Hot New Romance Release – Exquisite Betrayal by A M Hargrove – FANtastic Giveaway

Posted on December 17, 2013 by fundinmental

BOOK SUMMARY:

A male Romance Author… a convention in Vegas… a female book blogger… a goal to lose her virginity… what happens when you mix all the above?

Fallon McKinley is headed to Vegas for the Wicked Wenches Romance Con and losing her virginity is only one of her goals. The other is to meet her favorite author of romance novels, R.T. Sinclair. What she doesn’t realize is that the sexy green-eyed god she rams into at the airport is the real R.T. When they keep running into each other, she’s shocked, but excited, because the attraction is irresistible.

Ryland Thomas Sinclair doesn’t want anyone to know his true identity. He’s the author that all women love, but everyone thinks he’s a female. He hides his persona behind the public face of his twin sister, keeping his own a secret. But after meeting the lovely Fallon, his intentions to avoid a relationship come to a screeching halt. She’s put an unwanted kink into his perfectly laid out plans. His unusual reaction surprises him because after a heart-shredding breakup a few years ago, he’s managed to avoid women at all costs.

Resisting Fallon becomes more difficult than he imagines. Soon things are spiraling out of control, until a major miscommunication has Fallon walking out of his home and his life. Will Ryland Thomas succeed in losing the woman he loves? Or can he win her back?

Amazon / B&N / Smashwords / iTunes

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

One day, on her way home from work as a sales manager, A. M. Hargrove, realized her life was on fast forward and if she didn’t do something soon, it would quickly be too late to write that work of fiction she had been dreaming of her whole life. So, she rolled down the passenger window of her fabulous (not) company car and tossed out her leather briefcase. Luckily, the pedestrian in the direct line of fire was a dodge ball pro and had über quick reflexes enabling him to avoid getting bashed in the head. Feeling a tad guilty about the near miss, A. M. made a speedy turn down a deserted side street before tossing her crummy, outdated piece-of-you-know-what laptop out the window. She breathed a liberating sigh of relief, picked up her cell phone, called her boss and quit her job. Grinning, she made another call to her hubs and told him of her new adventure (after making sure his heart was beating properly again).

So began A. M. Hargrove’s career as a YA/NA and Adult Romance writer. Her books include the following: Edge of Disaster, Shattered Edge and Kissing Fire (The Edge Series); The Guardians of Vesturon series (Survival, Resurrection, Determinant, reEmergent and Beginnings); Dark Waltz and Tragically Flawed.

Other than being in love with writing about being in love, she loves chocolate, ice cream and coffee and is positive they should be added as part of the USDA food groups.

Blog / Twitter / Facebook / Author Goodreads

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To pick up your copy of Exquisite Betrayal or another A M Hargrove novel, click on the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

Win a bracelet, a “She Said Fire” t-shirt & Boom! EP album download, a signed copy of Tragically Flawed, & $100 Amazon Gift Card.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you been good or bad this year? North Pole Reform School by Jaimie Admans

Posted on December 17, 2013 by fundinmental

nprs-tourbanner The title, North Pole Reform School, caught my attention and made me smile.

I like the pretty cover and the book sounds like a fun read.

Title: North Pole Reform School

Author: Jaimie Admans

Date of Publication: November 6, 2013

Genre: YA rom-com, fantasy

BLURB

Mistletoe Bell hates Christmas. So would you if you had a name like hers. Her Christmas-mad parents make the festive season last all year, and with another Christmas looming, Mis doesn’t think she can take any more. After her carelessness causes an accident at school, it seems like things can’t get any worse.

Then she wakes up to find The Ghost of Christmases Ruined in her bedroom.

She is taken to the North Pole, to a reform school run by elves determined to make her love Christmas. Stuck in a misfit group of fellow Christmas-haters with a motley crew of the weird and even weirder, watched over by elves day and night, she doesn’t expect to meet cute and funny Luke, who is hiding a vulnerable side beneath his sarcastic exterior. She doesn’t expect to fall in love with him.

But all is not as it should be at the North Pole. A certain Mr Claus is making the elves’ lives a misery, and pretty soon Mistletoe and Luke are doing more than just learning to like Christmas.

A YA romantic comedy in which Santa is the bad guy, teaching reindeer to fly is on the curriculum, and zombies have a fondness for Christmas music.

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Suitable for older teens and upwards due to bad language.

Purchase link: Amazon

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EXCERPT

It started with a purple moose.

At least I thought it was a moose. On reflection, it could have been a reindeer, but it didn’t matter at the time because it was obviously just a dream.

“Mistletoe,” the moose-reindeer said.

Yep. Still hate my parents for naming me that.

“Mistletoe,” it said again in a spooky echo of a voice, “I am the Ghost of Christmases Ruined, and I have come to tell you something.”

“Go away.” I turned over in bed.

“Mistletoe Bell,” it said sharply. “Listen to me right now.”

I sat up, suddenly wide awake. God, what a freaky dream.

“Mistletoe Bell,” it said again. I jumped out of my skin. I clutched the duvet to me as I turned around. Of all the things I expected to see, the purple moose sitting in the middle of my carpet and looking annoyed was about the last of them.

“Wh… what are you?” I asked quietly. I didn’t really believe my eyes. I must still be dreaming.

“I’ve tried to tell you already. I am the Ghost of Christmases Ruined.”

I tried to pinch myself awake without the moose noticing. It didn’t work. I didn’t wake up and the moose noticed.

“It won’t work,” the moose said. “You’re already awake.”

“I’m looking at a talking purple moose. I don’t think so.”

“You are Mistletoe Bell?” the moose asked.

