Cover Reveal: Love Lost by Maria DeSouza

Cover Reveal:

 Love Lost by Maria DeSouza

Date of Cover Reveal:  August 16^th, 2013

Date of expected Release Date:  September 30^th, 2013

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Cover Model: Joe Marvullo

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Cover Designer:  Rochelle McGrath from Shamrock Cover Designs

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Photographers: Front cover is Jubert Gilay

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Back Cover: David Massa

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Synopsis:

Love can come into your life in an instant, and leave just as quickly....

Jason Straiz is a New York detective working on a case to bring down a major crime lord.

He keeps his life simple. Work. Family. Friends.

Until he meets Selene.

Selene is a lawyer on a mission.

Her goal is to bring down the monster that has been terrorizing her for years.

When she meets Jason, the attraction is intense. 

When Selene realizes Jason is after the same person she is, he becomes a complication.

When his case and her mission collide, will her secrets destroy a future they could have together?

Can he handle the truth about her?

Can love truly conquer all or is there a limit?

Author Bio:

 I am a 31 yr old NJ native, not to be mistaken for the craziness that is the NJ Housewives or Jersey Shore!   J   I have two children, who are my life and family that makes me want to scream at times, but I love them.    I started my affair with reading and writing at a young age.  I loved where books took me, and wished for the day when I would meet my dream boat.  (Yes, I referred to my future man as a dream boat.  Child of the 80s here!)   I grew up on Stephen King, Nora Roberts, and anything my library would let me borrow.  I would always grab a notebook and start writing about the books I read because I wanted the story to continue.  I never took it seriously until I had a friend a few years ago tell me that I needed to publish my work after I wrote down a short story.  My reaction was…yeah, right!  The words stuck with me and I was constantly asked, “Did you write more? Are you done?”   A back injury put my writing on hold for almost 2 yrs and last year, I found the WIP file and started reading.  Then, I started writing and adding to it.   That little dream turned story will be my debut novel, Love Lost. 

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Cover Reveal CHAOS by Christine O'Neil

Cover Reveal

Chaos by Christine O'Neil

Summary

My name is Maggie Raynard. After sixteen years being just plain me, suddenly I can kill people when I lose my temper. Turns out I’m a semi-god, descended from Aphrodite. Sounds cool in theory, but when I accidentally put my ex-boyfriend in a coma, things go downhill pretty fast. Now some new guy named Mac Finnegan has made it his mission in life to continually piss me off. I’m stuck learning how to use my new powers while also dealing with regular high school problems, and with this—annoying and super-hot—guy all up in my business, I’m about to flip out. But it gets worse. I just learned there’s this council for semis that wants me dead. They think I’m bad to the bone and when my ex suddenly dies, it’s like everyone is determined to take me out. Mac might turn out to be my only salvation, but he’s got 

secrets of his own—that may just kill us both.

Exclusive Excerpt 

 I was done with guys. 

 Not in that fake, I-say-that-but-deep-down-I-really-want-a-boyfriend kind of way, but in, like, the seriously-I'd-rather-eat-maggoty-cheese kind of way. No relationships. Not for me. Not now and maybe not ever. Who I am…what I am, and what I’m capable of? Everyone’s better off this way. 

"I have to stop at my locker real quick," I said, veering to the right and cutting through the crush of kids heading straight like wildebeests to a watering hole. Libby followed and then stood by me as I fiddled with the lock. 

"What's that?" She pointed to a white piece of paper sticking out half an inch from one of the slots in the olive metal door.

 I tugged the padlock open and flicked the catch with my thumb. "Dunno." Maybe Bink had left me another note. Bink was my neighbor, bud, and—most days—my ride home. Last time I’d found a note in my locker, it was when his cell phone died and he needed to bail early. I seriously hoped this wasn’t a repeat performance.

