Virtual Book Tour: Review: The Courage Series by Jill Daugherty + Grab Courage and Other Demons for #FREE on Amazon

Courage and Other Demons (Book 1)

The end of the world will start in the suburbs of Denver with a faery transfer student from Ireland. If you think that’s totally ridiculous, then you understand how Maggie O’Neill feels. In all of her sixteen years, faeries were something you read about in children’s books. They didn’t actually show up on your doorstep. They didn’t kiss you and make your knees go weak and whisper sweet nothings in your ear. Until Simon Brady, that is. Simon changed everything. He makes her heart race and her skin burn with excitement, but he has also changed her core beliefs about the world and made her see it as a dark and dangerous place filled with monsters that belong only in the lines of faery tales. There is no doubt in Maggie’s mind that she loves Simon, but can she see past who he is and find a place for him in her heart?

REVIEW

This book was thoroughly entertaining. I did find it to be a bit slow in the beginning, but once Simon revealed the truth to Maggie, and as things fell into place and the reality of the situation began to sink in, so I was able to really enjoy the story.

This book had a lot of elements I love about this genre but one thing that really stood out for me was the fact that Maggie didn't just accept things for what they were. She got angry and scared, and even questioned things before believing them. Even after she accepted what Simon was telling her was the truth she still had a hard time with the fact that the fate of the world and the human race rested on her shoulders.

A great start to this series, I cannot wait to see where Maggie, Simon, and their friends will be led. 

COURAGE AND OTHER DEMONS is FREE on Amazon through July 22!! 

Grab your copy NOW!!

Abandoned Courage (Book 2)

Maggie O’Neill had a rough junior year… She fell in love with Simon. She found out Simon was a faery. She spent some time with her dead ancestors. An evil faery with control issues came after her and brought his groupies to kill her. …but that was nothing compared to what’s in store for senior year. She’s the new girl at faery boarding school and is subjected to something she never thought she’d have to deal with in her entire life—mean girls. To make matters worse, she’s seeing less and less of Simon, her faery guard is smothering her in their efforts to protect her, and the evil faery is still stalking her, determined to kill her before she can kill him. She starts to wonder if she’ll make it to graduation. Then the unthinkable happens and she wonders if she’ll be able to survive even one more day.

Defining Courage (Book 3)

Eighteen-year-old Maggie O’Neill is a high school dropout. If her parents knew, they’d probably kill her, but that’s the least of her worries. Balor—the evil faery from hell—is still stalking her, someone is still betraying her, and the mean girl at school is still mean. The worst part of her life, however, is figuring out how to live it without Simon. Will Maggie discover a way to defeat Balor? Will she ever be able to out-snark the mean girl? Will she find Simon? Tune in next week—uh, read the book—to find out.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jill Daugherty lives in Denver with Bailey, the world's cutest dog. By day, she works with gifted children and their teachers. By night, she writes. A lot. She is the author of the Courage series, which has received glowing reviews. At the insistence of her readers, she has started work on a spin-off series.

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Review, Excerpt + #Giveaway: Killing Secrets by K.L. Docter

...Some secrets are better left dead...

Quick Facts                                        

Release Date: April 17, 2014                 

Genre: Romantic Suspense                                              

Formats to buy: Kindle, Nook, PDF, Kobo, mobi, epub, pdf, paperback. 

Book Synopsis

Some secrets are better left dead.

Rachel James’ ex-husband is released from prison determined to reclaim her and her little girl — the child is his key to controlling the James fortune. Frightened, Rachel flees to Denver with the child who hasn’t uttered a word since her daddy went to prison.

Contractor Patrick Thorne wants nothing to do with another of his parents’ charity cases. He failed his own wife so abysmally she took her own life as well as his unborn son’s. After two years, it’s time to concentrate on the bid he’s won and the saboteur trying to destroy his construction firm.  

There is no room for trust in either of their hearts. But trust is all that will untangle the secrets that dominate their lives, free a little girl of her silent prison, and save them all from a serial killer who stands too close.

