SUPER SWAG GIVEAWAY

***SUPER SWAG GIVEAWAY***

I’ve been lucky enough to receive tons of swag from loads of terrific authors, which I would like to share with one lucky follower on this blog or my Books4Tomorrow Facebook page. All you have to do to stand a chance to win ALL the swag in this picture, is to complete the rafflecopter below. Giveaway ends 1 December 2012 and is open internationally.

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REVIEW: "FIONA THORN AND THE CARAPACEM SPELL" - by Jen Barton

“FIONA THORN AND THE CARAPACEM SPELL”

by Jen Barton

REVIEWED BY: Ellen Fritz

OVERVIEW

When Fiona Thorn, an ornery orphan with an expertise in explosives, sets out to rescue her imprisoned friend, Jayden Rowanm she wants nothing more than a few sleeping guards and a satchel full of blast. What she gets is a run-in with three bickering princesses that puts all four girls on the wrong side of a locked dungeon door.

Now accidentally involved in a plot to assassinate the King and accused of kidnapping the princesses, Fiona must find a way to free them all, save the king, and rescue Jayden, all while struggling to pay the magical debt that is slowly killing her. Unless of course, the princesses' annoying sibling rivalry kills her first.

Packed with powerful magic, fun-loving fairies and a vicious ogre turned pet, Fiona Thorn and the Carapacem Spell is a fantasy kid's book sure to become a top ten favorite in middle grade fiction.

REVIEW

Even in a kingdom where magical creatures like fairies, cave bodkins and talking sea turtles, who act as life savers, live, someone will plot to assassinate a perfectly good king.  While Fiona and her talking horse, Manzy, are trying to rescue her fairy friend, Jayden, from imprisonment in a palace tower, they, together with the three princesses, learn of the assassination plans.  Fortunately they have Kevin, the sneezing snake who loves to bat his long eyelashes at everybody, to assist them.  When an embittered, spell casting hag and her snow spider friends enter the picture, the would-be assassins are not their only problem.

This comfortably paced, easy to read book is full of adventure, some sadness and a lot of humor.  The cleverly crafted, versatile characters endeared themselves to me from the word go.  I had to smile when it appeared that Fiona's horse, Manzy, seemed to have more wisdom and sense than her mistress; and is it wise to entrust the magical ability to enlarge or shrink objects to a toddler? 

Amidst the suspense and adventure there is also the gentlest touch of youthful romance and a lesson about the negative effect of jealousy, revenge and bitterness.

Although “Fiona Thorn and the Carapacem Spell” is clearly a book for younger children, I am sure that adults will enjoy this highly original story just as much.  If you thought the old fashioned fairy tale was dead, this book will convince you otherwise.

 

PURCHASE LINK

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REVIEW: "RISE OF THE DEMONS" (Oceans of Red, Volume 1) - by Willow Cross

“RISE OF THE DEMONS”

(Oceans of Red, Volume 1)

by Willow Cross

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

By 2015 the streets of Los Angeles have been transformed from a thriving metropolis to a hostile world ravaged by demons bent on assimilating the human race. Standing between this total apocalypse of humanity and their chance for survival is 19 year old Remy Martin.

A warrior in her own right, trained to think on her feet and kill if the situation requires, she is flanked by her older brother and younger sister. Together, they devise a plan to take back the streets. Against the wishes of their father, who commands the resistance forces, they venture into unknown realms of the supernatural in a race against time with the fate of the entire world in their young hands.

Join them on their mission into darkness where death lies around every corner, it is virtually impossible to distinguish your enemies from your allies, and a single mistake could result in the annihilation of everyone you’ve ever known and loved

REVIEW

I haven’t read a Willow Cross novel in a while, and I’ve quite honestly forgotten how well this author writes. Although it is apparent that she writes with the YA reader in mind, her books are suitable for older readers as well. “Rise of the Demons” is no different. In the span of forty pages, the author manages to successfully create a post-apocalyptic-like world a few years into the future where humans are being used as vessels by demons who are in the throes of taking over the world. Remy and her two siblings fight these demons as a measure to save whatever is left of humanity. In the process Remy discovers that she’s more than what she seems, and quite possibly the one to save the human race.

With three butt-kicking characters and a strong story line with a cliffhanger ending that promises more action, suspense, and shocking revelations in the next installment in this series, you definitely can’t go wrong to get your hands on this gripping novella. Fast moving and unrelenting, “Rise of the Demons”, will keep you rooted to the edge of your seat from start to end!

