Cover Reveal – Thorns At Sunrise by Janeen Ippolito @XpressoTours @JaneenIppolito #fantasy #fairytales

Posted on January 25, 2023 by fundinmental

Thorns at Sunrise
Janeen Ippolito
Publication date: March 23rd 2023
Genres: Fairy Tales, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult

A young queen. Her imaginary friend. A kingdom on the verge of death.

She believes she’s crazy.

Queen Usilea has a secret–and he lives in her mind. Ever since she was six years old, her imaginary friend has been her closest companion, and her arranged marriage has been a great dread. When she learns her betrothed and the royal family have suddenly died, she feels obligated to attend the funeral in the foreign land of Absteph–and perhaps learn more behind their mysterious passing.

He only wants the truth.

Petar endures great pain to protect those he does not remember. His only solace is a shadowy woman who he loves–even though she denies that he exists. When a terrible tragedy occurs in his kingdom, that mysterious woman is his only hope of bringing justice to light. For the cage that imprisons him grows harsher every day, and he is losing the fight.

But there are thorns at sunrise.

Brought together on the barest thread of reality, Usilea and Petar must discover what really happened to the royal family. But Petar’s time is running out. Soon not even a Mender like Usilea will be able to save him.

This YA romance features a gender-swapped Sleeping Beauty in an original fantasy world on the brink of doom.

Add to Goodreads / Pre-order

Author Bio:

Janeen Ippolito believes you should own your unique words—and make them awesome! She’s a multi-published author of bestselling fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. She’s also an experienced book editor and marketing strategist, plus the CEO of Uncommon Universes Press, a publishing company with award-winning books. She hosts the podcast Own Your Unique Words, which helps gutsy fiction authors grow their businesses without burning out. In her spare time, she helps her missionary husband with his youth swordfighting ministry, indulges her foodie ambitions, reads whatever books she feels like, and explores a slew of random hobbies. Her life goals include traveling to Antarctica and riding a camel while wearing a party hat. This extrovert loves to connect, so join her on social media or at janeenippolito.com

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

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Giveaway – The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven @GoddessFish @bohemienneivy

Posted on September 28, 2022 by fundinmental

The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven by Jennifer Ivy Walker

GENRE: Paranormal fantasy medieval romance

BLURB

In this dark fairy tale adaptation of a medieval French legend, Issylte must flee the wicked queen, finding shelter with a fairy witch who teaches her the verdant magic of the forest. Fate leads her to the otherworldly realm of the Lady of the Lake and the Elves of Avalon, where she must choose between her life as a healer or fight to save her ravaged kingdom. Tristan of Lyonesse is a Knight of the Round Table who must overcome the horrors of his past and defend his king or lose everything. When he becomes a warrior of the Tribe of Dana, a gift of Druidic magic might hold the key he seeks. Haunted and hunted. Entwined by fate. Can their passion and power prevail?

EXCERPT

He opened the brilliant blue eyes that she’d seen in the vision.

As she gazed into them, the earth tilted. Her heart raced; her bearings were lost. In the depths of his eyes, she glimpsed a fountain in a forest. The turquoise waters of the ocean. An underground well encased by sacred stones. She, the forest fairy, was immersed in the blue waters of the warrior’s eyes, the waves emanating from him flowing through her, cleansing her. Beckoning her.

In Tristan’s eyes, Issylte glimpsed a black bird—a sea raven—soaring over an open sea, hovering now before her. A small dove fluttered in her breast, called forth from her soul. White wings unfurled as she took flight, rising into the azure sky alongside the black seabird—-floating together through the diaphanous clouds scattered across the vast ocean.

In the breadth of an instant, Issylte was bound to this warrior, the Blue Knight of Cornwall, as if fate had indeed entwined them. Through the windows of his eyes, she peered into his soul, her own blending with his, as if they were the forest and the ocean, encircled now within the three layers of protective stones, the holy trinity of sacred elements of the Goddess.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Enthralled with legends of medieval knights and ladies, dark fairy tales and fantasies about Druids, wizards and magic, Jennifer Ivy Walker always dreamed of becoming a writer. She fell in love with French in junior high school, continuing her study of the language throughout college, eventually becoming a high school teacher and college professor of French.

As a high school teacher, she took her students every year to the annual French competition, where they performed a play she had written, “Yseult la Belle et Tristan la Bête”–an imaginative blend of the medieval French legend of “Tristan et Yseult” and the fairy tale “Beauty and the Beast”, enhanced with fantasy elements of a Celtic fairy and a wicked witch.