SMASHWORDS

AMAZON KINDLE

AMAZON PRINT

B&N

Excerpt

“I’ve only filed three police reports, but I’m sure I can lay half a dozen more attacks at this bugger’s door.” He ran his hand through his hair to corral his frustration. “What about fingerprints on the hammer? Have you identified anything in the clothes left behind?” Somehow, the single untouched wall with women’s clothing stapled all over it like some kind of macabre trophy wall was more disturbing than the vicious holes his saboteur left everywhere else.

“It’s one of your own hammers kept in a tool box with a broken lock. Anybody could have handled it. I’ll be surprised if they find a viable print, although the clothes might reveal something.” Jack heaved a long suffering sigh. “We’ve barely had time to catalogue the evidence since you called us this morning. We’re not exactly sitting on our thumbs, no matter what you think.”“What I think is it’s becoming more and more difficult to keep my problems under wraps.”

“Well, you wouldn’t know it after reading that sweet, full-page feature the Denver Post ran on you yesterday.” Jack picked up the newspaper section sitting on the corner of Patrick’s desk and read the headline aloud, “‘No Thorns in Thorne Enterprise’s Rosy Future’. According to this you’re ‘a new contractor barely in his thirties with a Midas touch who’s made it to the major leagues with the multi-million dollar, upscale Villas at Three Oaks Ranch’. You must have really schmoozed that reporter, bro.”

“The headline would have read something radically different,” Patrick replied sourly, “if she’d dug a little deeper and uncovered the truth.”

Angry again at the thought of what he stood to lose, he reached across the desk, snatched the newspaper out of Jack’s hand, and threw it into a wire basket for his office manager, Jane Brown, to file. “You know what I’ve been dealing with these last few months,” he said. “Vandals tag building sites. Supplies go missing. Equipment breaks down.

“But this is different, Jack. You saw those walls at Southgate. This isn’t kids on a lark, pissing out territorial boundaries.”

“I agree. But as my captain pointed out, I’m a little close to the situation and I’m not on the case.”

Patrick barked a harsh laugh. “What does this guy have to do before the department takes this seriously? Leave a dead body?”

“It might take just that,” Jack retorted. “Right now we’re up to our armpits in what’s rolled downhill from the mayor’s office after the kidnapping of that councilman’s daughter last week.”

If it weren’t for the radios blasting all day on his sites Patrick wouldn’t keep up with local events but even he’d heard about the coed who’d disappeared while he was in Cheyenne. “She’s been gone, what, four days? Do you have any leads?”

“We don’t even have a ransom note. After a co-worker dropped her off at her apartment complex, it’s like the girl disappeared into thin air.”

Patrick saw Jack’s jaw tighten, a sign of the increasing stress he’d been under in recent months. “You think she’s a victim of the Angel Killer, don’t you?”

The local news media had dubbed the serial killer with the name because of the angel tattoo he’d burned into each of the girls he brutally killed. He remembered Jack’s fury, as one of the detectives on the task force, over the leak of that critical piece of information.

Review

This book was an exciting mix of romance and thrilling suspense. I loved every second of it – as the twisted web of lies and deceit slowly unravelled; page for page, chapter for chapter.  

There were so many secrets and half-truths within the pages of this book, and each character was so amazingly defined, with a multitude of layers that were just waiting to be peeled away. From Rachel’s life on the run from her crazy ex, to the devastating lies she’d been led to believe regarding the child she protected with her life. And then there was Patrick, still getting over the guilt and anguish of losing his wife and unborn child, to the occurrences that threatened to destroy his business, as well as the tie in with serial killer.

Patrick was an amazing man. It was refreshing to crack open a book that had a genuinely good guy as the hero. He may have been a bit unsure at times, and his reluctance to get involved with Rachel made him act irrationally every now and then, but he was sweet, and caring, and just so wonderful that it melted my heart. The romance that grew between Patrick and Rachel was slow but passionate. Patrick was even amazing with Amanda – and who doesn’t love a man who can interact with children? Especially a child who was as withdrawn as Rachel’s sweet little girl. I loved Patrick the minute he stepped onto the pages of this book, but when he softened at the moments he engaged with Amanda I was done for; and it was obvious a connection grew between them, just as strong as the one that developed between him and Rachel.

This book was never boring, and I was riveted, on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what would happen next. Expect the unexpected because this book was not predictable in any way. There were times when I had to wonder if what was happening was the result of Greg’s obsession with Rachel and Amanda, or the work of the Angel Killer. This story was complex, and the many intertwining subplots kept it exciting throughout.

