SPOTLIGHT and GIVEAWAY: Nell Carson

Today I have the pleasure of spotlighting a couple of awesome books by Nell Carson, The Gingerbread House and Tell-All. There will also be a giveaway at the bottom for US only (sorry international readers).

Title: The Gingerbread House
Series: n/a
Author: Nell Carson
Publisher: Avalon Books
Release Date: 6th April 2012

After a tumultuous past, Greta Kendall has focused mainly on her bridal shop, located on the first floor of her beloved Queen Anne Victorian near Aspen. For two years she’s fought to save her house from Stephanie Harwood of Harwood Development, who is intent on razing her home to build a new mall. But now Greta’s running out of time. The town council is about to approve the final plans for the mall.

When Gray Daniels walks into her shop, Greta is immediately attracted to his rugged good looks and midnight blue eyes, until she learns he’s Stephanie Harwood’s fiancé. She’s furious to find they’ve tricked her into a publicity stunt aimed at garnering support for the mall. So now her little war has a new front: Gray Daniels. If only she could also fight her growing attraction to him.

A knock on the door brings a return of old danger, and Greta must now put aside her anguish over the house to discover if she’s at last capable of looking the past in the eye and overcoming it—and if she’s finally free to love again.

---

Title: Tell-All
Series: n/a
Author: Nell Carson
Publisher: Montlake Romance
Release Date: 1st February 2012

In Tell-All, New York City writer Kat Callahan is just finishing an explosive unauthorized biography of Hollywood's 'It' couple, Alex and Victoria Janssen, when they mysteriously disappear along with their 7-year old son, Jeremy. Now Kat's publisher is hot on her heels to finish the book to cash in on the free publicity. Little does Kat know the charming cowboy who's just strolled into her life is actually Alex Janssen's brother, Luke, dead-set on stopping the book. He knows it will reveal a fiercely guarded secret that could destroy the lives of all four Janssens. Now he'll stop at nothing to ensure that doesn't happen.

Excerpt

The man in the blue windbreaker leaned against the building, his eyes intent on the tall redhead across the street. Oblivious to him, she walked out the glass doors of the fancy-schmancy high-rise, ‘Winslow Publishing’ printed on the awning in swirling green letters.

The man glanced up at the dark clouds gathering overhead and pulled the hood of his jacket up around his face as the first drops fell. He took a sip of cold coffee from his Styrofoam cup, pulled out his cell phone and pushed the redial button.

“It’s me,” he said gruffly into the phone. “Alice has left the tea party. Repeat, Alice has left the tea party.”

An impatient rush of air came through from the other end. “Spare me the drama, OK?”

The man huffed. “It’s code, not ‘drama’. It helps to--”

“Fine. Thanks for the update. Call me the second she gets off the sub--”

“But I was about to go home,” the man interrupted, his officious tone dropped in favor of a high-pitched whine. “It’s raining. Can’t you just--”

“Look, I don’t care if a friggin’ Category 5 hits. Just do your job.”

Now it was the man’s turn to let out an irritated breath. Unfortunately, the line went dead mid-sigh. No satisfaction.

He took one last sip of coffee then threw the cup at the trashcan by the curb. Of course he missed.

* * *

Luke Janssen put down his cell phone, shaking his head. If there was one thing he hated more than yellow journalists and summertime in Manhattan it was incompetence from his employees.

He should have fired that so-called ’Private Investigator’ the first time he’d switched on the whiny mode. It made the man sound like a five-year old.

Knowing time was short, he got back to the matter-at-hand, ripping up sheet after sheet of yellow lined paper into tiny unreadable pieces, taking tremendous satisfaction in the sound of every long tear, knowing each one helped delay the publication of that wretched book.

---

About the Author

I was born in Philly but grew up primarily in Seattle where I got a little rusty from all that rain. I obtained my degree in Literature at UC Santa Barbara and now live in Denver with my husband Ben and our beautiful baby boy Cole. In my spare time, I like to cook, garden and work on the endless renovations of our 1922 bungalow.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon ~

Giveaway

Open to US residents only (sorry internationals)
Ends midnight Thursday 14th March 2013
1 hardcover copy of The Gingerbread House and 1 hardcover copy of Tell-All

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for stopping by!

