17 October 2019

The Living Canvas by Pepper Winters Book Blitz and Giveaway! @PepperWinters


The Living Canvas
Pepper Winters
(Master of Trickery Duet #2)
Publication date: November 15th 2019
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
The second and final book in the Master of Trickery Duet!
“Must be brave, stubborn, and impervious to the tempers of loved ones.”
The first line hissed with history.
“Hours are endless, pay is non-existence, quitting absolutely forbidden.”
The second line ached with truth.
“Able to function on no sleep, refrain from running when times get hard, and be more than just a living canvas but a lover.”
The third thrummed with honesty.
“Other attributes required: forgiving, opinionated, and not afraid to tell me when I’m wrong. Must also enjoy being touched and kissed at any time of my choosing.”
The fourth glowed with promise.
“Call or email ‘YOUR HEART, HIS SOUL’ if interested in applying.”
The final made my future unfold.
The advert was so similar to one I should never have applied for.
A twist of fate that brought two destined people back together.
A job I would take in a heartbeat if the employer could offer such terms.
But I wasn’t free.
Neither was Gil.
Therefore, my interview could never happen.
Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

 Read an Excerpt
“GIL…DON’T.”
He gritted his teeth, wrapping the rope tighter around my wrists. 
“Stop it.” I wriggled and squirmed, trying to be free of him. 
“Don’t make this any harder than it is,” he breathed, tying a knot and jerking me forward. 
I fought against him, bracing against his pull. 
His hand slipped on the rope, giving me a fraction of a second. 
I spun and bolted.
I managed a few terrified strides before his boots thudded behind me.
He caught me so easily. 
He spun me around, picked me up, and carried me to the podium. Big fat tears rolled down my cheeks, unable to believe what he’d done. In all the times he’d ever touched me, he’d restrained the power and violence he wielded so effortlessly now. He had a strength that controlled me with barely any effort whatsoever.
That alone sent my heart galloping uselessly in my chest. My back prickled with nervous sweat. My chest fluttered with anxious breath. And I moaned in disbelief as he plopped me onto the stage and kicked out my legs, forcing me to sit on the edge. 
I sat with a jar, my teeth clacking together as I dared look up at the kidnapper I should’ve been afraid of but never suspected. 


*************************************
Tears beyond my control rained heavy and hard down my cheeks. I was allowed to hate him. I was meant to curse his very existence. I had no trust where he was concerned. No obligation in any form. 
Yet, I cried for him and for me.
I cried for both of us because it wasn’t fake breakups, molesting teachers, or blackmailing murderers who’d broken us. 
It’d been the lies. 
The tricks. 
The shadows that’d always surrounded Gilbert Clark and the ones he retreated to rather than staying in the light with me. 
No matter what happened. 
No matter if I died tonight, he died, we all died, this had died.
Us. 
There is no more us. 
His arms wrapped me in a cage, his love imprisoning me.
I tried to stop crying. To put aside my grief and wake up.
But slowly, stealthily, finality crept over me. 
My eyelids no longer opened. 
My brain no longer operated. 
My head lay on Gil’s shoulder, needing support. 
He clutched me closer as the final dregs of energy siphoned out of me. He stroked my hair and kissed my ear as I gave in to the cloud of unconsciousness. “Hopefully, by the time you wake up…this will all be over. You’ll be free. You’ll never have to see me again.” He angled my chin, his lips claiming mine. 
I tried to pull back, to stop the kiss, to study his godforsaken eyes, but he caged me closer. He pulled heat and hunger from deep within, sending me into lullabies with his taste on my lips and his grief on my tongue. “I’m so sorry, O. So sorry for ever thinking I could make you happy. You deserve so much more. I love you. I love you with every fucking part of me, but I can’t stop this. At least sleep is a gift I can give you. The only thing I can give you.” 
Voices were far away and not of my dream world as he lowered me down until I lay on the stage. My eyelids fluttered as he turned on the air compressor and the first lick of unwanted paint landed upon my skin. 
But I couldn’t move.
Couldn’t fight. 
Gil was an artist. 
Art was his drug. 
The creation of beauty helped him cope in the depths of his despair. He needed art to function, to survive.
And with his talent, he stole my function. 
Brush by brush, he destroyed me. 
Colour by colour, he sentenced me to die.
He snuffed out my survival.
He’d poisoned me so I’d sleep. 
So I wouldn’t be awake when my purpose as his masterpiece was over.
Author Bio:
Pepper Winters is a multiple New York Times, Wall Street Journal & USA Today Bestseller.
After chasing her dreams to become a full-time writer, Pepper has earned recognition with awards for best Dark Romance, best BDSM Series, and best Hero. She's an multiple #1 iBooks bestseller, along with #1 in Erotic Romance, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary, and Erotica Thriller. She's also honoured to wear the IndieReader Badge for being a Top 10 Indie Bestseller.
Pepper is a Hybrid Author of both Traditional and Self-published work. Her Pure Corruption Series was released by Grand Central, Hachette.
Her books have garnered foreign interest and are currently being translated into numerous languages, including already released titles in Italian, French, German, Hebrew, and Turkish.
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Stateless by Meli Raine BookBlitz and Giveaway! @meliraineauthor


