Sabrina's Paranormal Palace: November 2014

Jay Kristoff is the award-winning author of THE LOTUS WAR trilogy, a Japanese-inspired steampunk fantasy published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press & Tor UK. Part 3, ENDSINGER, will be released in November 2014. He's also co-author of the upcoming ILLUMINAE (with Amie Kaufman), a YA Sci-Fi... thing, to be released by Knopf/Random House in 2015.

Jay is 6’7 and has approximately 13520 days to live. He abides in Melbourne with his secret agent kung-fu assassin wife, and the world’s laziest Jack Russell.

He does not believe in happy endings.

Your favorite guy/girl characters from your books, including random facts about them.

Favorite girl character – Michi.

Michi was orphaned when the people in her village tried to rebel against the government, and she’s hated authority ever since. She’s an expert with a sword, and can kill just about anything that looks at her funny. She’s fierce and uncompromising, but she has a very tender, thoughtful side too, and she’s honestly working to make the lives of other people better. She kicks ass.

Favorite guy character – Yoshi

Yoshi’s boyfriend was killed in KINSLAYER, and he’s consumed by a thirst for revenge. But at the same time, he loves his sister deeply, and would do anything to protect her. He goes on a huge journey in ENDSINGER, both spiritually and physically, and he discovers who he really is in the end of the book. I love his story arc, I love the way he speaks and moves, I love his rage and his wit. And I love the ending I gave him. It feels 100% right.

Honorable mention – Buruu.

Because he’s Buruu!

Stalker Links:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Jay for letting me review your book and say Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina

Friday, November 28, 2014

A Touch Of Nerves Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have A Touch of Nerves blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, and giveaway.

A FRESH LOOK AT 21ST CENTURY TERRORISM

--New novel explores America’s role in the Middle East

When Army Captain Ben Hawkins discovers chemical weapons missing from a military research facility, he begins an investigation into preventing a possible terrorist attack. The suspects? Two rogue Iranian agents who blame the deaths of their family members on the United States. What Hawkins doesn’t expect is to find himself forced to decide whether to risk his career—and possible arrest—to stop the attack, even if it means working with a foreign agent.

D.C. Hampton’s debut novel, A Touch of Nerves, may be set on the battlefield of America’s “War on Terror,” but the book is a far cry from your typical action narrative. Inspired by his two sons who served in Iraq and the Persian Gulf during the Iraq War and his own time serving in the U.S. Army, Hampton brings depth and humanity to characters that might otherwise be painted in the two-dimensional “hero” or “villain” archetypes. With Hampton’s passion for history and global affairs, A Touch of Nerves brings a fresh perspective to the long history of tension between the United States and Iran.

“I wanted to write a story that was worth telling, realistic and suspenseful,” says Hampton. “I believe the book is entertaining, but it also sheds light on the complex relationship between Iran and the United States and explores the complex emotions and issues that drive some individuals to commit terrible acts.”

“The story includes a wealth of details as Hampton weaves a complex plot,” writes Kirkus Reviews. “A conceivable threat and suspense-filled plot keep readers engaged until the end. Hampton eschews the genre’s typical plot holes and vague facts and his handle on international relations gives the terrorists credible motivations.”

Review:

Book Links:

Amazon

B&N

D.C. Hampton holds an MA and PhD in Audiology from Columbia University and has been published extensively in the field. He has done graduate work in history and has always been interested in international relations. Though he has been extensively published in medical and trade publications, A Touch of Nerves is his first foray into fiction.

Stalker Link:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina

Monday, November 24, 2014

The Naughty List Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have The Naughty List Blog Tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, favorite books, and giveaway.

Not your mama’s yuletide tale unless she drank too much egg nog or was born with a cheeky sense of humor.

Murder, mystical artifacts, an invisible demon with anger management issues, and an overbearing cupid—not what Rosalie Thatcher wished for on her Christmas list.