Her debut novel, “The Wild Rose and the Sea Raven”–the first of a trilogy– is a blend of her love for medieval legends, the romantic French language, and paranormal fantasy. It is a retelling of the medieval French romance of “Tristan et Yseult”, interwoven with Arthurian myth, dark fairy tales from the enchanted Forest of Brocéliande, and otherworldy elements such as Avalonian Elves, Druids, forest fairies and magic.

Explore her realm of Medieval French Fantasy. She hopes her novels will enchant you.

Website: https://jenniferivywalker.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JenniferIvyWalker
Twitter: https://twitter.com/bohemienneivy
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jenniferivywalkerauthor/
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/~/e/B0B91R2MJZ
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-wild-rose-and-the-sea-raven-jennifer-ivy-walker/1141977954

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Review – The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen @AOwenBooks #TheLiarsCrown #NetGalley

Posted on August 30, 2022 by fundinmental

@abigailowenauthor THE LIAR’S CROWN – 1st in a new #yafantasy trilogy coming 8.30.22! #yafantasybooks #yabooktok #fantasybooktok #newadultbooks ♬ Lost – Crim3s

I would like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for the opportunity to read and review The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I love a good Prologue. It can hook me quick, and Abigail Owen has done it in The Liar’s Crown. I am a huge fan of hers and she did not let me down.

Hesperia served Eidolon, the King of Tundra. He is a charming liar who has tasked her with cursing the child. The child is one of two, a twin, and Hesperia defies the king, cursing the other child. Twins: one is Enfornae, who she blessed, and the other is Hylorae. What does it mean? I shall have to read on to find out, but I am very curious of what the repercussions will be, for the children and for Hesperia. We shall find out when Eidolon comes for the Queen of Aryd.

One twin will rule, the other is a secret body double in dangerous situations…to die in her place. Sounds sucky to me.

I am Mereneith Evangeline XII of Aryd. There are six dominions, each named for their ruling goddess. She is a tool. A nonperson. She turns her back on Cain, her best friend, when the Queen dies. She has things she needs to do, and he can’t help her.

The Shadowwraith, alone, villified.

I loved traveling the vividly created dominions, the magicals and the humans. I want to share so much about the characters, Raven…and Meren…but that would spoil things for you. I will say, they are magical, lonely, tools to be used. A man made of evil shadows. A woman who is an echo of the queen to be. I love when peripheral characters are as important to me as the main characters.

OMG. I was swept away with the shifting sand, hiding in the shadows, filled with fear for Meren, a heroine that will sacrifice herself ,while trying to save others and her new found love from the evil that is determined to rule the dominions. Nonstop action. Pacing that brought so many chilling thrills that made me want to read until I reached the end…I got lost and didn’t want to come up for a breath of air.

The story is not finished, but it did stop at a good place, if that is possible. I hope you are writing fast Abigail.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of The Liar’s Crown by Abigail Owen.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

One born to rule. One to forfeit…

Everything about my life is a lie. As a hidden twin princess, born second, I have only one purpose—to sacrifice my life for my sister if death comes for her. I’ve been living under the guise of a poor, obscure girl of no standing, slipping into the palace and into the role of the true princess when danger is present.

Now the queen is dead and the ageless King Eidolon has sent my sister a gift—an eerily familiar gift—and a proposal to wed. I don’t trust him, so I do what I was born to do and secretly take her place on the eve of the coronation. Which is why, when a figure made of shadow kidnaps the new queen, he gets me by mistake.

As I try to escape, all the lies start to unravel. And not just my lies. The Shadowraith who took me has secrets of his own. He struggles to contain the shadows he wields—other faces, identities that threaten my very life.

Winter is at the walls. Darkness is looming. And the only way to save my sister and our dominion is to kill Eidolon…and the Shadowraith who has stolen my heart.

ABOUT ABIGAIL OWEN

Multi–award-winning paranormal romance author, Abigail Owen, loves plots that move hot and fast, feisty heroines with sass, alpha heroes with heart, a dash of snark, and oodles of sexy shifters! Other titles include wife, mother, Star Wars geek, ex-competitive skydiver, spreadsheet lover, eMBA, organizational guru, Texan, Aggie, and chocoholic. Abigail grew up consuming books and exploring the world through her writing. She attempted to find a practical career related to her favorite pastime by earning a degree in English Rhetoric (Technical Writing). However, she swiftly discovered that writing without imagination is not nearly as fun as writing with it. Abigail currently resides in Austin, Texas, with her own personal hero (who she totally married!) and their two children, who are growing up way too fast.

