Rightfully His Omega, from Angelique Voisen

Good morning, peeps! Hope everyone is hanging there on this Monday morning! 🙂 I must warn you guys that I’m in heaven and reading gay book after gay book (you know, just in case you haven’t noticed my three gay book reviews in a row), so today’s review makes a four combo, haha! Don’t worry, though. I’ll break it myself a little later with a YA mystery review… And then I’ll be back to the gay book reviews tomorrow, lol.

Anyway, let’s talk business: Rightfully His Omega, from Angelique Voisen. I’ve received my copy from Bewitching Book Tours in exchange for an honest review and this is it! Let’s do this 🙂

from my Instagram 🙂

Charlie is a very rare and special omega wolf. Why? He has the ability of pregnancy. Many would kill to have him and the other omegas like himself as a reproduction center, so Charlie has been sheltered for everyone until he was 14.

One fateful night, his family entrusts him to his allegedly mate, Caleb, a very tall, dark and handsome man 10 years older. Charlie is scared and fears for his life, but Caleb explains to him that he was going to make sure Charlie would be okay and grew up just fine.

Caleb swore he would come back for Charlie. He just didn’t count that it would take them 10 years until they saw each other again.

Would Charlie ever forgive him for taking so long?

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

Okay, so this book was a novella and really short. I don’t think you have to write a full book to have something wonderful – on the contrary, I usually complain about too many unneeded pages. But on Rightfully His Omega’s case, the story had so many information and was so under developed that I was seriously left wondering why Angelique had the trouble of writing it in the first place. I really liked the premise of bounded people reencountering after so long, to fix the past so they could have a future. Besides, it was my first MPREG (male pregnancy) book, I was highly anticipating seeing how this would be pulled off. To summarize, I expected nothing, as I didn’t new what to make of the book, and I was still let down. For the creativity of the plot and the one hour of entertainment it provided me, I rated it with 3 stars 🙂

The narrative was third person with switching points of view between Charlie and Caleb, but it switched without a moment’s notice and you had to stop, think, re-read some lines and then pick up your reading again. Despite being a fan of third person narratives, I didn’t really like Voisen’s writing style. It seemed too rough, as if she was writing a screenplay or something. She repeated the character’s names two to three times on the same sentence instead of using “he”, “the omega”, “the wolf” or anything like that. It was distressing, haha!

The plot had so much potential, but it left me in the dark. I got a particular interest on this book because I wanted to see how could a male pregnancy work – I found this so interesting! But I feel the need of warning you guys that no explanations were given whatsoever. The book has ended and I feel like I was cheated, haha! Also, I didn’t really feel any connection between Caleb and Charlie. It was a total instalove all over. I only forgave it on this book because of the werewolves mating deal, but still, there are a lot of ways to get around and avoid instalove. It’s awful to confuse lust and desire with love. Also, I felt that there were key scenes missing, but I won’t develop it further to avoid spoilers.

I’d really like to say that the characters were well developed and memorable, that they saved the book. But I can’t 😦 I felt they all were shallow with a past that was thrown at the reader on the prologue. Caleb was just another tall dark and handsome alpha that wants to put his mate on all fours and Charlie was just another bratty submissive omega. It also bothered me how fast they decided to stick together after so many misunderstandings. Too unreal, you know? 😦

You must be wondering at this point what did I like on the book, right? Haha! For one, I liked that Charlie was a stripper. I just like books involving male strippers, it’s one of my things 🙂 I also really liked the action scenes – not sheets action, actual action, haha! The sheets action aren’t even worth mentioning on this case. Despite everything, I liked to think that Charlie could someday have Caleb’s pups and I found it cute.

Oh, and can we please just take a moment to appreciate how beautiful this cover is? *–*

Overall, it was an amusing one hour read and if you like werewolves and short stories, you may end up enjoying Rightfully His Omega 🙂

Thanks for reading my review 🙂 Bellow, you can find info on where to buy Rightfully His Omega, about the author and how to enter the lovely giveaway set for this tour 🙂

You can find Rightfully His Omega in ebook version 🙂

ARe | Amazon

Angelique Voisen is a bisexual, twenty-something, type-2 diabetic and multi-pubbed writer who favors LGBT and ménage pairings. She likes experimenting with different sub-genres and her stories may include cogs, fangs, space battles, kinky magic systems and happily-ever-afters. When Angel’s not writing, she’s gaming, watching B-rated action movies, or enjoying teatime with friends while enviously eyeing their cake.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

 

Three lucky winners will take home each a digital copy of Two Howls, by Sean Michel!

To enter the giveaway, just click here and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks for reading my whole post and thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for my review copy and my spot on the tour 🙂

 

 

 

COVER REVEAL: Wasted Words, by Staci Hart

Hi, there! Welcome to book cover reveal #2! Another contemporary book that warmed my heart with the blurb alone, haha! I’m talking about Wasted Words, by Staci Heart ❤ And this reveal is on Give Me Books!

Wasted Words

by Staci Hart

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Cover Design: Staci Hart

Photographer: Lauren Perry of Perrywinkle

Release Date: May 19^th, 2016

Some universal truths refuse to be ignored.

Peanut butter and jelly are a match made in heaven. Spaghetti and meatballs are best friends forever. And guys like Tyler Knight don’t go for girls like Cam Emerson.

She knew from the second she met him that he didn’t belong on her bookshelf, the six-foot-six ex-tight end with a face so all-American, it could have sold apple pie. So she shelved him next to the supermodels and rock stars and took her place on her own shelf — the one with the flannel-clad, pasty-faced comic book nerds. Most of her boyfriends have existed between the pages of books, but rather than worrying over her own lacking love life, she puts all her energy into playing Cupid, using her job at the book bar, Wasted Words, as her stomping ground.

