Cover Reveal- Dwarves of Calcus by Katie Hamstead

Dwarves of Calcus (Fairytale Galaxy Chronicles #3) 

by Katie Hamstead

Genre: YA Space Opera/Sci-fi/Fantasy

Release Date: March 6th 2018

Curiosity Quills Press

Summary from Goodreads:

When she was thirteen, Snow Sabbia crash landed on the dwarves' home planet of Calcus. After fleeing from her step-mother's huntsman, seven brother dwarves took her in to hide and protect her. She has hidden for years on the peaceful planet, tinkering with old automobiles and pushing papers in the mine office.

Then, Timothy White shows up.

The shy, nervous, nerdy heir captivates Snow before she even knows who he is, and quickly she falls in love. But his high profile in society draws unwanted attention from her vengeful stepmother, who wants Snow dead.

Geneva believed Snow died years earlier and she had consumed her innocent heart. With her late husband's wealth, Snow's inheritance, in tow, she married a young lord, Conrad. Both are using each other--Geneva for his title and to have a child, Conrad for her money and beauty. But when Conrad lays eyes on his boyhood rival's lovely fiance, Snow, his overwhelming desire for her reveals the truth to Geneva, that Snow lives.

Desperate to hold onto her wealth and power, Geneva seeks to kill Snow properly this time. Snow has the power to wield the one thing that can destroy her, so she cannot let the girl claim possession of the family heirloom, the Nevollo Sword. 

Snow soon learns her step-mother knows she is alive. But she is a pacifist, so she must outwit Geneva and remain hidden... until Geneva, disguised as a child, presents her with an apple.

Previous Books in the Series (click on images for Goodreads links):

 

About the Author:

Born and raised in Australia, Katie's early years of day dreaming in the "bush", and having her father tell her wild bedtime stories, inspired her passion for writing.
After graduating High School, she became a foreign exchange student where she met a young man who several years later she married. Now she lives in Arizona with her husband, daughter and their dog.
She has a diploma in travel and tourism which helps inspire her writing.
When her debut novel, Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh, climbed into bestselling status, she believed she was onto something, and now has a slew of novels now available, and is published through Curiosity Quills Press, Soul Mate Publishing, and REUTS Publishing.
Katie loves to out sing her friends and family, play sports, and be a good wife and mother. She now works as an Acquisitions Editor to help support her family. She loves to write, and takes the few spare moments in her day to work on her novels.

Author Links:

   

Cover Reveal Organized by:

Waiting On Wednesday #227

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spines, that spotlights upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating. 

Girls Burn Brighter by Shobha Rao

Publication date- March 6th 2018 

Goodreads Summary:

A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, about a once-in-a-lifetime friendship between two girls who are driven apart but never stop trying to find one another again.

When Poornima first meets Savitha, she feels something she thought she lost for good when her mother died: hope. Poornima's father hires Savitha to work one of their sari looms, and the two girls are quickly drawn to one another. Savitha is even more impoverished than Poornima, but she is full of passion and energy. She shows Poornima how to find beauty in a bolt of indigo cloth, a bowl of yogurt rice and bananas, the warmth of friendship. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to lock down for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend again. Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls’ perspectives as they face relentless obstacles, Girls Burn Brighter introduces two heroines who never lose the hope that burns within them. 

In breathtaking prose, Shobha Rao tackles the most urgent issues facing women today: domestic abuse, human trafficking, immigration, and feminism. At once a propulsive page-turner and a heart-wrenching meditation on friendship, Rao's debut novel is a literary tour de force.

This book sounds really interesting, and I'm looking forward to it. 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Blog Tour: Dream Cast + Giveaway- The Boat House by Jana D. Barrett

The Boat House

by Jana D. Barrett

Genre: Mystery/Romance

Release Date: October 2017

Summary:

Genevieve Vandermere-Anderson lives in an elite world carefully crafted by her stepfather.  While other girls her age revel in the freedom of their first summer break from college, Genevieve has no choice but to return to her childhood home in Hilton Head, South Carolina to play sidekick to her vindictive stepfather.  Forbidden from social media and isolated from her peers, she returns home disheartened and oppressed by the actions of her past, governed by secrets.    