I dropped my head into my hands and edged closer to the other side of the bed.

The moose continued to look at me expectantly.

“Unfortunately, yes. I couldn’t be anyone else with that stupid name.”

“It’s a very nice Christmas name.”

“That’s exactly the bloody problem. You try having a stupid Christmassy name in the middle of July or something.”

“Ah yes, but it’s December now.”

“Screw December,” I muttered.

“Aha,” the moose said. “This is exactly why I’m here.”

I gave it an angry look. “What the hell are you going on about?”

“Well, if you’d be so kind as to allow me to get to my point, I will enlighten you.”

I sighed in frustration.

“Mistletoe Bell,” the moose said, “you have been charged with ruining Christmas. Multiple counts over the years, but a particularly aggressive case this year when taking into account the fire—”

“The fire was an accident.”

It gave me a glare and I rolled my eyes. “Please go on,” I said, complete with a sarcastic hand gesture.

“As I was saying…” The moose had an annoyed tone to its voice now. “Ruining Christmas, multiple counts, we can’t let it continue. We’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now. We were actually hoping you might grow out of it now you’re nearly seventeen, but the fire this year is the final straw. Mistletoe—”

“Please stop calling me that.” I interrupted it again. “It’s Mis, Misty, or nothing.”

The moose rolled its eyes. “I am required to call you by your proper name at all times. Now, can we get on with it?”

“Get on with what?”

“Mistletoe Bell, tomorrow you will be taken to the North Pole where you will stay until you can learn how to behave acceptably and stop ruining Christmas for others. You will be part of a group who will learn the value of Christmas to all involved.”

“That’s ridiculous. Who’s going to teach me? The polar bears?”

“The elves will teach you.”

“Of course they will.” I smacked my forehead. “Of course there are elves. I don’t know why I expected anything else from a purple moose.”

The moose made a frustrated noise. “Mistletoe, do you understand?”

“I will be taken to the North Pole and taught by elves? Yes, I understand perfectly.”

“I must be on my way. Sweet dreams, Mistletoe.” The moose got up and jumped out of the window.

I rolled over and went back to sleep. I must’ve eaten cheese before bed last night or something.

There were more weird dreams. I dreamt of flying above the rooftops and over the oceans, and it was really, really cold. I’m pretty sure I could hear strains of “Walking in the Air” in the distance.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jaimie is a 28-year-old English-sounding Welsh girl with an awkward-to-spell name. She lives in South Wales and enjoys writing, gardening, drinking tea and watching horror movies. She hates spiders and cheese & onion crisps. She has been writing for years but has never before plucked up the courage to tell people. Afterlife Academy is her third novel and she hopes you enjoy it. There are plenty more on the way!

Website / Twitter / Facebook / Newsletter

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To get your copy of North Pole Reform School, or learn more about Jaimie Admans, click on the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

Tour-wide giveaway: $25 Amazon GC

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER HERE

Follow the tour schedule by clicking on the banner below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Giveaway Tour for Devilty Afoot by Carol Pritt

Posted on December 14, 2013 by fundinmental

The title alone made me want to read this.

As if that wasn’t enough, take a looooong look at the cover.

Deviltry Afoot is one creepy cover. I keep looking, finding more to scare me.

Genres: Paranormal, Occult

BLURB

Seeking justice for her daughters murder Tina must seek answers in the supernatural realm. Terror is spreading over Pendale. Love is pitted against a dreadful force.

EXCERPT

Deep into an uneasy dream Tina’s face was twisted in consternation.
Dan hadn’t stayed over this evening. She’d told him she needed time to gather strength and come to grips with what lay ahead.
He’d looked hurt. She knew he could not understand her need to be alone at such a time.
He offered to sit up with her all night.
She told him she was wrung out; she would be able to sleep a bit.
She longed to fall into unconsciousness and to block all thought.
Her bedroom felt airless.
The little clock on her nightstand seemed to have a very loud tick tonight. The dials revealed it to be 1:00 pm.
Still asleep Tina shifted her weight to lie on her back.
Her heavy cotton nightgown became bunched up under the small of her back.
Suddenly she brought up her hands folding them over her chest in the position that the dead are laid out.
Beads of sweat broke out on her face, although the temperature in her room was a cool sixty-four degrees.
She was carrying groceries to her car in a dark parking lot.
Behind her there was a small convenience store. It was lit up. The buildings light stopped at the front of the building.
Tina tossed her bag of groceries into the passenger side of the seat. Just as she lifted her leg to get in behind the wheel she thought of her mother. She’d yell up a storm if she could see her now. As a teen Tina was lectured countless times about getting into a car alone. First check out the back seat to make sure no one was lurking there, she could still her mom stress.
Tina sat her leg back down on the pavement. She opened the back door. All clear.
She slid into the front seat closing her door and rolling down her window most of the way.
Glancing out her open window she began to shake all over.
Two hands with long tapered fingers suddenly grasp the window!
As if in slow motion a hooded figure raised itself!
Her door was flung open wide.
It pushed her backward sending her sprawling across the seat.
She was immobile from fear.
The thing lowered itself to her feet.
It covered her with its form inch by inch.
Its dark cloak was spread wide to enfold her completely.
Her heart thumped so hard she felt ready to pass out praying she would.
It was up to her head now.
Tina was so cold it was as if she were entombed within a block of ice
The smell of decay surrounding her was so rank she couldn’t catch a good breath.
The hood slipped back a bit. She couldn’t decipher its features clearly. She could only make out black pinpoint eyes.
Drool oozed from its mouth. A great gob of spittle plunked down on her forehead.
She let out a scream.
She thought she’d cried out, and awoken.
It was actually only phase two.
Still dreaming she thanked the Lord that it was only a nightmare.
Lights flickered from the traffic through her drapes.
Something in the room didn’t feel right.
The sheet was shifting downward of its own accord.
Two hands grasp the foot of the bed as a cloaked figure crawled up and over her!
She surrendered herself up to it.
She was entirely passive until sirens from a passing rescue unit brought her to an actual waking state ending her ordeal.
Rest would elude her the remainder of the night. She sighed and got up from the bed.
First light would signal the start of her greatest trial.
She must commend her only offspring to eternal rest.