Tyler Knight always looks on the bright side. His career-ending injury turned into a job as a sports agent. A horrible breakup led him to Cam, his quirky, smart roommate who is far more beautiful than she realizes. She’s made it perfectly clear she’s not interested in him — not like that at least — but if she ever changes her mind, he won’t hesitate. Because he doesn’t see the lines she’s drawn between them, as much as she insists that they’re there. Deep down he knows that despite their differences, they’re a match well made.

*A romantic comedy inspired by Jane Austen’s Emma*

Staci has been a lot of things up to this point in her life: a graphic designer, an entrepreneur, a seamstress, a clothing and handbag designer, a waitress. Can’t forget that. She’s also been a mom, with three little girls who are sure to grow up to break a number of hearts. She’s been a wife, even though she’s certainly not the cleanest, or the best cook. She’s also super, duper fun at a party, especially if she’s been drinking whiskey. Her favorite word starts with f and ends with k.

From roots in Houston, to a seven year stint in Southern California, Staci and her family ended up settling somewhere in between and equally north, in Denver. They are new enough that snow is still magical. When she’s not writing, she’s sleeping, cleaning, or designing graphics.

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I’m soo excited about this book! Thanks for reading 🙂

BOOK BLITZ: The Rose and the Dagger, by Renée Ahdieh (The Wrath and the Dawn #2)

Hello, there! Welcome to our last book news post of the day ❤ I’m talking about the release blitz for The Rose and the Dagger, second book in the The Wrath and the Dawn series, by Renée Ahdieh! This blitz is courtesy of Rock Star Book Tours 🙂

The Rose and the Dagger

The Wrath and the Dawn #2

by Renée Ahdieh

Release Date: April 26^th, 2016

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

432 pages

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid’s empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn’t yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

You can find The Rose and the Dagger in paperback, hardcover, ebook and audiobook formats! 😀 (aka. any format that your heart desires, haha!)

Amazon | B&N | iBooks 

 

“Above all there is the shattering, triumphant catharsis of love… In a story about stories, love is ‘the power to speak without words.’ Thrillingly full of feeling.”—Kirkus Reviews 

~*~

“Fiery romance, a spirited heroine, shifting loyalties… With more than a few heartrending twists and turns.”—Booklist 

You can read the full prologue of The Rose and the Dagger by clicking here 😀

Renée lives in North Carolina (Go Heels!) with her husband Victor and their dog Mushu. In her spare time, she likes to cook, dance salsa, and wreak havoc on the lives of her characters. She’s also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, as well as an active member of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America.

Website| Twitter | Facebook| Goodreads | Tumblr  Pinterest | Instagram

This giveaway is only for the lovely residents of the US 🙂 If you’re a lovely US resident yourself or have someone there to receive the prize for you, don’t forget to try your luck!

One lucky US winner will receive:

• A paperback copy of The Wrath & The Dawn
• A hardcover copy of The Rose & The Dagger
• A His Calipha candle from The Melting Library’s Etsy Store

To enter this giveaway, just click on this link and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks for reading 🙂 I hope you’re excited about this one! I still haven’t read The Wrath & The Dawn, but I’ve only heard good things about it.

 

 

BLOG TOUR: Starr Valentine, by Wende Dikec

Hello, there! Good afternoon and welcome to a blog tour hosted by Bewitching Book Tours! It’s my deepest honor and pleasure to introduce you to Starr Valentine, by Wende Dikec 😀

Starr Valentine

Wende Dikec

Genre: Young Adult/Sci-Fi

176 pages

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Release Date: March 10^th, 2016

Cover Artist: Najla Qamber (you get a free hug coupon for such a beautiful cover!)

What happens when the beautiful swan becomes the ugly duckling?

Starr Valentine has a perfect life in Middleton, Ohio. She was named captain of the cheer squad, her mother finally allowed her to get highlights, and the cutest boy in school asked her to homecoming. But everything comes crashing down when she finds out her parents are actually monarchs in exile from a mysterious planet called Vega. Starr doesn’t want to leave, but loves the idea of being a princess, and decides moving to an alien world might not be so bad. When she gets there, however, she discovers that something is terribly wrong.

Starr has always been the winner of the family, but now everyone is fawning over her chubby older sister, Astra. And everyone, even a handsome and annoying young duke named Julian, seems to hate her. That is when she realizes the awful truth. Astra is now the pretty one. Astra has all the friends. Astra gets all of the attention. And Starr Valentine, voted Miss Perfect, is now the ugly duckling. Her biggest fear is…will she be able to turn back into a swan, or is she doomed to be a loser forever?

You can find Starr Valentine in ebook format 🙂

Amazon | BN | Kobo | iTunes | ARe

 

We all met in the captain’s lounge just after the transport ship had safely landed. My father wore some sort of military uniform, and he was completely dashing, as always.

“Girls, you both look lovely.”

I smiled up at him. “So do you, Daddy,” I said, and he patted my cheek.

My mom fluttered up to us in a cacophony of lime green lace and feathers. A large gold medallion was pinned to her breast and she had on the crown she’d worn for the nightly news. She reached for our hands, tears swimming in her eyes.

“I have something for you,” she said, her voice trembling. Captain Augustus stood behind her, looking just as handsome as my father. He held open a wooden box. Inside were two small, yet perfect, tiaras.

I gasped. “Diamonds.”

“These are not your true crowns,” my mother explained. “Those went missing during the confusion when we were trying to escape. These are just a substitute until we can find something better.”

I couldn’t imagine something better. The tiaras seemed perfect. I leaned over slightly so my mom could slip it onto my head, glad I’d decided to wear my hair up in a French twist. The tiara was beautiful. I admired myself for a few minutes in the mirror before looking at Astra. She and my mother stood side by side, their hair a riot of dark curls, their dresses positively painful to the eyes, and I sighed. I really hoped they didn’t humiliate themselves too much at the ceremony. They looked like clowns from a circus performance.

My father, of course, didn’t seem to notice. He bowed and kissed my mother’s hand gallantly before linking it through his arm and leading her out the door. I could tell it was a very emotional moment for both of them. They were returning to the home they loved after being exiled for so many years. Even I could feel my throat tightening up.