 

READ more REVIEWS

“Rise of the Demons” (Oceans of Red, Volume 1) by Willow Cross has 54 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

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AUTHOR LINKS

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REVIEW: "THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS AND THE ARCH OF ATLANTIS" - by Sharon Ledwith

“THE LAST TIMEKEEPERS AND THE ARCH OF ATLANTIS”

by Sharon Ledwith

REVIEWED BY: Ellen Fritz

OVERVIEW

When Amanda Sault and her four classmates are caught in a major food fight at school, they are given the choice of suspension or yard duty. It was a no-brainer. A two-week crash course in landscaping leads the kids to discover a weathered stone arch buried in an overgrown backyard. Instead of a forgotten lawn ornament, it turns out to be an ancient time portal from the lost continent of Atlantis. Chosen by an Atlantean Magus to be Timekeepers—legendary time travelers sworn to keep history safe from an evil force—the five children, along with two offbeat adults, are sent on the adventure of their lives to save the Earth from an uncertain future. The Timekeepers’ first mission lands them in England in 1214, where they must find an adolescent Robin Hood and his band of merry teens before history is turned upside-down.

REVIEW

What a delightful, fun read!  Who could imagine that a punishment could turn into high adventure for five adolescents and two adults - one an unemployed professor and the other said to be a witch - or in the words of the locals: "a bona fide, true-blue hex-machine from England"?  From a garden in America they are drawn through the Arch of Atlantis, into an Atlantean temple to be told what they are and what their purpose is.  Then they are propelled into medieval England on the eve of the May Day celebrations at Nottingham.  The seven discover that the sheriff of Nottingham had vanished and been replaced by somebody from their own time and that history is on the brink of going horribly astray.  So, how about creating some chaos to restore the natural order and ensure that history runs its course? 

“The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis” is a wonderfully humorous and highly exciting read.  Between laughing out loud at the extremely lively, witty dialogue and smiling at the bickering of the characters, I found it difficult to be serious even when disaster seemed imminent.

The marvelously realistic and unique characters endeared themselves to me in the very first couple of chapters.  It was fascinating to see how each of them developed and discovered their unique talents during the course of the story.  An artificial hand that becomes a magical artifact, and a slingshot made from a forked branch and a jockstrap, are just some of the highly unusual things that can happen when your mission requires you to use what you have on your person, and only that.  Although the story in itself is really outstanding, the dialogue and interaction of the children, liberally spiced with hilarious wordplay, makes it a truly unforgettable read.   

This is the kind of book you would want to keep and reread whenever you need to laugh and relax.  Suitable for readers of all ages, I wish I could give this book more than the five stars it most definitely deserves. 

 

READ more REVIEWS

“The Last Timekeepers and the Arch of Atlantis” by Sharon Ledwith has 10 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

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BOOK FEATURE+GIVEAWAY: “WITHIN THE SHADOWS” (The Shadows Trilogy, Book 1) – by J.A. Lynch

“WITHIN THE SHADOWS”

(The Shadows Trilogy, Book 1)

by J.A. Lynch

GENRE: YA / Urban Fantasy

OVERVIEW

Living on the razors edge, Giselle Burgman's life is torn apart by her cheating boyfriend. Little does she realise that he is the least of her worries when her long term friend Alex introduces her to his family and a new, darker world. A world of lies, deceit and corruption. Thrown from one problem straight into another, the razors edge gets thinner and sharper, testing Giselle's sanity and vitality. Not even she can hide when living within the shadows.

PURCHASE LINKS

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ABOUT the AUTHOR

Julieanne also writes under the pen name J.A. Lynch.

Fiery Librian Julieanne Lynch is an author of urban fantasy books for both adults and teens. Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, where she works on her Shadows Trilogy and other series full-time. Before becoming a writer, she considered a few different career paths, a rock star being one of them. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University, and considered journalism as a career path. However, she decided writing was the way for her and believes all of her education and reading prepared her for it.

An avid reader, Julieanne has always had an encompassing fascination with folklore. When not writing, she enjoys crime series such as Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS and Cold Case, and loves anything with Vampires, listening to metal, meeting new people, drinking lots of green tea, and sharing her dreams with her children. She is a self-professed goth wanna-be,and is happy when left to write into the early hours of the morning.

Julieanne's YA series, The Shadows Trilogy, is published by Vamptasy Publishing and thus far contains Within the Shadows. It follows the war between vampires and shadow creatures. Giselle Bergman, an 18-year old human girl, falls victim to a scheme by one of her closest childhood friends, and embarks on a journey that sees her become the center of a battle between good and evil.

AUTHOR LINKS

Website      Blog      Facebook      Twitter      Goodreads

***GIVEAWAY***

Five winners will each receive an e-copy of “Within the Shadows” by J.A. Lynch. Giveaway ends 26 November 2012.

