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Monday, July 11, 2016

Blog Tour: Quintina (The Starseed Series #2) by Meghan Riley




Quintina (The Starseed Series #2)
by Meghan Riley
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Release Date: 2016

Summary from Goodreads:
No longer on Earth, Anna must now piece together her memories on the strange, new world of Enki. Guided by Julianus, the mysterious man who brought her back, she soon realizes this isn’t the same world she was starting to remember, making it even more difficult to figure out why she was sent to Earth. Will she be able to solve the mystery before the people who sent her away realize she’s back? Or will her memories forever remain lost?






Below is an excerpt from Chapter 1 of Quintina (Book 2 of the Starseed Series), available in paperback and ebook on Amazon.
Chapter 1
Awakening
A steady, low pitched hum radiated from above and pulled me out of the darkness. I rolled over to my side, buried one ear in the soft pillow I laid on, covered the other with my hand, and prayed for it to go away. Whatever it was – my brother, a neighbor – I didn’t care. All I wanted was sleep. Lots of sleep.
But the sound didn’t go away. My attempts to block it only seemed to make it louder, like voices echoing down a tunnel. I tucked my hands under my head and told myself to ignore the sound, to focus on the blissful feeling that came from being on the edge of slumber.
But I couldn’t. My senses were uncontrollable. I tried to reign them back in, but it was too late. I became increasingly aware of my surroundings.
An annoying chill stretched up my legs from my feet. I promptly drew them toward me banging my knees against something cold and hard. I gasped and squinted firmly against the pain, letting out a groan. The room…it didn’t smell right. It smelled like a…shower curtain.
I rolled over and opened my eyes. Something clear like glass hung low and distorted the dark ceiling above me. Confused, I reached out and touched the barrier, sliding my hand across it from where it met the white padded bed I laid on to the slick curve it made over me like the lid of a coffin. This wasn’t the thin, flat glass of a window pane, but thick and molded. I followed it with my eyes to the foot of the bed where it continued to surround me.
What the –?
I twisted my body and looked behind me, toward the source of the humming. It was coming from a large white case attached to the head of the bed. When the doctor was trying to figure out the source of my hallucinations, he put me in an MRI machine about this size, but it wasn’t as large. I stared at it trying to process what I was seeing, but the longer I lay there, the more it felt like the glass was closing in around me.
As I reached up with both hands and gently pushed on the glass, the long sleeves of my plain white shirt slid down my forearms toward my shoulders. It held firmly in place.
I ran my hands along the seam between the barrier and bed trying to feel for a latch or button, but there was nothing. I once again reached up with both hands and pushed, harder this time. The glass refused to budge. My heartbeat quickened. I’m trapped!
I looked down at my white pants and bare feet. What am I doing here? I thought back over the last 24 hours. It was fuzzy, but it was starting to come back to me – stargazing, Jared, Doctor McCormick, Steve, the shadow man…some hazy images of space. Is it true? Did I really travel to another planet?
The sound of a voice broke my train of thought. The glass acted like a conductor, making it resonate around me. I couldn’t understand exactly what was being said, because the language was none I had ever heard before, but I could tell it belonged to a man and he was angry.
Through the distortion of the glass at my feet, I noticed something moving. Focusing on that end of the room, I could just make out a gray door with a window. It was closed, but someone was standing in front of it. Their body blocked part of the white light that was passing through the window. I was sure they were the source of the voice. Their shoulders rose at the climax of each angry sentence and it occurred to me, whoever they were, there was a chance they were hostile.
With both hands, I hit the glass full force. It lifted off the bed a little, which was just the encouragement I needed. I hit it again. It gave a little bit more and fell back into place.
I hit it again and again and again. All my emotions from the memories of Jared, Dr. McCormick, Steve, and my family came flooding out of me.
I pounded the glass until my knuckles split open and tears streamed down my face. Then, surprisingly, the glass slid back behind me. When I blinked away the tears, someone was standing in front of me.
“Quintina?” It was the man with the blue eyes I had seen when I first arrived. Now, fully awake, I saw I was wrong: he wasn’t the man I had seen in my visions on Earth. He had the same blue eyes, thick angular brow, and close-cut brown hair, even the same chiseled jaw, but the mouth was wrong. It was smaller and carried a permanent hint of disapproval at its corners, not the teasing of a playful grin. And the nose didn’t match. The ridge was bowed, like it had been broken and never healed correctly, but it seemed fitting for the 5 o’clock shadow and general ruggedness that he seemed to encompass, a contrast to the man in my visions, who was more refined and polished, like the gentleman you’d find in a Jane Austen book.