Website & Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Bookbub

MY REVIEWS FOR ABIGAIL OWEN

Shadowcat Nation:
Andromeda’s Fall / Sarai’s Fortune / Tieryns’ Fury / Seneca’s Faith
The Svatura Series:
Blue Violet / Hyacinth / Crimson Dahlia / Black Orchid
The Fire’s Edge Series:
The Mate / The Boss / The Rookie / The Traitor
Inferno Rising Series:
The Rogue King / The Blood King / The Warrior King / The Cursed King

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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New Release – Enemy In The Dark by Scarlett West @iamscarlettwest

Posted on August 22, 2022 by fundinmental

I am trying to remember how I found Scarlett West….Somehow I had grabbed a free copy of Stolen In The Dark and after I reviewed it, she offered me Hunted In The Dark and a chance to join her ARC list…and I jumped all over it.

Amazon / KindleUnlimited / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

Enemy In The dark is the fourth book (out of five) in the Fae Bureau of Investigation series. I love being in their magical world, fighting and romancing. I love action packed books, and we have plenty.

Steamy romance…is it erotica? All these genre distinctions confuse me.

The Oracle has decreed that Adalee must kill her fated mate, Damien, but she is determined to find a way to prevent that from coming true. I have a thought and I am curious to see how it all comes about.

A false king. Faery kidnappings. A Black Hole.

They have to find the missing Ancients and the relics to close the rift.

Adalee has been finding herself as a Fae, learning her magic and the skills necessary to be a valued member of the FBI. The characters learn to function as a team, one just as important as the other.

In the first half, we have lots of hot steamy romance, as Adalee and Damien finally commit to being together. About half way through, the action picked up, the suspense rising as the pace flows smoothly to the dangerous cliff hanging ending and I can hardly wait for Fated In The Dark (expected publication December 2, 2022. I know what I want Santa to bring me for Christmas. 🙂

Books in the series do not stand alone. I recommend beginning with Stolen In The Dark, and all five books will need to be read to get the full story.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Enemy In The Dark by Scarlett West.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

He’s my fated mate, and I’m destined to kill him.

When I was forced into the dark Fae world, I never expected to fall in love with my boss, Damien. With our relationship deepening, an Oracle has decreed I must murder my beloved to save our people. While I wrestle with having to murder him, the kidnappings are spiraling out of control but the culprits leave no trace of evidence. To crack the case, I’ll have to go undercover surrounded by hidden enemies.

To make matters worse, our kingdom has been plunged into darkness. We don’t know if our King is the enemy and war between our clans is hurtling toward us. And now the King has threatened to execute court members unless we turn ourselves in.

In a race against time, can we stop the destruction of Faery, or will I be forced to choose between my people and Damien?

Readers who enjoy Karen Marie Moning, Laurell K. Hamilton, Amelia Hutchins, and Lindsay Hall, will love this dangerous and sexy urban fantasy.

Enemy in the Dark is a steamy, urban fantasy romance that is book four out of five. Scroll Up and One Click to start reading this hot paranormal romance today!

ABOUT SCARLETT WEST

Scarlett West writes steamy, paranormal romance featuring sexy Fae. Deep characters and hot romance are her thing.

An avid reader and writer who will never stop dreaming, Scarlett has traveled to many countries and been on tons of adventures. She draws her stories from these places, life experiences, and her grand imagination.

Besides writing, she’s a hobby herbalist and a dancer. If she’s not by the computer typing these things up, she can be found in a forest, on a mountain, or by the ocean.

Scarlett West would like to thank her three F’s: Fans, Family, and Friends. Thank you forever for your support.

Website / Facebook / Twitter

MY SCARLET WEST REVIEWS

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Giveway – Potion by Dorlana Vann @GoddessFish

Posted on August 1, 2022 by fundinmental

Potion: A Witchy Fairy Tale by Dorlana Vann

GENRE: YA, Urban fantasy (Contemporary Retelling)

BLURB

#WitchesBeBitches

A Contemporary Retelling.

Eight years ago, the wicked witch held Hansel Lucas Jaeger and his sister, Melrose, captive. They barely escaped with their lives. Now, with high school, a garage band, and a part time job, Lucas finally feels normal.

But everything changes when Lucas sees his awkward, loner sister, hanging out with Star, one of the hot and hated popular girls known as The Bitches. At first, he’s just confused, but when he sees the tarot cards between them, he’s reminded of the curse the witch cast on Melrose.