Stateless
Meli Raine
(Stateless, #1)
Publication date: October 15th 2019
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense
When you’re born without a trace, no one knows you’re a weapon.
I lie for her.
I hunt for her.
I kill for her.
And above all, I betray my mission for her.
She doesn’t know why. She doesn’t care why.
I do.
Treason comes in many forms.
Love is one of them.
Our training taught me to be a sociopath. A machine. A pawn. Nothing more than a tool for a larger goal, without attachments or feelings.
Our teachers forgot one important detail:
Pawns shouldn’t have hearts.
Yet we do.
It turns out our emotions are our greatest weapon.
And I know exactly where mine are aimed.
The Stateless Series also includes:
Traceless (releasing 11.19.19)
Fateless (release date TBA)
Audiobook narrated by Joe Arden and Andi Arndt!
Audible (preorder now!)
Amazon audio (preorder now!)
—
EXCERPT:
I do not sleep.
Kina does, though, and that matters more.
Sleep is a luxury when we are in Woods. She knows it. I know I should catch an hour or two, especially with my five-night punishment and determination to go for six, but I can’t.
What did I just say?
What did I just do?
Kina has the dreams. I have the dreams. I’ve never told anyone else anything that wasn’t one hundred per-cent part of The Mission.
To confess emotion, to confess my own dreams that do not fit The Mission, could be punished by death.
Or worse. What if I really am so weak? Emotion is shameful. It’s disgusting.
We fail every time we feel.
She knows this. I know this.
And yet we both spoke. Shared.
Confided.
Why?
What does this mean?
With her sleeping beside me, I let my mind wander, giving in to the luxury of imagination. For years, the dream has been the same.
A burning wood fire.
A screaming boy.
A woman with long hair being shot.
A man with a shaved head and blue eyes like mine beaten by another man with a log.
And me with my bow and arrow. My hands are tiny, the skin around the knuckles dimpled. I’ve worked with the four-year-olds here at the compound. I know what young hands look like.
Why would I dream like that?
Author Bio:
Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them. Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.
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16 October 2019

Creed of the Guardian (Heart of the Warrior-Book Three by C.R. Richards Book Spotlight and Giveaway!! @CR_Richards

Title: CREED OF THE GUARDIAN (HEART OF THE WARRIOR - BOOK THREE)
Genre: Epic Fantasy
Print ISBN: 978-0990669470
Print Price: $19.99
Kindle ISBN: 978-0-9906694-8-7
Kindle Price: $3.99
Release Date:  October 18, 2019
Purchase Links:
BN: https://bit.ly/2m2ofCs

