Cover Reveal: Playing by the Rules by D'Ann Burrow

BOOK & AUTHOR INFO:

Playing by the Rules by D’Ann Burrow 

Publication date: November 10th 2014 

Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult

Synopsis:

Kennedy Thatcher believes in playing by the rules.  The rules are there to keep her safe.  That’s why her mother created them.  The first rule, never tell anyone what you can do, is the most important rule of all.  Kennedy’s mother made her promise not to ever let anyone know her secret.  She’s a Finder.  Being a Finder is dangerous.   If she uses her abilities too much, she could get hurt.  Or she could lose her mind.  Only her mother knows Kennedy’s secret, and now her mother’s gone.  Her mother didn’t follow the rules.

When her father travels out of town on business, she’s sent to visit her Aunt Loretta.  As just a few days turns into maybe a week and merges into you-might-spend-the-first-semester-here, Kennedy is a true fish out of water.  Life in the Piney Woods of east Texas is far different from her home in Southern California.   She can’t click her heels together and go home, at least not until her father’s team stops the serial killer preying on girls along the Gulf Coast.

Kennedy could stop him.  But if she uses her ability to find the killer, she risks loosing herself in the process. That’s when she learns a new rule—there’s a difference between what you can’t do and what you won’t do.

Tanner Shields is the guy everyone wants to date, and almost every girl in the high school has succeeded.  Tall.  Muscular.  Captain of the football team.  He’s the bad boy every girl wants to reform—no one’s more interested than Kennedy’s cousin, Scarlett.  But he’s not interested in the girls from town.  He sees a challenge in the lifeguard from San Diego.  As Tanner and Kennedy grow closer, he learns her secret.  Can he convince her that sometimes rules are made to be broken?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22710701-playing-by-the-rules

AUTHOR BIO

I’m a fan of things that go bump in the night—at least I like to read and write about them. I write both Young Adult and New Adult romances, frequently with a paranormal twist. (No vampires or werewolves allowed…I see enough of them when I watch The Vampire Diaries, and can any other vampire really compare with Damon Salvatore?)

My preschool teachers began to worry a bit when I said that I wanted to be a witch when I grew up and my favorite color was black. Thankfully, my imagination still gets a good workout when I write about the secrets people keep. And don’t we all have a few secrets?

When I grow up, my dream is to work at the Haunted Mansion. Until then, watching Ghost Hunters will have to count as research.

I’m represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marshal Lyon Literary Agency.

Author Links:

https://twitter.com/DKBurrow

https://www.facebook.com/dannkburrow

http://www.dkburrow.com/

Cover Reveal: Kissing Frogs by Alisha Sevigny

Kissing Frogs

by Alisha
Sevigny

Release Date: 11/18/14

Swoon Romance

Summary from Goodreads:

Popular party girl and
high school senior Jessica Scott has a secret: she used to be a nerd — a big
one; a goody two-shoes, grade-skipping, all-state spelling bee champ. But she
lost the braces, put on some contacts, and applied all her academic genius to
studying and imitating the social elite. Now she rules the school from the
upper echelon of the high school realm. With her cool new friends and hottest-guy-in-school
boyfriend, life’s a beach — and that’s where she’s headed for Spring Break.
That is, until her teacher breaks the bad news that she’s failing Biology — and
her only chance to make up the grade is to throw away the culminating trip of her
hard-earned popularity and join the Conservation Club in Panama to save the
Golden Frog.

Unable to let go of her faded college dreams, Jess finds herself in a foreign
country with a new social crew, and one handsome face that stands out as a
blast from the past, threatening to ruin her queen bee reputation. Travis
Henley may have grown up, but he still likes to play childish games and as
payment for retrieving Jess’ lost ring from the bottom of a jungle pool, he
wants three dates. While Jess does battle with spiders, snakes, wildfires and
smart mean girls, she desperately tries to hang on to the last vestiges of her
popular existence like the Golden Frog from its webbed toe. But as she starts
to care about something more than tanning and texting – a species on the verge
of disappearing forever – she may realize the worth of her inner nerd, and the
one frog in particular that could be her prince in disguise.