The Author

Karen Docter writes two different kinds of romance novels....Contemporary Romantic Comedy w/a Karen Docter: Romance...With a Kick of Humor!

Romantic Suspense w/a K.L. Docter: Women hunted by killers...men who'd die to protect them. 

Karen's contemporaries are cute romantic comedies. She loves writing about real men and women with dreams and goals that don't allow for a relationship just so she can throw them in each other's path...with a tickle and a smile. Her romantic suspense novels (as K.L. Docter) are also filled with romance, although the dangers the hero and heroine face are intense, usually because a serial killer is bent on ending one or both of their lives before they can fall in love. These are psychological, woman-in-jeopardy stories.

Karen's an award winning author, a four-time Romance Writers of America® Golden Heart® finalist, and won the coveted Kiss of Death Romance Writers Daphne du Maurier Award Category (Series) Romantic Mystery Unpublished division. When she's not saving her characters from death and destruction or helping them fall in love, she loves camping and fishing with her family, reading, gardening & cooking.

If she can do most of those things over a campfire, all the better!

Find more about her at:

WEBSITE

TWITTER

FACEBOOK

GOODREADS

Other books by Karen Docter:

(press on the cover to go to goodreads)

     

GIVEAWAY

This giveaway is international. There will be 6 winners.

Prizes:
- 1 $50 Amazon GC
- 5 e- copies of KILLING SECRETS by K. L Docter.




a Rafflecopter giveaway


FOLLOW THE TOUR:

April 17: My Devotional Thoughts: Top 10 List

April 18: A Writer's Life: Spotlight

April 21: Little Black Notebook Review

April 22: Mythical Books: Interview

April 23: Bookworm Lisa: Spotlight

             Roxy's Reviews: Review

April 24: Reviews by Molly: Review

             Cheryl's Book Nook: Spotlight

             MsRomanticReads: Spotlight

April 25: Books and Fandom: Spotlight

             Laurie's Thoughts and Reviews: Spotlight

April 28: I know that Book: Review

             Vanilla Moon: Spotlight

April 30: Deal Sharing Aunt: Review

Virtual Book Tour: Review: Thomas's Muse by Kris Austen Radcliffe

 

 

 

 

Four years ago, for a brief moment, Sammie Singleton became the muse of an artist she didn't know. The moment vanished, and now Sammie spends her nights with a different man.

 

Her life is black and white. But she needs food for her soul to feel alive.

 

She needs color. She needs art.

 

Everything changes the moment she meets Thomas Quidell. Brilliant and talented, Sammie quickly realizes Tom is her artist--and the man she's been fantasizing about all these years.

 

Tom offers her more than a lifeline. He opens her eyes to a new life. Vibrant, loving, fulfilling. But is she strong enough to take a chance?

 

 

 

 

 REVIEW

 

 

This was a fantastic short read that was chock-full of everything that makes a perfect romance story. It had plenty of passion, sensual and sexy loves scenes that will make you melt, sweet romance and friendship, and the importance of self-worth and self-acceptance.

Although Sammie and Tom’s romance ignited into a steamy affair within a short period of time, it was fuelled by a longing that was four years in the making; so the instant attraction was more believable, especially after they both realized they shared a moment years before.

But, romance aside, I loved the message this story held. Sammie had objectified herself for so many years. She’d allowed herself to be used and abused because she believed it was what she deserved. She believed she was happy because that was who she was. It was only when Tom opened her eyes and lifted the mask she wore that Sammie was able to see the difference. It was only then that she discovered she was worth so much more than she was giving, and deserved so much more than she was given. She was finally able to accept herself.

A true gem.

 

 

Other books by Kris Austen Radcliffe

 

QUIDELL BROTHERS: (Contemporary Erotic Romance)


Thomas's Muse
Daniel's Fire (coming soon)

 

The FATE ~ FIRE ~ SHIFTER ~ DRAGON series: (Urban Fantasy Romance)

#0: Prolusio: Three Stories of Fates, Fire, Shifters, & Dragons

#1: GAMES OF FATE

#1.5: Conpulsio: A Novella

#2: FLUX OF SKIN

#3: FIFTH OF BLOOD (available Feb. 2014)

 

"Allegories of the Tarot", an anthology of the Major Arcana, includes the Fate ~ Fire ~ Shifter ~ Dragon short story, "Dmitri and the Mad Monk".

