Cover Reveal: TIED by Laney McMann #YAlit #coverreveal @jtaylorpub #Fantasy

TIED
(Fire Born #1)
by Laney McMann

Release Date: September 9, 2013

Target Reader: Young Adult

Keywords: Fiction, Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, YA

Back of the Book: Normal people don’t believe their nightmares stalk them. They don’t fall in love with boys who don’t exist, either.

Seventeen-year-old Layla Labelle, though, is far from normal. Her delusions walk the earth. Her hallucinations hunt her, and her skin heats to a burn every time her anger flares.

Or is that all in her head?

Layla doesn’t know what to believe any more because if none of that’s true, Max MacLarnon must be an illusion, and her heart must still be broken.

No matter how much she wants to believe Max is real, doing so would mean everything else is, too. How, then, is that possible?

The answers lie in an age-old legend the supernatural aren’t prepared to reveal, and with a curse that could tear Layla and Max apart forever—if it doesn’t kill them both first.

In TIED, book one in the Fire Born trilogy, learning the truth will mean fighting an arsenal  of demons, and being with Max will put Layla on a path toward her own destruction.

Just how far will Layla go to protect the one she loves?

The answer may never be far enough … away.
URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/31

Se tell me, what do you think of the cover? Does it make you want to pick up the book? Excite you? Confuse you? I’m always curious what sort of reactions readers have to a cover, so please feel free to share. Of course, I wouldn’t ask you all to share without being willing to do so myself, so…

My Thoughts: I absolutely love the fiery phoenix looking image in the center of the cover. It really draws you in right away and gets the eyes wandering over the rest of the cover. Eye catching is always a good thing. I find the wolfish gargoyle like creature in the corner a bit odd — maybe a bit too computer generated or sci-fi looking for me? The keywords mention fantasy, not sci-fi, so Im not sure how fitting it is to the overall cover. Without reading the story, it is of course really impossible to tell how it fits in. In general, I find the cover makes me curious about the story, so I have to give it a Thumbs UP.

Cover Reveal: Caged by J.A.Belfield (@jabelfield)

It’s been a while since I have had a chance to share my cover whore status and participate in cover reveal, and I have to say, my first one of 2013 is a real winner. I really, really LOVE this cover, and I can tell you, since I was a beta reader for this one in the beginning stages, the cover truly suits the story perfectly.

As a fan of the Holloway Pack stories, I am most excited about this next release as it focuses on one of my favorites, Ethan *yummy*

Caged
A Holloway Pack Story (#3)
by J.A. Belfield
Release Date: August 5, 2013
Target Reader: Adult
Keywords: Romantic, Urban Fantasy, Werewolf

Back of the Book

If the meek can become deadly, the strongest can be weak.

For Ethan Holloway, his mission to find a missing werewolf should be simple. Crack a few heads, bust a few chops and the solution always reveals itself. Always.

Not this time.

Ethan’s reputation precedes him, and because it does, someone is ready. Waiting. Unbeknownst to Ethan, he’s about to go down. Hard. Against a foe he never suspected and in a world he never imagined could be real.

What awaits Ethan is a fight not only for his reputation, but also his pack, his female, and his life. If he survives, damage control will become priority number one.

If he survives.

Because even Ethan’s not sure he’s strong enough to take on an entire race all by himself.

Especially one hell bent on exposing who and what he is in the name of sport.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/29

Other Novels in this series include:
Darkness & Light (#1)
Blue Moon (#2)

In-between release novellas include:
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#.5)
Resonance (#2.5)

Cover Reveal: Rise of the Magi - A Lila Gray Novel by Jocelyn Adams (@jocelynadams)

Reblogged from The Machenwood Chronicles and Other Tales:

• 

By this point in our blogger to reader relationship, you all are well aware of my "Cover Whore" status. I love covers and this one is for one of my favorite series, and coincidentally one I recommended highly to attendees and Albacon 2012, where I was a panelist the weekend before I wrote this post (10/22) .

Top that, right?

Read more… 265 more words

Had to Reblog this one. LOVE THIS SERIES!! And the cover totally appeals to the "cover whore" in me. :)

Cover Reveal: Make Believe (Various Authors) #CoverReveal #eBook #Anthology

Make Believe

by J.A. Belfield, Jennifer M. Eaton, J. Keller Ford, Terri Rochenski, Kelly Said, Lynda R. Young

Release Date: December 3, 2012

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Romance

Back of the Book

Sacrificial Oath by Terri Rochenski

An impetuous act unwittingly makes Alesuela the fulfillment of the Sovereign’s Blood Oath to their Goddess. In five days, she’ll be forced to make the greatest choice of her life: become the virginal sacrifice already promised, or force the man she loves most to die in her place.