Set in the lush and tropical El Valle de Anton, this modern fairytale
re-imagining of “The Frog Prince” is toe-curling contemporary romance with an
environmentalist heartbeat, in the tradition of Stephanie Perkins.

About the Author

Alisha Sevigny holds a degree in Sociology and Professional Writing
from the University of Victoria, is a film school graduate, former
literary agent and current Social Media and Communications Director for an
award-winning English school. A shameless romantic, Alisha and her husband
have travelled the world together. On a recent trip to Panama with their
new daughter, Alisha fell in love with the country, culture, and their
national emblem, the Golden Frog. She was inspired to write her first
Young Adult novel, Kissing Frogs. Born and raised in Kitimat, British Columbia,
Alisha has always had a strong connection to the environment and
conservationist spirit. She now lives in Toronto with her family.

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Cover Reveal: Lost to Me by Jamie Blair

Lost To Me

by Jamie
Blair

Release Date: 08/19/14

Summary from Goodreads:

Lauren Kelling’s prom
night is a memory she’ll never forget—in her nightmares. She had the dress, the
hair, and romantic first time plans with her boyfriend, Kolton Seidel. But what
should have been the best night of her life bleeds into terror when she’s
brutally attacked.


Now, Lauren relives the events leading up to prom, unraveling the clues that
should have warned her of the trauma to come. Like Kolton ’s malicious
ex-girlfriend, who’ll do anything to rip them apart. Or Kolton’s mentally
unstable brother.


After the tragedy, Lauren wants to hide, disfigured inside and out, while
Kolton drowns in a sea of guilt. Only together can the two of them lay rest to
the past and heal each other, through a love too strong to break.

About the Author

Jamie Blair lives in Northeast Ohio with her husband, their two kids and
a cat that broke into their house and refused to leave. She won a young
author's contest in third grade, but it probably shouldn't count since her mom
wrote most of her entry. LEAP OF FAITH is her first novel. She promises her mom
didn't write one word of it. 

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Perfect Boyfriend by Renee Novelle

Book & Author Details:

The Perfect Boyfriend by Renee Novelle 

(Boyfriend #2) 

Publication date: July 27th 2014 

Genres: New Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

The Perfect Boyfriend picks up right where we left Reagan and Ian in The Boyfriend List.

As their friendship blossoms quickly into a steamy romance, Reagan and Ian have to learn to navigate their shifting relationship…and everything that entails. But their newfound bliss doesn’t come without a few unexpected challenges.

In the midst of realizing just how sweet the romance can be between them, and all the benefits of their new dynamic, Reagan is informed that her ideal situation has changed. Not only will she need to begin taking on more classes to speed up her graduation date, but she’ll also have to start looking for a job to supplement her fading income. Meanwhile, Ian has chosen to pull out of school once his father is diagnosed with a terminal illness in order to help manage the family business and spend time with him while he still can. But he wrestles with the guilt of leaving Reagan behind, and the pressure of his new responsibilities.

As the two meet their new challenges head-on, they’ll be forced to discover whether or not they’re as compatible as lovers as they were as friends. With their focus pulled in so many directions, will they have what it takes to keep a long distance relationship alive? Can Ian prove that he’s still be the perfect boyfriend, or will they fold to statistics under the growing tensions of their lives? Throw in some manipulative exes, a new boss with an inflated ego, and a co-worker from hell and the two have a recipe for either a fairy tale ending, or a complete disaster.