The Starseed Series on Amazon:
Anna (Book 1) – Paperback | eBook
Quintina (Book 2) – Paperback | eBook











About the Author

Meghan Riley graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland and immediately pursued her lifelong passion for the written word. Her debut novel, Anna, presented itself as a way for Riley to inspire teenage girls to expand their interests beyond the typical teenage quandaries, ultimately encouraging females toward an interest in science. She is currently hard at work on the next book in The Starseed Series. 

Author Links:






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Book Tour Organized by:






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Blitz Daughter of the Sun Cult of the Cat Book 1 Zoe Kalo



Daughter of the Sun
Cult of the Cat
Book 1
Zoe Kalo

Genre: YA Fantasy

Date of Publication: Ebook April 1, 2016
Date of Publication: Print June 15, 2016

ISBN: 978-1533061768
ASIN: B01DRDUQW8

Number of pages: ebook 330 pages
Number of pages: print 350 pages
Word Count: 95,000

Cover Artist: S. Frost Designs

Book Description:

Sixteen-year-old Trinity was born during a solar eclipse and left at the doorsteps of a convent along with a torn piece of papyrus covered with ancient symbols. Raised by nuns in the English countryside, she leads a quiet life until she’s whisked away to the Island of Cats and a grandmother she never knew.

But before they can get to know each other, her grandmother dies. All that Trinity has left is a mysterious eye-shaped ring. And a thousand grieving cats. As Trinity tries to solve the enigma of the torn papyrus, she discovers a world of bloody sacrifices and evil curses, and a prophecy that points to her and her new feline abilities.

Unwilling to believe that any of the Egyptian gods could still be alive, Trinity turns to eighteen-year-old Seth and is instantly pulled into a vortex of sensations that forces her to confront her true self—and a horrifying destiny.