The holidays had always been a magical time for Rosalie, but not this year. Stephanie, her new manager at Penrose’s Department Store, is determined to make this season the most profitable in the store’s history, even if it sucks the life out of every employee. Introducing arbitrary rules and stealing the affections of Anthony, the cute temp Santa, were bad enough, but forcing Rosalie into the stupid elf hat was the worst. The worst, that is, until she meets a real E.L.F. (Elemental Life Form) named David and gets lassoed into a desperate hunt for the stolen Naughty and Nice List. Rosalie and David must dodge a murderous invisible demon and recover the missing artifact before hellhounds track them down. The couple race against time for without the magical guidance of the Naughty and Nice List, the world will tumble toward eternal chaos.

Review:

I love reading Holiday books with a paranormal twist and this was no different. I really enjoyed the story and all the characters. Even after they found the naughty & nice list the story continued and wrapped up the characters story. I loved all the characters they really come alive and you get to know them all. I am definitely going to be looking for more books from this author. 4/5 Bloody Fangs

Book Links:

Amazon

B&N

L. A. Kelley is married with three children and lives in Florida where the heat and humidity have driven everyone slightly mad. She writers fantasies with adventure, romance, humor, and a touch of sass. She never cleans under her sofa. In her spare time she reports Big Foot sightings to the Florida Department of Fish and Wildlife. They are heartily sick of hearing from her.

10 Favorite Books Read This Year:

The Martian by Andy Weir

Food: A Love Story by Jim Gaffigan

Tennessee Williams by John Lahr

How to Tell if your Cat is Plotting to Kill You by Matthew Inman

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond

The Secret History of Wonder Woman by Jill Lepore

How We Got to Now by Steven Johnson

The Invisible History of the Human Race by Christine Kenneally

Stalker Links:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to L.A. Kelley for letting me review your book and say Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina

Sunday, November 23, 2014

The Vault Of Dreamers Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have The Vault of Dreamers blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, and giveaway.

From the author of the Birthmarked trilogy comes a fast-paced, psychologically thrilling novel about what happens when your dreams are not your own.

The Forge School is the most prestigious arts school in the country. The secret to its success: every moment of the students' lives is televised as part of the insanely popular Forge Show, and the students' schedule includes twelve hours of induced sleep meant to enhance creativity. But when first year student Rosie Sinclair skips her sleeping pill, she discovers there is something off about Forge. In fact, she suspects that there are sinister things going on deep below the reaches of the cameras in the school. What's worse is, she starts to notice that the edges of her consciousness do not feel quite right. And soon, she unearths the ghastly secret that the Forge School is hiding—and what it truly means to dream there.

Review:

This is definitely not my usual type of book but I did enjoy it. It has a great plot and I really liked the heroine Rosie. She just drew me in and kept my attention through the whole book. I will say that the ending drove me insane along with freaking me out. I know it’s leading to the next book but I hate waiting when we are left with a type of cliff hanger. 3/5 Bloody Fangs

Book Links:

Amazon

B&N

Caragh M. O'Brien is the author of the BIRTHMARKED trilogy and THE VAULT OF DREAMERS, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O'Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA from Johns Hopkins University. She recently resigned from teaching high school English in order to write young adult novels. For more information, visit http://www.caraghobrien.com.

Stalker Links:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Caragh for letting me review your book and Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina

Saturday, November 22, 2014

The Accidental Highwayman Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have The Accidental Highwayman blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, and giveaway.

The Accidental Highwayman is the first swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp. This thrilling tale of dark magic and true love is the perfect story for fans of William Goldman’s The Princess Bride.

In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.

Bound by magical law, Kit takes up his master’s quest to rescue a rebellious fairy princess from an arranged marriage to King George III of England. But his task is not an easy one, for Kit must contend with the feisty Princess Morgana, gobling attacks, and a magical map that portends his destiny: as a hanged man upon the gallows….

Fans of classic fairy-tale fantasies such as Stardust by Neil Gaiman and will find much to love in this irresistible YA debut by Ben Tripp, the son of one of America’s most beloved illustrators, Wallace Tripp (Amelia Bedelia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Ben has woven illustrations throughout the story.