The Perfect Boyfriend is a New Adult Romance about trust, love, and discovering the true depths of personal strength.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22085722-the-perfect-boyfriend?from_search=true

Purchase:

Amazon US, paperback: http://amzn.to/1mNfWCk

Amazon US, ebook: http://amzn.to/1tz6HGL

Amazon UK, ebook: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00M0XC8A0

Amazon CA, ebook: http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B00M0XC8A0

Amazon, AU, ebook: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00M0XC8A0

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/the-perfect-boyfriend/id894018625?mt=11

Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-perfect-boyfriend-renee-novelle/1119887137?ean=9781500331795

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/452215

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AUTHOR BIO

Renee’ Novelle is Preceded by a long line of published family members, including Pulitzer Prize nominated author and Poet Laureate of Kentucky Jesse Stuart.

As a child, Novelle was already gaining recognition for several of her works, and in her formative years, she continued this trend by earning local awards for her short stories and poems. 

Inspired to cultivate her talent, Novelle pursued freelance journalism and has found placement of 75 of her pieces in both online and print publications since 2008. Additionally, she has written multiple screenplays, and contributed her savvy, effective writing style to many non-profit and for profit organizations. She launched several blogs over the years, which garnered international attention. 

In 2013, Novelle returned to her first love – fiction. She writes psychological and paranormal thrillers, as well as contemporary fiction and new adult fiction. For a complete schedule of upcoming releases, please visit www.RSNovelle.com

Though she received her Bachelor’s of Science in Communication, Summa Cum Laude, she considers herself a constant student of the written word. She’s an avid reader, an enthusiastic quote poster, and rarely takes “no” as a final answer. She has an unhealthy obsession for theater, dance, music and art, and strongly believes that wine is simultaneously the beginning of, and resolution to, all of life’s problems. She believes in following dreams, and that in the end, you always end up where you're meant to be.

Author links:

http://www.rsnovelle.com/ReneeNovelle/Home.html

https://www.facebook.com/ReneeNovelle

https://twitter.com/rs_novelle

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7249191.R_S_Novelle

Author Interview:

Name –  Renee Novelle

Title of book – The Perfect Boyfriend

Release date –  7/27/2014

1. Tell us a little about yourself.

Oh geez, where do I start? I love writing in all its gazillion varieties. I’m a huge supporter of anything arts related – theater, dance, music, art, fashion, you name it! I’m as addicted to lipgloss as I am to coffee. I’m a huge foodie and love trying new, fun recipes at home. I believe in romance and the perfect love and all that wonderful, sappy stuff. And I have two adorable cats that I consider to be my furry babies.



2. Tell us about your book. What inspired this story?

The Perfect Boyfriend is the follow-up story to The Boyfriend List. When I originally wrote The Boyfriend List, I had no intention of making it into a series. It was just supposed to be a sweet, light, stand alone book. But I had SO MANY READERS tell me that they wanted more of Ian and Reagan, and really wanted to know what happened next in their story...so The Perfect Boyfriend was born. If all goes well, there should be a third book coming out in 2015.



3. Is there a message you’re trying to get across the readers? What’s the one thing you want readers to think when they’ve finished your book?

I think the main message here is that when you find the right one, you can grow together and overcome anything, because just being with that person gives you strength. And I think that love can be found anywhere, even in someone who has been your best friend for years. I hope that readers will walk away satisfied with the story, thinking it was a sweet continuation of the first book. It isn’t mean to be over the top dramatic, or erotic or anything like that. Just a sweet, realistic love story with a positive happy ending.



4. When did you know you wanted to write a book?

It’s always been a lifelong goal of mine to be a published author. And now I am, how cool is that!



5. Do you have any “odd” writing habits?

Define “odd” lol. Not really, but I have to have complete silence to really get inside the heads of the characters.



6. Where’s your favorite place to write?

I have an office that I call my writing cave. It’s a really cozy and quiet and I love it there.



7. What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Write because you love it, and for no other reason. That’s when you produce your best work, and it will make you the most satisfied in the end.



8. What’s one thing about the writing process that you think every writer should know?

That it’s extremely hard! And success doesn’t always come right away. Also keep in mind that everyone gets the occasional bad review and it’s a real blow to the ego. But all the wonderful comments and reviews make up for it.



