Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop

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Welcome to the Midwinter’s Eve Giveaway Hop!
For this hop, I’m giving away ecopies of my own books, Fairy, Texas, Waking Up Dead, and Beyond the Count.  I’m also giving away copies of Paranormal Introductions to everyone who signs up for my newsletter–it’s a collection of first chapters from some great books! Finally, I’m also including a link to the giveaway I’m co-hosting with I Love Vampire Novels–it runs through January 8, and includes five signed paperbacks of Sanguinary and a $50 Amazon gift card, plus everyone who enters will get a copy of Siren’s Kiss.

 

So check out my books below and enter to win, then enter to win the ILVN giveaway, sign up to get your own copy of Paranormal Introductions, and HOP to the rest of the participating blogs!

 

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Laney Harris thinks there might be monsters in Fairy, Texas. 
 
She’s right.
 
When her mother remarried and moved them to a town where a date meant hanging out at the Sonic, Laney figured that “boring” would have a whole new meaning. A new stepsister who despised her and a high school where she was the only topic of gossip were bad enough. But when she met the school counselor (and his terminal bad breath), she grew suspicious. Especially since he had wings that only she could see. And then there were Josh and Mason, two gorgeous glimmering-eyed classmates whose interest in her might not be for the reasons she hoped. Not to mention that dead guy she nearly tripped over in gym class.Boring takes on an entirely new dimension in Fairy, Texas.

 

If she’s going to survive in this small town, she’ll have to learn to wing it.

 

waking up dead cover

 

When Callie Taylor died, she expected to go to heaven—or maybe hell. Instead, when she was murdered in Dallas by some jerk with a knife and a bad-mommy complex, she went to Alabama. Now she’s seen another murder, and she can’t just let it go; she must find a way to make sure the police figure out who really killed Molly McClatchy before an innocent man goes to prison, all the while trying to determine how and why she woke up dead in Alabama.

 

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Long before Dracula, vampires stalked the literary scene.

These early literary vampires are sometimes terrifying, at times melodramatic, and occasionally ridiculous, but they are always out for blood—and their vampiric descendants continue to fascinate and captivate us.

Beyond the Count is a collection of vampire stories, plays, and poems from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. This collection gives students, scholars, and vampire aficionados the opportunity to examine works often long out of print and to contextualize the development of vampire legend beyond that most famous of literary Counts.

 

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Christmas Treats Blog Hop

Christmas Treats Hop

 

 What are our favorite Christmas Treats? Books, of course! So check out my giveaways below, then stop by each blog for a chance to win fabulous books & gifties for the Holidays! 

 

My Holiday Reads
For the first time in ages, I will have whole days to read! I am planning to catch up on a big pile of books I’ve been saving on my Kindle from some of my favorite authors. Most of them are urban fantasy and science fiction, but I’ve also got some yummy historical romance and even a non-fiction book or two. Some of the authors whose books I’m catching up on include Anne Bishop, Courtney Milan, Ilona Andrews, Lauren Dane, and Ann Aguirre.

 

For this hop, I’m giving away one ecopy of my own book, Fairy, Texas.  I’m also giving away copies of Paranormal Introductions to everyone who signs up for my newsletter–it’s a collection of first chapters from some great books! Finally, I’m also including a link to the giveaway I’m co-hosting with I Love Vampire Novels–it runs through January 8, and includes five signed paperbacks of Sanguinary and a $50 Amazon gift card.

 

So check out Fairy, Texas and enter to win, then enter to win the ILVN giveaway, sign up to get your own copy of Paranormal Introductions, and HOP to the rest of the participating blogs!

 

Enter to win Fairy, Texas

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 6c9ca-fairynewfinalcovermargobondcollins-300dpi-3125x4167
Laney Harris thinks there might be monsters in Fairy, Texas. 
 
She’s right.
 
When her mother remarried and moved them to a town where a date meant hanging out at the Sonic, Laney figured that “boring” would have a whole new meaning. A new stepsister who despised her and a high school where she was the only topic of gossip were bad enough. But when she met the school counselor (and his terminal bad breath), she grew suspicious. Especially since he had wings that only she could see. And then there were Josh and Mason, two gorgeous glimmering-eyed classmates whose interest in her might not be for the reasons she hoped. Not to mention that dead guy she nearly tripped over in gym class.Boring takes on an entirely new dimension in Fairy, Texas.If she’s going to survive in this small town, she’ll have to learn to wing it.
Margo-Bond-Collins-Pinterest

 

paranormal introductions cover

 

HOP to the rest of the participating blogs!