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Buy Links

Amazon / Infinity Publishing / Barnes and Noble / Alibris / Abe books

Kobo / Half . Com / Book Depository / Sony

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Carol Pritt lives in the northeast with her family. She has two Associate degrees, one in Liberal Arts, and the other in Journalism from the local community college. Ms. Pritt enjoys writing, reading, spending time with her family, and playing with her pets. This is her first novel.

Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Website / LinkedIn

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GIVEAWAY

Carol is giving away a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Car, Winner’s Choice! The giveaway will start 11/25/13 at 12 am eastern time and ends 12/24/13 at 12 am eastern time.

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER HERE

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To get your copy of Deviltry Afoot, or learn more about Carol Pritt, click the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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New Release – Siren’s Curse by Sara Jiang

Posted on December 13, 2013 by fundinmental

The cover for Siren’s Curse by Sara Jiang is beautiful in it’s simplicity.

I lm a lover of water and find the blue fading dark to light with the sunlight filtering through very soothing.

I haven’t read a lot of books about sirens, add in a sea dragon, a heart-throb shark and an eel looking for revenge – what could possibly go wrong? ^_^

Title: Siren’s Curse

Author: Sara Jiang

Date of Publication: December 5, 2013

Circe only has seven days to live… and time is ticking.

Long ago, Sirens were cursed to stay on the rocks. If they ever stopped eating human flesh, their horns would pierce their bodies and they would die.

Circe had a choice: stay on the Perch with her sisters, feeding off of sailors for all time, or to dive into the deep, face the unknown, and take her chance at freedom.

On her journey into the ocean Circe meets a precocious little sea dragon, a heart-throb shark, and an eel with a vengeance. She comes face to face with witches, madmen, monsters, and a mysterious, loud rumbling that seems to only be getting louder.

Can she break the curse?

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Purchase from Amazon | B&N

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About Sara Jiang

Sara Jiang was born in 1991 and lived on a sailboat in the Caribbean for 3 years when she was younger. This exposure to the ocean influences much of her art and writing. She is currently studying for her Bachelor’s in Vocal Music Education at Abilene Christian University.

The cover

Sara Jiang does commission artwork and recently won Abilene Christian University’s Summit Art Contest with one of her pen and ink drawings.

Website | Twitter

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To grab your copy of Siren’s Curse or to learn more about Sara Jiang, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Special Giveaway & Guest Post for The Bitches of Brooklyn by Rosemary Harris

Posted on December 13, 2013 by fundinmental

The title, The Bitches of Brooklyn, made me laugh.

I love it, so I wanted to share it with my favorite peeps.

Take a look at the cover. Simple yet inviting.

Paperback: 322 pages
Publisher: Chestnut Hill Books (October 2, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-0989697019
E-Book File Size: 469 KB
ASIN: B00E3XMPN0

SYNOPSIS

Are they really bitches? That depends who you ask…Rachel, Clare, Tina and Jane are four friends awaiting the arrival of a fifth at a secluded Cape Cod bungalow where they spend an all-girls weekend every summer. But this time the fifth woman doesn’t show. Instead she sends a note that reads – “I’ve run off with one of your men.”

Has she? Is it a prank? Do they run for the phone or try to enjoy the weekend without her?

Fun, flirty and filled with Harris’ trademark snappy dialogue and quirky characters forced to reevaluate their marriages, their friendships and their memories, The Bitches of Brooklyn has been called “a cross between Pretty Little Liars and Sex and the City.”

Purchase Links: Amazon B & N

Elaine Viets, author of Catnapped! has said “the best female buddy book yet. I dare you to put it down!”

Inspired by a classic Hollywood film, The Bitches of Brooklyn is for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Susan Isaacs and every woman who’s ever had a best friend and wondered…is she really??

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I would like to welcome Rosemary Harris to my blog. I love guest posts and I hope you all enjoy what Rosemary will share with us today.

The Bitches of Brooklyn guest post

By ROSEMARY HARRIS

Ever felt like you were sitting in the middle of a scene from a book or movie? One that’s already been written or one you could see yourself writing?

I had that feeling about three years ago and it was the inspiration for my new book, The Bitches of Brooklyn.

Four friends and I had planned an all-girls weekend in Sedona. We had discussed and agonized over the location for months (we’d be coming from all parts of the country and wanted to be fair in terms of time and expense.) One of us even created a spreadsheet so we could compare the various choices. (She’s an accountant, so we forgave her.) And then, at the eleventh hour, one of us had to cancel. If I’m not mistaken she had lobbied hardest for the place we finally decided on. That first night – without her – was interesting.

We didn’t trash her (hint about the book?) But after a few glasses of wine I started to think, hmmmm what if she DIDN’T have a last-minute work obligation? What if it was something else…

Happily she didn’t suffer the grisly fate my missing character did in the first draft of the book. And she didn’t do what my fictional character ultimately did but that was the genesis of The Bitches of Brooklyn.