9. What’s your favorite part about the writing process?

Finally getting all the stories out of my head! And I actually love the editing part. Writing that first draft can be really tough, but going back and making it better and better is so much fun!



10. What are you working on next?


Next I’m working on the third installment to my psychological thriller series, Avenged. And then after that I’ll write the third installment in this series, and readers will have a full book of Petra’s adventures in dating.

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Book Blitz and Giveaway: Ruined by Marian Cheatham

Book & Author Details:

Ruined by Marian Cheatham 

Publication date: Summer 2014

Genres: Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

When your life has been ruined by lies, do you seek justice … or revenge?

Blythe Messina spends her senior year focused on her studies and college, and not on her ex, Stratford High’s lacrosse star, DB Whitmore. At least, that’s what Blythe keeps telling herself. But her younger cousin, Bonni, knows otherwise. Same goes for DB, who professes to be over Blythe and their breakup, but his teammates aren’t fooled.

When scandalous photos of Bonni and the lacrosse captain are texted around Stratford, Bonni’s virtuous reputation is ruined. She pleads innocence, but no one believes her. No one, except Blythe and DB, who come together to uncover the truth. But, will they stay together?

Ruined is a modern twist on a classic Shakespearean romance.

“Deceit, loyalty, honor, and romance–Ruined has it all! A teen version of Much Ado  About Nothing that Shakespeare aficionados are sure to savor!”
Kym Brunner, Author of Wanted: Dead or in Love & One Smart Cookie

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22453081-ruined

Purchase:

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Ruined-Stratford-High-Volume-1/dp/1500335444/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406640990&sr=8-1&keywords=Marian+Cheatham

BN: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/ruined-marian-cheatham/1119911804?ean=9781500335441

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AUTHOR BIO

Marian Cheatham was born in Chicago, Illinois. A graduate of Northern Illinois University, Marian taught special education in Cicero, Illinois for several years before becoming a full-time writer.

Currently, I'm writing a new young adult novel series, Stratford High; contemporary retellings of Shakespeare's plays set in the fictional high school. Ruined, book one in the series, due out spring 2014, is inspired by Much Ado About Nothing. Book two, due out fall 2014, is based on The Merchant of Venice. Book three is due out winter 2015.

On my Facebook author page, wwww.facebook.com/mariancheatham.author, I write a weekly post called the Everyday Eastland with facts and stories, both historical and current, about Chicago's greatest loss-of-life disaster. I lecture on the Eastland at schools, libraries, and on Haunted Chicago coach tours. I'm an active member of a Barnes & Noble critique group. I blog at www.mariancheatham.com.

I live in a suburb of Chicago with my family and our menagerie of pets.

Author links: 

http://www.mariancheatham.com/

https://twitter.com/CheathamMarian

https://www.facebook.com/marian.cheatham

PAOLO PRINCE EXCERPT

5

I watched through the sliding glass doors as my baby brother disappeared into the depths of Mr. M.’s house with DB. I hoped Jon wasn’t getting sick. The Mai Tais at this party were kind of sweet. Or maybe the sun had gotten to him. No denying it was hot outside, and this deck didn’t

have a sheltered awning. Dad used to tell Jon to toughen up, and Jon had, once he’d started playing lacrosse. Wasn’t his fault, he was on the short side. Jon got that from his mother. She

was just a pale wisp of a thing. Maybe that was what Dad had liked about her. She was the polar opposite of my long-legged, big-boned Amazon mom.

            Dad. What a player. He had the best of both worlds in women and sons.

            A hand clamped down on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about your brother,” Mr. M. said. “Jon’s in capable hands. That DB is a good guy. I only wish my niece could see his better qualities.”

Bonni shook her head. “Blythe’s too hung up on the past. At least she pretends to be. She’s always DB did this and DB did that. Acting annoyed when she’s really in love with him.”