 I mentally ran down the list of people I could bug for a ride and came up empty. Libby always had to stay after for some activity or another, and I only really had two other people I could call "friends" and neither lived near me. I wrinkled my nose in anticipation of the dirty-sneakers-meets-day-old-bologna smell of a bus filled with kids who'd had last-period gym and opted not to change clothes. With a sigh, I pulled open the door and the white rectangle floated to the floor. 

Libby bent to grab it and read it out loud. "'Dear Sad and Lonely…'" She trailed off and went quiet for a few seconds until her peachy complexion went hot pink, and then she gasped. "Oh my God. Holy… Oh, Mags, you are so not going to like this." 

I snatched the paper from her, trying to ward off the growing pit in my gut. 

Dear Sad and Lonely, 

Since I can almost guarantee She is about to give you some seriously shite advice like she does every week, let me be the voice of reason. Your boyfriend is just like most high school guys. Cut him some slack and, even better, why not offer to learn how to play some of the games he likes? He'd probably appreciate the effort and might even take you somewhere nice after. If that doesn't work, sit him down and let him know how you're feeling so he can tell you what's going on with him. Could be that constantly calling the things he likes stupid isn't the best way to get what you want in this situation, yeah? In any case, don't let the ramblings of some bitter emo chick who's probably never had a boyfriend ruin your relationship. 

Hope it helps, 
He 

The shock was too thick to let the anger in right away, but as stunned as I was, I knew exactly who was behind this. There was only one person in the whole school who would use the word “shite.” 

Mac Finnegan. 

Opinionated, annoying, hot—did I mention annoying?—Mac Finnegan, who had barely given me the time of day since he'd come to Crestwood High a couple months ago. Mac Finnegan, who thought he was soooo cool with his Irish accent and his mocking smile. Mac Finnegan, who inexplicably made me want to lick him like an ice cream cone and then immediately rinse my mouth out with acid. 

How had he discovered my secret? Only Bink and Libby knew I was the girl behind “That's What She Said,” and I would have bet everything I owned that neither of them would have ratted me out. 

Didn’t matter, though. One way or another, he knew. Even worse, he'd chosen to taunt me with it. Bitter emo chick who’s probably never had a boyfriend, indeed. I had a boyfriend once and it hadn’t ended well for either of us. I was in no rush to repeat the experience. Besides, what did this Irish asshat care? 

Anger tightened my chest. I could feel the power rising in me, clawing to get out, roaring to be heard. The hair on my arms stood on end as I tried to breathe through it, to let the fury dissipate and flow out of my pores in harmless pings of energy, but it was no use. I pressed a hand to my locker and opened up the tiniest of escape valves, the spout of the teakettle, whistling off a stream of steam. The cheap metal instantly heated against my skin, the door buckling and warping on the spot just beneath my fingertips. 

"Uh, Mags—" Libby whispered urgently, but a male voice cut her off. 

"How's it going there, Libby? Maggie." 

I turned around, still trying to catch my breath, and there he was, strolling by, a grin splitting his sinfully beautiful face. 

Mac Finnegan, who had decided that being the new kid wasn't bad enough, so he had to actively go out of his way to make enemies. Mac Finnegan, who wanted to turn my world upside down rather than minding his own business. Mac Finnegan, who didn't know the meaning of live and let live. 

Mac Finnegan, who clearly had no idea who he was fucking with. 

Author Bio:

Christine O'Neil was born and raised in Connecticut, where she spent most of her childhood outdoors catching salamanders, frogs and colds. When she wasn't terrorizing Mother Nature, she was curled up under the covers with her nose in a book. As an adult, she's stopped stalking amphibians, but still loves books. When she isn't reading, she likes to spend her time people-watching. In fact, she's probably watching you RIGHT NOW O_O She's also pretty obsessed with writing YA books, but if she had to pick another profession she would be a ninja...or a Professor of the Dark Arts. 