In it the four women at the heart of the story, childhood friends named Jane (a bakery owner), Rachel (a vet), Clare (an unemployed producer) and Tina (a teacher and fledgling novelist) receive a cryptic note from their missing friend and they spend the weekend eating, drinking and reevaluating their friendships, their marriages, their jobs and their memories. But when Monday comes, these babes want answers. And they go to vastly different lengths to get them.

Having written a few cozy mysteries, it was a lot of fun not to feel obliged to have bodies dropping all over the place and to have a non law enforcement professional irrationally inserting herself into a crime scene. Think Paula Holliday with misdemeanors instead of felonies! And…halleluiah…unlike most cozy heroines, they get to have sex.

There’s a fair amount of humor – because I can see the humor in practically anything. And if you liked Paula, Babe and Lucy, I think you’ll have fun with The Bitches of Brooklyn.

I love finding out what inspired an author to write their novel. Thank you, Rosemary, for sharing your story. I look forward to reading The Bitches of Brooklyn.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

About Rosemary Harris

Rosemary Harris is a native Brooklynite, like some of the characters in The Bitches of Brooklyn. A former bookstore manager and television executive, she’s the author of the Dirty Business mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Paula Holliday. Her debut novel, the Agatha and Anthony-nominated, Pushing Up Daisies (Minotaur), was followed by The Big Dirt Nap, Dead Head and Slugfest. The Bitches of Brooklyn is the first in a new series. Rosemary is past president of Mystery Writers of America’s NY Chapter and Sisters in Crime’s New England Chapter.

She lives in New York City and Fairfield County, CT.

She blogs with seven other mystery writers at www.jungleredwriters.com.

Visit Rosemary at www.rosemaryharris.com

Like her on facebook at www.facebook.com/RosemaryHarriswriter

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To grab your copy of The Bitches of Brooklyn, or to check out another Rosemary Harris book, click on the cover below.

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GIVEAWAY

Bitches goody bags include:

(insulated tote, plastic champagne glasses, Bitches tank top with a copy of the book.)

Entry is easy. Leave your email address and answer the question:

What do you look for in a best friend?

GIVEAWAY IS OVER. WINNER: ANNA S.

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Tour Participants

December 1 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – KICK OFF SPOTLIGHT!!!
December 2 – Mystery Playground – Interview, Special Giveaway
December 3 – StoreyBook Reviews – Review, Giveaway
December 4 – Books-n-Kisses – Review, Guest Post
December 5 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Review, Giveaway
December 6 – Shelley’s Book Case – Review, Giveaway
December 7 – dru’s book musing – Guest Post, Giveaway
December 8 – Thoughts in Progress – Review, Giveaway
December 10 – Darla King Series – Interview
December 11 – Kelly P’s Blog – Guest Post
December 12 – rantin’ ravin’ and reading – Review, Interview, Special Giveaway
December 13 – fundinmental – Guest Post, Special Giveaway
December 14 – According to Squenn – Review, Interview
December 15 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – Interview

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Tour Giveaway for Sparks The Matchmaker by Russell Elkins

Posted on December 12, 2013 by fundinmental

Tour Schedule

Sparks the Matchmaker by Russell Elkins

Ollie just wants one thing. The girl.

Things haven’t been going so well with Anne lately, though; their relationship has become a perpetual study date, and Ollie’s roommates are starting to worry about him. How to fix things? Why, with a marriage proposal, of course.

Unfortunately for Ollie, his relationship with Anne has run out of gas. Life feels like it’s counting down to one. And that one is the only person in Ollie’s life he really cares about: Ollie. Perhaps, then, he should get over himself. But first he has to deal with Sparks, the irritating little Yankees fan who invades his life in order to “help” him. And while Keith, his best friend, is doing all he can to help, Ollie’s other friend Richie never fails to show up and threaten to ruin everything just by being himself. Never mind all the drama Sparks brings to the party by forcing Ollie to take a job actually helping people in need.

Will Ollie meet the girl? Will it be in history class? On a road trip to Colorado? Can he get over Anne, or should he try to mend the relationship? Should he pursue the new girl Sparks is trying to set him up with? As the strings of the puppeteer tangle with the strings of the heart, only one person can sort out the mess Ollie has made. It seems that the harder he tries, the more Ollie messes things up. Is Sparks a cruel manipulator, or is he really going to help Ollie find his match?

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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Praise for Sparks the Matchmaker:

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book. How many “romance” novels do you read where the protagonist is male, or even where the author is male? At first, I thought that was going to be the unique focus of this story.

I was pleasantly surprised, though. The “Sparks” character was a completely unique take on things. Also, I tend to be one of those people who frequently predicts the endings of books and t.v. shows, etc., but I hadn’t seen the ending of this story coming. It was a quick and easy read (which was just what I needed right now) but with plenty of intelligence and creativity woven into the story. I think I can say with confidence that even my teenage son would enjoy it, as well as my Mom. Looking forward to the next installment in the series.

Definitely not what I expected from a romantic comedy novel, but in a good way! Can’t wait for the next one 🙂

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EXCERPT

Ollie was in the process of packing some clean underwear into his bag when he heard Sparks’ voice from the doorway. “Joy still hasn’t broken up with her boyfriend. I thought she would have done it by now.”

“What?” Ollie was stunned. “Are you serious?”

“Relax. She’s a little harder to read than most people. I really thought she’d have dumped him by now.”

Ollie suspected Sparks was concealing something, but he couldn’t guess it. “That’s just great. I’m picking her up in a few minutes, man! And now I’ll have that looming over my head the whole weekend.”

“It’s not a big deal. Seriously. Not a big deal.”