Synopsis:
Protect the Innocent. Punish the Guilty. 
Seth the Ice Lion, now an Apprentice in the Jalora Legion, reluctantly travels aboard ship with his new battalion. Western Beta’s mission seems a dull assignment. Guarding miles of bogs and old ruins should be a simple task, but Seth soon learns nothing is easy for the Bearer of the Lion Ring. The Jalora is the embodiment of Good and the source of Seth’s power. It commands he search North Marsh for a relic capable of saving his homeland from the ravenous appetite of the Jackal invaders. Surrounded by deadly bogs and savage beasts, he must find the relic before the Lion Spirit inside of him takes control of their shared body. 
Invaders from across the sea hold a firm grip on Valdeon, but their thirst for blood remains unsated. They lust for the riches of Andara. Using fear and greed as weapons, the Jackal enlist aid from the continent’s unscrupulous mercenaries to prepare for a larger invasion. They build a stronghold – Stone Fang Fortress - in the Bloodtooth Mountains of the north. It is here they prepare to conquer the free world.
Will Seth find this powerful relic before the Jackal swarm invades Andara? Or will his people be enslaved under the iron fist of the Jackal Lord? Seth’s answers hide in the deadly bogs of North Marsh…

 Read an Excerpt
“Where do you suppose he thinks he’s going?”
The Buellander spy had cut his bonds on the sharp rocks and was scurrying away toward the east. Shale and sand slipped beneath his boots as he wobbled on his feet. They’d lose sight of him in a moment when the base of Mount Crumble curved toward the northeast. 
“Wherever he’s going, he won’t get there quickly.” Henry chuckled at the spy’s departing back.
“You saved our lives, Seth.” Cal shrugged and looked down at his boots. “That wet rat might have… Well, here. You carry the flag.” 
“Agreed,” Bear and Henry echoed.
“We’ll all see it safely into Phoenix’ hand.” Seth tucked it in his tunic for safekeeping. “Morning is leaving us. We’d better take our spy back to the outpost.” Seth looked across the water toward the shore. “Where did he go?”
“Back to the spy cave, I hope.” Bear took the lead as they hurried away across the land bridge.
Sudden prickles of anxiety raced along Seth’s spine as they fought their way again up Mount Crumble. Something was wrong. The Jalora was unsettled. He pushed his feet harder, but the aggressive movements sent the shale sliding. Test done, he was free to use his full power. With the wind wrapped about him, Seth danced on the raindrops as they fell. 
Finally reaching the top of Mount Crumble, Seth let his boots touch down lightly on the slippery rock. He could see mercenary troops crawling slowly through the bogs toward the outpost. The Buellander spy must have signaled them when he’d found the apprentices asleep in his cave. Jalora save them. Seth’s vision was coming to life on the pathways of North Marsh.
“What is it?” Henry asked, coming to a panting halt beside him. “By my blood. How is this possible?”
“I’ve been such a fool!” Seth slammed a fist against his leg. “I should have sent the signal as soon as we tied up the spy last night.”
He’d promised Phoenix. Now his lapse in judgment had jeopardized the outpost and Andara. Four apprentices couldn’t stop the hundreds of trained warriors bound for murder. The outpost was doomed to its fate.

 Online Presence: 
Official Website: http://crrichards.com/
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-richards-7a270b4/

Bio:
C.R. Richards’ literary career began when she interned as a part-time columnist for a small entertainment newspaper. She wore several hats: food critic, entertainment reviewer and cranky editor. A co-author of horror and urban fantasy novels, her first solo fiction project - The Mutant Casebook Series - was published by Whiskey Creek Press in 2013. Phantom Harvest (Book One in the series) is the winner of the 2014 EPIC eBook Awards for Fantasy Fiction. Cynthia is an active member of the Horror Writers Association, EPIC and Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. For more information about her books, visit her website: www.crrichards.com

Books and Short Fiction by C.R. Richards: Phantom Harvest (2013), Lost Man's Parish (2014), Pariah (2014), The Lords of Valdeon (2015) and The Obsidian Gates (2017)

Now for the Giveaway!
Print copies of Books 1-3 in the Creed of the Guardian series with two limited edition bookmarks
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Decanted Truths By Melanie Forde Book Spotlight and Interview! @FordeMelanie