Astra walked up and took my arm. “Are you ready?” she asked, and I nodded. It was time to face the music, or the Vegonians, as the case may be.

We stepped out into a warm, sultry evening on Vega. Lights had been set up all around the landing bay, and we followed my parents to an elevated platform near the ship. People waited as far as the eye could see, and as soon as my parents stepped up to the podium, the crowd roared.

I stood arm in arm with Astra, taking in the moment. The city of Celesta glittered in the light of the fading sun, just beyond the crowd of people assembled before us. It sparkled like it was made of glass. I could see what must have been the royal palace on one side of the city on top of a small hill, and it made me think of Aladdin’s castle, all gilt and white marble. I decided I could definitely get used to living there.

As I stared at the people in front of me, I started to notice something odd. The women here were not at all what I’d expected. Supposedly the most beautiful women in the universe, they all looked a lot like my mother and sister, with short, oddly shaped bodies and large behinds. They also dressed just like my mother and sister, in a riot of colors and patterns.

A quick assessment told me that I was the only pretty girl around, other than Maya, and definitely the best dressed. Maya had been forced by her parents to wear some sort of Vegonian monstrosity made out of a hot pink iridescent fabric. Torture. I, on the other hand, felt like an elegant swan dumped into the middle of a bunch of plump, gaudy, peacocks.

I heaved a sigh of relief. I’d been a little teeny tiny bit worried when I’d heard about how beautiful Vegonian women were. It was good to realize those rumors had been pure exaggeration. No one in this crowd could hold a candle to me.

Another quick look around told me that there wasn’t a single bad looking guy here. I was completely devoted to Adrian, of course, but I couldn’t help but admire and appreciate male beauty when I saw it. The boys were all works of art. It was as if I’d been dropped into a huge candy shop full of the most delicious boys I’d ever seen, and knew I could have my pick. Of course I would never cheat on Adrian, but it felt like a candy shop here, nonetheless.

My joy proved short-lived. None of the boys even looked at me. At first I thought that several of them stared at me, which made me happy, but soon realized it wasn’t me they stared at. They had their eyes locked on Astra with the same sort of enraptured expressions boys usually reserved for me.

A cold wave of shock crawled over my entire body. Boys never looked at Astra like that, especially when I stood right next to her. Something was very wrong here.

I smoothed my hair, which was perfect and didn’t need smoothing. I stuck out my chest and turned my body so they could see my best angle, but none of them even noticed me. Astra had suddenly become the center of attention.

My mother gave a very lovely and heartfelt speech, which I barely paid attention to. The crowd roared and screamed her name, but I hardly even heard it. People waved and cheered with tears streaming down their faces, but I felt numb to everything.

When we were introduced to various dignitaries, everyone said “lovely,” and “a vision,” when they met Astra. When they saw me, they looked a bit confused and then mumbled something boring like “nice to meet you.” Something very strange was going on, and I had to figure it out.

I searched the crowd for Adrian, but he was nowhere to be seen. One sexy, appreciative look from him might have been enough to restore some semblance of balance and order to my universe. But he wasn’t around and I’d been cast adrift in a sea of beautiful boys to whom I was invisible.

“Art thou okay, Princess Starr?” asked Captain Augustus. “Thou art pale.”

I blinked as I digested his words. The Vegonians spoke English, but a weird form of archaic Elizabethan English mixed with modern slang. The only people who had spoken like that on the transport ship were the captain and the crew. All of the Vegonians who been on Earth for the last fifteen years spoke standard, modern English, although I’d heard a few “thou’s” and “thee’s” begin to slip into the language of the older passengers, including my own parents.

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

As the captain bowed and turned away, I realized I wasn’t fine at all. I stared around at the sea of happy, glowing, faces, including those of my parents and my sister, and understood that suddenly, and without any explanation, I had become the outsider.

“Thou art in hell, Starr Valentine,” I murmured to myself.

AND GUESS WHAT?! Wende herself is here with us today! 😀

Thanks so much for agreeing to be here today, Wende! It’s a pleasure ❤ I asked Wende to tell us five fun facts about her book Starr Valentine and it’s writing process and she indulged me! Let’s see what she has to say about the matter? 😀

My young adult book Starr Valentine is the story of a beautiful, popular cheerleader who finds out her parents are aliens and she has to return to her home planet. When she gets there, she realizes the standard of beauty if very different, and she isn’t pretty anymore. Not good news for the vain and slightly vapid Starr.

Five Fun Facts about Starr Valentine:

1) The book was inspired by a chance encounter near a tennis court.

Tennis season had just started for the boys’ team, and I was standing around, waiting for my son’s practice to end. I noticed a woman standing nearby with two girls by her side. I didn’t know her, but she caught my attention because she was remarkable. She had on brightly colored clothing in several contrasting patterns, a head full of curly hair divided into what looked like random ponytails, and a self-confidence that exuded itself in her booming voice and glowing, happy face.

Next to her stood a young girl who looked just like her, the same colorful clothing, wild hair, and extremely curvy shape. She was smiling, just like her mother, the spring sunshine kissing her face as she lifted it to the sky. They both looked so happy, so completely at ease.

And then I noticed the other member of their little trio, a girl shifting uncomfortably from foot to foot as she eased away from the other two. I could feel her embarrassment, a palpable thing, as if she wanted to physically separate herself from them. She had on a very plain navy blue skirt and a white t-shirt. A very pretty girl, she looked extremely…normal next to the other two.

And then I heard the whisper of a story start to swirl around inside my brain. What if?

What if I was looking at a family? What if a mother had two daughters, one who looked just like her and one who was very different? What if the “different” daughter was beautiful and popular, and felt ashamed of her mother and her older sister?

What if? I really need those words in a tattoo.

 2) Starr Valentine was originally written as a short story called “So Pretty” that won third prize in Writers’ Journal Magazine’s annual science fiction contest.