“It is to me. Are you trying to tell me that you guessed wrong on that? I mean, that’s something that seems pretty pivotal and important. You seemed so sure before,” Ollie said.

“Yeah, I was. She’s just harder to read, that’s all. Nothing’s gonna change. Everything is still on track. The boyfriend won’t come into play at all… for the weekend, anyway.”

“Huh, it sounds like it’s going to make everything awkward.”

“Oh, I get it. You’re under the impression that you were gonna hit it off this weekend. But you’re not going to be doing any kissing or holding hands or gazing into each other’s eyes in soft moonlight. You won’t be doing anything but getting to know each other. You know, as friends will do?”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me that earlier? Sparks, you keep leading me into situations like this, and you don’t tell me anything. You like to keep me in the dark as much as you possibly can.”

Sparks looked at Ollie like he was missing something really obvious. “Listen. I’m not responsible for the things you imagine. I give you information you wouldn’t otherwise have, and I give it to you on a need- to- know basis. You need to be able to act spontaneously in order for everything to come out right. Besides,” he pushed his hat back on his head, “I don’t like to be wrong when I’m guessing stuff. I prefer to wait when I give answers… just in case things change.”

“I can’t tell you how reassuring that is.”

“You don’t have to accept my help, you know. I could go help someone else.”

Ollie took a deep breath and then let it out as a rumble in his throat. “Ah. You’re probably right anyway.”

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Author Russell Elkins

Russell Elkins has become a leading expert on open adoption through first-hand experience that he now shares in Open Adoption, Open Heart. Russell regularly contributes to Adoption.com. He also writes his own blog at russellelkins.com to educate others in the struggles and beauties of open adoption.

Russell has always been a family man at heart, looking forward to the day when he could be a husband and a father. It took him a little while, but eventually his eyes locked onto a beautiful blonde, and he has never looked away. Russell and Jammie were married in 2004. They had the same goals for their home and didn’t want to wait too long before starting their family. However, filling their home quickly with children wasn’t in the cards, and they found themselves weighing their options to overcome problems with infertility. Their lives changed dramatically the day they decided to adopt.

Russell and Jammie have adopted two beautiful children, Ira and Hazel, and have embraced their role as parents through open adoption. Both are actively engaged in the adoption community by communicating through social media, taking part in discussion panels, and writing songs about adoption.

Russell was born on Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., in the fall of 1977. Along with his five siblings, he and his military family moved around a lot, living in eight different houses by the time he left for college at age 17. Although his family moved away from Fallon, Nevada, just a few months after he moved out, he still considers that little oasis in the desert to be his childhood hometown.

Even after leaving home, Russell always stayed close to his family. He shared an apartment with each of his three brothers at different times during his college career. They formed a band together back in the 1990s and still perform on a regular basis under the name of the Invisible Swordsmen.

After nearly a decade of college and changing his major a few times, Russell received his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He later graduated from Ameritech College where he learned the trade of being a dental lab technician. Russell now owns and operates Elkins Dental Lab located in Meridian, Idaho.

Website * Twitter

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taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

Ends 1/12/14

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.

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To get your copy of Sparks The Matchmake, or to learn more about Russell Elkins, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Don’t Mess With Mother Earth Tour – Gemini Rising – Ethereal Fury by Jessica O’Gorek

Posted on December 12, 2013 by fundinmental

On Tour with Prism Book Tours...

Don’t Mess with Mother Earth Tour

BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED…

THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED…

About the Book

Ethereal Fury

Gemini Rising #1

by Jessica O’Gorek

Paperback, 263 Pages

Published April 13, 2013 by Cogent Publishing

Angry at the human race and its methodical destruction of her resources, Mother Earth recruits souls who have just left their bodies to serve Her, and turns them against humanity. Gemini, a clan of paranormal beings, picked from these possessed humans, emerges. A powerful, rising force proceeds to carry out Mother Nature’s plan to systematically destroy towns, cities, states… and eventually, the world.

Amidst the chaos, a forbidden relationship between a human girl, Violette, and Onyx, a lead Gemini, begins. They will both find themselves in the middle of a revolutionary war that will either save, or destroy our world

Read the first seven chapter here.

Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble

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HOW TO CREATE A SOCIAL NETWORK TO SUPPORT YOUR BOOKS, PART II of III

When my publisher first told me that I should start blogging and social marketing a year before my book would be released, I didn’t understand the importance of that advice! Now, I do. After countless hours of marketing, networking, tweeting and emailing, I am starting to feel like my book is finally living and breathing!

Make sure you have the following– a blog (I would say a website as well, but I haven’t used mine that much even though I spent hrs. making it!) Twitter, Facebook, Google plus profile, Pinterest (on your blog you should have options to follow you with bloglovin’, GFC, Networked Blogs, posts via email and RSS feeds and Google Plus circles.)

Blogging tips- You don’t have to blog only about your book. In fact, you may not get many hits this way. Mix it up a bit. Blog about things you’re passionate about- things that people will connect with.I started blogging about cancer because it had taken my dad from me and it felt good to scream out to the web and get it out. I also started posting guest posts from other authors and interview. I would mix it up with excerpts and then reviews. I know I mentioned this before, but I can’t stress it enough. All of your social icons should be at the top of your blog or at least in the tops of your left and right sidebars! Link to other blogs. Create a blog button with HTML (Google how to do this if you need help) and trade with other like blogs.