Decanted Truths
By Melanie Forde
Genre: literary, historical, family saga, women's
For Irish immigrant families like the Harrigans and Gavagans, struggle has been the name of the game since they arrived in Boston in the nineteenth century. For twice-orphaned Leah Gavagan, who comes of age in the Depression, the struggle is compounded by bizarre visions that disrupt her daily life -- and sometimes come true. She has difficulty fitting in with her surroundings: whether the lace-curtain Dorchester apartment overseen by her judgmental Aunt Margaret or the wild Manomet bluff shared with her no-nonsense Aunt Theo and brain-damaged Uncle Liam. A death in the family disrupts the tepid life path chosen for Leah and sets her on a journey of discovery. That journey goes back to the misadventures shaping the earlier generation, eager to prove its hard-won American credentials in the Alaskan gold rush, the Spanish-American War, and The Great War. She learns of the secrets that have bound Theo and Margaret together. Ultimately, Leah learns she is not who she thought she was. Her new truth both blinds and dazzles her, much like the Waterford decanter at the center of her oldest dreams -- an artifact linking three Irish-American families stumbling after the American Dream.

 An interview with Melanie
What do you find most challenging about the writing process, and how do you deal with it?My biggest challenge is self-doubt, to the point where I start second-guessing what I’m writing. “Oh, this won’t have any shot at commercial viability. Gee, readers will have trouble sympathizing with this character because he/she isn’t politically correct or is too old or too complicated. Readers will get bored for lack of enough sex/action scenes/red herrings/other plot twists.” I try to counteract this by reminding myself that first and foremost, I MUST write in my own voice, focused on subjects that truly interest me. I spent most of my career as a ghostwriter, adapting my words for other writers targeting specific audiences. I’ve already proven to myself that I can do that. Now is the time to write what I want to write, how I want to write it. Yes, it would be very sad if no one found my voice engaging – but oh how rewarding it is when a reader, even just one, finds meaning in my own authentic words.
When and where do you do your writing?I’m a lifelong night owl, so I’m useless in the AM. With some of my books, I’ve written much of the text in the early evening. But that isn’t always practical, since there’s dinner to cook and eat and other home activities to address. Mid- to late afternoon is probably when I’m most reliably productive. I’m fortunate to have an office separate from my house and its distractions. My desk faces a broad sweep of pastureland bordered by wooded hills.
What have you learned about promoting your books?
I am probably better about book promotion than when I started, but I still find the related tasks difficult. Writing fiction is a solitary endeavor, tailor made for introverts who spend a lot of time inside their own heads. Unfortunately, introverts rarely make good salesmen. That having been said, I occasionally stumble into a book event that is genuinely fun, with a receptive, engaged audience. That makes all the difference in the world.
What are you most proud of as a writer?
Most proud of? Any writer of literary novels aspires to art. Maybe I’ve achieved that with the occasional passage, conveying an idea or image that transcends the confines of any one book and resonates with readers. That would delight me. But that’s such a subjective evaluation that I’m not sure I can draw pride from it. A more solid source of pride is my wordsmithing. We’re talking craftsmanship, not necessarily art: economically creating vivid images. I’m proud of that.
If you could have dinner with any writer, living or dead, who would it be and what would you talk about?