 

SHORT FICTION:

"Honey to Soothe the Itch" (Science Fiction)

 

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:   

As a child, Kris took down a pack of hungry wolves with only a hardcover copy of "The Dragonriders of Pern" and a sharpened toothbrush. That fateful day set her on a path traversing many storytelling worlds--dabbles in film and comic books, time as a talent agent and a textbook photo coordinator, and a foray into nonfiction. After co-authoring "Mind Shapes: Understanding the Differences in Thinking and Communication", Kris returned to academia. But she craved narrative and a richly-textured world of Fates, Shifters, and Dragons--and unexpected, true love.
 

Kris lives in Minnesota with her husband, two daughters, Handsome Cat, and an entire menagerie of suburban wildlife bent on destroying her house. That battered-but-true copy of "Dragonriders"? She found it yesterday. It's time to pay a visit to the woodpeckers.

 

ONLINE LINKS:

• Website:  http://www.sixtalonsign.com/novels/
• Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/AuthorKrisAustenRadcliffe
• or my profile account, if you want to see the snarkier me:  http://www.facebook.com/kris.austenradcliffe
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/KrisRadcliffe
• Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/krisradcliffe

 

 

 

Spotlight: Review + #Giveaway: Stained by Cheryl Rainfield #StainedBook

Sometimes you have to be your own hero

Release Date: Oct 1, 2013

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Seventeen-year-old Sarah Meadows covers the walls of her bedroom with images of beautiful faces she clips from magazines—and longs for “normal.” Born with a port-wine stain covering half her face, all her life she’s been plagued by stares, giggles, bullying, and disgust. Why can’t she be like Diamond, the comic-book hero she created? Diamond would never let the insults in. That’s harder for Sarah.

But when she’s abducted on the way home from school, Sarah is forced to uncover the courage she never knew she had. Can she look beyond her face to find the beauty and strength she has inside, somehow becoming a hero rather than a victim? It’s the only way Sarah will have any chance of escaping the prison—both seen and unseen—that this deranged killer has placed around her.

 

 

Buying Links:

 

Amazon (hardcover) 

Amazon (kindle)

 

Amazon.ca (hardcover)

Amazon.ca (ebook)

 

Amazon.co.uk (hardcover)

Amazon.co.uk (ebook)

The Book Depository

 

Powell's

 

Books a Million



EXCERPT

           He plans to keep me here. Something snaps in my mind, and I go at the door like I’m crazed, slamming into it with my body, not caring about the way it jars my teeth, my bones, hurts my shoulder. I batter the door, clawing and kicking and screaming until I’m sobbing with exhaustion.
 

I sink to the floor, trembling and feeling sick. I hurt all over, I have to pee, and I am intensely thirsty.

Don’t let me die here. Please. I never got to say goodbye. Never got to tell Mom I’m sorry, tell Dad how lucky I am to have him for a father. A whimper wrenches its way out of my throat. . . .

REVIEW


This is a very dark and harrowing story of one girl's strength and will to survive.

Sarah is a brave, sweet girl who is forced to face a cruel and unwelcoming world, day in and day out. She wants nothing more than to be normal; to be one of the Beautiful People, but the devastating turn her life takes will show her that behind the beauty can lie a monster. 

My heart was in my throat for most of this story. I can only imagine how terrifying it must be, not knowing if you will live to see another day; if your captor will tire of you, and if he does how will your life end. Sarah's battle was only made that much worse by the fact that she was blind to the world throughout her ordeal. The horror she lived through at the hands of her abductor was heart-wrenching, and it took all her willpower, as well as mine, to keep it together.

Where Sarah may have seemed desperate and on the brink on crumbling, she was actually being smart, knowing how and when to please her captor, knowing that if she angered him in anyway he'd punish her; but the truth is that everything he did to her was punishment, even if his sick, twisted mind thought otherwise. Sarah showed true courage and fierce determination. When she could have easily fallen, broken by the torment she was put through, she rose above the darkness and fought for her life. 

