On Tour: Spun by Catherine McKenzie, and a Giveaway!

 Spun

Spun by Catherine McKenzie

Paperback and e-book, 142 pages

Published April 29th 2014 by Catherine McKenzie

In this funny and touching novella, bestselling author Catherine McKenzie returns to the story of Amber Sheppard, It Girl and celebrity train wreck from McKenzie’s reader-favourite novel, Spin.

Life has been rough for starlet Amber since leaving rehab. She’s been two years sober, but no one seems to believe her -- not the gossip media, not casting agents, and most certainly not her spotlight-loving parents. With her friendships ruined by betrayal and her career at a standstill, Amber’s just trying to get her life back on track. 

It doesn't help that her former love, movie star Connor Parks, keeps trying to draw Amber back in, not just to their relationship but to his hard-partying ways. One fateful night, Amber breaks down and agrees to join him on board his private jet as it readies for take-off -- a decision that will change her life forever and expose her to a whole new level of scrutiny and heartbreak.

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My thoughts about Spun ~~

Spin was the very first book of Catherine's that I read and I have been a big fan of hers ever since. I was so excited when I heard she was writing a follow up story to Spin and that we would be able to find out how Amber, Connor, and Katie were doing after their stint in rehab. Even though it had been a few years, I was able to hop right back into their lives and enjoy another great story.

'That's what they say. That life's all about second chances. This is what makes you believe it's worth cleaning up your act, staying sober - that chance at a second chance. A different life than the hell you created for yourself.'

Amber still has some issues that she needs to work through and her life is not easy by any means.

'So, you're probably asking yourself, How does a girl, even a shallow, disaster-actress girl like me whose long-term love just dies, forget she has a fiance?'

I loved this journey back to this world, with the people I met in Spin. I felt like I was catching up with old friends and learning all about the good things, and not so good things, that happened while we were apart.

And I enjoyed yet another great read by one of my must-read authors! Thanks for the wonderful story, Catherine!

Read my thoughts about Spin here.

 About the author

Catherine McKenzie was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. A graduate of McGill University and McGill Law School, Catherine practices law in Montreal. An avid runner and skier, she's the author of the international bestsellers SPIN, ARRANGED, FORGOTTEN and HIDDEN. HIDDEN was a #1 Amazon bestseller. Her latest work, SPUN, a novella sequel to SPIN, is releasing on April 29, 2014. 

Catherine is currently working on her next one-word entitled novel.

Connect with Catherine

Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter 

This giveaway will have 2 winners! Catherine has donated an e-book of both Spin and Spun for one lucky person. The other lucky person will win an e-book of Spin. How awesome is that?? Thank you Catherine!!

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On Tour: Bastard's Brew by Gillian Felix, an Excerpt, a Guest Post, and a Giveaway!

Visit other stops on the tour here

Bastard's Brew

Family Portrait Vol. 3

Bastard's Brew by Gillian Felix
Series: Family Portrait Vol. 3
Paperback, 1, 160 pages
Published April 13th 2014 by GillianFx Publishing LLC

When L'Wren's ex-boyfriend Jeff suddenly disappears, she turns to Kevin to help her find him. With one phone call, Kevin makes sure that Jeff stays hidden and that L'Wren's heart is broken, leaving the door open for Kevin to pursue her. But Kevin is not as free as L'Wren thinks; she is in the dark about his affair with her stepmother, Savi. Savi constantly reminds Kevin of his devious ways and uses their secret to keep him as her toyfriend.

“You don’t deserve to be loved, and you don’t deserve to be happy. You and I are the same … we’re broken inside. Everything we touch, we destroy. We don’t get happily ever after … we don’t get to ride off into the sunset. You know who gets that? L’Wren … she gets it, she gets the guy, and she deserves a decent guy.”- Savi

Kevin desires to be the man that L'Wren deserves, but before he can assume the role of white knight, he brews one last plan to get rid of Savi for good. Will L'Wren, the innocent victim in their twisted game, become a casualty?

Kevin may have sold his body to the devil in stilettos, but he'd be damned if he let her have his heart.

Suitable for adults 18+

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Want to give the series a try? 

Changes the first novel in the series is FREE on Amazon

Excerpt

L’Wren did her meet and greets after the show, chatting with fashion scouts and receiving compliments from everyone. As the place cleared out, she looked around for Kevin and spotted him assisting with the cleanup.  

“Hey, you.” She beamed. 

“Congratulations, that was awesome.” He smiled. “How did it go with the scouts?” 

“I have two meetings set up for next week!” 

“You did it!” 

“We did it. This could not have happened without you. All the work you put in and in such a short amount of time.” 