Cover Reveal: Beautifully Undone, by Susan Griscom

 

Title: Beautifully Undone
Author: Susan Griscom
Series: The Beaumont Brothers (#3)
Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Amber Glow Books
Release Date: Jan 20 2016
Edition/Formats: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
He was broken.
Full of hate and sorrow.
Asher Beaumont never asked for much in life. All he wanted was to play his guitar, write music, and be recognized and loved by his father. Unfortunately, that last desire was never realized. The bastard died when Asher was just a kid. Then thirteen years later, his mother dies of a brain tumor, shattering him even more and leaving him hating everyone around him, except for his two best friends, Melody Stevens and her brother, Teddy.
Melody Stevens has crushed on her best friend, Asher Beaumont her entire life. But it’s always been a secret passion. Never something she’d act upon. But when she tells Asher she’s prepared—and determined—to lose her virginity to a guy her considers to be nothing more than a cad who sleeps with anything that wears a skirt, her best friend offers her a proposition she can’t really refuse.
When Asher stumbles across a letter left by his mother before her death, begging him to seek out his half-brothers, he and Melody begin a journey of discovery. Their travels lead them to the two brothers he has spent his life despising because they had the life he always wanted. While on their trip, they discover a miracle they never, ever considered.
A stand-alone book 3, in The Beaumont Brothers Series with a HEA for Adults 18+



 

 

Susan Griscom writes paranormal and contemporary romance. She’s hooked on gritty romances and is a huge fan of superheroes and bad boys confronted with extraordinary forces of nature, powers, and abilities beyond the norm mixed with steamy romance, of course.
She loves those days when she gets to sit around in her sweat pants, doing nothing but writing emotionally charged stories about love and violence, and drinking coffee.
She lives in Northern California with her romantic husband and together they have five great superhero kids and eight mini-superhero grand kids, so far.

Learn more about Susan by visiting her website: http://susangriscom.com

Author Links

Other Books by Susan Griscom
The Whisper Cape Trilogy
 The Beaumont Brothers
Beautifully Undone #3 Coming Jan 2016
The Sectorium Series
Immortal Hearts of San Francisco
Standalones

Spotlight On: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone, by T.A. Maclagan

 

Sale Blitz: They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is $1.99 Amazon Holiday Deal
 
They Call Me Alexandra Gastone
Release Date: 05/20/15
Full Fathom Five Digital
226 pages
Summary from Goodreads:
 
When your life is a lie, how do you know what’s real?

Alexandra Gastone has a simple plan: graduate high school, get into Princeton, work for the CIA, and serve her great nation.

She was told the plan back when her name was Milena Rokva, back before the real Alexandra and her family were killed in a car crash.

Milena was trained to be a sleeper agent by Perun, a clandestine organization from her true homeland of Olissa. There, Milena learned everything she needed to infiltrate the life of CIA analyst Albert Gastone, Alexandra’s grandfather, and the ranks of America’s top intelligence agency.

For seven years, “Alexandra” has been on standby and life’s been good. Grandpa Albert loves her, and her strategically chosen boyfriend, Grant, is amazing.

But things are about to change. Perun no longer needs her at the CIA in five years’ time. They need her active now.

Between her cover as a high school girl—juggling a homecoming dance, history reports, and an increasingly suspicious boyfriend—and her mission in this high-stakes spy game, the boundaries of her two lives are beginning to blur.

Will she stay true to the country she barely remembers, or has her loyalty shattered along with her identity?

Praise for They Call Me Alexandra Gastone:
“An intricate, debut spy thriller…readers will keep turning pages, and the surprise ending will have them anxiously awaiting a sequel.” —Booklist
“…the intersection of action, espionage, and drama makes for solid…entertainment: readers will gladly sit back and watch Alexandra navigate the obstacle course that comes with playing her role too well. It’s a strong debut for New Zealand author Maclagan.” —Publisher’s Weekly
“Death-threats, global takeover, double-agents, hidden files and a blown cover—by the time you get to the shocking conclusion of this cliff-hanger, you won’t know who to trust…” Girls’ Life
“A solid debut that has both heart and smarts. Clever, solidly paced, and power-packed with a killer voice. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is a blast to read. A perfect balance of mystery, romance, and betrayal. Bring on the sequel!” — Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex
 