Goodreads/Facebook/Google Plus/Twitter strategies: Every time you make a friend, or get a follower, thank them and ask them to check out your blog. Offer to follow them back if they follow you. Type out a generic response, something simple, like “Thanks for the friendship, please check out my blog if you have a moment and follow if interested.” “Thanks for following me! I’m following you back. Check out my blog when you have a moment!” Paste your responses in a Word document and keep it on your desktop. It will become your bible eventually. You can also use it to post all of your links, your bio, your book blurb, things that people ask for all the time to promote you on their blogs. If you do this consistently, your network will grow a little every day until it’s actually hard to keep up with all four sites!

Goodreads- Add your book to some Goodreads lists on Listopia and ask your friends to vote for your book! When you get a Goodreads review, good or bad, respond with a thank you and send them the link to the lists you’re on asking for their vote. When someone one adds your book to their TBR list, email them and keep them informed of promo offers.

Facebook- Create a page for your book that is separate from your profile page and start getting likes for it. Join author events where everyone trades likes. There are also tons of like ladder parties too. When you have an audience built up, create a Facebook event and pick random winners for prizes. Play games and tag people to come play. Invite all of your friends and ask them to invite theirs too. Need someone who knows the ins and outs of social marketing and can help you with your journey? Check out Aileen Aroma at https://www.facebook.com/aileen.aroma.1 She is an incredible support for me!

Twitter– Tweet your heart out and join Unfollowers.me to schedule Tweets when you’re away. Your Tweets should be eye catching. If it wouldn’t grab your attention in the slew of Tweets out there, then why would it grab someone else’s?

GFC- It’s like Facebook without the annoying ads and friend requests, or posting limitations. Try it!

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About Author Jessica O’Gorek

I was born in Chesapeake, Virginia on April 19th, 1979. I was raised within the American Indian religion and was taught great respect for the earth and all its living beings. Powwows, sweat lodges, vision quests, you name it, I’ve done it. I was the weird kid who would confront kids on the playground in elementary school when they squished a bug. I would very sincerely tell them what they were doing was morally wrong and then I would pray for the bug to come back as a butterfly in its next life.

I grew up admiring my father, Barry Weinstock, as an author. He took me around the country to different places so he could research and write his Wilderness Survival books. One of his greatest works, “The Path of Power,” was written with a great medicine man, Sunbear. When I was twelve I started hand writing novels. My first one was two thousand pages. My dad always encouraged me and would rave about my writing. He gave me the confidence I needed to keep writing and follow my dream. My daughter, who is twelve, is currently working on her first novel. I hope to continue the legacy.

Blog * Goodreads * Facebook * Twitter

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Don’t Mess with Mother Earth Tour

BEWARE! THE PLANET IS WOUNDED…

THE GEMINI ARE RISING AND OUR TIME ON EARTH IS LIMITED…WHO WILL SURVIVE?

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GIVEAWAY

******There are two giveaways, so be sure to enter both!!!******

Share the Tour – Enter to WIN $50 GC

November 10 – December 27

This is a Tour-Wide International Giveaway – Share one of the tour posts, save a link to verify, and enter to win!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enter to WIN a signed book + swag at stops on the tour!

ENTER THE RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY HERE

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Find out more by following the tour!

11/10: Launch

11/11: Kelly P’s Blog

11/15: What’s Beyond Forks?

11/20: Cu’s Ebook Giveaways

11/24: The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl

11/28: Mythical Books
12/2: Tressa’s Wishful Endings

12/5: fuonlyknew

12/10: Bookworm Lisa

12/12: fundinmental
12/17 – The Bookish Fairy
12/20: Grand Finale

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

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Secrets Kept by J L Mbewe – Fantastic Tour Giveaway

Posted on December 12, 2013 by fundinmental

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

The Secrets Kept Tour!

This tour will explore the World of Nälu:

Where a story with adventure, action, love, betrayal, and a quest takes place.

We will get to visit sites, learn more about the cuisine, and be introduced to some elves, dwarves, and shape-shifters, at the least.

Secrets Kept
by JL Mbewe
YA Fantasy
October 30th 2013 by AltWit Press

With a curse, she will build an army.
With the dagger, she will undo the last sacrifice.
But first the sorceress must find the secret keeper.

Torn from her homeland and thrust into a betrothal against her wishes, Ayianna learns her family has a deadly secret that now has her on the run. She joins forces with Kael, an embittered half-elf, and Saeed, an elderly High Guardian, to seek answers to her father’s death, the destruction of Dagmar, and the plains people’s bizarre behavior.

Ayianna discovers there is more at stake here than just her mother’s disappearance and her familial duty to her betrothed. The sorceress has cursed the plains people, and it is a race against time to release them before the sorceress resurrects an ancient evil.

Goodreads * Amazon * iTunes * Barnes and Noble

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The Sacred Pearl

In the course of edits, Secrets Kept lost the opening chapter where we catch a glimpse of the Sacred Pearl. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share that scene with you all one of these days. But later in the story, we learn that the Sacred Pearl was kidnapped during the attack on Dagmar, the headquarters of the Guardians.

But what is so special about the Pearl?

Courtesy of the GEMaffair Diaries

Karasi. She lived and ruled with the Chai of Zohar thousands of years ago. Before Stygian’s tyranny, when the giants called the Prathae Plains their home, and Ruwachs walked freely among the inhabitants. Back before the world was called Nälu and was simply known as the aenlu. The Chai oversaw the development of the land, the creation of nations, and made sure everything was properly recorded, answering directly to Vituko, the Shadow God himself.

No one challenged the Shadow God and the Chai until a human caught the eye of a Ruwach. The spirit being known now as Taethza possessed the body of young woman and seduced him. Stygian. Together they plotted to overthrow the Shadow God and rule all of aenlu, but Karasi discovered them. A great battle broke out, and Vituko’s anger shook the land and split it, creating a great Abyss between aenlu and Zohar, and aenlu became known as Talesri among the Chai. The Broken Land.