Though she is fearful of the repercussions, Genevieve decides it is time to start making her own choices.  She sneaks out of her fortified house to attend the annual beach bonfire.  There she meets a handsome stranger and follows him to an abandoned boathouse hidden in low country marshes.  Little does she know that this small act of rebellion will be the catalyst for unraveling the truth about her regretful past, and the layers of deception her stepfather has masterminded.

When she begins to investigate the boating accident that tragically killed her mother and two other people, she discovers that her stepfather's suspicious behavior and control tactics are all part of a greater agenda.

Add to Goodreads

Book Links: 

Amazon / iBooks / Barnes and Noble / Kobo

About the Author:

Jana was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina.   An avid reader, she loves to travel, cook and try exotic foods.  She is a self- proclaimed 'city girl' who fell in love with a country boy.  Jana, her husband and their daughter live on a retired pasture, with a lovely farmland view.  An animal lover she has Siberian Husky named Blizzard, a barn kitty named Winter and an impolite group of wild turkeys.   

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Instagram

GIVEAWAY: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

Blog Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Review- Midnight Pursuits by Elle Kennedy

Summary-

Her job is to stay hidden.

Too bad he can’t take his eyes off her.

Soldier-for-hire Ethan Hayes is the youngest member of an elite mercenary team. While he may be affectionately nicknamed the rookie, the skills Ethan honed as a Marine make him seriously dangerous. But when a sudden distress call puts him in close quarters with a rival, he finds more than his field skills being put to the test.

Juliet Mason stands out as the master thief in a covert group of assassins and spies. Her latest mission is personal—and it’s gone horribly wrong. Juliet may prefer to work alone, but when the rookie comes to her aid in snowy Eastern Europe, she can’t deny they make a good team. But even up against a powerful enemy, their most challenging task yet may be fighting the passion between them...

Release date: April 1st, 2014

Published by: Signet

Page numbers: 368

Review-

Midnight Pursuits is the fourth book in Elle Kennedy's Killer Instincts series. I loved the last book Midnight Games to pieces so I didn't expect to like Midnight Pursuits as much as I did. This series just keeps on getting better and as I'm getting more familiar with all the characters I'm loving them more too. Midnight Pursuits was a great addition to the series.

Let's start with our hero Ethan. Ethan is the youngest in Jim Morgan's elite team of soldiers and hence has been teased "rookie" mercilessly. I loved Ethan. He was a great hero who kept his alpha side hidden. I loved how much respect he had for his friends and how he took all their teasing in stride. The one thing he was not easy about though was Juliet. He was possessive and protective where Juliet was concerned and I loved seeing all the sides to him.

We'd met Juliet in the last book. She came off as a smart ass but in this book we actually get to see her other sides. Juliet is ruthless at times but it only shows how protective she is of the people she cares about. Juliet's revenge mission goes wrong and that is when Ethan comes to help her. I liked how Juliet admitted that she was attracted to Ethan. She didn't pretend to be coy. She was a smart and confident woman and I surprisingly liked her.

I loved how this book had an older woman younger man pairing. Juliet and Ethan were amazing together and they each make up for the other's strengths and weaknesses. I loved the banter Juliet and Ethan shared and the romance between them was sweet and sexy. They made a great pair and the whole opposites attract thing worked in their favor.

We also get to see a little bit of the history between Jim Morgan and Noelle. D is an all around asshole but you can't help but be curious about the guy. I loved seeing the team again. Elle Kennedy writes such fully fleshed out characters that it is easy to imagine each one distinctly. I really enjoyed Midnight Pursuits.

Blog Tour: Excerpt- Brooklynaire by Sarina Bowen

Summary-

A sexy new standalone from USA Today bestseller Sarina Bowen.