I’m gonna cheat and toss out the first three writers that came to mind. First: the late, great wordsmith William F. Buckley, Jr., who managed to be brilliant, fascinating and enormously charming. I had a brief exchange of letters with him eons ago and his words just sparkled off the page, even the snarky ones. Second: Dean Koontz, another great wordsmith, with a complicated backstory. I like that in the midst of the creepiest storylines, his protagonists radiate light – without being superheroes. Interestingly enough, both #1 and #2 are/were huge dog fans. So maybe we’d talk about the superiority of dogs vs. humans. Finally, I’d enjoy a chat with Emily Dickinson, who invented economical prose, conveying oceans of meaning in a droplet of words. I’d like to get her to open up about her dark side and her no-nonsense view of life.
About the Author
Raised in a Boston Irish family, Melanie Forde knew her life was infinitely easier than that of her ancestors, refugees from the Potato Famine. The storytelling skills of her elders kept ancestral triumphs and tragedies alive, so that the Potato Famine and the Easter Rebellion felt as real as the Cold War. Inheriting the storyteller gene, Ms. Forde is the author of three earlier novels, her Hillwilla trilogy. She now lives far from her roots, on a West Virginia farm. She still maintains a potato patch—just in case.
Website: http://www.melanieforde.net/
Decanted Truth's Amazon page:  https://amzn.to/2JjXbtu
Excerpt from Chapter One
With The Dream’s first visit, [Leah] had no tools of interpretation. A toddler … has no way of understanding the sensory input from deep within a sailing vessel. It took years of dreaming, reading, and schooling to identify the venue, to understand that great linen sails would snap in the wind, that the wind itself often assumed a tormented human voice, that a wooden hull would creak in protest against a rolling, pitching sea.
The Dream didn’t have much of a plot but offered vignettes of life in steerage, from the perspective of one specific passenger. Through his eyes, Leah saw care-worn faces of all ages.
The bodies supporting those faces were generally far too thin and covered in shabby, soiled clothing. The garments suggested a different era. Leah witnessed snippets of diverse human dramas: incipient love affairs, marriages fraying under the stress of the ocean odyssey, the imminence of death for some…
The passenger sharing visions with the dreamer would retreat to a recess tucked behind a hanging lantern. Leah eventually realized her guide was a boy. She never saw his face, any more than she could see her own face without benefit of a mirror. But she could see his short, thin limbs. Moreover, that recess appeared too restricted to accommodate an adult. And from the dreamer’s early twentieth-century perspective, the passenger’s odd-looking pants were a reliable indicator of a male body underneath the cloth. Nor could Leah imagine any female, even the most impoverished, putting up with such spectacularly ugly shoes. In the privacy of his hidey hole, the boy would invariably remove his boots briefly and rub his feet as if in pain. Naked, the right foot twisted horribly inward. The deformity so repelled the young dreamer that she sometimes would shake herself awake.
Eventually, she realized the scary sight was worth tolerating. After the boy finished rubbing his feet, his grubby fingers would reach for a burlap bag tucked even more deeply into the recess. His hands would then extract something swathed in oilcloth. Once unwrapped, the contents exploded with shards of lantern light in a dizzying array of colors. Looking down at the object in the boy’s lap, Leah could see his chest and belly expand briefly. Then those small hands would rewrap the light-filled wonder in the filthy oilcloth and return it to the burlap sack.
With a shove from his good foot, he would push the bag deeper into the ship’s cavity.
The hidden object filled the darkest corners of the dreamer’s soul with light. With beauty.

With hope. It stirred every corpuscle in her blood.

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Better Watch Out (A Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery) by Christina Freeburn Blog Tour!


Better Watch Out (A Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mystery) by Christina Freeburn

About Better Watch Out

Cozy Mystery 2nd in Series 
Henery Press (October 15, 2019) 
Hardcover: 252 pages 
ISBN-10: 1635115108
ISBN-13: 978-1635115109 
Paperback: 252 pages 
ISBN-10: 1635115078 
ISBN-13: 978-1635115079 
Digital ASIN: B07VQST5YT
Making a list. Merry’s life is Christmas chaos. Her divorce is still in question. She’s behind on crafting orders. Ebenezer is an escape artist. And with one day left, she hasn’t completed the line-up for the annual Christmas parade, thanks to one grinch. Once Merry knows the Christmas secret, she realizes Santa isn’t what’s coming to town.
Checking it twice. Santa’s naughty list, courtesy of Jenna Wilcox, will roll down Main Street with names of residents who deserve a lump of coal in their stocking. Saving the parade won’t be easy, but Merry is up to task. Or so she thinks until she discovers Jenna’s body stashed in Santa’s sack.
Going to find out. As facts are unwrapped, Merry finds the line blurred between who’s naughty and nice. As threats are aimed at her and those she loves, Merry dashes for the truth before the murderer puts her on the naughty list and crosses her off for good.