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REVIEW: "TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE" - by S.G. Rogers

“TOURNAMENT OF CHANCE”

by S.G. Rogers

REVIEWED BY: Books4Tomorrow

OVERVIEW

When a beautiful commoner enters the Tournament of Chance archery competition, her thwarted victory sparks a revolution in the oppressive kingdom of Destiny. Although Heather never believed the legends about the restoration of Ormaria, after three shape-shifting Ormarian wizards awaken from a long magical slumber, she joins their perilous quest to regain the throne. Heather battles vicious predators and angry trolls to free the wizards’ magic, but at a horrendous cost. She is unexpectedly torn from the arms of the man she loves and hurled back in time to fulfill a prophecy not yet written. The ensuing maelstrom tests Heather’s survival skills, wits, and endurance. Will she become an unwritten footnote in history, or can she trust the magic to lead her back to her one true love?

REVIEW

Once again S.G. Rogers hooked me with a wonderful and enthralling read that had me devouring page after page way past my bedtime. In this book you’ll find everything you expect to come across in a great fantasy novel – magic crystals, wizards, dragons, trolls, and much much more. At first I thought this was going to be something very similar to “The Hunger Games”, but this story is something refreshingly unique, and nowhere close to Suzanne Collins’s dystopian novel.

As with her previous book “The Last Great Wizard of Yden”, the author has once again created a world in which readers can immerse themselves comfortably; with characters that steal your heart, “Tournament of Chance” takes you on a journey through time with loveable characters and surprising plot twists that leaves you breathless. I was left in awe of this author’s boundless imagination as she transports the reader to places only reached by the wildest imagination.

This is a fantastic YA read which I highly recommend for young and old alike! I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next.

READ more REVIEWS

“Tournament of Chance” by S.G. Rogers has 2 reviews on Goodreads. Read it here.

PURCHASE LINKS

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BOOK FEATURE+GIVEAWAY: “KLUTZY LOVE” (Corny Myers Series, Book 3) – Sharon Kleve

“KLUTZY LOVE”

(Corny Myers Series, 

Book 3)

by Sharon Kleve

GENRE: Romance

OVERVIEW

Corny is a hot chick with a great job that she loves. All that changed in the blink of an eye when her boss had an accident involving an oversized rubber band. She’s still a hot chick, but her boss is dead.

Steve Spears is a seasoned narcotics cop who ends up wanting to strangle Corny on a regular basis. After finding out Corny’s dream of opening a pet detective business, he decides he doesn’t want a girlfriend who routinely puts herself in danger. That’s his job!

Corny misses Steve, but she’s getting on with her life. She decides to get a month’s worth of dating out of the way in a single night, by combining her three favorite things—men, food, and alcohol.

Steve’s big gun and cop’s intuition saves Corny’s life, but not from another trip to the emergency room. He makes Corny promise never to get hurt again—she agreed, but has her fingers crossed behind her back.

EXCERPT

I raised my salty-rimmed margarita, "Let's make a toast to Mr. Langfield; he was kind, kooky, and had poor taste in women."

"Here, here. God bless the silly romantic fool," Kitty cheered and twirled her hair around her finger.

"I second that," Brenda clinked her glass to ours and munched on chips and salsa.

After a sip from my drink my sexy-guy radar started to beep. I did a quick scan of the restaurant and spotted my target. I discreetly waved my hand above my head and said, "Target acquired... target acquired." We laughed until we about peed our pants and then I leaned forward and quietly asked, "Do you think he heard me?" then giggled more. "I've seen my share of gorgeous men, but that guy is smok’n hot."

"Oh boy, is he ever," Kitty and Brenda said in unison and fanned their faces dramatically.

"He's been looking my way. I'm giving him my, 'you can buy me a drink' look."

All of a sudden Kitty rolled her eyes toward the bar and whispered, "Holy moly, he's coming this way."

Sure enough he made his way through the crowd on the dance floor towards our table. Before I hyperventilated from excitement, Kitty kicked me in the shin. "Thanks, I needed that." Kitty could be pretty levelheaded in stressful situations.

PURCHASE LINK

Amazon

AUTHOR LINKS

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Sharon Kleve’s Blog

ABOUT the AUTHOR

Sharon Kleve was born and raised in Washington and currently lives on the Olympic Peninsula with her husband. She loves romance. She loves reading romance, living romance, and especially loves writing about romance. She gets no greater feeling than watching her characters come alive in each other's arms. Most of all, she loves giving her characters the happily ever after they deserve—with a few bumps and bruises along the way. One of her favorite things to do is picking up a new book and sinking into the story, immersing herself in the emotions between the characters. She hopes to inspire her readers the same way her favorite authors have inspired her. When not writing, she can usually be found either curled up in her recliner with her cat and a good book, or in the kitchen baking sourdough bread or bagels.

Author of "The Corny Myers Series"

Book One, Flamingo Blues, Published December 2011

Book Two, Be Mine, Published February 2012

Book Three, Klutzy Love, Published August 2012

  

***GIVEAWAY***

Three winners will each receive an e-copy of “Klutzy Love” by Sharon Kleve. Giveaway ends 24 November 2012.

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