Taethza was thrown into the Abyss, but Stygian escaped. He took Karasi and fled to Talesri. Under Taethza’s influence, Stygian built an altar and sealed Karasi within it. The blood of the innocent would bathe Karasi for the next thousand or so years. To survive, Karasi crafted a large pearl to withdraw into and shield herself from the torment, and in doing so, joined her spirit to the pearl. She would not be free of it until she returned to Zohar. When Stygian’s rule finally ended, Karasi was released from her prison, but instead of returning home, she chose to remain to help rebuild the land and the nations. With the help of the merfolk and the Naajiso, she established the Perimeter to keep the Tainted One, Stygian, and their evil from crossing over again. She appointed the first Guardians and determined to teach them and guide them until the end of Nälu.

But for the last three hundred years, Karasi has been silent. She no longer appears before the Guardians, and her words are fading from the minds of the people. Rumors say she is dead, but the light still pulses from her pearl. Does her silence mean the end is near? Can a spirit being grow old and die? But the Guardians know one thing for certain, Karasi is aware of the growing apathy among the nations, of the evil gathering within the shadows. Taethza is stirring, but who will be her puppet this time?

FREE right now on Amazon and Barnes & Noble!
Desert Rose
(A Tale of Nälu #1)

NOW AVAILABLE: Tales of Nälu (all three short stories in paperback) on Amazon!

Living life balanced between reality and dreams.

Writing as J. L. Mbewe, Jennette is an author, artist, mother, wife, but not always in that order. Born and raised in Minnesota, she now braves the heat of Texas, but pines for the Northern Lights and the lakes of home every autumn. She loves trying to capture the abstract and make it concrete. She has two short stories published in The Clockwork Dragon anthology, and is busily creating worlds inhabited by all sorts of fantasy creatures and characters, all questing about and discovering true love amid lots of peril. Her debut novel Secrets Kept and her short stories set in the world of Nälu: Desert Rose, Dragon Thief, and Indestructible are now available. She is currently living her second childhood with a wonderful husband and two precious children who don’t seem to mind her eclectic collections of rocks, shells, and books, among other things.

For more information about her journey as a writer mama and all things creative please visit her at:

Website * Blog * Twitter * Facebook * Google+ * Pinterest * Flickr

Tour-Wide Giveaway

Kindle Fire Prize Pack (US/CAN ONLY), which includes:
– Kindle Fire
– Chocolate truffles
– Paper backs of Secrets Kept and Tales of Nälu
– Awesome swag (key chain, bookmark, and poster)
Ends January 7, 2014

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Follow the tour!

12/9: Launch on Colorimetry and Tressa’s Wishful Endings
12/10: Kelly P’s Blog
12/11: My Love for Reading Keeps Growing
12/12: The Real Deal
12/12: fundinmental
12/13: Next Page Reviews
12/13: Giveaway Breaking News
12/15: Colorimetry
12/16: Katie’s Clean Book Collection
12/17: Deal Sharing Aunt
12/19: I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
12/20: Tressa’s Wishful Endings
12/22: Mortal Moments
12/23: alwaysjoart
12/24: Mel’s Shelves
12/26: Zerina Blossom
12/27: The Wonderings of One Person
12/29: Fictionally
12/30: Dalene’s Book Reviews
12/31: Grand Finale

Are you a blogger and want to receive information about new tours? Go HERE.
Are you an author or publisher and would like to have us organize a tour? Go HERE.

To get your copy of Secrets Kept, or learn more about J L Mbewe, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar at Home and let’s talk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt – Blood and Gold by Hawk MacKinney

Posted on December 10, 2013 by fundinmental

This is one of those books where the title grabbed me at the same time as the cover.

Hawk MacKinney is a prolific writer and I am surprised I am not familiar with his work.

I must remedy that and I will start by sharing Blood and Gold with you.

BLURB

Blood and Gold, the third book in The Craige Ingram Mystery Series, once again tests the instincts and skills of retired Navy SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram. Lust, greed, body parts and unrestrained wild sex parties are what await Craige Ingram when he leaves the comforts of his South Carolina home to visit his former SEAL buddy, Detective Spinner Krespinak. Set in the Colorado underbelly of a sordid sable and faux glitz ski mecca, Detective Spinner Krespinak suspects drugs have made their way to the snowy playground that is Aspen. An Olympic ski hopeful is brutally murdered, Spinner vanishes, and Craige Ingram is shot as events spin out of control with a Catch-22 no one anticipates.

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EXCERPT

Spinner’s high mountain, ski slope bronzed hand ruffled through his hair. He flipped another page, “That’s the third one, counting the other mismatched body parts as one and two.” Frowned. “There’s not much more here than with the others.” Handed Craige Loopy’s prelims. “Take a look at those…lemme know what you think.” Krespinak brown eyes bayoneted the blue stick-‘em pasted to the center of his monitor, “…mm…interesting phone memo. Seems Hizzoner the Mayor is concerned. Wants to keep the lid on. Claims he doesn’t want to scare away business. Real fact behind his fume-an’-fuss is all about not wanting to scare away votes in the upcoming elections. Media’s already nosing around about this morning’s torch job—that ought to rattle his cage. Stroking a yancy politician doesn’t gripe me, but if he was serious we could use some additional personnel pavement pounding for answers.”

Ferron said, “Loopy said she hadn’t gotten the final results on the mitochondrial DNA runs. But from what she’s seen so far, she said it doesn’t look like this latest one even comes close to a match with any of the previous body parts. Time of death is iffy as well. If the body was left outside in the subfreezing temps, Loopy said it could stretch the time interval. Her best guess is within a week or two of the others. Only difference this time, we have a whole body.”