 
About the Author
 
T.A. Maclagan is a Kansas girl by birth but now lives in the bush-clad hills of Wellington, New Zealand with her Kiwi husband, son and four pampered cats. With a bachelor’s degree in biology and a Ph.D. in anthropology, she’s studied poison dart frogs in the rainforests of Costa Rica, howler monkeys in Panama and the very exotic and always elusive American farmer. It was as she was writing her ‘just the facts’ dissertation that T.A. felt the call to pursue something more imaginative and discovered a passion for creative writing. They Call Me Alexandra Gastone is her first novel.
Author Links:
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GIVEAWAY:
There’s a $15 Amazon gift card up for grabs today as a thank you for stopping by, so check out the rafflecopter below! And if Alexandra Gastone sounds right up your alley, check out T.A.’s dream movie cast or her blog post on the top 10 butt kicking females that influenced Alexandra Gastone!

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Spotlight On: From Shattered Pieces, by Traci Jo Stotts


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FROM SHATTERED PIECES

Traci Jo Stotts
Contemporary/Romance
Evernight Teen, 68k
Editor’s Pick
Ian had no intention of running away. She lived with her abusive parents for sixteen years, so surely she could endure two more. But something changed the night she fought back.
Leaving home was one thing but being on the streets of Reno brings scary to a whole new level. A chance run-in with Jubal proves to be both a blessing and a curse.
Now, Ian must come to terms with who she is and what she must do to survive.
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Buy Links:   Evernight Teen    Amazon
Follow the tour HERE
Excerpt
Four o’clock will be here way too soon.  I crawl into bed and drift off, succumbing easily.  My mom walks into my room.  She sits on my bed and pets my hair.  She is whispering something but I can’t understand her.  I turn the small lamp on so I can see her.  She has a busted lip and her left eye is swollen shut.  I know what happened to her but I ask anyway, “Who did this to you?”  She continues petting my hair but is much rougher, pulling strands from my scalp.  “You did this to me, Ian.  You did this.”
            I sit upright, panting.  Beads of sweat make their way down my neck.  There’s a soft tapping at my bedroom door.  I turn my head wildly, searching my room for any sign my mother was here.  Nothing.  There wouldn’t be.  She wasn’t here.  It was just a dream.  A bad dream.

About the Author:

I enjoy spending time with my family and friends.  Always one to daydream, I’m often teased for the many bits and pieces of paper with notes and ideas for different books littering my desk. After spending most of my life in rural Nevada, I’ve recently moved to Washington. 
To my husband and sons…I finished!
Giveaway:  $25 Amazon Gift Card

Paranormal Romance Thursdays Tour: Dugan’s Creek, by P. A. Estelle

Paranormal Romance Tour 7
Welcome to the Paranormal Romance Thursdays Tour! Over 12 weeks, we’re featuring some great paranormal romance authors and their books. Check out the preview of the tour and the excerpt from Penny Estelle’s novel below, then scroll to the bottom of the post to visit all the other participating authors!

 

 

 

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A devastated Heather Stone is driving eight hundred miles to cry on her sister’s shoulder, after her boyfriend of three years has dumped her.

He needed space!  Our sex life is boring!  You need to find the passion that’s been lost!

“Well, screw you!” she yells, just as her overheated car, pings, coughs, and shudders to a stop on a deserted road by the Arizona eastern border.  Could anymore happen to her?  She grabs her purse and starts walking.  The sign Dugan’s Creek, leads her to an oasis of lush foliage and rushing water to cool off her blistered feet.

The sun starts to set and Heather is thinking this might not have been the smartest move.  Moving shadows and night sounds from the brush lets Heather know she isn’t alone at Dugan’s Creek.

 

Excerpt

“Space?” Heather asked slowly.

“Look…” Steve stopped, running his hand through his hair.  “Yea – space.”

“No, please,” Heather said, folding her arms across her chest, “continue with what you were going to say.”

Steve plopped down on the Ethan Alan black leather, no-armed straight back chair. “It’s us, Heather.  We’ve been together for more than three years and…and, well it’s just not fun anymore.”

She took her Liz Claiborne suit jacket off and carefully hung it on a dining room chair.  “Well excuse me if one of us needs to play the part of an adult.”