I couldn’t get the image of the woman at the tennis courts out of my head. When I saw an advertisement for the Writers’ Journal contest, the “what if” started again. I thought, what if they are aliens? What if the way the mother looked is considered to be the epitome of beauty on that world? What if the girl who is pretty on earth, suddenly isn’t beautiful anymore?

 3) My son helped make Starr into a cheerleader.

I have three boys, and while I was writing Starr, my oldest son was the school’s mascot. That meant he spent a lot of time with the cheerleading squad – on the bus, at football games, and at practices. He would come home and share some of their discussions with me, and that led to the creation of several characters in the book. Having girls is a very different experience from having boys, and I don’t think I realized how different until I started writing Starr.

 4) I wrote Starr Valentine in ten weeks.

I already had the basis for the plot in my short story, but the rest of the book nearly flew onto the page. It was such fun to write, and sometimes I felt like I couldn’t type fast enough to keep up with the story that was taking place in my head.

 5) I learned about different standards of beauty because I lived it.

I studied Japanese and International Economics in college, and spent six year living abroad. I learned that different cultures can have very different ideas about beauty. In China, for example, tiny feet are treasured, but have you ever seen what a bound foot actually looks like? It’s terrible. And painful.

Interestingly enough, the reaction you probably had to the photo of the bound feet is very similar to the reaction I had from Japanese students when they saw my pierced ears. They often asked me to take my earrings out, and shivered in disgust when they saw the hole in my ear lobe. “How could you do that to yourself?”

Beauty. Sometimes it isn’t something that can be translated across cultures. Or, in the case of Starr Valentine, across galaxies.

 I’m officially shocked, haha! But Wende has a very valid point: beauty is nothing but a standart and that’s why it is so important for us to not care about other people’s opinion about our own looks 🙂 I wish 15-year-old-me had known this, haha!

Once again, thanks so much for being here today, Wende!! I can’t wait to read Starr Valentine! *–*

Wende Dikec has spent her life traveling the world, and collecting stories wherever she visited. She writes in several romance genres, and her books are quirky, light, and fun. Fluent in several languages and married to a man from Istanbul, Wende is a trekkie, a book hoarder, master of the Nespresso machine, and mother of three boys. A puppy named Capone is the most recent addition to her family, and she blogs about him as a way of maintaining what little sanity she has left.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Pinterest | Tumblr | Instagram

One lucky winner will get a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

All you have to do to participate on this giveaway is to subscribe to Wende’s newsletter here. The winner will be announced on June 1^st 😀 Good luck!

That’s it, thanks so much again to Wende for being on my post, thank you for reading this post and thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for my spot on this marvelous tour! 😀

BLOG TOUR: Nobody’s Lady, by Amy McNulty (Never Veil #2)

Hello, there! Welcome to another blog tour hosted by Chapter by Chapter! We’re here today gathered to cherish the release of the second volume of the Never Veil series, from Amy McNulty: Nobody’s Lady! 😀

Chapter by Chapter kindly sent me a review copy for both books in exchange for an honest review and I’m very thankful ❤

(Goodreads’ Blurb)

For the first time in a thousand years, the men in Noll’s village possess the freedom to love whom they will. In order to give each man the chance to fully explore his feelings, the lord of the village decrees all marriages null and void until both spouses declare their love for one another and their desire to wed again. What many women think will be a simple matter becomes a source of village-wide tension as most men decide to leave their families and responsibilities behind.

Rejected by the lord and ashamed of her part in the village’s history, Noll withdraws from her family and lives life as an independent woodcarver. This changes when her sister accuses her of hiding her former husband Jurij from her—and when Jurij eventually does ask to move in. Determined not to make the same mistakes, Noll decides to support her male friends through their new emotional experiences, but she’s soon caught up in a darker plot than she ever dared imagine possible from the men she thought she knew so well. And the lord for whom she still has feelings may be hiding the most frightening truth of them all.

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as reader 🙂

The Never Veil series left me speechless! I really don’t even know what to say :O Everything was so new for me, so awesome, so everything! I flew off through the series and almost bit all my nails, as there were many moments in that I honestly didn’t know what to think, but in a positive way. This book is not a suspense one by any means, but I got swept off my feet so hard and I didn’t see it coming!

this is what this series did to me lol

This was one of the best fantasy books that I’ve read in quite a while and I decided I need to read it once again for my mind to grasp everything and understand everything. Lucky me that the next volume in the series is in the way, so I have time to sit with this series and start again, haha! For now, I’ll leave Nobody’s Lady with four proud stars 🙂

Once again we accompany Noll’s in her journey, this time trying to help her male friends to adjust to their new reality. I still can’t believe in everything that has happened until now, haha! wow!

The narrative is first person styled form Noll’s point of view, of course, and since the first page we can see how she grew up since Nobody’s Goddess. It’s amazing how aware she has become of her own mistakes and flaws and I still don’t know how to deal with that end, OMG! There were times in that I wasn’t sure about what I felt for Noll – whether if I liked her or not – during the whole series, but I can safely say that I don’t hate her – and that’s a start 🙂 I usually hate female protagonists that are the narrators of their own stories in YA books, haha!

Also, can we take a moment to just appreciate McNulty’s writing style? It is SO GOOD! It gives you all the feelings!

Sorry, I simply adore this Crowley gif, haha! It’s so real!

The plot hit me in the face and laughed of my naivety, haha!

I definitely should have seen so many things coming and I didn’t! Ugh. But the surprise was very welcome. As much as I don’t mind predictable books, it’s still good to be left in the dark here and there 🙂

The characters are the place in which the star got lost, actually. I don’t know, I was highly interested in what was going to happen next, but I didn’t much care about anyone in particular – not even for Noll. Maybe I’m on a detached period (it happens and it’s weird), and that’s another reason for my eagerness on re-reading this series. How can I find a story so awesome and not fall for a single character?! Absurd.