Amazon

Daughter of the Sun - Cult of the Cat Book 1 Chapter 1
One month before the summer solstice…
Goosebumps snaked up my spine.
I'd had the same sensation last night while gazing at the moon, when for an instant I’d picture it red, bathed in blood. Then the rippling, bristling feeling had come back this morning as I brushed my teeth and stared at the reflection of my eyes in the bathroom mirror. In a flash the green orbs had turned crimson. I’d blinked, struck by a wave of vertigo, the cold tiles shifting under my feet.
“Trinity...you all right?” Brianna nudged my arm, bringing me back to the present. We were walking down the main staircase of the orphanage—where we’d lived all of our lives—toward the open-air playground for our usual half-hour break after lunch.
“Fine. Just restless.”
“Maybe lunch did it. All those veggies. They take you for a rabbit.”
The touch of humor in her voice didn't lift the dark cloud hovering over me. I shot her a sideways glance. “No, not the veggies,” I muttered. “Something else.”
She stopped in the middle of the staircase and her hazel eyes studied my face. “What?”
I stopped, shrugging. “Don't know.”
“I saw you in the dormitory last night, staring out the window. You seemed so far away.”
Red moon.
The sky had been so clear, the stars twinkling like gems, so unusual for the common grayness of the English countryside.
Blood moon.
I’d been mesmerized, as if its eerie splendor had spoken to me in an ancient, alien language. I hadn't been able to understand it, but I’d felt faint by its allure.
“Trinity?”
“It's nothing. You know me. One day up, one day down.” I looked to the bottom of the staircase, past the hall to the open doors to the courtyard. Now the sky was gray. The girls played outside, chatting incessantly. The little ones ran this way and that, their black and white uniforms a blur.
When I looked back at Brianna, I saw she was staring at something past my shoulder. I turned around and glimpsed a flash of black through the window.
“Did you see that?” I asked. “Looked like a limousine.” Not that I’d ever seen one in real life, only in the movies we were sometimes allowed to watch in the weekends. “I wonder if it’s coming here.”
But Brianna didn’t answer. Her spaced-out gaze was still fixed on the window. There was something odd about her expression.
“Brianna. Hello. I’m talking to you.”
She blinked, startled. She looked at me. “What? Oh. Right. You know…I just—I just remembered… I have to help Sister Anne at the library.”
“Now? All of a sudden?”
“Like I said, I just remembered.”
I made a dismissive gesture with my hand. “Tell her you forgot.” I did feel a twinge of guilt. Sister Anne was one of the nice ones. “She's so old, she won't even remember.”
“Don’t be mean. I promised her.”
“You know, people take advantage when you’re always nice.”
She didn’t answer, but I read the gentle reproach in her eyes.
“All right, all right,” I muttered. “I'll see you later.”
She smiled and, to my surprise, gave me a tight, warm hug. “Cheer up. I don't like it when you get the blues. I want you to be happy.”
“Thanks,” I mumbled. Her chestnut hair, streaked with copper and gold and woven into a braid like we were all supposed to wear, smelled like soap, clean, fresh. Which reminded me: I had not braided my hair today.
Brianna was my best friend in the world. Nearly seventeen years ago, when we were tiny babies, we had been found at the door of the orphanage only a day apart—a very odd event, according to the nuns. When we were babies we were often put in the same crib and we sucked each other’s thumbs and took turns crying for attention.
We drew apart and she hurried up the stairs, the old wood creaking under the rubber soles of her shoes.
I moved in the opposite direction toward the courtyard.
Outside, the sky was covered with virulent clouds, promising a downpour. A cool breeze hit my cheeks, made me instantly alert. The air was redolent of fertilizers from the nearby farms. The temperature was unusually cold for late May. Sister Eveline and Sister Celeste already kept guard, but as one of the older girls, my duty was to keep watch during playtime. The courtyard was big and was enclosed by high, rusted, spiked iron gates crawling with vines and wisteria. Beyond the gates, on one side, a massive weeping willow loomed, its leaves rustling in the breeze. On another side, rolling hills made most of the landscape, dotted here and there with the silhouettes of nearby farms.
The courtyard was made of concrete and had swings and see-saws for the younger girls. The rest was just empty space with a few stone benches for us to sit.
The Sisters strolled across the courtyard toward the main doors, their heads tilted downward, deep in conversation—or so I thought. In their wimples and flowing habits, they looked like two big black birds. Sister Eveline suddenly turned toward me with a hard expression and made a gesture about my hair.
“I’ll braid it after the break,” I said, trying not to sound annoyed. I gave her a lovable grin and pointed to the younger children. “I have to keep an eye on them, as you know.”
The look she gave me told me she didn’t buy my sweet disposition, but she let it drop and continued her way to the doors.
I crouched and chatted with the little ones for a while, and pushed their backs at the swings. I giggled at their silly, innocent tales. Sophie, a sweet five year-old with red corkscrew ringlets, wrapped her small arms around me and I whirled her in the air.
When I put her down, I spotted Beth Thompson and her two evil minions emerging from the corner of the orphanage. A cat trailed behind her.
I narrowed my eyes. Beth had tied a string around the cat’s neck and was pulling it along like a pet—but, as I knew only too well, girls like Beth didn't keep pets.
Then Beth did something she shouldn’t have done: when the cat refused to budge, she yanked the string, almost choking the animal.
I winced, feeling the pain as my own.
A shiver rippled up my spine. Again.