His fears escalate when Star warns him about two witches from school who plan on using his sister for a ritual. Lucas wants to trust Star; he needs someone to confide in since Melrose thinks his fear of witchcraft is irrational. But Star is unpredictable and has toyed with his emotions before.

As Lucas searches for answers, more mysteries begin to unravel about Melrose’s childhood, Star’s motives, and his own family legacy. Lucas will have to make life and death decisions; but whom can he trust, and how do you rescue someone who doesn’t want to be saved?

EXCERPT

Melrose sat on the bed across from someone with bouncy, blonde hair that flowed down her back. When the girl turned and flashed a smile at Lucas, goosebumps rose from his feet to his face. He did a little head jerk to move the hair out of his eyes, but yeah, Star, the hottest girl at Tangleforest High, was in his house, casual, like his sister’s room was a normal place to hang out.

Be cool, he told himself. “What’s up?” He looked to see what homework they had, thinking a tutoring session was the only sane explanation for Star’s visit. But instead of books or paper, a few oversized cards were laid out on the bed. A second ticked by before he realized what type of cards. Tarot. Immediately, the tension he’d felt earlier returned. “What are y’all doing?”

“Playing a fortune telling game,” Melrose said innocently.

Lucas’ adrenaline started to pump, and suddenly his ears buzzed, the details from the past erupting through his head in a concentrated instant: swirls of color, lost in the trees, gingerbread house of horror, the witch, the cage, the curse. “The hell you are.” He stormed across the room and with one quick whoosh, the cards went flying off the bed.

AUTHOR Bio and Links

Dorlana Vann loves taking elements from fairy tales (characters, mood, moral, plot) and mixing them with a paranormal element and then dropping them in a contemporary setting.

She has several supernatural fairy tale inspired stories, including novels, a short story collection, and Kindle Vella series. Her latest adventure is A Witchy Fairy Tale series; book 1: Potion.

Besides writing, life is all about family, food, book-club, BBQ team, festivals, trivia (even though she’s horrible at it), and drinking on patios – All of which she shares on Instagram 😊

Website/blog: www.dorlanavann.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorlana_vann/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/DorlanaVann
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dorlana
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1329185.Dorlana_Vann
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/dorlanavann

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour and comment. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. Follow the tour HERE.

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Giveaway – Gilded Butterfly by Leslie O’Sullivan @XpressoTours

Posted on July 21, 2022 by fundinmental

Gilded Butterfly
Leslie O’Sullivan
(Rockin’ Fairy Tales, #2)
Publication date: July 30th 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Gilded Butterfly is the second book in the Rockin’ Fairy Tales adult romantasy series by Leslie O’Sullivan. King Midas and the Golden Touch meets King Lear in a slow-burn, friends to lovers, romance set against the backdrop of a fictional Hollywood music scene.

Chorda Lear is a mega-hot pop artist, Internet influencer, and Irish witch who’s poised to inherit a magical family legacy, the Golden Guitar. She’s the fan favorite on a wildly popular reality television show, “Kickin’ It With Midas,” a trendy chronicle of three Hollywood influencer sisters and their aging rock star father, Midas Lear.

Adair Holliday, a Hollywood producer wunderkind, is slated to step up as showrunner of the Lear’s lucrative TV franchise. He must constantly temper his skepticism over best friend, Chorda’s, practice of magic, but his biggest challenge is denying romantic feelings for her.

When Chorda goes disastrously off-script during the live broadcast of the season finale, Lear banishes her from the show and his life. Adair follows his friend into exile with a plan to reconcile father and daughter. Away from the pressures of Hollywood, a steamy encounter under a waxing moon, deepens friendship into romance. Now, the two must reverse Midas’ edict to save both their professional futures and new-found love.

Goodreads / Amazon

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EXCERPT:

This book is in the world of Rockin’ Fairy Tales with some character carryover from Pink Guitars and Falling Stars, Book 1, but it does work as a standalone.

Windshields are a dark destiny for butterflies. As I wind up the drive to Midas Lear’s Waterfall Palace in the Hollywood Hills, my windshield becomes one such destiny for a vibrant blue butterfly. The poor critter traveled to Hollywood in search of fame and fortune with plans to name its cover band Wing Spread.

The driver’s side glass of my deep blue, Tesla model 3 had other plans. In a single fatal moment, the band, Wing Spread became Smush, which sounds more like a pop-up night club than a cover band. In Hollywood, it’s all about the name.