About Christina Freeburn

Christina Freeburn has always loved books. There was nothing better than picking up a story and being transported to another place. The love of reading evolved into the love of writing and she's been writing since her teenage years. Her first novel was a 2003 Library of Virginia Literary Award nominee. Her mysteries series, Faith Hunter Scrap This Mystery and Merry & Bright Handcrafted Mysteries, are a mix of crafty and crime and feature heroines whose crafting time is interrupted by crime solving.
Christina served in the US Army and has also worked as a paralegal, librarian, church secretary, and golf shop pro. She lives in West Virginia with her husband, dog, and a rarely seen cat except by those who are afraid and allergic to felines.

Author Links 
  Webpage: www.christinafreeburn.com 
  Blog: www.theselfrescueprincess.wordpress.com 
  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChristinaFreeburnCraftyandCrimeAuthor/ 
  Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChristinaFreeb1 
  Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/ChristinaFreeburn 

   Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N - Kobo 
TOUR PARTICIPANTS
October 15 – A Wytch’s Book Review Blog – REVIEW
October 15 – Literary Gold – AUTHOR INTERVIEW, GIVEAWAY – digital copy giveaway
October 16 – Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
October 16 – The Pulp and Mystery Shelf – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 16 – My Devotional Thoughts – REVIEW
October 17 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT, GIVEAWAY – print copy giveaway
October 17 – Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST
October 18 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
October 18 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW*, GIVEAWAY – digital copy giveaway
October 19 – Reading Is My SuperPower – SPOTLIGHT
October 19 – Readeropolis – SPOTLIGHT
October 20 – Baroness’ Book Trove – REVIEW
October 21 – Cozy Up With Kathy – REVIEW
October 22 – A Blue Million Books – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
October 22 – eBook Addicts – SPOTLIGHT
October 23 – Island Confidential – SPOTLIGHT
October 23 – Hearts & Scribbles – SPOTLIGHT
October 24 – Brooke Blogs – GUEST POST
October 24 – I Read What You Write – REVIEW*
October 25 – Melina’s Book Blog – REVIEW*
October 25 – Laura’s Interests – SPOTLIGHT
October 25 – MJB Reviewers – REVIEW, GIVEAWAY- print copy giveaway 
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Dark Faerie by S.T. Bende Reveal! @XpressoTours @s.t.bende


Dark Faerie
S.T. Bende
(Alfheim Academy, #2)
Publication date: February 24th 2020
Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult
Ruling a realm was never going to be easy. After stepping into her royal role, sixteen-year-old Aura Nilssen quickly discovers the dark side of ruling the light realm. Although she’s determined to steer Alfheim off its course of self-destruction, an unyielding tyrant remains equally resolved to stop her. When Aura uncovers the depth of Alfheim’s corruption, she sets out to recover the allies she needs to protect her home. But when she meets a girl whose background mirrors her own, Aura learns she has powers she never knew existed. She’ll need Viggo’s help to master her abilities . . . but is their new relationship strong enough to survive the reality of who she is?
In the face of dark magic, powerful enemies, and the unlikeliest of allies, Aura discovers the true nature of her own duality. It turns out that she’s more than just the crown princess of Alfheim. She’s a dark faerie.
And she’s just met her match.
—
Sequel to:
Author Bio:
Before finding domestic bliss in suburbia, S.T. Bende lived in Manhattan Beach (where she became overly fond of Peet's Coffee) and Europe... where she became overly fond of McVitie's cookies. Her love of Scandinavian culture and a very patient Norwegian teacher inspired her YA Norse fantasy series' (Viking Academy, Elsker Saga, Ære Saga, and Night War Saga). And her love of a galaxy far, far away inspired her to write children's books for Star Wars. She hopes her characters make you smile, and she dreams of skiing on Jotunheim and Hoth.

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