“It was fun,” he replied. 

“A lot of work,” she pointed out. 

“The fun is in the journey,” he replied, and their eyes locked. 

“Thank you,” she said seriously, and he nodded. 

“I’m gonna grab a broom.” She needed to get away is what she told herself, but really, she wanted to kiss him.  

“No, don’t. I hired a couple of high school kids to clean up.” He stuck his hands into his back pockets to curb the desire to pull her into his arms.  

“You thought of everything.” She tried to unlock her eyes from his, but for some reason, his eyes felt like a magnet pulling her in. Her phone rang, interrupting the moment. 

“It’s Leighann. She’s stuck in her dress,” L’Wren said and turned to walk away. In a moment of courage she turned back around to face him. “You wanna hang out sometime?” She held her breath and waited for an answer. 

He studied her for a moment. His silence almost made her regret asking. “No,” came the reply, which stabbed her heart like a blade. Feeling like a fool, she turned away. 

“I want to cook you dinner.” His words came suddenly. 

She looked at him questioningly.  

“I don’t hang out. I’d rather cook you dinner, you and Leighann. Come by the manor tomorrow evening.” 

L’Wren was pleasantly surprised; she walked over and kissed him lightly on his cheek and quickly headed to his office/makeshift dressing room to rescue Leighann.

Guest Post

Food … the variety of life

I am fascinated by different cultures and their relationship with food. In Iceland for example, one of their delicacies is rotten shark meat called Hákarl. We're not just talking 2 days past the expiry date here… we're talking about burying the shark for 6-12 weeks, then letting it dry for another couple of months until it forms a brown crust. Note folks this is not an Hors d'oeuvre for the faint-hearted. Famed international food lover Anthony Bourdain described it as the single worst tasting thing he has ever eaten (and he's eaten everything). The locals usually wash Hákarl down with a glass of cognac. Who could blame them?

East Indian verses West Indian Cuisine.

I was fortunate to grow up in the West Indies where food labeled 'exotic' in the US was part of our everyday diet. I took it for granted back then. West Indians are people from the Caribbean and East Indians are people from Pakistan, Asia, etc. So naturally their cooking style is different due to what is available on their continent. The thing we have in common is that we season everything. Seasonings consist of curry, turmeric, different spices, shadow benny, thyme that sort of thing.

In the Family Portrait series I wanted to give the characters an international flavor, so I made the matriarch of the family Brazilian. Since food is a part of the characters bonding ritual as a family, naturally mama Banovic opened up her kid's palette to international cuisine at an early age. In Bastard's Brew, eldest son Kevin uses what his mama thought him in the kitchen to get the girl.

“See, brother, that’s how you impress a woman. You cook them something exotic. The farther the continent, the more impressed she’ll be.” - Kevin.

Kevin proceeds to make chicken korma over basmati to impress his love interest. Korma has the flavor of ground coriander, cumin and spices. It can be made with yogurt as a base sauce incorporated with the juice from the meat. 

A nice desert to go with this meal would have been gulab jamun. To Kevin's dismay he points out to his brother that he couldn't find gulab jamun at Gelson's. Gulab Jamun is a sweet, amazingly delicious dessert. You can find the recipe here http://indianfood.about.com/od/sweetsanddesserts/r/gulabjamun.htm. I can still taste it to this day. 

In Bastard's Brew I sent the Banovic parents to Europe giving the kids more opportunity for mischief and mayhem, and they delivered. Kevin is left in charge of his siblings and his frenemies are surprised that he can cook. The first introduction we have of Kevin's culinary skills, he is making cassava dumpling stew. My mom made this for my birthday last year and all I can say is BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER! I loved it so much I did a post on my website about it. Check it out here: http://www.plaintalkbm.com/cassava-dumpling-stew/

About the author

I have been writing since I was old enough to hold a pencil. I enjoy creating characters that could be your next-door neighbor, but would you want them as your neighbor is another story.

Originally from the island of Trinidad and Tobago, I moved to the United States in 1998. Since then I have been involved in the entertainment industry for over ten years.

I am an entrepreneur and advocate for women and children’s rights and I enjoy being in nature and volunteering.

Connect with Gillian

Website | Facebook | Newsletter | Pinterest | Twitter

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Release Day: The Gramm Curse by Candace Knoebel and a Giveaway!

The Gramm Curse

 

The Gramm Curse (Night Watchmen, #0.5)
Series #: 0.5 of 7
Series: Night Watchmen Series
Author: Candace Knoebel
Genre: Paranormal Romance
HEA: This is an on-going series.
Sexual Rating: Moderate
Language: Moderate

Set before Everlasting, the addicting start to the Night Watchmen Series, The Gramm Curse is a novella told from Jaxen Gramm’s perspective.