I pull as far off the road in front of the mansion as the narrow drive allows. There are those who would mock me for bemoaning the death of a bug. In my humble opinion, sadness should be mandated when something lovely is destroyed. I, Adair Holliday, am to blame for a drop of beauty gone from the world.

I retrieve an index card from the leather messenger bag my half-brother, Desmond, gave me last month on my thirtieth birthday with the directive: “Time to upgrade from your folksy backpack look, Adair.”

Across the road, I pick my way down a steep bank landscaped as a butterfly garden to the shore of a narrow stream fed by cascading water features of the mansion. It’s ironic the intentional flora attracts winged beauties only to threaten death via windshields and waterfalls.

Before me, the final brushstrokes of a California sunset reflect off Midas Lear’s Waterfall Palace, three stories of glass framed with stacked stone walls. The president of Golden Pipes Records runs his music empire from this Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water House meets Irish castle.

Spray from the waterfall spilling from the cantilevered stone shelf at the mansion’s base dots the butterfly’s wings. I crouch at the water’s edge to release the creature and its paper ship into the current, a Viking funeral in miniature. The card flips, sending broken blue wings beneath the surface.

A bend in the stream disappears into shadows underneath the peppy blossoms of overhanging purple and pink crepe myrtles. Were I slightly metaphoric, I’d define the waterway as a parallel to the new turn my life is about to take. Maybe the fact I’m figuratively pondering means I possess a drizzle of the poet in my soul. A good showrunner needs such drizzle in the ole creative toolbox.

I’ll leave poetic musings to Midas Lear and his three red-headed daughters. Rubata, Glissanda, and Chorda Lear will be my trio of responsibilities when I step into the executive producer spot on their reality TV show, Kickin’ It With Midas, after we shoot tonight’s season finale. I’m primed to step up my creative splash on the Golden Pipes Network.

I emerge from clusters of crimson columbine and lilac to the roar of an approaching engine. Desmond’s vintage red Ferrari 360 Modena zips around the corner, screeching to a stop inches from my toes.

“Shit, Adair. You nearly ended up on my windshield.”

The timeliness of his comment is not lost on me. I decline to share deets of my Viking butterfly funeral. “Cooling my jets for a sec by the water.”

Des shakes his head. “Cooling your jets? My little brother, crowned prince of outdated idioms and clichés.”

I celebrate and perpetuate the resurrection of sayings I’ve absorbed from the classic and not so classic movies and television programs I adore. More than one person has accused me of time traveling to the present from a black and white 1960s sitcom.

I tap a finger to my chin. “Are colorful phrases ever outdated?”

Rubata, the middle Lear sister, springs through the open pop top of the car. Her dyed cherry-red hair clashes with the Ferrari’s paint. She raises her phone to grab a selfie with a green, white, and red striped bag. “Gelato. I gotta gelata,” she sings and waves a handle bag stamped with the Gelato Buono logo.

I dive to catch the phone she tosses to me.

“Adair, get a shot of me with the gotta gelata and the car.” Rubata holds the bag next to her cheek and puckers her lips. As I snap pictures, she flips her hair and kisses the bag. “Did you get the shot? Wait, switch to video of me singing gotta gelata, gotta gelata.” Through the window, I catch her gold painted toenails dancing across Desmond’s shoulder. “Oooo, Desi, feed me gelata. That’ll look sexxxxy.”

Author Bio:

Leslie O’Sullivan is the author of Rockin’ Fairy Tales, an adult romance series of Shakespeare/fairy tale mash ups set against the backdrop of Hollywood’s music scene. Coming soon is her Behind the Scenes contemporary romance series that peeks into the off-camera secrets of a wildly popular television drama. She’s a UCLA Bruin with a BA and MFA from their Department of Theater where she also taught for years on the design faculty. Her tenure in the world of television was as the assistant art director on “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.” Leslie loves to indulge her fangirl side each year at San Diego Comic Con.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Newsletter

GIVEAWAY!
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Giveaway – Cinderlla Didn’t Live Happily Ever AFter by Anne E Beall @BeallRT @iReadBookTours

Posted on June 23, 2022 by fundinmental

Join us for this tour from June 13 to July 1, 2022!

Book Details:

Book Title: Cinderella Didn’t Live Happily Ever After: The Hidden Messages in Fairy Tales by Anne E. Beall
Category: Adult Non-Fiction (18+), 126 pages
Genre: Feminist, Fairy Tales, Literary Criticism
Publisher: Independent Publishing
Release date: November 17, 2018
Content Rating: PG + M. Some fairy tales are a bit gruesome but there is no bad language or explicit sex.