Overall, I recommend this series for anyone that loves fantasy and Young Adult books. You guys will have a run for your money with Nobody’s Lady and Nobody’s Goddess!

Thanks so much for reading my review! Bellow, you can find information on where to find both books in the Never Veil series, more about Amy McNulty and a lovely giveaway 😀

You can find Nobody’s Lady in both ebook and paperback formats 😀

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD | iBooks

And, of course, Nobody’s Goddess is also available in ebook and paperback formats 😀

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

Amy McNulty is a freelance writer and editor from Wisconsin with an honors degree in English. She was first published in a national scholarly journal (The Concord Review) while in high school and currently writes professionally about everything from business marketing to anime. In her down time, you can find her crafting stories with dastardly villains and antiheroes set in fantastical medieval settings.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Goodreads

Five lucky INTERNATIONAL winners will receive a digital copy of Nobody’s Lady!

Don’t miss this marvelous opportunity! To enter, just click here and good luck: GIVEAWAY!

Thanks so much for reading and thanks again to Chapter by Chapter for providing me a spot on this lovely tour and my review copies!

COVER REVEAL: A Reason to Stay, by Julieann Dove

Hello, there! Welcome to the cover reveal of the day 😀 Our star is presented by Xpresso Book Tours and it’s a romance by Julieann Dove: A Reason to Stay 🙂

A Reason to Stay
by Julieann Dove
Publication date: June 1st, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

 

 

Elise Newton has it all—a dream job, a house that’s all hers, and a boyfriend who’s a cardiologist. Darren has been carrying an engagement ring in his pocket for two months, waiting for the perfect time to ask her to be his wife. He has no idea Elise has been waiting for the perfect time as well—to break up.

You see, Elise has a fatal flaw. She cannot commit to love.

An early-morning call from her sister gives Elise hope. She’s needed back home in Kentucky, to care for their mother who’s recovering from surgery. It’s the break Elise has been searching for, a reprieve from the strain of ducking Darren’s declarations of love.

But along with Kentucky comes seeing Ben—her first love, the one who came closest to being her happily ever after. Now a single dad, Ben has moved on with his life. But has his love for her moved on as well?

When Elise discovers a long-hidden truth about her family—and the reason why she can’t commit—she must decide which man will give her a reason to stay.

Sounds a cute and different romance, right?? I was intrigued by the blurb and now I want to hug the cover, haha!

Julieann lives in Virginia, yet longs to live everywhere else. It doesn’t come as a surprise that along with her gypsy soul, comes an active imagination. That’s why she loves to write and invent worlds and people, so that she can formulate their happily ever after. Hobbies include cooking new recipes, sewing, and spending time with her cute boyfriend/husband and five fabulous children. Vacations happen in Nantucket or the Carolina beaches—anywhere there is inspiration for her next book. One day she hopes to travel to Italy, drive one of those little cars around the countryside, and speak the language fluently!

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest / Newsletter

That’s it, thanks so much for reading! Are you excited about A Reason to Stay??

COVER REVEAL: Spindle, by Shonna Slayton

Hi, there! Welcome to the other book news post of the day! It’s another cover reveal, this one on Chapter by Chapter’s account, for Spindle, by Shonna Slayton! 😀

 Spindle

by Shonna Slayton

400 pages

Release Date: October 4^th, 2016

Publisher: Entangled Teen

Genre: YA Historical Fantasy

From the author of Cinderella’s Dress, a brand-new standalone novel that retells the story of Sleeping Beauty, this time set during the Industrial Revolution.

Sleeping Beauty’s happily ever after isn’t the end of the story…

The evil fairy’s magic is still trapped in her unfulfilled curse, and the only way to release it is to see a girl to the death. But the spindle has been hidden away for centuries, until a peddler offers it to an unsuspecting mill girl during the Industrial Revolution.

Briar Jenny had planned to escape her life of poverty and hardship with Wheeler, an ambitious young man who plans to leave the valley and start his own business. Trouble is, he no longer cares for her, fancying the new girl who just moved into town to work at the cotton mill. When Briar tries to use the spindle to win back Wheeler’s heart and secure her future, she has no idea the power she has unleashed.

After pricking her finger on the magic spindle, she falls under a sleeping sickness that slowly claims her body bit by bit. It will take all her strength, to not only survive, but also break the curse and defeat the evil fairy for good.

Personally, I love Sleeping Beauty. She’s my favorite Disney princess at the moment (I keep switching, don’t mind me, haha!) and her story retellings are the one that most grab my attention. So far, I’ve read three, that will be listed on the end of this post, and I can’t wait for Spindle to be my fourth!! Also, I found out that Entangled Teen has an awesome portfolio and I deeply trust them with my YA romances ❤

You can already pre-order Spindle in both paperback and ebook formats at our favorite book buying places! 😀

Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | KOBO

 

Shonna Slayton writes historical fairy tales for Entangled TEEN. Cinderella’s Dress and Cinderella’s Shoes, set in the 1940s, are out now. Spindle, a Sleeping Beauty inspired tale set in the late 1800s, will be out October 2016.

She finds inspiration in reading vintage diaries written by teens, who despite using different slang, sound a lot like teenagers today. When not writing, Shonna enjoys amaretto lattes and spending time with her husband and children in Arizona.

The best way to keep in touch is by signing up for her monthly newsletter. She sends out behind-the-scenes info you can’t read anywhere else. Sign up is on the sidebar of her website Shonna Slayton.

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Yes, we do have a giveaway! … For USA lovely residents only. If you are a lovely US resident or have someone that can receive the prize there for you, approach to see what you may be taking home! ❤

One lucky winner will receive:

• A paperback copy of Cinderella’s Dress
• A paperback copy of Cinderella’s Shoes

To enter this lovely giveaway, just click here: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks for reading ❤ And thanks to Chapter by Chapter for the lovely cover reveal!

