier being able to scroll through samples on my Kindle and get a taste for the book before purchasing it.

7. What's your favorite book this year?
I read this in November last year but it remains a favorite: Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion. A totally unexpected and brilliant book about zombies. I hope the film adaptation will do it justice!

8. Ebooks or physical books? Which do you prefer?
Ebooks - more practical, lighter, easier to travel with and they save a hell of a lot of shelf space.

Giveaway!

One lucky winner will win:

• 1 autographed paperback of Obscura Burning.
• 1 ebook of Dragon's Teeth (epub, mobi or pdf).
• 1 $10 Gift Card for Amazon.
• 3 surprise items from each of the main characters.

• International residents may enter.
• Contest ends January 31st, 2013.

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Book Blitz: I Am Alive by Cameron Jace & Giveaway

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Title: I Am Alive.
Series: I Am Alive, #1.
Author: Cameron Jace.
Publication Date: May 23rd, 2012.
Format: Kindle Edition, 267 pages.



Every girl dies - not every girl really lives.

Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.

The usual boring girl meets badboy story... hmm... with a twist ...

They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.

To prove that you're still alive you have to scream I Am Alive every six hours. Lower your voice, and you're dead. Deccaa doesn't need Leo's company. She has a secret of her own. While they both can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank. Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.

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During the blitz, the bundle pack (3 books in 1) of I Am Alive for Kindle is only 0.99c!

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Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV - it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales. I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

Excerpt

From Chapter 28
The first thing I see when I wake up is a pair of beautiful green eyes. It’s Leo. He is holding a bar of chocolate in his hand, and he doesn’t have a sleeping bag. I crawl sleepily out of mine.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“I had a bad dream,” I yawn.
“Really? I thought I heard you cry out.”
“So? Can’t a girl have some privacy in a bad dream? Why are you awake?” The rest are asleep.
“Just checking on you.” He smirks, a little better than usual, with a smile hidden somewhere. “I brought you chocolate,” he offers.
I take it abruptly. “You found my weak spot.” I bite hard. The chocolate tastes funny. “So what’s yours?”
“Mine?”
“Your weak spot.”
“I don’t have one,” he says bluntly.
“Not even me?”
“That, we have to talk about when we get out of here alive.”

Soundtrack Song

Giveaway!

One lucky winner will win the Kindle Format of:

• One (1) I Am Alive bundle (3 books in 1) by Cameron Jace.
• One (1) Grimm prequel pack that includes all six Snow White Sorrow prequels.


• International residents may enter.
• Contest ends January 16th, 2013.

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