May 17, 2013

Cover Reveal: Dreamwalker by M.G. Chester



Title: Dreamwalker, Faerie Dreams: Book One
Author: M.G. Chester
Release Date: June 1st 2013
 
If there’s one thing thirteen year old Kate loves, it’s a good book. Her new favorite series, Quallen’s Quest, follows the Faerie prince in the land of Kallaryn as he goes from one adventure to another. When Kate awakens in Prince Quallen’s secret cave, she’s sure she’s dreaming. Events unfold and adventure follows as Quallen promises to help her get back. Is she really in Kallaryn and if that’s the case, will she ever be able to get back home.

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Book Review and GIVEAWAY!: Skin Deep by T.G. Ayer




Title: Skin Deep (DarkWorld #1)
Author: T.G. Ayer
Release Date: April 30th 2013
Publisher: Self published
Source: Received from the author for an honest review (I have since purchased a paperback copy!)

Panther Shape-shifter Kailin Odel just wants to be normal. Leaving her clan, and her Alpha responsibilities, to live with her grandmother in Chicago had been the best thing for her. Only then did she discover her ability to track and kill the soul sucking undead creatures called Wraiths. Now she protected the humans, and had something to be proud of.
But, when she discovers the body of a murdered shape shifter, Kailin has to come to terms with the reality that her own kind are just as vulnerable as the humans.
The closer Kailin gets to the killer the more she has to face the intricacies of her people. When the time comes can she accept who and what her real purpose is?
 


Excerpt
Icy pain sliced through my bones, the muscles of my arms, and the flesh of my back. My spine and thighs rippled, shifted. Changing.
Damn. Too fast.

I spared a rueful glance at my new leather pants. And ran faster.
Had to make it to the Rehab Center a few blocks away. I ran, my speed super-human, my need super-charged, covering ground fast enough to make it to safety before my Panther took over. 

I took the corner of the street behind the Center at breakneck speed, and headed for the nearest of the gaping holes pockmarking the rusted fence.
The wind changed before I stepped off the curb. My ears peaked and I skidded to a halt, panting slightly, my backpack thumping against my side. The scream of tires on blacktop echoed on the night air, shattering the silence as it grew ever louder.
Closer.
Followed in tandem by the whining wail of sirens. A battered sedan scorched down the street, suspended on the turn on only two wheels. The angry whip of charred rubber spiked the air. Horizontal again, the car jumped the curb and skidded sideways, avoiding a collision with the fence by mere inches.
I shrank into the shadows at my back, expelling a long, stale breath. My Panther, still confined within my body, bucked and jerked, craving release.
I let her surface.
A little.
For now, super-sight would be welcome. Unlike the ability to run like the wind while still in my Human skin, tapping into my Panther's sight required a partial transformation—a risk I needed to take as my gut screamed danger.
Adrenalin surged, different again from the calm fervor of my wraith hunts. I blinked. Heat nipped at my corneas as I released my Panther sight—enough to give my eyes feline vision.
Sight, which sliced deep into the black nothing hugging the sidewalk, transformed my eyes into a solid Panther emerald. For the moment, plain old Kailin Odel was back to being Kailin of the Clan Panthera.
My cat sight adjusted, focused. The blackness surrounding the darkened vehicle changed depth and color, became lighter, clearer.
Someone shoved the rear door open, and I cringed as it creaked and complained. The occupants remained shrouded in the shadows of the vehicle's interior. Something large, long and heavy hit the ground with a dull thunk. Then the sedan revved as unseen sirens drew closer, louder, and it spun around and skidded off the curb.
The battered car roared off, a police cruiser close on its tail with sirens screaming blue murder. It didn't take a genius to figure out the parcel had to be awfully incriminating, for them to chuck it into the garden in such a flaming hurry.
My nostrils twitched at the stench of exhaust smoke, and my heart thumped as I waited to cross the street. I flicked a furtive glance at the dull red glow of taillights disappearing into the darkness. A breeze skimmed the sidewalk, ruffling my hair, and I hurried across the street as the sounds of sirens faded in the distance. I paused a few meters from the bundle, released my Panther's nose and sniffed. Whatever I'd expected to scent on the air, it wasn't the tang of copper drifting toward me—strong, rich and intoxicating.
Blood. Fresh blood. A luscious odor, laced with tendrils of the familiar.
I moved closer, my mind warring with my emotions. This was no bundle of rags, or some stolen junk those thugs had thrown away, but a living being. The blood surely meant the person now lying on the sidewalk needed medical attention.
I stood over the bundle, the cloying odor of the blood filling my nostrils, and hesitated in a moment of doubt and fear.
Now or never.
I took a deep breath and crouched beside the silent form. My hand quivered as I reached out and touched the scratchy, ragged fabric covering the shoulder of the silent figure. At first it resisted my tug, stiff against my touch, but one more gentle urging turned him toward me.
I gasped, my throat closing on the sound. My heel caught as I pulled away, and I staggered backward as hot horror burned through my veins. The face glistened, bloody and mangled. Raw muscles and ligaments lay exposed, bare. A low moan of horror echoed around me. Chills streaked up my spine when I realized the stricken sound had originated from my own throat. The familiar richness of him clouded my mind, clogging my throat and drugging my senses.
A Skinwalker.
My throat spasmed, silencing a shriek as he stared at me. His breath whispered—shallow, irregular, the sound ragged as he labored in his final moments. He gripped with desperation to the disappearing threads which held him to this mortal earth.
His face held my gaze, and somewhere behind ribs of ice my heart clenched, threatening to implode. My own face stared back at me, reflected from within eyes as blue as oceans. Eyes filled with excruciating pain and desperate fear. He didn't speak, just studied me for a few moments with those glorious eyes.
Recognition. Gratitude. Relief.
Then... release.
Life flickered and sputtered out of his beautiful eyes—eyes unable to close even after his soul departed his mortal body. Eyes stark and ghastly within a face flayed of every inch of its skin.
Mere seconds had passed, although I would have sworn it had been hours. Screeching tires again interrupted my horror, and the sedan skidded beside me before I could do much more than scramble away from the body. The killers had managed to lose the cops, and now they'd returned to retrieve the body.
They hadn't bargained on having a witness.
The cold-cocking of guns set my body on fire.
It also did something worse. With mortal fear gripping me, my imminent Change refused to take second place anymore. My body churned the fear and my Panther grasped at the visceral power of the adrenalin in my veins.
I ran.
A gunshot echoed around the garden, the sound ping-ponging off the aging brick walls of the surrounding apartment buildings.
I gasped as a blast of searing pain slammed into me, as a bullet buried itself deep within my shoulder.