About the Author: 

A certified bookworm and ailurophile, Zoe Kalo has always been obsessed with books and reading. Reading led to writing—compulsively. No surprise that at 16, she wrote her first novel, which her classmates read and passed around secretly. The pleasure of writing and sharing her fantasy worlds has stayed with her, so now she wants to pass her stories to you with no secrecy—but with lots of mystery….


A daughter of adventurous expats, she’s had the good fortune of living on 3 continents, learning 4 languages, and experiencing a multicultural life. Currently, she’s working on a Master’s degree in Comparative Literature, which she balances between writing, taking care of her clowder of cats, and searching for the perfect bottle of pinot noir. She lives and writes in Belgium.

Website/blog: https://zoekalo.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zoe-Kalo-206262253053039/

Twitter: @zoekalowriter

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14951190.Zoe_Kalo


 Tour giveaway

$15 Amazon gift certificate

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Blurb Blitz: Lyrical Press Contemporary Romances


Her Unexpected Affair
by Shea McMaster
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GENRE:  Contemporary Romance
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BLURB:
This was a detour worth taking . . .
For as long as she can remember, Meilin Wu has had her life mapped out, and she's well down her chosen path--which had no warning signs about a tall, golden Brit who would bowl her over the night before her arranged marriage . . .
Drew Robinson has nearly finished his formal education and is ready to face the world when he meets Meilin, an exquisite beauty with Chinese ancestry. He doesn't mind she's ten years older, and the fact she knows Mandarin only makes her that much more a perfect fit for his upcoming adventures in China. He just has to get her to dump her fiancé and convince her that a trip in
China will only enhance her established design business.
Easy for a guy who's known for seeing sunshine wherever he goes. Right?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Excerpt One:
A stab of jealousy knifed Meilin in the heart. Other people found grand passion, and here she was about to commit the rest of her days to a union with a man who failed to inspire the rush of heat she’d experienced by just shaking Drew’s hand. Insane. She didn’t know these people well enough to envy them so fiercely. And yet, that emotion was a thousand times stronger than any emotion she’d ever felt for Shan.
It confused her.


And when confused, she turned to small talk. “I detect more than a little pluminess in your accent, sir, but none in your sister’s. I’m guessing you were raised in England? Father and mother both British?”
“Good ear, not that it’s hard to decipher. I did the whole boarding school with proper elocution thing while Courtney was raised here in California as wild and free as a bird.”
“How very interesting. Are you to the manor born?” She did her best to say it in a British accent. Not that she’d had much practice, but who didn’t love a good BBC program from time to time?
Drew laughed. “No fancy titles in our branch, but we do have the biggest house in the district. My father likes to pretend he’s a lord of some sort at Christmas.”
The notion wasn’t foreign to Meilin.
Junlei arrived with the second round of drinks for her table and turned to Jack’s party to take their orders.
Her own father, directly descended from minor nobility turned laborer in California, liked to do the same. The reminders of how the family had started high born, fell to the lowest depths of society, then rose to the upper ranks were drummed into them all, chapter and verse at each large gathering. Come to think of it, at almost any gathering, large or small. The ancestors were well revered.
“Tell me about yourself,” Drew said. “Jack has told us nothing about you.”
Before she could open her mouth to politely turn the conversation again, Jack leaned across the table in order to be heard. “She’s an interior designer. One of the best in the city. Possibly in all California if not the west coast. Big time bigwig woman.”
Frowning at Jack did no good. She always let her work do her bragging for her, never did she need to toot her own horn. The wave of girls, fluttering like butterflies, returned to their table, relieving her from answering.
“Jack, what a surprise.”
“Hey, cousin.”
“Jack, you mangy dog, what are you doing here? Spying on Meilin’s last night out? We should kick you out of here.”
“Not while he has friends here.” Sunchu, one of her few remaining single friends, leaned over from the far side of the table to extend her hand to Drew. “And who might you be, tall, golden, and handsome?” Drew stood and exchanged handshakes all around as the entire group of five women settled at the table. Sure, they included Courtney, but Drew had ninety-nine percent of their attention. And why not? Exactly as Sunchu had said, he was tall, golden, and very handsome. Not only did he have a perfect tan, but he smelled good too. Not one whiff of heavily scented aftershave teased Meilin’s nose. He was as fresh as a forest. Clean water and towering pines came to mind. Maybe a hint of citrus, possibly lime, but his scent was light and refreshing. She’d have to find out what he used.
What in the hell was she doing sniffing him up like that? No, she would not ask him what scent he wore. Especially because his proximity made her pulse thrum wildly in her veins. His thigh brushed against hers and she swallowed a gasp, as the contact acted like a raindrop landing on a smooth lake, sending ripples of goosebumps down her leg and up her body.
It took only a second to drain her first drink, set it down, and reach for the second. This was all she needed. A short, intense attraction to a foreigner on the eve of her engagement. Sort of like a very short-term foreign exchange. Surprised at her comparison to a semester abroad, she laughed to herself.
Not happening. Not now, not ever.