SPOTLIGHT - The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox

Today I am spotlighting the sequel to The Magic Warble, (which you can see spotlighted HERE) The Black Shard. Check it out this middle grade fantasy below and enter the giveaway. Three chances to win an eBook copy.

Title: The Black Shard
Series: The Magic Warble #2
Author: Victoria Simcox
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Release Date: 11th November 2011
Page Length: 255 with 1-2 pictures per chapter
Format: Paperback and eBook
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age: 9-13 years old

Kristina's stay at summer horse camp is horrible to say the least, and it's all because Hester and Davina are there as well, making her life miserable. When Hester's cruel prank goes terribly wrong, it's actually what sends the three girls back to the magical land of Bernovem. In Bernovem, Kristina is very excited to see her former friend, Prince Werrien. When he invites her to sail with him on his ship to his homeland Tezerel, putting it simply, Kristina can't refuse. Reunited with her gnome, dwarf, animal, fairy friends ... and best of all, Werrien, things seem like they couldn't get any better for Kristina. But when Werrien becomes fascinated with an unusual seeing stone, the "Black Shard," Kristina is haunted by a ghostlike old hag. Struggling against suspicion, guilt, illness, and ultimately the one who wants to possess her soul, Kristina will see it's in her weakest moment that she will encounter more strength than she has ever known.

About the Author

Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now lives in Western Washington with her husband, Russ and their three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Her other family members are a Chihuahua, named Pipsy and two cats, named Frodo and Fritz. Besides being an author, Victoria is a home-schooling mother of twelve years and an elementary school art teacher of eleven years. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys managing her two older children's Celtic band. She also loves writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and just simply hanging out with her family and friends.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Blog ~

Giveaway

Three (3) e-copies of The Black Shard are up for grabs
Open Internationally
Entries close 11.59pm Friday 8th March 2013 (Australian EST)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you for stopping by!

SPOTLIGHT: Kaleidoscope World by Tomica Scavina

Today I have a spotlight for Tomica Scavina, Kaleidoscope World and is a psychological thriller with elements of mystery. The story sits on the slim border between the mystical and the real, where the gateway to the mystical dimensions is a kaleidoscope – a favorite toy and the object of obsession of this story's protagonist, a young woman named Dahlia Kasper. Check it out!

Title: Kaleidoscope World
Author: Tomica Scavina
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: 1st January 2013

A collector of kaleidoscopes and lousy relationships, Dahlia Kasper leaves her possessive alcoholic mother and moves from New York to Barcelona. In search of lost bits of her childhood, she starts living in an apartment where her father was murdered when she was four. As soon as she enters the apartment, strange things begin to happen.

Her favorite “me-you kaleidoscope” becomes a gateway to another dimension where she encounters a ghost of a famous physicist from the 19th century who tries to persuade her that reality is like a moth-eaten sweater – full of holes. He needs her to help him plug up these holes and save the world from vanishing, while the only thing Dahlia really wants to save is her sanity.

This is just a part of Dahlia’s problems. An elderly cello-playing neighbor turns her emotional world upside down and her longing for lost home takes her further than she ever imagined she could go. To collect all the scattered kaleidoscope-bits of her life together, Dahlia needs to go through an intense inner transformation that takes courage and a sharp sense of humor.

About the Author

Tomica Scavina (1975) is a psychologist, who, at some point in her life, felt that her professional life was squelching her creativity. She diagnosed herself as "overly normal" and returned to her forgotten love of writing fiction to unleash her creative streak. This resulted in three novels. Tomica lives in Croatia and for now the only one in English is Kaleidoscope World. If you find anything "normal" on its pages, let her know - she'll find a way to cure it.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

SPOTLIGHT - A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest

Today I am spotlighting A Shade of Vampire by Bella Forrest. I have been hearing some fantastic reviews about this book, check it out below.