With an impossible choice in front of her, she searches for ways to undo the oath, and in her quest, finds not everything in her life is as she expects.

The Amulet of Ormisez by J. Keller Ford

There is only one way to save Elton Fletcher’s brother from an insanity-ridden death.

After years away from home, fighting for his people, Elton returns to discover his only sibling, Cayden, possessed by greed and malice, and responsible for malicious, unthinkable deeds. Cayden, though, isn’t the only one afflicted by the Amulet of Ormisez, and Elton finds himself in yet another battle, where the price of failure could be his own life.

Birthright by Lynda R. Young

Christa can mask the pain and hide the scars, but running from a birthright is impossible.

She’s tried to escape her grief by fleeing to a small town in Florida. Much to her frustration, the locals think they recognize her even though she’s never been there before. To make things worse, a man named Jack spouts outrageous theories about her.

Both spur Christa to bolt, to start fresh yet again, but there’s something about Jack that intrigues her enough to stay. The only problem? Someone else wants her to leave, and they won’t stop until she’s dead.

Petrified by Kelly Said

A mysterious storm has replaced summer with winter, devastating crops and smothering Castle lands in snow. Prince Sterling August stands alone as a leader, lost in personal grief as well as a desire to help his people but with an inability to do either.

The answers he needs await him, but without Lochlyn, a woman who’s just as isolated as Sterling, he’ll never see what stands before him, cloaked in illusion.

Last Winter Red by Jennifer M. Eaton

Emily is a Red, a woman whose sole purpose in life is to produce offspring. When her husband dies and leaves her childless, she risks her life and forsakes the safety of Terra—a disease-free city born after the nuclear holocaust. Beyond its boundaries, she knows, survives a man with whom she can be properly paired.

The Outside, though, holds secrets the government struggles to keep, and what Emily discovers on her quest for a mate will change her life forever.

Escort to Insanity by J.A. Belfield

From a charity auction, to a stroll in the park, to the craziest night of her life. Nicole Harrington can’t help but wonder how a simple event went so drastically wrong.

Of course, the male escort she booked is wholly to blame. Not only charming but shrewdly intelligent, Benjamin Gold drags Nicole into a platoon of unimaginable problems—ones from which she’ll have to find the courage just to survive.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/17

Cover Re-Reveal: Darkness and Light by J.A. Belfield (@jabelfield) #CoverReveal #Ebook #PNR

Darkness & Light

A Holloway Pack Story
by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: July 1, 2011
ebook Re-Release Date: June 1, 2012 (with bonus scene content!)

Target Reader: Adult

Keywords: Paranormal Romance, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Werewolf

Back of the Book

Jem Stonehouse, a housewife with a neurotic husband bent on keeping her in line, dreams about werewolves in, what she believes, is a bid to escape boredom.

Sean Holloway is a werewolf, living a charade within the human race, whose mind drifts to a bond he shares with a woman he hasn’t met — at least, not in this lifetime.

Apart, the two are safe but live unfulfilled lives.

Together, they’ll become prey to rival packs just as they have been for hundreds of years.

When their worlds collide, and not for the first time, instinct takes over. Dreams become reality. Futures are uncertain. To keep history from repeating itself, Sean must teach Jem about his heritage, convince her of her role, and win her love.

Can Jem accept her destiny before it’s too late, or is her inner wolf buried too deep to save her future with Sean?

Bonus!
The re-release of the Darkness & Light ebook will include three bonus scenes from Sean Holloway’s perspective.

Double Bonus!
For the month of June (June 1 – 30, 2012), Darkness & Light will be on sale for just $.99 USD.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/1

Other Books in this series include:
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#0.5)
Blue Moon (#2)

You can find my review of Darkness and Light HERE

Book Review: Eternal by J.A. Belfield (@jabelfield) #PNR #novella #hollowaypack

Reblogged from The Machenwood Chronicles and Other Tales:

Eternal by J.A. Belfield
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read Darkness and Light, the first novel in the Holloway Pack series, so I was really interested to see what this prequel novella had in store for me. I was not the least bit disappointed.

In this short, we meet the original Sean and Jem (circa 1800's). If you read Darkness and Light, you understand what that means.

Read more… 255 more words

A review of Eternal by J.A. Belfield

Cover Reveal: Reaper by L.S. Murphy

Reaper
by L.S. Murphy
Release Date: January 7, 2013
Target Reader: Young Adult
Keywords: Urban Fantasy

Back of the Book:
There’s no way sixteen year old Quincy Amarante will become the fifth grim reaper. None. Not over her shiny blue Mustang. Her Jimmy Choos. Or her dead body.