PS: those are the retellings of Sleeping Beauty that I already read:

• HAMSTEAD, Katie – Princess of Tyrone, The Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #1 (review here!) [5 STARS!]
• RICE, Anne – The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty, Sleeping Beauty series #1 (review here!) [2 stars]
• SLOAT, Christy – Slumber, The Slumber Duology #1 (review here!) [4 STARS!]

BOOK TOUR + GIVEAWAY: Captive Creature, from Angelique Voisen

Hello, there! It’s with a wild pleasure that I present you to the blog tour to Captive Creature, from Angelique Voisen, hosted by Bewitching Book Tours ❤

Captive Creature

Angelique Voisen

Date of Publication: April 1, 2016

Genre: MM, Werewolf, BDSM

Publisher: All Romance eBooks

ISBN: 978-1-943576-74-6

Cover Artist: Erin Dameron Hill

I thought I had nothing left to lose.

Betrayed and abandoned by those I love, and captured by the enemy, I learned death is a privilege, not a right. Nursing my vengeance and honing my hate is all I can do. Then he appears, turning my black and white world upside down.

Scar Greyback is Alpha to the largest werewolf clan in the region. Scar’s dominance frightens me, excites me. One touch and I know I’m his. His to possess and control, maybe even to love, but I can’t yield. I’ve been bred and trained all my life as a soldier to hunt his kind. Accepting his mating call will doom us both, but once I start on this road to hell, I can’t stop.

If you have been around for a while, you know how much I love gay romances. And romances with a paranormal touch in general ❤ How could I not spotlight this precious book?? *–* It’s actually the only way to get me to read BDSM books, now that I think of it. Hm, interesting.

Captive Creature is available in ebook format only, at our favorite book buying places 🙂

ARe | Amazon | iTunes | Kobo

 And we have an excerpt! Meet Gabriel, our suffering protagonist 🙂

Hanging naked with nothing but blood, grime, and sweat clinging to my skin, and chains lashing my limbs to the rusty eyebolt on the ceiling, I recalled my beautiful mother’s words.

God gives only gives us what we can take. My mother whispered those words when she tucked me in bed, along with other poisonous ones. Grow strong, Gabriel. Be my avenging angel. Think of your father, your uncle, your brother. Every one of the fallen needs our prayers, she said. Harden your body and heart, because our enemies will show you no mercy.

It’s the first time I felt true despair, but not my last. Two other bolts lie close to mine, empty of captives, but even my human nose caught the tell-tale scent of copper, spilled blood.

To remain sane, I thought of other matters, anything to distract myself from my inevitable death. Death has no favorites, the master of arms back at the citadel always said. Still, the previous two occupants on either side of me must have wished their demise didn’t come too soon. Are they still alive, screams gagged by the endless rock walls and passages of Santa Olivia, the underground home of the city’s most prominent animal groups?

“Fuck this.”

Hearing the sound of my voice startled me. I hardly recognized myself. Had I always sounded so weak? I twisted in my chains, but it was futile. These chains are built to hold supernatural captives, but I’m only human. There’s no longer any fight in me. The fire in me has gone out, since the moment my friends and allies betrayed me to the hands of the enemy.

I whispered their names to the darkness, not as a prayer seeking salvation, but as a curse. “Rafael. Michael. Pedro. Abraham.”

Every member of the Soldier of God is christened with the name of an angel or saint. Don’t ask me why. What we’re doing is for the good of humanity, our elders often liked to say, but the truth? Few of the soldiers believed in noble deeds. Most hunted the supernatural down not to cleanse the city of abominations, but because killing is all we’re good at. What we’d been bred for.

Die a noble death, a worthy one, some of my brothers and sisters would say, but it was no longer funny once real fear kicked in. The sound of the heavy bolt to the holding cell shifting made me still.

“Calm the fuck down,” I hissed, but my body refused to obey.

My heart quickened and my breaths came short. I’m Gabriel. Twenty-one-year-old Soldier of God and today’s the day I die.

That’s all I have to say about this excerpt, haha! Bellow, you can learn more about the author, Angelique Voisen 🙂

Angelique Voisen is a bisexual, twenty-something, type-2 diabetic and multi-pubbed writer who favors LGBT and menage pairings. She likes experimenting with different sub-genres and her stories may include cogs, fangs, space battles, kinky magic systems and happily-ever-afters. When Angel’s not writing, she’s gaming, watching B-rate action movies, or enjoying teatime with friends while enviously eyeing their cake.

For more information on other books by Angelique, visit her website!

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads

 Now, GIVEAWAY TIME!

• Two lucky winners will receive two eBooks from Are books each ❤

To enter, just click here: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks so much for reading 😀 And thanks to Bewitching Book Tours for the tour ❤

True Colors, from Krysten Lindsay Hager (Landry’s True Colors #1)

Hello, welcome to my daily review! I know you’re all shocked at my rhythm, I am as well, haha! Anyway, today’s book is True Colors, the first volume in Landry’s True Colors series, by Krysten Lindsay Hager 😀 I’ve received my copy from YA Bound Book Tours in exchange for an honest review during the book’s tour time. Thanks again 😀 The time has arrived!

from my Instagram!

The Story

Landry is a common teenage girl, with the common struggles of life in this age: having fun with her best friends, avoid the troublemakers at school and worry about her grades. Until one of her best friends, Ericka, pushes her and their other friend Tori into participating of a tv show selection –the American Ingénue, the most popular modeling show ever.

Even against all odds, Landry passes the first test and is invited to the second test. She couldn’t be happier until she realizes that Ericka and Tori don’t want to have anything to do with her anymore – and it wasn’t even Landry’s idea to go to the hearing in the first place!

Now Landry has to learn what true friendship means while struggling to not sound stuck up for her modeling gigs.