Craige asked Ferron, “When did the first one show up?”

Ferron thought for a moment, asked Spinner, “When did we get the first one? A little over two months ago?”

“Something like that…date’s logged in the case file,” Spinner said. “What bothers me most is not what we have, but what we don’t have. Along with no IDs and no statewide missing person reports, there’s not even a close to a match to any of the age ranges Loopy suggested.”

“You think the killings are random?” Craige said.

“No—I don’t think they’re random. But I’m one of the few who feels that way.” Spinner thought of the grisly pieces in the morgue cooler. He didn’t like prowling for motives. Liked it less their coming up empty with damn few answers. Sure didn’t like the doubts gnawing his innards. “I’m stuck at which came first—chicken or the egg quandary. Which victims were intentional targets? Which ones might’ve just been in the way; killed to make sure there were no awkward inconvenient witnesses. If they are serial killings, we’re not seeing any time-pattern between kills. There has to be a reason for the times between each victim, and why are we finding only pieces?”

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With postgraduate degrees and faculty appointments in several medical universities, Hawk MacKinney has taught graduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem. In addition to professional articles and texts on chordate neuroembryology, Hawk has authored several works of fiction.

Hawk began writing mysteries for his school newspaper. His works of fiction, historical love stories, science fiction and mystery-thrillers are not genre-centered, but plot-character driven, and reflect his southwest upbringing in Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award, details the family bloodlines of his serial protagonist in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series… murder and mayhem with a touch of romance. Vault of Secrets, the first book in the Ingram series, was followed by Nymrod Resurrection, Blood and Gold, and The Lady of Corpsewood Manor. All have received national attention. Hawk’s latest release in the Ingram series is due out this fall with another mystery-thriller work out in 2014. The Bleikovat Event, the first volume in The Cairns of Sainctuarie science fiction series, was released in 2012.

“Without question, Hawk is one of the most gifted and imaginative writers I have had the pleasure to represent. His reading fans have something special to look forward to in the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. Intrigue, murder, deception and conspiracy–these are the things that take Hawk’s main character, Navy ex-SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram, from his South Carolina ancestral home of Moccasin Hollow to the dirty backrooms of the nation’s capital and across Europe and the Middle East.”

Barbara Casey, President

Barbara Casey Literary Agency

Website / Amazon / Barnes & Noble

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To grab you copy of Black and gold, or any Hawk MacKinney novel, click on the cover below.

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To see all my Reviews, go HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, go HERE.

If you like what you see, why don’t you follow me?

Look on the right sidebar and let’s talk.

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Awesome Giveaway for After Dark – Gena Showalter and Kait Ballenger

Posted on December 9, 2013 by fundinmental

AFTER DARK

by Gena Showalter and Kait Ballenger

Pre-Order Book Blast & Giveaway!

The AFTER DARK Anthology featuring Gena Showalter’s The Darkest Angel and Kait Ballenger’s Shadow Hunter is being released in mass market paperback on December 31 and to celebrate we are giving away lots of goodies.

ENTRY RULES:

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ENTRY RULES COMPLETELY!

In order to enter, you must email a picture, screen shot or attach a copy of your receipt from your purchase of either the MASS MARKET PAPERBACK or MASS MARKET EBOOK version of After Dark.

PLEASE NOTE: It MUST be the MASS MARKET format to be eligible for the giveaway.

Email your receipts to kaitballengergiveaway@gmail.com

PRIZE PACKAGES:

GRAND PRIZE:

Two (2) random entrants will each receive a $100.00 gift card to Amazon.

FIRST 10 ENTRANTS:

will receive a giant SWAG pack that contains a signed bookplate plus bookmarks from Gena along with SWAG from 50+ authors, courtesy of Book Monster Promotions.

FIRST 50 ENTRANTS:

will receive a goodie bag from Kait that includes bookmarks, magnets, pens and other goodies.

FIRST 500 ENTRANTS:

will receive the first chapter of Immortal Hunter, Book #2 in Kait’s Execution Underground series for an exclusive peek.

You have until 1/10/14 to purchase your Mass Market edition and submit your receipt. Winners will be announced by 1/15/14.

AFTER DARK

Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages

Publisher: Harlequin HQN (December 31, 2013)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 037377852X

ISBN-13: 978-0373778522

A Timeless Seduction
A Unique Temptation
And a Whole World of Dark Desires…

From New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter….

The Darkest Angel

Winged warrior Lysander has been alive for centuries, and yet he’s never known desire—until he meets Bianka. Spawned from the bloodline of his enemy, the beautiful but deadly Harpy is determined to lead the untouched Lysander into temptation. He may try to evade her attempts, but even the most iron-willed demon assassin can resist for only so long….

And from debut author Kait Ballenger….

Shadow Hunter

Vampire hunter Damon Brock’s newest assignment with the Execution Underground is Rochester, New York, a city crawling with the undead. But he isn’t the only hunter in town gunning for vamp blood. Tiffany Solow is fierce and ruthless when it comes to slaying the monsters that destroyed her family—and she works solo. But being alone is no longer an option when she meets the mysterious hunter who wants more than just her turf. Forced to unite against the local covens, the line between good and evil blurs when they must decide between their lifelong beliefs…and their newfound desires.

MASS MARKET EDITION AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW:

AMAZON KINDLE / AMAZON PAPERBACK / B&N

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To get your copy of After Dark, or learn more about Gena Showalter and Kait Ballenger, click on the cover below.