Title: A Shade of Vampire
Author: Bella Forrest
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: 14th December 2012
Format: Paperback and eBook

On the evening of Sofia Claremont's seventeenth birthday, she is sucked into a nightmare from which she cannot wake.
A quiet evening walk along a beach brings her face to face with a dangerous pale creature that craves much more than her blood.

She is kidnapped to an island where the sun is eternally forbidden to shine.
An island uncharted by any map and ruled by the most powerful vampire coven on the planet. She wakes here as a slave, a captive in chains.

Sofia's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn when she is the one selected out of hundreds of girls to join the harem of Derek Novak, the dark royal Prince.

Despite his addiction to power and obsessive thirst for her blood, Sofia soon realizes that the safest place on the island is within his quarters, and she must do all within her power to win him over if she is to survive even one more night.
Will she succeed? ...or is she destined to the same fate that all other girls have met at the hands of the Novaks?

Purchase Links

~ US Amazon Paperback ~ US Amazon eBook ~

~ UK Amazon Paperback ~ UK Amazon eBook ~

Excerpt

I’d been meandering along the shore for about an hour when I suddenly sensed that I wasn't alone. Someone was approaching me from behind. My heart leapt. I was so sure it was Ben, that when a stranger showed up beside me, I couldn't hide my disappointment.

He must have noticed, because a smirk formed on his lips. “Were you expecting someone else, love?”

I eyed him suspiciously, remembering how many times my father had told me not to talk to strangers. I looked him over, taking in his appearance. My eyes widened. I couldn't find words to describe how fine a man he was. He was almost beautiful. The first thing I took notice of was how his blue eyes were about three shades brighter than any I’d ever seen before. It was such a stark contrast to his pale – almost white – skin and dark hair. Standing beside me, he was easily more than half a foot taller. His height, broad shoulders and lean build reminded me of Ben, but he had a presence that was far more imposing than my best friend’s.

My gaze settled on his face.

I realized that he was inspecting me just as closely as I was him. His eyes on me suddenly made me feel uncomfortably vulnerable. I gave my father’s advice a second thought, but quickly cancelled out all notions of heeding to his counsel when I reminded myself that he stopped caring a long time ago.

I straightened to my full height and mustered all the courage I had to keep myself from running away from this stranger.

Big mistake.

The confident smirk didn't leave his face for even a moment.

“Like what you see?”

“A bit full of yourself, aren't you?” I scoffed, annoyed by his audacity.

He stepped forward, closer to me, and leaned his head toward mine.

“Don’t I have the right to be?”

He knew he looked good and wasn't about to act like he didn't.

“Whatever,” was my oh-so-brilliant comeback.

My shoulders sagged with defeat as I took a step back, unsettled by how close he was now. I rolled my eyes and did a one-eighty, not quite in the mood to play whatever game this stranger was proposing.

I would soon realize that I was about to play his game whether I liked it or not.

He grabbed my arm and turned my body to face him. This motion alone made every single internal alarm I had within me go off in a frenzy.

This man was danger and I knew it. I tried to wriggle away from his touch, but I was no match for his strength.

“Tell me your name,” he commanded.

I was about to refuse, but was horrified to find myself blurting out my name in response.

“Sofia Claremont.”

As soon as I revealed my name, his eyes lit up with a kind of sinister approval. Then he reached for my face and traced his thumb over my jaw line.

“Hello, Sofia Claremont. You’re one stupid girl for taking a walk alone at this time of night. You never know what kind of evil a pretty little thing like you could happen to come by.”

I found myself wondering exactly what kind of evil he was. But I was suddenly overcome by the sensations that were surrounding me. My senses took in everything at once. I heard the waves, felt the sand, smelled the ocean salt, tasted the flavour of cherry and saw the stranger’s manic appearance as he stuck a needle to my neck. The effect was instant. I was barely able to gasp, much less scream. I went from sensing everything to sensing absolutely nothing.