The Analysis

Just remembering that those were my impressions and opinion as a reader 🙂

Since I participated in the blitz for the third book in the series, Landry In Like, I was pinning to start this series. It’s not my typical YA read, as I’m not that a fan of contemporary, but something about the series just caught my eye. I have to say that I expected to see more about the backstage of the start of a modeling career than all the teen drama that came along with it and that Landry let me down several times when it came to her choices, but overall I enjoyed this reading experience. I totally plan to continue reading the series, as Krysten has a beautiful writing style that sticks the reader on Landry’s life until the last page and I think that Landry herself has much potential as a character and I’d love to see her growing up into a strong woman 🙂 All considered, three stars!

The narrative was first person styled from Landry’s point of view. Surprisingly, this didn’t bothered me at all. I had nothing against Landry, but she made it hard for me to actually like her. I may have mentioned this one time or two, but I never had the patience with people that don’t know who they are or where they have come from (you know, existential problems. It’s one thing if the person lost their memories or something like that, but that wasn’t the case at True Colors).

In my defense, I suffered with bullying during high school too – to this day, I have panic attacks when I’m forced to walk among large gatherings of teenies, both male and female, and sometimes I even get nervous diarrhea episodes thanks to that. It’s been five years since I’ve left high school, so thanks a lot, bullies.

Anyway, my point is that I understand Landry’s feeling of being tossed aside and the insecurities, but I couldn’t forgive her for treating people poorly because of somebody else’s judgment. It’s one thing if you don’t like someone and doesn’t want to be around this person for this reason; it’s another entirely different thing to not be around someone just because someone says you shouldn’t. It’s a free country, people! And that was my biggest disappointment regarding Landry. She grew up a lot and even changed a bit during the story, but that’s where the stars got lost.

The plot was good enough, wrapped around Landry’s daily life and the start of her modeling career, but I honestly thought, by the book’s blurb, that True Colors would focus more on her professional ascendance and show how this impacted her social life, not the other way around. Don’t get me wrong, I love teen drama, it’s highly amusing, but I guess I expected more. Oh, well. It happens, haha!

As I said before, I didn’t mind Landry for good or bad, but she did let me down a few times. I really liked Devon and some of the other girls, but no one managed to catch my eye for long. That statement includes the boys, as none made it to my boyfriends list – but that’s okay, since I was a teen myself I was already into older guys. Like older than 20 guys. So I can’t really say anything here, the boys were just too young for me, haha! What I can say is that Hager built up the characters in such a fashion that made them real and likeable. Even the awful people like Ericka were fun to hate, you know? Like a sport. I caught myself smiling several times while I read the book, as it felt like I was one of the gossipers, haha!

The parts in which the modeling deal effectively appeared were very good as well, and realistic. I have offline friends that once were models, so I can speak up for that, haha! Sometimes, the most unexpected things happen in this world.

Overall, if you enjoy contemporary romances, gossiping, school drama and female power games, you really should read True Colors 🙂

Thank you so much for reading my review! And thanks to YA Bound Book Tours for sending me my review copy, it was a very interesting read!

Bellow, you can read more about the author, Krysten Lindsay Hager, watch the book trailer and enter an awesome giveaway 😀

ABOUT KRYSTEN

Krysten Lindsay Hager is the author of the Landry’s True Colors Series, a clean reads young adult series and the new ​Star Series. Krysten writes about  friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, middle school and high school, frenemies, modeling, crushes, values, and self-image in True Colors, Best Friends…Forever? And Landry in Like, as well as in, Next Door to a Star (Star Series). Her sequel to Next Door to a Star will be out March 22 2016.

Krysten is a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. She’s worked as a journalist and writes YA, MG, humor essays, and adult fiction. She is originally from Michigan and has lived in Portugal, South Dakota, and currently resides in southwestern Ohio where you can find her reading and writing when she’s not catching up on her favorite shows. She received her master’s degree from the University of Michigan-Flint.

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram│Pinterest

True Colors Book Trailer!

GIVEAWAY

• One lucky INTERNATIONAL winner will take home a $10 Amazon Gift Card!

To join me on this chance, click here: GIVEAWAY!

That’s it, thanks for reading it all! And thanks to YA Bound Book Tours once again for this chance 😀

BOOK BLITZ: The Glass Coffin, by Kelly Martin (A Shattered Fairy Tale #3)

Hi, there! Welcome to the other bookish news post, haha! This one, courtesy of Love Affair With Fiction, is a book blitz to celebrate The Glass Goffin‘s release! It’s the third book in the A Shattered Fairy Tale series, from Kelly Martin! ❤

The Glass Coffin
Kelly Martin
A Shattered Fairy Tale #3
Genre: Regency, Romance, Fairy Tale
Publisher: Blue Tulip Publishing

Gertrude “Trudy” Dodsworth wants nothing more than to be with the love of her life, William Haddington, Earl of Waverly. Her father, the evil “sin collector” Frederick Dodsworth, forbids the union and sends Trudy and her mother far away to a town called Everdale. While there, Trudy catches the eye of the roguishly handsome and very controlling, Lawson Stockwell–also an earl. He asks for her hand in marriage. Trudy reluctantly agrees for the sake of her mother who has fallen suddenly ill.

William Haddington has hit a new low. Once thought of as a virtuous man, William has fallen from grace. Laden heavy with guilt, he trudges through life carrying the burden that is his to bear. He set the fire that disfigured Nicholas Wellington, The Beast of Ravenston. William goes to Everdale to start over, become himself again, try to move on, but when he sees the love of his life, Trudy, arm in arm with another man, he falls back into the bottle.

When the “gifts” begin appearing on his doorstep, William has no doubt they are from Lord Ravenston, who is known to get revenge on those who hurt him.

With time running out and his love for Trudy tearing him apart, William must decide if he will give into his feelings for her or force her to hate him forever.

Because The Beast is coming to Everdale.

And he’s coming to make William suffer.

Based on Sleeping Beauty.

I recently read a lovely Sleeping Beauty inspired book [Slumber, review here!], so I had to check this one out too, haha! I don’t know if I ever commented it in here, but Aurora is one of my favorite princesses ever. I mean, her life is so goals. You have tons of problems and all you have to do to solve your life out IS TO TAKE A NAP!