She’s supposed to enjoy her sophomore year, not learn about some freaky future Destiny says she has no choice but to fulfill.

It doesn’t take long for Quincy to realize the only way out of the game is to play along especially since Death can find her anyway, anywhere, anytime. And does.

Like when she’s reassuring her friends she wants nothing to do with former best friend Ben Moorland, who’s returned from god-knows-where, and fails. Miserably.

Instead of maintaining her coveted popularity status, Quincy’s goes down like the Titanic.

Maybe … just maybe … that’s okay.

It seems, perhaps, becoming a grim reaper isn’t just about the dead but more about a much needed shift in Quincy’s priorities—from who she thinks she wants to be to who she really is.

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/19

Book Review: Tidal Whispers Anthology (Multiple Authors) @jtaylorpub

Tidal Whispers by Jocelyn Adams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars for this wonderful collection of Undersea tales.

Tidal Whispers is a collection of 4 tales, all with an ocean theme. My obsession with the sea made it easy for me to be sucked in by these four well-weaved stories.

In order to fully appreciate the book, I thought the review should really contain an individual look at each of the stories contained in the anthology.

Heart’s Desire by Julie Reece:

For me, this was the perfect story to start this anthology with. Ms Reece has a gift for descriptions, and I was immediately drawn into the story of Tessa, a young girl lost, feeling alone in the world, and suffering the loss of her parents. The emotions are heart stirring, raw, and really well presented. Cam, her love interest in the story is a boy she grew up spending summers with.

I really liked the feel of this tale. Much of it reminded me of summers I spent at the shore, and the friends I saw but once a year and always had such close ties to. I only wish the story’s ending wasn’t as easy to see coming as it was. Overall, a really great kick start to the collection.

The Sweetest Song by Claire Gillian:

This tale had a bit darker tone to it than the first. For me, a nice contrast. In this second offering, we meet Circe, a siren in trouble with Poseidon, and must find a way to sink a ship the Sea lord has his sights set on or suffer a fate worse than death — lose her voice and serve as his concubine for eternity.

I really enjoyed the twists in this tale. I didn’t see them coming and found the uniqueness of the story quite refreshing. Just the right touches of romance and mythos, made this tale a real winner for me.

The Pearl of Pau’Maa by Kelly Said:

This story was the most complex and “adventure” oriented of the four tales in the book. While Ms. Said also feeds us a nice dose of romance, for the most part, this story relies more heavily on the legend of the pearl and the people in the world she paints for us. Another fantastically descriptive writer, Ms. Said had me drawn in from the opening paragraphs. I really enjoyed the dual POV in this tale, and felt getting a glimpse from each perspective really helped make this story resonate. I will be looking for more from this author.

The Undergarden by Jocelyn Adams:

I have come to expect nothing but the best from Ms Adams’ stories after reading get novel, The Glass Man, and this tale certainly did not disappoint.

The sweet, and somewhat sad tale of Nixie and her sometimes reluctant best friend, Wyatt was the perfect close to this wonderful collection. Ms. Adams always seems to write the most interesting characters, and I think little Nixie may just be one of my favorites. Her innocence shines throughout the story and makes the reader hard pressed not to want to route for her. I have a soft spot for water sprites, too — making this one a MUST read for me.

View all my reviews

Cover Reveal: After Dark by Emi Gayle (@emijgayle) #YA #PNR

The Book Nook has another fantastic cover reveal for you today. This one come is the debut novel for YA author, Emi Gayle.

After Dark
The 19th Year Trilogy – Book 1
by Emi Gayle
Release Date: October 31, 2012
Target Reader: Young Adult
Keywords: Paranormal Romance

Back of the Book
What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists — which makes her as happy as she can be. That is, until Winn Thomas, the biggest geek in her senior class figures out there’s more to what hides in the dark than most are willing to acknowledge.

In this first of the 19th Year Trilogy, Winn might know more about Mac than even she does, and that knowledge could end their lives, unless Mac ensures the powers-that-be have no choice but to keep him around.

Previous books in this series: None. This is the first of three.
URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/16

My Thoughts: I like the tone here, love the darkness of it. I am a sucker for that cross–it draws me quite nicely. It leads me to believe the story is about vampires, though, if I were just to use the cover as my basis (yes, I know you can’t judge a book by it ). Maybe the artist is using that for impulse sales or something (since sparklie vamps are all the rage), but the description mentions changelings, so I think we are safe. I’m definitely curious enough to want to read it, and that is the point, after all.

Bex Cover Rating: 4 of 5 stars.

What do you think?