“Same with DB,” said Cory. “He say he hates Blythe, but I know he’s always plotting ways to run into her on the sly.”

“Me thinks they doth protest too much,” said Mr. M. “Too bad. Those two seem perfect for each other. If only they could find their way back together.”

“Maybe they just need a push.” A seed of something had taken root in my brain.

“Go on.” Mr. M. smiled at me. “What’re you thinking, Paolo?”

“Maybe we can trick them into admitting how they really feel. What if you and Bonni let it slip that DB wants to work things out? You know, have a conversation when Blythe’s not supposed to be around, but really she is. Let her overhear you talking.”

“We can do that, right, Daddy? We can make Blythe believe DB still cares.”

“Absolutely!” Mr. M. high-fived her.

“And you and I will do the same with DB,” I told Cory. “When we're sure he’s listening, we’ll drop the bomb that Blythe is still into him. Then we stand back and let nature take its course.” I extended my hand. My three co-conspirators piled their hands on top of mine. “We’re all in?”

Bonni, Cory, and Mr. M. nodded.

“Good. Operation Cupid is a go.”

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Stacking the Shelves #99

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and features books you've added to your shelves, both physical and virtual.

So I'm a little bummed that I forgot to do my Stacking the Shelves post for last week. This would've been #100! Oh well, I'll just have to make next week's spectacular.

For Review:

Virgin by Radhika Sanghani

Remember by Eileen Cook

The Bargaining by Carly Anne West

Truth or Dare by Mira Lyn Kelly

Reckless by Priscilla West

Damsel Distressed by Kelsey Macke

Love's Own Reward by Dana Ransom

The Gray Horizon by M. Kircher

Review: Safe & Sound by T.S. Krupa

Goodreads Summary:

When Jill met Jay Greenfield she knew she had found her forever love. She was a kindergarten teacher, he was a high-powered attorney and their lives were perfect. But when a tragic accident takes Jay’s life, this young bride is left to pick up the pieces.

Jill finds herself a young widow facing multiple decisions she thought she had a lifetime to decide. With support from her childhood best friends, Lanie and Stella, Jill attempts to piece her life back together. With nightmares plaguing her dreams and the struggles of constant grief over Jay’s passing, Stella and Lanie keep near constant vigilance over her.

In the process of settling the estate, Jill learns that her husband was not quite the man she thought he was. She finds herself transported to the small beach town of Oak Island, North Carolina. But the fairy tale ending she envisioned no longer exists. She must face the reality that Jay is gone as she finds herself having a chance at love one more time.

Safe and Sound follows a yearlong journey of love, loss, friendship, and conquering the unexpected.

Publication Date: January 1, 2014

If you’re looking for a book that will break your heart, then I’d recommend Safe & Sound. What a sad story! I thought the debut author did a really great job at showing the emotions that went along with losing a spouse suddenly and at a time when their lives are just beginning together.

I usually avoid books like Safe & Sound, but I figured I would go out of my comfort zone and give it a shot. I’m glad I did. I felt a very strong connection with Jill as she went through the stages of grief. Although I was expecting a sob-fest, I appreciated the hopeful message at the core of the story.

Jill was a good lead and felt like a very easy to relate to character. Her reactions felt very authentic, especially in the scenes where she first learns about Jay’s accident and when she sees him for the last time at the hospital. Although romance comes up later in the book for Jill, I enjoyed the strong friendships she had and how her best friends help her cope.

The plot moved along at a good pace and there was plenty of conflict as Jill tries to deal with the harsh decisions that come along with losing a loved one. There was also some drama with a few friends and relatives connected to her and Jay. The romance in the second-half was a nice touch. I almost wish though it was only a start of the romance and not such a serious relationship. I think I felt this way because of the depth of Jill’s loss.

Overall, a really good debut! I can’t wait to read more from this talented new author.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Thanks to the author for a copy of the novel for review!