Book Description:

Did Cinderella live happily ever after? You might think so until you look more closely at the hidden messages in beloved fairy tales. In this book, fairy tales are analyzed in terms of the underlying messages about marriage, agency, power, suffering, and good versus evil, with a focus on how male and female characters differ in each of these areas. The analysis is a data-driven approach that provides clear evidence for the hidden messages in these beloved tales. The end conclusion is not whether fairy tales are good or bad but rather what messages they deliver about life, even if unintentionally.

Buy the Book:
Amazon
add to Goodreads

Meet the Author:

A leader in the field of market research and one of the few female CEOs in the industry, Anne E. Beall is the author of 10 books in business, gender studies, and mindfulness, including Cinderella Didn’t Live Happily Ever After: The Hidden Messages in Fairy Tales and The Psychology of Gender. Her book Heartfelt Connections was named one of the top 100 Notable Indie books in 2016 by Shelf Unbound, and she has published nearly a dozen business articles in noted journals. Her books have been featured in People Magazine, Toronto Sun, Hers Magazine, and Ms. Career Girl, and she has been interviewed by NBC, NPR, and WGN. Having received her PhD in social psychology from Yale University, Anne resides in Evanston, Illinois and is the founder of the market consultancy company Beall Research.

connect with the author: website ~ facebook ~ twitter ~ goodreads

Tour Schedule:

June 13 – Jazzy Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 13 – Literary Flits – book review / giveaway
June 15 – Deborah-Zenha Adams – book spotlight / author interview / giveaway
June 15 – Viviana MacKade – book review / giveaway
June 16 – Cheryl’s Book Nook – book review / giveaway
June 16 – Sadie’s Spotlight – book spotlight / giveaway
June 17 – Confessions of the Perfect Mom – book review
June 17 – Kam’s Place – book review
June 20 – Mostly Mystery Reviews – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 20 – A Mama’s Corner of the World – book review / giveaway
June 21 – Splashes of Joy – book review / giveaway
June 21 – Lamon Reviews – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 22 – Novels Alive – book review / giveaway
June 22 – The Girl Who Reads – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 23 – fundinmental – book spotlight / giveaway
June 24 – Chit Chat With Charity – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 24 – Gina Rae Mitchell – book spotlight / guest post / giveaway
June 27 – My Fictional Oasis – book review
June 27 – Books for Books – book spotlight
June 28 – Locks, Hooks and Books – book review / giveaway
June 28 – My Reading Getaway – book review / author interview / giveaway
June 29 – Lisa’s Reading – book spotlight / giveaway
June 29 – Rockin’ Book Reviews – book review / guest post / giveaway
June 30 – Lynchburg Reads – book review / giveaway
June 30 – Library Lady’s Kid Lit – book review / guest post / giveaway
July 1 – Cover Lover Book Review – book review / giveaway
July 1 – Celticlady’s Reviews – book spotlight / giveaway
July 1 – Adventurous Jessy – book review / giveaway

Enter the Giveaway:

CINDERELLA DID NOT LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER Book Tour Giveaway

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?
Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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I’m fire, Damien’s ice – Hunted In The Dark by Scarlett West @iamscarlettwest

Posted on June 15, 2022 by fundinmental

Hunted in the Dark (Fae Bureau of Investigation #2)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I am lovin’ the Fae Bureau of Investigation series by Scarlett West and seeing the first book, Stolen In The Dark ended with a cliffhanger, I had to jump on this. I wish I would have read straight through the three books I had and read it like one long book. There are five books in the series and I do recommend beginning at the beginning.

Adalee and Damien are like Romeo and Juliet, forbidden lovers. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the fate of the world is place don her shoulders. She will risk her very life…and that of those around her…to meet her destiny. She doesn’t know, nor understand, what is happening. She is still a novice when it comes to her magic, learning as the book progresses, growing, maturing. She doesn’t trust easily, but Novah and Ciara believe in her, as does Damien. Will she let down the wall she has built around herself? I do like that she doesn’t jump into bed with Damien and I was pleasantly surprised that she was a virgin. I find most characters in the paranormal/supernatural/fantasy world are loose.

The Fae feed off energy, using sex as a mechanism. They are not shy or prudish in any way. She fights her mated bond with Damien, which keeps her from reaching her full potential.