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Risen (Chosen Chronicles) by Christine James **Book Review** + Spotlight

Risen (Chosen Chronicles #1)

by Christine James

Summary:

A fun night in a small town carnival will change Erin’s life forever with a simple visit to a bizarre and mysterious fortune teller. Scared to death by what the haggard woman reveals, Erin quickly flees and quite literally collides with Angelo, a mysterious, captivating carnival worker. Later that night, he appears in her dreams but he’s not the only one visiting her slumber. Evil is lurking on the edge of the shadows and it’s coming for her. Loyalties are tested and the lines of friendship begin to blur as long hidden truths come to light and fate bears down upon them all. Everyone has secrets but when some turn out to be more than heart wrenching, Erin has to decide who she can trust.
Angelo is not what he seems but then again no one ever is. Not even Erin. Can Erin deal with the harsh past that Angelo has been harboring or will it prevent her from doing what she's been chosen to do?

Risen on Amazon

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My Review: 5 Stars!

5 stars! I absolutely loved everything about Risen! I read it in one sitting! I refused to put this book down because frankly I didn't want to! It was just that great! I fell in love with the characters and caught myself secretly wishing they were real :) (shh don't tell) I felt the love and passion between Angelo and Erin. They kept teasing me because every time I would think they were going to be intimate something would happen and I wanted to just slap them both and throw them in bed together! Lol the connection they had was so powerful that it just left me in total awe! Wow! I'm still experiencing the after effects of this book! I would definitely recommend this book. It has the great battle between angels and demons plus an intense love story and many friendships. I am honestly in love with these characters and I can't wait to read Bloodlines! Thank you Christine for allowing me to read this addicting story!

(SPOILERS)

Erin is about to turn 21. She has lived in her hometown all of her life and knows pretty much everyone. Her and her best friend Anna attend the carnival that is in town. Erin runs into Angelo, a handsome stranger who she thinks has come with the carnival, and they instantly feel an intense chemistry between them. However Angelo is not there with the carnival. He is there on a mission given to him hundreds of  years ago. A mission to find the chosen one. Erin is the chosen one and has the blood of one of the most powerful angels in her veins. Angelo has been sent to protect her but even he can't stop the evil from finding her. With Angelo's help, Erin must come to grip with what she is and learn to defend herself before Daemon (Satan's most powerful demon) can reach her. As if that isn't enough, Erin and Angelo's intense chemistry becomes more powerful each time they are together causing distractions that could put them in danger. They must learn to put their attraction aside and focus on the battle that is coming. 

Author Bio:

Hmmm so something interesting about myself eh? Well let's see. I live in small town Missouri and I grew up in an even smaller town. I am happily married with two sons. I am the eldest of three as well as the only girl. We are a very tight knit family and my brothers are my best friends. I believe friends are important in life and everyone needs at least one.
I have loved to write for as long as I can remember. I DO NOT write for the money. I write because so many authors over the years have taken me to so many wonderful places; from tropical islands, to swash buckling adventures; from the twisted mind of a psyco, to the magical world of witches, vampires and fairies. My wish is that I can create a world someone can get lost in, if only for just a few hours. I write all types of stories. Paranormal, murder mystery, pirate adventures, and westerns. Most will have some sort of romance in them, but that is usually not the main focus.
While writing is my passion, it is not my only one. I also make and decorate cakes, but my most important accomplishments in my life are my kids and my husband. Without them I would not be able to do what I love to do.

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Heavenly Hell by Aria Williams Review

Heavenly Hell by Aria Williams

Summary:

You'd think being stuck in the body of a beautiful seventeen year old girl forever would be a gift. But when you are fallen, it is more like a curse.

Indiana was a beautiful angel, enjoying the perks of Heaven, until she was tricked by a demon to fall in love with him. She was forced to fall from Heaven and remain in her seventeen year old form, banished to Earth, for all of eternity.

Now, unable to cope with her banishment, she is a seemingly normal seventeen year old girl by day, while she spends her nights punishing men for the wrongs they have committed against women.