My Thoughts


T.G. Ayer has once again sucked me in to one of her magical worlds.
A world where panther shape-shifter Kailin Odel, does her best to protect her community from soul sucking Wraiths; a world where shape-shifters, mage’s, and all manner of old and new paranormal beings live amongst us in relative secrecy. But someone is killing shifters, decimating the bodies and drawing attention to a world the Para’s want to keep secret; need to keep hidden from the regular population.

Tee has a talent for writing intelligent, kickass heroines and Kailin is all that and more. Kailin Odel is a fighter; a strong and independent young woman who refuses to sit back and let people be taken advantage of. She has a deep and unyielding belief in the good of people, and does all that she can to advice and protect those she cares about.

Logan Westin is a cop; one of the youngest cops paroling the streets and a member of Omega - the secret division within the police force that investigates all things... strange.

Drawn together after the death of a shifter, Kailin and Logan try to navigate their way through a frustrating and emotionally draining case, fraught with danger and an ever increasing attraction they both try to deny.
 

Great world building, great characters to both love and hate (love a good badass too!), and a fantastic story full of all things paranormal, magick, and more. Skin Deep hooked from the very first page, and promises to deliver an intense and exciting trilogy. I love T.G. Ayer’s voice and feel the emotion of her characters on every page. I really can’t wait to see what comes next for Kailin and Logan, and their merry band of sidekicks!

A new and exciting paranormal world of adventure, magick and mayhem, Skin Deep has gone straight to my keeper shelf!
5 stars ~<;]


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Author, T.G. Ayer

I have been a writer from the time I was old enough to recognise that reading was a doorway into my imagination. Poetry was my first foray into the art of the written word. Books were my best friends, my escape, my haven. I am essentially a recluse but this part of my personality is impossible to practise given I have two teenage daughters, who are actually my friends, my tea-makers, my confidantes... I am blessed with a husband who has left me for golf. It's a fair trade as I have left him for writing. We are both passionate supporters of each others loves - it works wonderfully...