“Christ, Heather, we never go out.  This is October!  We have had to back out of 2 different Halloween parties because you have unexpected obligations.  Don’t you remember our plan?  I was going as the werewolf and you were going to be Little Red Riding Hood?”  He watched as her face turned angry.  “Couldn’t you just tell them, ‘Sorry, I’ve got plans?”

“Not if I want to get somewhere in this company!  I thought you were with me on this?” She started pacing.  “It’s all make believe, Steve.  It used to be fun to pretend, but we have to grow up.  You…you have to grow up!”

 

http://www.amazon.com/Dugans-Creek-ebook/dp/B00EP5F2GS

www.pennystales.com

www.pennyestelle.blogspot.com

http://www.amazon.com/Penny-Estelle/e/B006S62XBY

https://twitter.com/Pennystales

http://www.facebook.com/pennystales

http://www.pinterest.com/pennyestelle

 

I have a newsletter that goes out for new releases or sales.  If you would like to be notified please sign up @ http://eepurl.com/388Xr

 

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Participating Authors

Be sure to stop by and check them all out!

Carmen Stefanescu
Daisy Banks
Flossie Benton Rogers
M. S. Kaye
Kim Kasch
Cassandra Ulrich
Julie Dárcy
Margo Bond Collins
Adrienne Woods
N. N. Light
Penny Estelle
Lyndi Lamont

Spotlight On: Broken Stone

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Link to Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27510703-broken-stone

 

Purchase Links:

Chapters | IndieBound | Amazon | TBD

 

Link to Tour Schedule:

http://www.chapter-by-chapter.com/blog-tour-schedule-broken-stone-by-gabriele-goldstone-presented-by-rebelight-publishing/

 

Giveaway Information:  Contest ends January 8, 2015

  • Two (2) winners will received a physical copy of Broken Stone by Gabriele Goldstone (US/Canada)
  • Five (5) winners will receive a digital copy of Broken Stone by Gabriele Goldstone (INT)

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Direct Link:  http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/c08c9e8e483/?

 

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Mama is dead, Baby Emil is dead and Stalin’s new rules are breaking up the family. Papa must stay behind and hide as 12-year-old Katya and her three younger siblings find their way to freedom in East Prussia. With Mama’s sister, Aunt Helena, they board a train and flee for a new home with an aunt and uncle they’ve never met—relatives who don’t want them.

But when they reach the border, Soldiers won’t let Aunt Helena cross. That forces Katya to take responsibility for her siblings. What will life hold for Katya, her two sisters and her brother when they arrive in East Prussia? How long before Papa can rescue them?

 

 

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Katya knows all about Stalin’s big plans; she learned of them in school. But those plans mean little to her until the secret police arrest Papa and seize their family farm. With Mama and her younger siblings, Katya is shoved into a crowded train headed for a forced labour camp in Siberia. Torn from everything she has ever known, Katya faces cold and hunger, and the ever-present threat of lost hope. As she clings to a single red stone from the fields of her homeland, she questions life. Where is Papa? Will she ever see him again? And what will become of Katya’s family?

Inspired by a true story, Red Stone explores the trauma and heart¬break suffered by many families in the Soviet Union during the 1930s when Stalin seized individual property and villainized property owners as kulaks.

 

About the Author

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Gabriele Goldstone inherited scattered bits of her mother’s memories, shadowed by the oppression of both Stalin and Hitler. She shaped them into the life of the fictional character, Katya Halter. Gabriele traveled to Ukraine and searched through former KGB files to find missing pieces—along with the red stone that symbolizes Katya’s home. Gabriele lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Connect with the Author:  Website | Twitter | Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Release Blitz: An Egyptian Affair by Cheryl Bolen

 

An Egyptian Affair
by Cheryl Bolen
Series: Regent Mysteries, #4
Genre: Regency Romantic Mystery
Release Date: December 15, 2015

 

 

A fresh romance with each new mystery . . .

While Captain Jack Dryden would lay down his life for the Regent, he draws the line at endangering his wife in the dark alleyways of Cairo—the place where the Regent’s friend and procurer of antiquities has gone missing.