Anyway, you can already find The Glass Coffin on our usual book buying places 🙂

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

B&N | iBooks | Kobo

And yes, we have an excerpt! ❤

Only stalkers and men of ill-repute watched women from behind street corners and lampposts and carriages. William felt like both, but he could not keep her out of his sight.

He’d only just arrived in Everdale an hour before, and, to his surprise, he saw her immediately, Trudy, not fifteen paces away. He should have talked to her. Instead, he’d hidden.

William was a coward. He felt like a coward. He did cowardly things out of fear. Fear, his biggest weakness.

Fear made men do strange and peculiar things.

Fear made men travel hundreds of miles away from home to stay alive. Fear made men drink more than they should to forget the past — though William hadn’t drank in over five days, since he’d first left Darenset. And he felt it too. Every bit of him begged for a drink, only one, to take the edge off. Only one to chase the nightmares away.

Without the alcohol, William dreamed. In his dreams, he remembered everything. The fire. Lord Ravenston’s face. Losing Trudy. Blackmail by Mr. Dodsworth — a man even more evil than himself. Mr. Dodsworth was a ‘sin collector’, a man who collected the misdeeds of both the titled and commoners and used them against anyone he wished when the time suited him. Though William knew he shouldn’t judge. He had no way of being saved. What he’d done… He would never be forgiven. He didn’t deserve it.

He hadn’t meant to set the fire. No, that was a lie. He’d meant exactly to set the fire. Revenge and all. He’d just never meant for anyone to get hurt.

The fact that someone had, Nicholas Wellington — the Beast — well, it was fitting. William knew he’d never be forgiven. Not for the fire or what he’d done to his best friend, Vaughan, Earl of Brighton.

But, even with all that, even with the fact that he knew he’d spend his eternity in hell, William made the conscious decision to not drink — to try, try, to do good. He might never, in his mind, make it to the Pearly Gates, but he would do his damnedest to never hurt another living soul.

He never should have chosen Everdale; he knew that now. Not after he saw her. He should have hopped right back on the first carriage out of town and headed… somewhere. Anywhere. This was supposed to be a place to start over, refresh, and move on.

How could he move on with her beautiful face taunting him?

So, he crouched behind carriages and behind corners, watching, waiting, and gawking.

The first time his gaze had slid passed her, he hadn’t recognized her.

Gertrude — Trudy — Dodsworth had become more of a lady since that fateful night six months ago. Her long red hair that had always lain in unruly curls, the tresses he wanted so much to run his fingers through, to pull her toward him and take her lips on his, was piled atop her head like all the proper ladies. William understood pomp and circumstance. He understood the ways of the world, more than most. However, he missed seeing those wild locks. The girl who, though wealthy and well-brought-up, always had a wildness about her. But not around her father. No, she was too smart for that. Frederick Dodsworth would have scared the devil. He sure as hell scared William.

Around her father, Trudy was the perfect lady. Around William, it was completely different.

In Darenset, their encounters had come about unintentionally at first. They’d run into each other, literally, as he rounded a street corner on the way to Vaughan’s residence, and she’d come bounding around the other direction. She’d ended up on her bottom. William had wound up red-faced and apologetic.

Then, the most wonderful thing had happened.

She’d laughed.

A proper young lady, laughed at him — not at him. Not like he’d done something wrong, but a light-hearted chuckle. People around them had stopped and stared, but the girl hadn’t seemed to mind. She’d taken William’s extended hand, and he’d pulled her upright.

He’d found out later that she’d escaped her chaperone because she’d only wanted a few minutes to herself. Her father wouldn’t allow it. Trudy had always assumed he’d been afraid someone would hurt her. William figured it was because he had to control every single situation. Even his daughter.

Especially his daughter.

Time went on, and they continued to run into each other. William found that he looked forward to those meetings most in the world. Not the ones with the important folks that he had to attend. No, he daydreamed about Trudy, about pulling her into his arms, about things he knew he should not even consider.

Then came her ball, her coming-out party. And William had never felt more alive… and more scared. He’d known it meant that she’d start courting. Other men would be able to meet her, unless he asked her father for her hand. William had a title, a good title, anybody — well, most people — would love their daughter to marry above her station.

Not Mr. Dodsworth.

The answer had sullied William’s spirit, and he’d done something he never in his life imagined he’d do; he had set a blaze to Dodsworth’s textile factory.

He’d stood there and watched it burn.

Then he’d heard the screams.

Seriously.

I need this book, haha! And I thought that you might enjoy meeting the other previous two books in the series 😀

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon AU | Amazon CA

B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU

B&N | Kobo | iBooks | Smashwords

And sorry, but I really love the pretty book quotes and promos with beautiful pictures ❤

Anyway, fetiches aside, bellow you can read more about the author, Kelly Martin!

Kelly Martin writes paranormal, contemporary, historical, and YA fiction. She has been married for over ten years and has three rowdy, angelic daughters. When she’s not writing, she loves taking picture of abandoned houses, watching horror gamers on YouTube– even though she’s a huge wimp– and drinking decaf white chocolate mochas. She’s a total fangirl, loves the 80s and 90s, and has a sad addiction to paranormal TV shows. {Basically, she likes creepy stuff.} Her favorite characters are the very flawed ‘good guys’–and ‘bad guys’ who don’t know they are evil. She loves giving her readers books with unexpected twists and turns, but (here’s a hint) most of her books have the ending spelled out in the first chapter. See if you can figure it out.

If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to email her at kellymartin215 @ yahoo . com ♥ You can follow her writing adventure at http://www.kellymartinbooks.blogspot.com

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• One lucky winner will take home a $10 Amazon Gift Card! (INTERNATIONAL)

To join me on this giveaway, just click the Rafflecopter link bellow 🙂

a Rafflecopter giveaway

That’s it, thanks for reading! And thanks once again to Love Affair With Fiction! Now I’ll get dressed and pray that I won’t trip on my own feet at the graduation ceremony…