Since the murder of King Meynard, the FBI has become divided. They are fewer in numbers because of it, yet determined to solve the murders and kidnappings no matter how many roadblocks are placed in their way. Will the King’s death be the catalyst for war? Is that someone’s evil plan?

Action packed with danger and betrayal. Steamy with lost of sexual tension.

Intrigue and a cliffhanger. And for that reason, I will be reading Cursed In The Dark right now.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Hunted In The Dark by Scarlett West.

GOODREADS BLURB

He’s my boss, my fated mate, and my mortal enemy.

I’m fire, Damien’s ice. Our rival Fae clans hold a deepening grudge that could lead to war. I shouldn’t fall for him but he’s breaking down my walls, touching my heart. Yet learning to trust him has never been more brutal.

Since being promoted as a Special Agent, a dark force has shrouded the Winter Court and kidnappings of Fae people have become rampant. To make matters worse, someone killed our King.

And Damien is a prime suspect. With a murderer on the loose, I’m facing the worst battle: learn to trust Damien, or face Earth and Faery’s destruction.

Readers who enjoy Karen Marie Moning, Laurell K. Hamilton, Amelia Hutchins, and Lindsay Hall, will love this dangerous and sexy urban fantasy.

ABOUT SCARLETT WEST

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MY SCARLET WEST REVIEWS

Stolen In The Dark (Fae Bureau Investigation)

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Review – Stolen In The Dark by Scarlett West @iamscarlettwest

Posted on April 14, 2022 by fundinmental

Scarlett West is a new author for me, but when I got the chance to read the first two books in the Fae Bureau of Investigation series, I had to jump at it. What you do think of the concept?

Stolen in the Dark (Fae Bureau of Investigation, #1)

Amazon / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I have my fingers crossed that I won’t be left high and dry in this series, seeing there will be five books, but I had to check them out and I am very glad I did.

I immediately liked Adalee when I ‘saw’ how she interacted with Gavin. Since her parents were kidnapped, he was the only one that cared about her, coming by the bar and checking to see she was okay. I do have a feeling about him, but we shall see.

Business at the bar had dropped and she would have to decide what to do soon. Rent was coming due and she couldn’t cover it. So convenient that the raven haired man came to her rescue.

“I’m 100% sure you are the one I’ve been searching for.”

Fae are disappearing and if they die, the earth dies. Adalee doesn’t even know she is Fae, let alone there is a whole world of supernatural out there and she will become a part of it. Damien changed her life forever and recruits her for the FBI, the Fae Bureau of Investigation.

Adalee does not take anything sitting down. She is quick with her words and bucks his orders at every turn. She doesn’t realize how much danger her actions put him in, but he is her fated mate, whether she likes it or not, and he will do whatever it takes to protect her.

I wouldn’t mind having his nifty trick of making a hot cup of coffee appear.

I have read a lot of paranormal/supernatural novels, but not many of them feature the Fae. The Fae have their own set of rules and some could find them disturbing. It was fun and interesting learning about their world and spending time in it.

The action comes quickly and doesn’t stop. If she’s not fighting off Damien’s advances, she’s fighting the Unseelie. I got wrapped up in Adalee and Damien’s love story and it ended at a crucial spot. It was a good place to take a break…if you have to.

My biggest disappointment…I thought I had the first two books in the series, but I have Books I and III. 🙁

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Stolen in the Dark by Scarlett West.

GOODREADS BLURB

He forced me into their world. Now dark enemies want me dead.

When an attempted kidnapping leads me to be rescued by a dark and sexy Fae, I assume life can’t be any stranger… Until I discover I’m his fated mate, and that he needs my help to stop a ruthless enemy from kidnapping his kind.

If someone doesn’t stop the brutal attacks, it could lead to earth’s ultimate destruction, so if I want to survive, I have to join the Fae Bureau of Investigation, with Damien as my superior.

But while Damien may be both hot as hell and my one-time hero, my unearthly ability to sense things through my hair is telling me to run: Damien can’t be trusted, and I would hate him as my boss.

With the enemy closing in, though, time is running out for me to make my choice: join the Bureau…or return home to my death.

Readers who enjoy Karen Marie Moning, Laurell K. Hamilton, Amelia Hutchins, and Lindsay Hall, will love this dangerous and sexy urban fantasy.

Stolen in the Dark is a steamy, urban fantasy romance that is book one out of five. Scroll Up and One Click to start reading this hot paranormal romance today!