“Delightful and charming. A swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderso

Review:

This is one of those stories that have a little bit of everything in it but not so much that you get lost. Unless you count the time you will lose getting sucked into this story like I did. I had only planned on reading a few chapters than going to bed but cut to a couple few hours later and I had read the entire book and didn’t miss any of my sleep as I enjoyed the story so much. And I can’t wait for the next adventure of Kit and his horse Midnight. 4/5 Bloody Fangs

Book Links:

Amazon

B&N

After a childhood making art and a brief stint at the Rhode Island School of Design, BEN TRIPP worked as an experiential designer for over twenty years, creating theme parks, resorts, museums, and attractions worldwide. He is the author of the adult novels Rise Again, Rise Again: Below Zero, and the forthcoming Fifth Chamber of the Heart.The Accidental Highwayman is his first book for young adults.

Stalker Links:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Ben for letting me re view your book and say Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina

Thursday, November 20, 2014

The Dreamer of Dowing Street Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have The Dreamer of Dowing Street blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight.

In 1944 Denver, twenty-six year-old Franklin Powell is doing what he does best, helping clients with his psychic gift. Then his brother causes the past to come crashing into the present and a memory Frank has kept buried since the age of six surfaces. Now his life is in an uproar. He must prove that what he remembers is true or his mother may spend the rest of her life in prison. But even if he succeeds, it appears there is a powerful someone behind the scenes who could care less if she is innocent. Why? Because of a seething hatred for Frank. To make matters worse, the woman he loves needs his help with a serious problem of her own—a problem that could get him killed. Frank can’t let that stop him. He dives right in and while his psychic gift doesn’t seem to be doing him any favors, it’s a good thing that a couple of newly-acquired ghosts appear to be on his side.

Book Links:

Amazon

Roberta L. Smith was born and raised in Southern California. She is a graduate of the University of Redlands and lives in the High Desert with her husband. She is an active member of the High Desert Branch of the California Writers Club. Roberta had always been intrigued by the unexplained. Her favorite stories growing up involved ghosts and sometimes the macabre. As a child, she wrote a letter to Boris Karloff telling him she knew he didn’t mean to kill the little girl in “Frankenstein,” so it’s no surprise that the four novels she has published thus far are in the paranormal genre.

Stalker Links:

Blog

Monday, November 17, 2014

Hidden Monster Blog Tour

Title: Hidden Monster

Series: The Monsters Among Us Book 1

Author: Amanda Strong

Published: November 4th, 2014

Publisher: Clean Teen Publishing

Page Count: 297

Genre: YA Mature Paranormal Romance

Content Warning: Violence, minor language, and adult themes

Recommended Age: 16+

Synopsis:

For seventeen-year-old Samantha Campbell, running back woods trails usually means freedom from her less-than-perfect life. That is, until the day a morning run turns into a living nightmare. When Samantha wakes up to find herself bound to a dirty, pinstriped mattress, she realizes she’s anything but free. With a masked abductor repeatedly injecting her arm with an unknown substance while holding her captive, Samantha tries in vain to find out what he wants, but he refuses to speak. Until the day he breaks his silence and his twisted words are worse than what she’d imagined. He promises her one day she will fall in love with him but the best part will be that she won’t know who he is… until it’s too late.

Finding herself freed from captivity, with her captor still at large, Samantha is on guard against everything and everyone around her. Unfortunately, walling up her heart proves difficult when eighteen-year-old Blake Knightley moves in next door. When Samantha starts experiencing strange changes within her, she realizes her captor may have left her more damaged than she originally thought. Now she must turn to Blake for help in order to unearth the truth behind the monster who started this all… or risk experiencing worse things than just falling in love.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

Excerpt:

Step, step, breathe, breathe, step, step, breathe, breathe. My shoes kept a steady rhythm with my burning lungs. I veered off my regular path, opting to hear the crunch of the leaves beneath my feet. The image of my mom’s disapproving face was ignored as I leapt across a gurgling brook. Breathe, breathe, crunch, crunch.

If I wasn’t mountain biking, I was running. I craved speed and freedom. I had to escape the oppressive perfection of living in the Campbell home. Thinking of my two older sisters, one model and the other a star volleyball player, my legs lunged, lengthening their stride. Not good at team sports and terrified by cameras, I knew my family felt my height was wasted on me.

Even Jeremy gives me a hard time.