How far is one willing to go for love?

Before finding a love that shakes the entire foundation of his world, Jaxen Gramm only had his Witch, Jezibelle Beaumont, to worry about. He’s her Hunter, and he will do whatever it takes to keep her safe from the curse placed on his bloodline, even if it means keeping her far from his heart.

But when a spell is offered that has the power to remove the curse, temptation clouds the ethical judgment of the Gramm brothers and their Witches.

In this action-packed novella, enter the dark recesses of Jaxen’s mind as he battles with himself over a decision that could not only cost him his life, but the life of fellow Coven members. Reunite with Gavin, Cassie, Mack, and Jezi as they dance around the dangers of a civil war on the brink of beginning.

My father once told me that loving someone is the easiest part of our job as a Primeval. He was wrong. They were, at one time, wise words coming from a wise man, but that was before I found out that loving someone would destroy them.

Before I realized that opening my heart was lethal.

As sure as the sun rises each day, this is my reality ... my curse ... and there’s no escaping it. I know this because it has destroyed my family, and as much as I’d like to believe I’m wrong, there’s not a single thing I can do to fix it. That was made painfully clear when my dad became another victim of the Gramm curse.

So screw feeling.

The leaves ruffle above the tree I stand under, shielding me in scattered shadows. It’s windy as shit, and I really don’t feel like standing around waiting in the freezing-ass cold for the next hunt. Waiting only leads to thinking, and thinking always leads to the past, and I’m tired of thinking about the shit I can’t change; about time ticking away the brittle minutes of what little life I have left.

Jezi pulls up to the curb and gets out of her small, beat-up car. My chest tightens at the sight of her. Years upon years I've spent building four steel walls around me, boxing me into a safe, small room with no outlet; no way for anyone to get in and get hurt. It’s the only way to protect myself, and to protect others from myself.

It would take someone stronger than diamonds to cut through what I've constructed, someone stronger than me, and Jezi just doesn't have that kind of strength.

I push my shoulder harder into the tree I’m leaning against and welcome the sharp pain digging in my back. The pressure helps shift the gears in my head and reinforce the strength of my walls. I need to stay in the present. I’m not here to dwell on my problems. I have a job to do, and as long as there’s a breath in my body, I’ll keep fighting to protect humanity because at the end of the day, protecting others is the only thing I can devote myself to entirely without fear of killing them.

It's the only thing in my life I can safely love.

Candace Knoebel is the award-winning author of Born in Flames-book one in a young adult fantasy trilogy. She discovered in 2009 through lunch breaks and late nights after putting her kids to bed, a world where she could escape the ever-pressing days of an eight to five Purgatory. And an outlet for all the voices residing in her head.

Published by 48fourteen in 2012, Born in Flames went on to win Turning the Pages Book of the Year award in February of 2013. In January of 2014, the last book in the trilogy, From the Embers, was released, thusly completing the trilogy. She now works on the Night Watchmen Series, while guzzling Red Bulls and pretending to be a ninja on Heelys.

Available exclusively on Amazon!

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Book Spotlight and a Giveaway! The Maze Runner by James Dashner

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Paperback, 375 pages
Published August 24th 2010 by Delacorte Press

"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying.

About the author

James was born and raised in Georgia but now lives in the Rocky Mountains with his family. He has four kids, which some might think is too many but he thinks is just right. Once upon a time, James studied accounting and worked in the field of finance, but has been writing full time for several years. (He doesn’t miss numbers. At all.)

In his free time, James loves to read, watch movies and (good) TV shows, snow ski, and read. (Reading was mentioned twice on purpose.) Most of all, he’s thankful that he gets to make a living writing stories and considers himself pretty much the luckiest guy on the planet.

Connect with James 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

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Cover Reveal: Whatever It Takes by Ashley Simone

Whatever It Takes 

Whatever It Takes by Ashley Simone 
Publication date: May 2014
Genres: New Adult, Romance
Cover designed by damonza.com

What would you do if you got a second chance at life?

Nicky is not having a great year. After her mother’s sudden death, she’s forced to deal with the family finances, move away from the small town she grew up in, and drop out of college. Her bank balance dwindles, her landlord evicts her and she’s just about to become homeless…

Could a twist of fate give you everything you ever dreamed of – or make things so much worse?

When Nicky seems to have won a jackpot, her financial woes appear to be over… until her ex-boyfriend, Aiden Weilz walks into the room and claims that her future is dependent on him.

Is he telling the truth, or is this all a ploy to keep her from moving on with her life? How much worse do things have to get before they get better?

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