ABOUT SCARLETT WEST

Website / Facebook / Twitter

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Look on the right sidebar and let’ talk.
Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Giveaway – Mirrors and Mysteries by Christine Bauer @CB_Bauer @XpressoTours

Posted on April 8, 2022 by fundinmental

Mirrors and Mysteries
Christina Bauer
(Fairy Tales of the Magicorum, #9)
Publication date: March 24th 2022
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Rapunzel meets Jane Eyre in the epic conclusion of this fairy tale romance!

Grayson Eyre has left her old life behind. She’s no longer stuck serving Lady R, a sadistic Rapunzel from the Lowood clan of elves. Instead, Grayson now teaches at the Thornfield home for shifter orphans. Even better, her boss is none other than the sexy alpha, Dex. It’s all good until a mysterious witch, Jocasta, appears in a nearby tower, demanding that Dex and Grayson discover the true nature of all Rapunzels. If not, Lady R will return to claim Grayson… and Thornfield will be wiped out by the evil Prism Master. Can Dex and Grayson discover the truth in time? And what will it mean for their growing attraction?

Secrets are revealed and feelings explored in this epic conclusion to the story of Dex and Grayson!

Fairy Tales of the Magicorum
Modern fairy tales with sass, action, and romance
1. Wolves and Roses
2. Moonlight and Midtown
3. Shifters and Glyphs
4. Slippers and Thieves
5. Bandits and Ball Gowns
6. Fire and Cinder
7. Fairies and Frosting
8. Towers and Tithes
9. Mirrors and Mysteries
10. Love and Ether

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

MIRRORS AND MYSTERIES Excerpt #3

Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #9

DEX

The best part about being a wolf shifter? Kicking ass.

Clink, clink…

I know that sound.Two mirror guards are on their way.

My home territory sits beside the Prism Master’s land. Talk about unlucky. The Prism Master’s a sadistic freak who wants more room at any cost. Wulfhelm is his prime target. The Prism Master’s guards regularly patrol our joint boundary, looking for weaknesses.

Although I’m blinded by a spell, I can still picture the scene perfectly. The mirror guards are both slender and pale with high cheekbones and long blonde hair. They’ll wear thin leather armor that’s painted to look like silver. Compared to the elves, I’m muscular and broad-shouldered with rough features. My long black hair is tied back with a scrap of leather. I wear human-style clothes, namely jeans and a dark Henley.

The two guards move closer. I’m ready for the worst, but I hope for the best. Out of all the Prism Master’s forces, there’s one mirror guard I trust: Captain Zoya. If I’m lucky, she’ll be on this patrol.

“Looketh over there!” calls the first guard. It’s a male voice. Not Zoya.

“An intruder doth enter our midst!” announces the second guard. This one’s a she-elf, but not the Captain.

Guess my luck isn’t changing yet. These two are typical mirror guards, which is to say, pompous idiots.

“Who disturbs my fellow guard and I?” asks the male warrior.

I stile the urge to groan. “It’s my fellow guard and me,” I clarify. “Not my fellow guard and I.”

If my correction affects the guards, they don’t show it. “Do mine eyes regardereth the Wulfhelm Alpha?” asks the female slowly.

I can’t help it. “Regardereth isn’t a word.”

There’s the clinking of armor followed by a whoosh. Something’s being thrown at me. Even without eyesight, I know the toss is too wide to make an impact. No need to dodge.

“Perhaps yon dog is blind,” says the male guard. “He didst not twitch when I tossed a stone.”

“Only because thy throw sucketh,” I explain.

The clink of armor grows louder as the pair steps closer. “Eureka!” That’s the female guard. “I doth detect some blinderyness in yon mongrel’s irises.”

This time, there’s no stifling. I all-out groan. “Blinderyness is not a word.”

“We’re elves,” calls the male guard. “When we say it, it becometh part of the jargon.”

“I think you mean lexicon.” I shake my head. “Look, I was raised by wolves and I know this stuff.”

“Silence!” calls the male guard. When he next speaks, it’s in a tone that he thinks I cannot hear. “Shall we attacketh him? What dost thou thinketh?”

I raise my hand. “I’d walk awayeth. Blind or not, I can defend myself quite well.”

“How did he hear you?” whispers the female.

I point to my face. “Wolf shifter.”

–End of Excerpt–

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Author Bio:

Christina Bauer thinks that fantasy books are like bacon: they just make life better. All of which is why she writes romance novels that feature demons, dragons, wizards, witches, elves, elementals, and a bunch of random stuff that she brainstorms while riding the Boston T. Oh, and she includes lots of humor and kick-ass chicks, too.

Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.

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