A stitch pinched my side. Breathe, breathe. I knew I was going too fast, not pacing myself right. Something was urging me on, pushing me to scale the hill before me, and plunge deeper into the woods. I refocused on my rhythm, my inhales and exhales, and my body realigned itself, goose bumps shooting across my arms. There it is. I’d hit my second wind and I surged on, not caring where my feet led.

It’s freedom! Complete and—

There was a rush of air, a whistling in my ear, and a sting to the back of my arm. Instantly, I tumbled to the ground, sliding into the damp morning dew. Cold dirt filled my nostrils as blackness enveloped me.

------------------------------

I heard my own labored breathing long before I realized I was somewhere in between awake and asleep. Forcing my eyes open, I gasped. My senses took everything in at once—the smell of wood shavings, the scratchy ropes on my wrists and ankles, and the pressure of the mattress beneath my body. I screamed, but the empty room with wooden floors and stacked logs for walls was empty. No one burst through the door in the corner.

Realizing it was useless and only making my throat raw, I fell silent. Panic flooded me. How did I get here? I pressed my thoughts to retrace my steps, but my mind felt sluggish. My last memory was running in the woods just before sunrise. I could still feel the burn from the autumn air hitting my lungs. Now the solitary window painted a yellow rectangle on the floor. The room felt stuffy. It’s probably late afternoon. But is it the same day?

The minutes rolled slowly into hours, the silence suffocating. What had my therapist said to do when I was scared? Breathe deeply and don’t panic. It was too late for that; all the years of therapy after my childhood accident were rendered useless. I’m drowning all over again. Only this time, it wasn’t water filling my lungs but pure fear and terror pressing down on my chest. I gulped in dry air, my eyes burning with tears.

No one’s coming to save me. A sob escaped me as the real horror of the situation washed over me. I’m tied up. Someone knows I’m here. What would happen when they came back? As the last rays of light were snuffed out by the shadows of the night, that someone came through the wooden door.

About the Author:

Born in Dekalb, Illinois, Amanda Strong has called Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia and now New Mexico home. Amanda has been spinning tales since she was a child. Her family still remembers finding young Amanda with her bright pink glasses, hiding in random corners of the house while scribbling away in one of her many spiral-bound notebooks. You could say that some things never change since Amanda is still writing today. Amanda began her writing career when she uploaded The Awakener, her first full-length novel, on Wattpad where it received over 430,000 reads in four weeks. She was blown away and humbled by the reader support and feedback she received. Because of The Awakener’s success as a non-published book, she was asked to talk on 1400 KSTAR about her story.

In September 2013 Amanda Strong signed with Clean Teen Publishing. The Awakener is the first book in an all-new young adult paranormal romance series called: The Watchers of Men.

When Amanda isn’t writing, you can find her chasing her three rambunctious children around the house and spending time with her wonderful and supportive husband. On some occasions you can still find Amanda with her not-so-pink glasses, hiding in a corner reading her favorite young adult fantasy novels or working out only to blow her diet by eating ice cream.

Amazon Author Page | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Clean Teen Publishing Links:

Website Blog Facebook Twitter

Giveaway Details:

There is a tour wide giveaway. Prizes include the following:

A bookmark swag pack, winner’s choice of any Clean Teen Publishing eBook, and a $15 Amazon gift card.

Giveaway is International.

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

The Boogie Trapp Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have the Boogie Trapp blog tour. On my stop there is a spotlight and giveaway.

Something happened to two boys over sixty years ago. The backwoods of Alabama in the 1940s set the stage for this edge of your seat thriller. Boogie and Trapper are best friends, known about town for their wild, annoying, obnoxious, and hysterically funny antics. Roaming the woods, swimming in the creek, playing Double Dare, smoking, cussing, drinking beer, and always trying to outdo each other. These two thirteen-year-old boys growing up in this time period have freedoms that would be considered absolutely crazy by today's standards. Riding their bikes on a drizzly April day, goofing off and having fun for hours, looking forward to the boy/girl party they are excitedly anticipating later today, rumors of kissing games and more make them silly and giddy. Then the day goes terribly wrong. They have found themselves in a desperate "no way out" situation. They are thrown into a horrific event that moves faster than a speeding bullet, a wild, white knuckled roller coaster ride, RUN Boogie, RUN, RUN................ A suspenseful, scary thriller, tragically horrific, it is a story that must be told, a promise that must be kept. Their lives will be changed forever - can they get away, and will they ever live to tell the tale?