Cover Reveal: Blue Moon by J.A. Belfield (@jabelfield) #writing #coverreveal

I have a special treat to go with the cover reveal I have for you all today. Because I am so very well connected, I managed to finagle the answers to a few fun questions for Ms. Belfield to go along with it. I am a gracious host, so I will save those until after I unveil the cover. (see how nice I am?)

Here it is!! The cover for the next book in The Holloway Pack series, Blue Moon.

Blue Moon
A Holloway Pack Story #2

by J.A. Belfield

Release Date: December 1, 2012
Target Reader: Adult
Keywords: Urban Fantasy, Werewolf

Back of the Book

Someone is watching the Holloway pack, and this time, the female isn’t the target.

Life with a group of seven male werewolves worries Jem Stonehouse not one bit. She is engaged to the Alpha’s son Sean Holloway after all. So what has Jem’s territorial instincts on high alert?

The pack’s latest addition. Both of them.

None of the men think there’s a problem with the new girlfriends. Jem’s intuition tells her otherwise—that and a nagging suspicion the new females aren’t there to partake.

Jem believes they’ve joined in to take.

The question is … What?

As the eve of the blue moon draws ever closer, Jem’s running out of time to find the answer and outwit a thief of the worst possible kind.

A woman who believes she can’t lose.

 

Excited to know what’s going to happen, right? Yeah, me too. Let’s hope December gets here fast (so very long to wait).

URL: http://www.jtaylorpublishing.com/books/18

Previous Books in this series include:
Darkness & Light (#1)
Instinct (#0)
Eternal (#0.5)

 

Ms. Belfield also agreed to allow me to pick her brain a little bit.Below is the transcript for our interview:

Bex: Thanks so much for coming.

JAB: Thanks for having me here.

Bex: How would you describe your writing style?

JAB: My writing style? Um … Jab-like? I really don’t know. I don’t have a tendency to try and mimic what I’ve experienced as a reader. I just write as the words come to me and a lot of the time that can happen subconsciously. If forced, however, to come up with a description, I’d probably brand it as straight forward waffle. Ha!

Bex:  What books have had the most influence on your life?

JAB: Books don’t really influence my life. But then I read purely for escapism so it’s rare that whatever I’m reading isn’t driven by supernatural creatures or occurrences, and I rarely hunt beneath the surface for hidden meanings or themes—I’m quite content to journey along for entertainment value alone. However, there are books I’ve read that have made me want to try my hand at YA, or ones that have intimidated me but rather than put me off writing they’ve made me want to try harder to be better, or series’ that are wrapped up so tight and neat that I aspire to be able to achieve that kind of solidness in my own writing.

But I shan’t list all those. Instead, I’ll let you in on the last couple books that made me sob like a baby: Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3); Sisterhood Everlasting (Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants #5).

Bex: If you were facing the executioner, what would you choose as your last meal?

JAB:  Um … I’m not really a lover of food. More a lover of crap that shouldn’t pass my lips because my hips’ll never forgive me. But then I doubt I’d request anything. After all, if I knew death was about to be bestowed upon me, I’d probably feel too sick to my stomach to eat. It’d be a waste. And if there’s one thing I cannot stand, it’s food wastage.

Bex:  Plotter or Pantser?

JAB: Pantser all the way, baby.

Bex: Why?

JAB: Probably because I’ve tried plotting and it never works out. Those I have successfully written to a structured list of what’s to happen in each chapter have fallen flat and missed the mark by miles. I think unless you can 100% predict how each and every occurrence within your plot will affect each of the characters in advance, then plotting cannot possibly be totally foolproof for you—or for me, anyway. Besides, I love being surprised by where my mind ends up taking me. And trust me, I am constantly surprised.

Bex: If you were to be marooned on an island with only one “modern convenience”, what would it be?

JAB: Silly question. My laptop, of course. Ha!

Bex:  Who should play you in a film of your life?

JAB: I once got told when I was younger (like much younger when Splash was first showing on TV) that I looked like Darryl Hannah (sp?) but I can’t quite make the connection anymore and I’m pretty sure she’s older than me.

Jeez, I dunnoooo. I really have no idea.

Bex: If Blue Moon were to be made into a movie, who would play Sean? Jem?

JAB: I’ve been asked this a tonne of times and I’m never really sure of the answer because every single reader will no doubt picture them differently. I did ask it on my blog once and received suggestions such as Josh Hartnett or David Boreanez for Sean. The only suggestion I’ve had for Jem, however, is Claire Danes.

Bex: Thanks so much for spending some time with us today. I can’t wait for Blue Moon to release.

JAB: Thanks heaps for having me here today, Becca, and for participating in the Blue Moon cover reveal.