You’d think a billion dollars, a professional hockey team and a six-bedroom mansion on the Promenade would satisfy a guy. You’d be wrong.

For seven years Rebecca has brightened my office with her wit and her smile. She manages both my hockey team and my sanity. I don’t know when I started waking in the night, craving her. All I know is that one whiff of her perfume ruins my concentration. And her laugh makes me hard.

When Rebecca gets hurt, I step in to help. It’s what friends do. But what friends don’t do is rip off each others’ clothes for a single, wild night together.

Now she’s avoiding me. She says we’re too different, and it can never happen again. So why can’t we keep our hands off each other?

EXCERPT-

I grab a towel off a waiting stack of them and toss it onto the edge. “You can sit and put your feet in.”

She’s wearing a short little knit dress that’s been making me crazy all evening, so it would be easy enough for her to strip off those stockings, sit on the towel, and drop both feet in.

And that’s what she does. She eases one stocking down over a smooth knee and tugs it off.

I don’t want to stand there staring like a middle-school boy. Okay, I do want to. But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable. So I go over to the sound system instead, and I set my phone on the speaker and cue up a really old playlist. One she’ll recognize.

When I turn around again, she’s seated on the towel, both legs hanging down into the churning water. “Ah. Wow.” She looks up at me, her eyes sparkling. “Nice place you got here.”

“Isn’t it?” I toe off my shoes and kick them to the side.

The first song comes on, and it’s a Macklemore tune that we used to play far too often in our first office. Rebecca laughs immediately. “You didn’t! I haven’t heard this playlist in forever. But I’ll bet I still know every transition. Lady Gaga is next.”

“She sure is.”

Rebecca kicks her feet, making a splash. “I have a little confession to make.”

“What’s that?” I loosen my tie and slide the knot out.

“Well…” She grins up at me. “I used to have a crush on you. Back in the early days.”

My hands freeze on the tie silk. “Get out of town. You did not.”

“No, I really did.” Her cheeks are pink. “That first year especially. But you were taken, and you were my boss. Those two things made it pretty easy to tamp down, when you’re a practical girl like me.”

I walk over and drop down beside her, my back to the water, though, because I’m still wearing trousers and socks. “So how does that work, exactly?”

“What?” She gives me a sidelong glance, but then looks away again and won’t meet my eyes.

“How do you stop wanting someone? I’m a practical person, but I don’t see how that makes it any easier. Nothing seems to mute the raging attraction I have for you.”

Her chin turns quickly toward me, and I seize the opportunity to kiss her. And it only takes one kiss—one slide of my lips over hers, and I’m on fire again.

We’re facing opposite directions, so it’s awkward as hell. But I don’t even care. I take greedy sip after greedy sip of her mouth, until she pulls back to stare at me. Her color is high and her eyes are bright and happy. “This is like Twister.”

“It’s better,” I correct. Lady Gaga comes on, just as Becca said she would. “Are we getting into this pool or what?”

Becca kicks a foot in the water. “I’m tempted. But I don’t have a bathing suit.”

“Oh, snap.”

She smiles and shakes her head. “Are you really getting in?”

“We don’t have to.” I’m never going to pressure her.

Her fingers trail across the surface of the bubbling water. “But this is an adventure, right?”

“Right.” I stand up and remove my socks. She’s watching me. And I can’t read her expression. “What?”

“Just wondering what else you’re going to take off.” She smiles.

“Come here.” The order rolls off my tongue.

But Rebecca doesn’t blink. She gets up and turns toward me, curiosity in her eyes.

“You tell me. What am I taking off?”

She puts two hands tentatively on my chest, and I make myself be patient. Everything I ever wanted is on the other side of this moment. I just need us to break through this awkwardness—the “will we or won’t we” tension. 

Her fingers find the top button of my shirt. “I’m not getting in the water unless you are.”

That’s a compromise I can live with. I find my lower shirt buttons and work upwards, until we meet in the middle. She pushes the two halves of my shirt apart and runs a hand down my bare chest.

My inner caveman stands up and cheers.