Kerry Copeland Smith is the pseudonym of Harold (Hal) W. Brewer and also his alter-ego, Brewer will readily confess. “He was there waiting for me when they pulled me from my mother’s womb,” Brewer laughingly says. “Boogie is older, smarter, tougher and more daring, so I have been very fortunate to have had him around all these years.” Brewer, the youngest of four children, grew up in the small coal mining town of Bradford, Alabama, where his father was employed as a coal miner. His mother, a “stay at home mom,” was an accomplished seamstress, an avid reader, and strict disciplinarian, who “kept close tabs on me,” Brewer states. Brewer attended Mortimer Jordan High in Morris, Alabama and the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He was hired by Montgomery Ward Co. in 1964 and spent the next thirty-two years as an executive, in both their Retail and Logistics’ division. After retiring from the retail business in 1996, he formed his own Real Estate Investment Co., which he managed until fully retiring in 2008. “Boogie was there with me every step of the way, Brewer says. When things weren’t right and the going was tough, I called on Boogie and things got straightened out!” Brewer is also an accomplished artist. His paintings hang in numerous homes throughout the south. He currently lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife Tammie and their three cats. He has two sons (from a previous marriage), three grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Monday, November 10, 2014

The Vineyard Blog Tour

Today on my blog I have The Vineyard Blog Tour. On my stop there is a spotlight, review, and giveaway.

Ten years after their college days together, three wounded and very different women reunite for a summer on the island of Martha's Vineyard. As the come to grips with the challenges and crises in their lives, their encounter with a reclusive poacher known only as "the fisherman" threatens to change everything they believe about their world--and each other.

Book Trailer:

Review:

I enjoyed this story about 3 college friends who have each gone off and lived completely different lives and come together ten years later for the summer to rekindle their friendship and heal new wounds each one is carrying with them. But none of them knew how one man who is called the fisherman would impact them and make a difference in helping to heal from their wounds.

I got so wrapped up in these characters for different reasons. But I really connected to Charlotte the most. I couldn’t imagine going through what she did. I didn’t agree with her solution and thankfully it got ruined. But I don’t want to say too much and ruin the story of these 3 friends and the fisherman who comes into their lives. 4/5 Bloody Fangs

Book Links:

Amazon

B&N

Michael Hurley and his wife Susan live near Charleston, South Carolina. Born and raised in Baltimore, Michael holds a degree in English from the University of Maryland and law from St. Louis University.

The Prodigal, Michael’s debut novel from Ragbagger Press, received the Somerset Prize for mainstream fiction and numerous accolades in the trade press, including Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, ForeWord Reviews, BookTrib, Chanticleer Reviews, and IndieReader. It is currently in development for a feature film by producer Diane Sillan Isaacs. Michael’s second novel, The Vineyard, is due to be released by Ragbagger Press in December 2014.

Michael’s first book, Letters from the Woods, is a collection of wilderness-themed essays published by Ragbagger Press in 2005. It was shortlisted for Book of the Year by ForeWord magazine. In 2009, Michael embarked on a two-year, 2,200 mile solo sailing voyage that ended with the loss of his 32-foot sloop, the Gypsy Moon, in the Windward Passage between Cuba and Haiti in 2012. That voyage and the experiences that inspired him to set sail became the subject of his memoir, Once Upon A Gypsy Moon, published in 2013 by Hachette Book Group.

When he is not writing, Michael enjoys reading and relaxing with Susan on the porch of their rambling, one-hundred-year-old house. His fondest pastimes are ocean sailing, playing piano and classical guitar, cooking, and keeping up with an energetic Irish terrier, Frodo Baggins.

Stalker Links:

Thank you for stopping by my blog today. I would also like to say Thank You to Michael for letting me review your book and say Thank You to Jean BookNerd for letting me participate in this blog tour. Don't forget to enter the giveaway below.

~Sabrina