Although Indiana has lived on Earth for thousands of years, she recently settled into a small town, where she has finally been able to make some lasting friendships. When a handsome, mysterious boy comes to town, Indiana knows something is not right. He might end up her ally, or she might end up in the fight of her life

Heavenly Hell on Amazon

Heavenly Hell on Goodreads

My Review: 

OK so I heard about heavenly hell through fellow bloggers and authors and I really wanted to get my hands on it! I am a big fan of paranormal novels especially those about angels so I was excited to read this! The beginning was a bit slow for me but it quickly picked up pace as more characters and relationships were introduced. I could easily relate to Indiana (Indy) with the exception of her being an angel lol. I could easily feel what she and the others were feeling in each situation. I loved each character and how they each had a special relationship with Indy and each other! I absolutely loved the hate/hate relationship between Indy and Nate and how it eventually involves into feelings that they are both not sure of yet. I appreciated that this was not "rushed" and even at the end they know they feel a certain way with one another but at the same time they aren't declaring that they are "in love". This was a great read. I enjoyed it very much and can't wait to read Heavenly Hunted! 

(Spoilers)

OK so Heavenly Hell is about an angel named Indiana (Indy) who was banished from heaven during the medieval ages. She fell for a man and let him in to heaven only to find out he was a demon and had tricked her. Cast down to earth in a seventeen year old girl's body, Indy now dedicates her existence to punishing men who wrong women. Her heart is cold to love because of her experience and perception of men. She has set up a life attending highschool and posing as a normal seventeen year old girl. She has a small group of friends who she is very close to and would protect at all costs. Indy and her friends meet Nate, the new kid in town and he quickly becomes part of the group. Nate however does not like Indy, in fact he despises her and makes sure she knows it. Indy has no idea why this boy hates her so much or why he is watching her every move but she soon finds out. Something changes between them and they find themselves struggling to hate each other. With a greater evil approaching Indy and Nate must decide how they really feel about each other as well as which side they are on.f

Author Bio:

My name is Aria Williams, and I am a new author who loves to write Young adult and paranormal novels. I live on nine acres of beautiful pasture land in the central west of NSW. I work full time as a nurse, this is where I get a lot of my inspiration from. For me I find my inspiration in the form of many vices either good or bad. I write from the heart and use my novels to express myself. My first novel was born from my feelings of helplessness in a world where even the innocent die and many people are left wondering why. It felt right to create a character that could heal any physical illness with some minor consequences.  My second novel Heavenly hell is from my personal experiences involving harassment, and the dominating role in which people in positions of authority take and use to their own selfish advancements. When I am not writing or working, I like to play with my dogs and have fun with my friends.  

Death's Awakening by Sarra Cannon

Death's Awakening (Eternal Sorrows #1)

by Sarra Cannon

Summary:

For sixteen-year-old Parrish Sorrows, life is about to become a nightmare.

This is the night she’ll wake up to her mother’s convulsions. The night she’ll lose contact with her father and sister in New York. The night 911 will stop answering the phone.

This is the night a mysterious supernatural virus begins its deadly rampage across the globe, killing billions in a matter of days. And just when things can’t get worse, the dead begin to rise.

Parrish must find a way to survive the horror of this new world. Along the way, she’ll team up with the gorgeous boy next door she’s always been drawn to, the snobby ex-bff she’s hated for years, a genius computer nerd, and a young boy who never says a word but is somehow a kindred spirit.

DEATH’S AWAKENING is the first book in Sarra Cannon’s new Eternal Sorrows series. Told from alternating points of view, this story is packed with action, magic, and romance that will leave you begging to find out what happens as this group of teens struggles to survive the zombie apocalypse.

They are about to find out zombies are the least of their problems.