My last conscious thought was that I may never see Ben again.

---

About the Author

Bella Forrest ~ I've been telling stories pretty much since I could talk. Instead of having my parents read me bed-time stories, I would prefer to share with them my own made up tales.

As I grew older, I developed a passion for the fantasy genre.

I’m an avid reader and a hopeless Potterhead.

If you sign up for personal email updates from me here: www.forrestbooks.com ,
you'll be the first to hear about my new releases.

~ Blog ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

GIVEAWAY AND SPOTLIGHT: The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox

Today I have a middle grade book spotlight, The Magic Warble by Victoria Simcox and Victoria is offering 3 copies of her book as a giveaway. Check out the giveaway tools widget at the bottom.

Title: The Magic Warble
Series: The Magic Warble #1
Author: Victoria Simcox
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Release Date: 1st February 2009
Page Length: 267 with 1-2 pictures per chapter
Format: Paperback and eBook
Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy
Age: 9-13 years old

Dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals, and an evil queen all these and more can be found in The Magic Warble, an enchanting tale of adventure and friendship. Twelve-year-old Kristina Kingsly feels like the most unpopular girl in her school. The kids all tease her, and she never seems to fit in. But when Kristina receives an unusual Christmas gift, she suddenly finds herself magically transported to the land of Bernovem, home of dwarfs, gnomes, fairies, talking animals and the evil Queen Sentiz. In Bernovem, Kristina not only fits in, she's honored as ''the chosen one'', the only one who can release the land from Queen Sentiz's control. But it s not as simple as it seems. To save Bernovem, she must place the gift she was given, the famous ''Magic Warble,'' in its final resting place. And she must travel through the deep forest, climb a treacherous mountain, and risk capture by the queen s ''zelbocks'' before she reaches her destination. Guided by her new fairy friends, Clover and Looper and by Prince Werrien, a teenage boy, as well as an assortment of other characters, Kristina sets off on a perilous journey that not only tests her strength but her heart.

~ Cover and summary courtesy of Goodreads

About the Author

Victoria was born in Scarborough, Ontario, Canada, to an Austrian immigrant mother, and a Dutch immigrant father. She now lives in Western Washington with her husband, Russ and their three children, Toby, Kristina, and William. Her other family members are a Chihuahua, named Pipsy and two cats, named Frodo and Fritz. Besides being an author, Victoria is a home-schooling mother of twelve years and an elementary school art teacher of eleven years. In her spare time, Victoria enjoys managing her two older children's Celtic band. She also loves writing, reading, painting watercolors, hiking, good movies, and just simply hanging out with her family and friends.

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Blog ~

Giveaway

Three (3) eBooks of The Magic Warble
Open Internationally
Closes midnight Sunday 17th February 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

GIVEAWAY - Double Star by Cindy Saunders and SPOTLIGHT

Today I am welcoming Cindy Saunders and her debut novel Double Star. Double Star is a young adult, fantasy, romance and Cindy is offering two chances to win a copy of Double Star!

Title: Double Star
Author: Cindy Saunders
Publisher: Book Baby
Release Date: 28th November 2012

Goodreads Summary: When Cepheus, a dark god, forces seventeen-year-old Ally Ashworth off an isolated overlook, she has no idea she's falling into his world, or that the necklace she’s wearing is actually a key - one with the power to ignite the next world war. But she’s carried beyond his reach and into the one place where he’s powerless ... the forest of Gilgamesh.

Ally’s never been Miss Popularity, but her outsider status takes on new meaning when she’s rescued by Liam Cheveyo and his peculiar friends. After seeing them shape-shift into their freaky humanimal counterparts, Ally smacks hard into a few truths: magic really does exist and, although getting here took no effort, finding her way back might be impossible. Feelings between her and Liam begin to grow along with the realization that, in this world, she’s stronger, better ... until she’s caught in a trap set by the creepy spider-boy Cepheus sends to retrieve her. But Ally’s not going down without a fight, not after learning the horrible truth about the passageways.