This book was one of hope, inspiration, and self-acceptance, as Sarah dug deeper than ever before, to find the beauty and courage in her soul. Her triumphs had me cheering, and I'm glad that even in the darkness she was able to find a little ray of light. One that taught her to love herself, and to hold close the people who truly mattered.

I recommend this story to everyone. It will make you think twice about whining about the small things in life, and you'll learn to appreciate everything you have. It is also a reminder that when you feel lost, broken or hopeless, don't give up, dig deep, because we all have a little Sarah in us, we just have to believe in ourselves, and believe that we're worth it.

It gets... 

 

GIVEAWAY

Up for grabs:

 

1 x ecopy of Scars

1 x ecopy of Hunted 

1 x ecopy of Parallel Visions

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

There is also a grand prize giveaway of an ebook reader!!!

Be sure to enter this giveaway at http://www.xpressoreads.com/ on October 20th.

 

For extra entries into this giveaway, comment on each blog taking part in this tour :)
 

For a list of all participating blogs check out the JKSCommunications Stained Virtual Tour Page 

 

Praise for Stained:

“Powerful. I raced through it, wanting to know if Sarah would find a way to escape both her captor and her self-doubts. A real nail-biter! “

 - April Henry, New York Times-bestselling author of The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

“A compelling, gutting, and ultimately triumphant read. You won't want to stop turning pages -- Or blink. Or breathe. -- until you reach the very last one.”

-Jennifer Brown, award-winning author of Hate List

“STAINED is dark, tense and gripping; a triumph of one girl's heart, soul and will to survive. Sarah's strength during her descent into terror kept me reading way past bedtime! “

-Laura Wiess, critically acclaimed author of Such a Pretty Girl

From the Author:

Like I did with SCARS and HUNTED, I drew on some of my own experiences of bullying, abuse, and trauma to write STAINED and to give it greater emotional depth. Like Sarah in STAINED, I experienced abduction, imprisonment, periods of forced starvation, mind control, and having my life threatened. And like Sarah, I tried hard to fight against my abuser, keep my own sense of self, and escape. I hope readers will see Sarah's strength and courage, and appreciate her emotional growth as she reclaims herself.

"I write the books I needed as a teen and couldn't find." CherylRainfield.com

Award-winning author of SCARS, STAINED, HUNTED, and Parallel Visions

http://www.amazon.com/Cheryl-Rainfield/e/B004FRU1BM/

Cheryl on why she wrote Stained:

Join Cheryl Rainfield's Street Team

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

I love to read. Books nurture me, helped me survive the abuse I endured as a child and teen. I also love to write. I write fantasy books and edgy, realistic fiction for teens.

My fantasy books often hold hope that I need, and feel others might need, too, while my realistic fiction is gritty, intense, and emotional. All of my books have fragments of the abuse I experienced. I write about some of the harsh things teens go through...things that I think shouldn't be hidden. But I also write about healing, hope, and love, and finding courage and strength.

In SCARS (WestSide, 2010), Kendra must face her past and stop hurting herself before it's too late. It's my arm on the cover. There's a lot of me in SCARS; like my main character, Kendra, I am an incest survivor, I used self-harm to cope, and I'm queer. In my teen paranormal fantasy/dystopian, HUNTED (WestSide, Oct 2011), Caitlyn is a telepath in a world where that is illegal, and she must choose between saving herself or saving the world. Like Caitlyn, I know what it's like to have my life threatened, to face oppression, to experience torture, and to break free from cult or from a group of oppressors. And I know what it's like to have to decide between hiding my true self or being who I am, even if that means danger to myself. I drew on my experience with cults and ritual abuse in creating the world that Caitlyn lives in.
 

In STAINED, my upcoming YA novel from Harcourt (2013), Sarah, who has a port wine stain and some body image issues, is abducted and must find a way to rescue herself. Like Sarah, I was often imprisoned for long periods of time as a child, had my life threatened, and had to rely on my own strength to survive.

Books were my survival during my childhood, and my journey into myself. Books give me hope. I hope mine will give you hope, too, or something that you need.

Connect with Cheryl Rainfield:

Author Website
Book Blog
Twitter
Google+
Facebook
GoodReads
Figment

Amazon

 on email Cheryl[at]CherylRainfield[dot]com