My Review:

This is not your typical zombie story! OK so I loved Death's Awakening! Sarra created a magical twist on an apocalyptic zombie world. I seriously haven't read any other book like it. She really took an unusual (but very good) direction towards what would cause a Zombie Apocalypse. The book starts introducing a witch who lives in another realm but by a series of circumstances she ends up in our realm where the other characters are. At first I had a bit of difficulty reading the book because each chapter is a different character. Once each character was introduced and i found out how they were connected to one another I was able to read it very easily. It was actually refreshing to switch from character to character and experience from each one how they were feeling and what they were going through. We read about three teenagers, Parrish, Karmen, and Noah who have grown up together in the same neighborhood but live very different lives. Yet these three find themselves drawn together when a deadly virus appears and wipes out most of the world they once knew. Not only does the virus kill most of the people they once knew, but it also brings them back as flesh eating zombies. Together they must try to survive in the world that is now dangerous and deadly. Later on they meet up with another survivor, Crash, and together they try to figure out why this is happening and why they were not affected by the virus. The book ended with a big cliffhanger for the second installment in the series to pick up from. I will definitely be reading the next one! I am not a big zombie fan but I honestly loved this book! I loved most characters (while hating a few) lol. I loved how Sarra changed your typical zombie story and added a bit of magic into the mix! I am sitting here wishing I had book two! I would gladly recommend this book

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Author Bio:

Sarra Cannon grew up in a small town in Georgia where she learned that being popular always comes at a price. She is the author of the young adult paranormal Peachville High Demons series, which she first began self-publishing in October of 2010. Since the series began, Sarra has sold over 110,000 copies and recently signed a contract with Sea Lion Books to create a graphic novel adaptation of Beautiful Demons, the first book in the series.

Sarra lives in North Carolina with her amazing husband, her new baby boy, and her teeny tiny Pomeranian, Snickerdoodle.

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Sweet Escape Release & Author Spotlight

Sweet Escape (Sweet Series #2) by Bailey Ardisone

Summary:

Sometimes the hardest war to fight is the one raging within yourself...

Life will never be the same for Nariella Woodlinn. Just when she thought she had it all figured out, her world comes crumbling down around her - yet again. She has no idea who she is. She has no idea where she came from.

She once thought her biggest problems were ones brought on by the mysterious man she had refused to fall in love with...Mycah. But she quickly discovers none of that compares to what she is about to encounter next.

This time, it isn't because of who Mycah is.

This time, it's because of who she is.

~

Naminé risked everything to save her people. Her goal was to bring their only hope back to their Kingdom. As the war rages on, Naminé gets thrown right into the lion's den - the false King's chambers. Forced to do his bidding, can she prevent the downfall of the only hope she worked so hard to bring home?

...Can any of them Escape?

Get Sweet Escape at:

Amazon

 Check out Sweet Oblivion (Sweet Series #1) 

Which is currently free on amazon

(at time of posting)

Summary:

When two worlds collide, nightmares become reality. And some secrets...are best kept in Oblivion....Until there is hope.Have you ever wanted to forget? Nariella Woodlinn has. Many times. Especially when her already frustrating life gets turned upside down by a mysterious boy who randomly shows up in her small town. And she can’t seem to understand anything about him, despite how much she tries. Nari hates everything about her life, except for her best friend Rydan, but now that they’ve been separated during their senior year of high school, she has to learn to make new friends without him. When strange, unexplainable phenomena start becoming an every day part of her life, Nari struggles to come to grips with reality. And with love.~ Naminé has responsibilities. Duties. It is her obligation to fulfill all that is asked of her by their King. But when a glimmer of hope is introduced to her by a prisoner she tends to, it means life or death for her and her people. She does all that she can to turn that hope into reality, and finally end the vicious war that has been ensuing since she was born. Even if that means keeping it secret from her King. Even if it means carrying out the biggest betrayal against the King ever seen during her time. She has hope. She will fulfill her duty. She will not let her people down.

Get Sweet Oblivion at:

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Author Bio:

Bailey Ardisone is a collaboration by two sisters born and raised outside Chicago, Illinois. They took the last names of their two grandmothers and combined them together to form their pen name. They both married the love of their lives and spend their days submerged in books, movies, music, or art and love traveling. Fantasy books and movies have been a huge part of their lives and are obsessed with Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

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