The survival of both worlds depends on it.

About the Author

Double Star is the first novel by Cindy Saunders. She graduated from Bryant College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and lives with her family in Exeter, RI. When she’s not reading, writing, spending time with her two teenage children or working, (yes, unfortunately, she does have a day job!) Cindy tracks down her favorite local bands and enjoys a glass of wine. She is currently working on Double Star, Volume II, (tentatively titled Pulsar) and is keeping her fingers crossed for a 2013 release date. 

~ Website ~ Goodreads ~ Facebook ~ Amazon ~

Giveaway

Cindy is generously offering 2 eBooks of Double Star to giveaway.
This is open internationally.
Ends midnight 10th February 2013

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Spotlight and Giveaway: Brooke Passmore ~ Scarlet Woods

About the Author:

I live in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and am a 22 year old young woman who probably will never fully grow up. As a kid I played with Polly Pockets, swam in my swimming pool practically every day during the summer, and went on vacations to Disney World with my family (favourite days of my life). I loved telling stories as a kid by playing with my Polly’s and dressing up like princesses with my friends. Eventually everything that went on in my busy imagination I wrote down on paper in the late hours of the night.

When I was in sixth grade I moved into a new house with woods directly behind my backyard. I’d walk about the woods and loved trampling through the creek or getting lost in the trees. These trips through the woods gave me my inspiration for my book trilogy Scarlet Woods. My main character in my book is Morgan who lives in a house where the woods are right behind her backyard. My love for trees and anything woodsy definitely shows in my book and I hope I painted a pretty picture in readers’ heads about what Scarlet Woods looks like.

My favourite candies are Skittles and M&M’s. I put ketchup on practically anything with meat (even with chicken quesadillas). I’m a great fan of Florence and the Machine, The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Birdie, and recently The Civil Wars. My favourite books are The Hunger Games, Shiver, and Wither. My favourite movies are Titanic and Gone with the Wind. The Vampire Diaries is the wonderful TV show I'm obsessed with (I’m a Delena lover!!). I hate ads on youtube that I repeatedly have to skip every single time I want to listen to the newest song from Glee. I love to smile, laugh, and purposefully sing loud and off key whenever my brother is around just to pester him. I have a cat named Phoebe who we named after Phoebe from Friends, a yorkie named Coco who we named because he likes to eat Cocoa Puffs, and a shih tzu maltese we named Indy after Indiana Jones. My favourite princess is Cinderella but I think my personality is a tie between Ariel and Belle so they’re all my ultimate faves. If I could choose a century to time travel to I’d probably choose the Victorian age, the roaring 20’s, the 1950’s, or the 1940’s. I think the Victorian age and the 1940’s were probably the most romantic eras in history and the 20’s and 50’s would probably the most fun!

~ Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~

Scarlet Woods (Scarlet Woods #1) by Brooke Passmore

Past, future, and love all exist in the door through time.

Modern and independent seventeen year old Morgan Westbrook thought she had seen all there was to her home town of Scarlet, Georgia, but one day while walking in the woods behind her house she discovers a mysterious door masked behind the trees. After admiring the door’s timeless beauty she walks through its entrance to venture into more woods, but what she doesn't know is that the door is a gateway through time that takes her back to the year 1863 during the days of the Civil War in Scarlet.

Without knowing that she had traveled back in time, she stumbles upon Danny Carson, an attractive young man who is appalled to see that Morgan is wearing skimpy modern clothes instead of a nineteenth century dress. Although they find each other completely different than anyone they've ever known, they cannot help but feel drawn to one another. After spending time in another century, she discovers that she's time traveled back to the year 1863 and that the door took her there. For months she and Danny journey back and forth through the door to experience the joys of traveling to both of their centuries. When dilemmas of unwanted marriage, slavery, and war are thrown at them, they must face the perils that time travel has delivered them in both the future and the past.

The Giveaway

Brooke is being extremely generous and offering 4 eBook copies of Scarlet Woods up for grabs. Please enter using the rafflecopter below.

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