But Lady Daphne Dryden will not be denied the opportunity to see swaying palms, crumbling pillars, and soaring pyramids in exotic Egypt. She even insists on bringing her youngest sister, Rosemary, who’s enamored of all things Oriental. The Regent insists on sending Stanton Maxwell,  England’s most imminent expert on Egyptology, as their interpreter and his own soldiers as their protectors.

Once in Cairo, Jack and Daphne begin their inquiries, inquiries which almost certainly cause the murder of one woman and the abduction of Lady Rosemary. Will Jack’s wits—and the unexpected bravery of Mr. Maxwell—be enough to extricate them from danger and unmask the evil-doers?

 

Jack bolted from their tent. “What’s happened?”

“Rosemary’s gone!” Daphne stood just inside her sister’s tent, her hand still lifting the entry flap. “Someone’s taken her!”

Shirtless and barefoot, Maxwell came rushing from his tent on the other side.

“This cannot be! I never heard a word .  .  . I swore I would protect her,” he said, his voice forlorn.

The rear of Rosemary’s tent had been slashed through. Jack whirled around to chastise the soldier he’d asked to guard Rosemary.

The fellow was sitting in the sand directly in front of Rosemary’s tent, his head bent, chin on chest, eyes closed, hugging his musket to him as if it were a cherished woman. He was sound asleep.

Jack mumbled an oath as he began to shake the soldier. He did not readily awaken. Then Jack smelled it. Laudanum. “The guard’s been drugged with laudanum!”

“We need to determine if anyone else is missing,” Maxwell said, his voice commanding.

Jack’s eyes narrowed. “It wouldn’t surprise me to discover that one of our recently hired servants is responsible for Rosemary’s abduction.” His gaze returned to Rosemary’s tent. “Daf, can you see if anything of your sister’s is missing?”

She nodded solemnly.

By now Arbuthnot had made his way to join the others. He was fully dressed except for his coat. “Are you saying Lady Rosemary is missing? Are you sure she’s not just gone exploring? Didn’t she express a strong interest last night in seeing the mestabas?”

Jack faced Arbuthnot and spoke in a growl. “Some vile person slashed through the back of her tent and apparently carried her off.”

Arbuthnot’s eyes narrowed, and he uttered a curse.

Maxwell looked forlorn. “And I promised her I would protect her.”

Jack placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t blame yourself. I was just as close to her tent as you were, and I slept right through her abduction.”

“Dear God, I hope she’s not intended for white slavery,” Arbuthnot said.

Daphne poked her head out of the tent and harrumphed. “They’d be sure to bring her back. My sister is not only incompetent about cleaning floors and polishing furniture, but she’s never in her life lifted a hand in pursuit of tidiness.”

Jack coughed, and despite the gravity of the situation, his eyes twinkled with mirth. “It appears my wife is under a misapprehension about the nature of white slavery.”

 

 

 

Cheryl Bolen is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 20 romances, both historical and contemporary mystery. Many of her books have placed in contests, including the Daphne du Maurier (romantic suspense) and have been translated into ten languages. She was Notable New Author in 1999. In 2006 she won the Holt Medallion, Best Historical, and in 2012 she won Best Historical in the International Digital Awards and she’s had four other titles place in that competition. Her 2011 Christmas novella was named Best Novella in the Romance Through the Ages. She invites readers to www.CherylBolen.com, or her blog, www.cherylsregencyramblings.wordpress.com or Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cheryl-Bolen-Books/146842652076424.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Release Blitz: Marked by Sight, by Melissa A. Smith

 

Marked by Sight
by Melissa A. Smith
Genre: Young Adult Adventure
Release Date: December 15, 2015

 

 

Love, when blanketed by secrets, can damage the best of relationships. Especially when the secret keepers are your parents and the secret they keep is already widely known and was foreseen many years before.

The world has been awaiting word of her arrival for several decades.
As the next Great Oracle, it was foretold she would do many wondrous things.
Her existence has been kept a closely guarded family secret. Even from her.
However, when she is discovered, her greatest wish is to return to her former life of anonymity.

When Kivantia is told who she is, she is unwilling to believe her family could lie to her for so long.
But after having several visions, she can no longer refuse to ignore her future. Or can she?

 

 

 

 

I am a wife and mother that simply loves the written word. All the places you get to visit by simply separating a few pages. All the people you get to live through and fall in love with. All the adventures you get to have without ever having to leave your house. Not to mention all the worlds you get to visit and travel.

I hope you join me in my books and travel, live and love with me.