My heart is currently broken in two. One half resides in South Africa where my old roots still remain, and my heart still longs for the endless beaches and the smell of moist soil after a summer downpour. My love for Ma Afrika will never fade. The other half of me has been transplanted to the Land of the Long White Cloud. The land of the Taniwha, beautiful Maraes, and volcanoes. The land of green, pure beauty that truly inspires. And because I am so torn between these two lands - I shall forever remain crosseyed.


And now for the giveaway!
I have enjoyed this book so much, that when I bought my copy, I grabbed an extra copy to give to one of my followers - and it comes with a signed bookmark, signed postcard, AND an awesome panther necklace!!

(Giveaway is open internationally - I will post anywhere!!)
 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cover Reveal: Lost for You by BJ Harvey



Title: Lost For You (Lost #2)
Author:
BJ Harvey

Expected release: July 23rd 2013

What would you do if you were told that everything you had ever believed in and everything you had ever known, was a lie?

Elle’s life is altered forever after an unexpected phone call and an unwelcome visitor. Trying to put her life back together, Brax’s last words continue to echo through her mind. Why she is being followed and why is she suddenly in danger? The fact that Brax knew about it all and still left her alone, breaks her fragile heart all over again.

Brax will never forgive himself for leaving Elle at a time when she needed him the most, even if he believed it was the only way to protect her. As he makes his way back to her life, he is determined to win her back, regain her trust and help rebuild her for the second time. His return proves he is the same man, yet Elle sees in his eyes a haunted look she knows all too well.

When a confession leaves Elle reeling, her entire life unravels around her. She begins to understand that the people she trusts the most have put her in grave danger and the people who have been protecting her actually want to cause her harm.

Elle soon discovers that the old adage is true, you have to become lost before you can be found.

Exclusive Cover Reveal Excerpt


Her whole body starts to shake, so I pull her close to me again. Her shoulders are slumped over and she grabs my shirt, gripping so tight that her knuckles are almost white with strain. Once the shaking subsides I shift back, placing my fingers under her chin so that her eyes meet mine. Her eyes are red and puffy, like she’s been crying for days.
I’ve never seen her like this. So low, so broken, so shut down.

“Baby, let me look after you. We’ll talk about everything tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything you want to know, but tonight I want to get you out of these wet clothes, wrap you up in my arms and comfort you. Will you let me do that, hon? I need you to let me help you.”


Unable to form words, Elle slowly nods, never once dropping her gaze. I strip her wet tank top off her, wrapping her towel around her chest as I pull her off the counter, carefully placing her feet on the kitchen floor. I yank her shorts down her still wet legs until she’s standing naked and exposed in front of me.

There is nothing sexual about this moment.

I take her hand and lead her into our bedroom, walking over to her drawers and pulling out a new top and pajama pants for her. I kneel down in front of her, lifting her feet one at a time as I put her legs into the pants and pull them back up to her waist. Not once has she lifted her head. She appears mesmerized by my every move.

Leading her over to the bed, I sit down on the edge and pull her into my lap as I hold the tank top in front of her. She puts her arms inside the top and I pull it the rest of the way down her body. I grab the towel and start drying her hair. I’m taking my time, wanting her to feel cherished and adored, hoping she’ll see the sincerity in my actions and not just my words, I wrap my arms around her and carry her into our bed.

“I’ll just be a minute, sweetheart,” I murmur, placing a tender kiss her forehead. I make my way into the bathroom, stripping off my wet clothes and wrapping a towel around my waist. Walking back into the bedroom, I grab a pair of boxers from the closet and put them on before crawling into bed beside her.

I move my arm around her shoulders and pull her tight into my side. She still hasn’t said a single word since I arrived. I start tracing shapes on her arm as I hold my lips to her forehead. She lays her head on my shoulder, moving one of her legs across mine as her heat cloaks me.

This is where I’m meant to be.

Where I hope Elle wants me to stay.

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Author BJ Harvey
Having always loved reading, and having been befriended and inspired by some awesome self published authors and book lovers alike, I decided to start writing my first novel, Lost in Distraction in December 2012. It was a conscious decision that started with a song, then the prologue and then catapulted from there. I love music too, like REALLY love music, if there isn't music playing, something is wrong. Out and Proud Vampire Diaries fan as well.

I'm also a wife, mother, full-time university student and I do contract work for myself from home.
  
                        

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To celebrate the upcoming release of Lost for You,
the first book in the series
Lost in Distraction is currently only 99c to purchase!



Purchase Links
Amazon US | Amazon UK | B&N | Smashwords | Kobo



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