And then he had to ask, “Would you like to dance?”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Shea McMaster lives for traditional romance. Born in New Orleans, raised in California, Shea got moved to Alaska in 1977, where she attended high school before running back to California to get her English degree from Mills College. Alas, once back home she met and fell in love with her own forever true hero, a born and raised Alaska man. Since then she’s had a love-hate relationship with America’s largest state.
With her one and only son half way through college, and mostly out of the house, Shea is fortunate to spend her days engaged in daydreaming and turning those dreams into romantic novels and novellas featuring damsels in distress rescued by their own brains and hunky heroes. She also writes under the steamy romances under the name Morgan O’Reilly.


Buy Links:
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION


The authors will be awarding digital copies of all books on the tour to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Book Blast for Love, Alchemy by Eden Ashely


Love, Alchemy
by Eden Ashley

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GENRE: New Adult Romance/Fantasy

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BLURB:


Daveigh Little is no stranger to bad choices, but when one of them lands her in hot water, she finds herself on the run from a ruthless criminal who places a price on her head…and then there is Ethan.

From the moment she first laid eyes on Ethan Remington, Daveigh knew there was something very different about him…she just didn’t know how different.

With the habit of showing up exactly when she needs him the most, Ethan displays an uncanny intuition towards Daveigh’s whereabouts. But then the tables are turned and soon Daveigh realizes that it is Ethan who actually needs saving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Excerpt One:

The Party

Cooper’s fingers dug into her arm with bruising force, leaving Davey no choice but to defend herself. Punching out with the heel of her free hand, she struck him in the nose. Rearing back in pain, he immediately let go and she struggled to keep her footing. Recovering, Cooper snarled and lunged to retaliate. Davey scrambled but wasn’t fast enough to escape his reach. And then suddenly she didn’t have to. A dark figure stepped into Cooper’s path, and seconds later, Cooper was on the ground bleeding and wearing a dazed look. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon.

Deeply shaken, Davey opened her mouth to thank her rescuer, but he had already gone. Swallowed up by the dancing mass of sweaty teenagers.

Davey wanted to be home at once. All she could think of was cuddling with Hogan while reading him a bedtime story before tucking him in. She ran outside, yanking a hoodie over her head to protect against the chill. Gulping in the misty fresh air, she calmed down enough to slow to a stroll and began what would be a long walk home. But there he was. It hadn’t been her imagination. Remington stood on the shadowy road, blocking Davey’s path.

She stopped several yards from his position. A safe distance away, she hoped. “What do you want?”

His reply was so low she could barely make it out. “I needed to be sure.”

Davey’s heart was thudding out of her chest. Had he seen her dealing? “About what?”

“That you were okay.”

“Oh.” She hadn’t expected that. “If you were so worried, why didn’t you stick around?”

“The directive tonight was recon only.” Remington took a step closer. “I think I may have compromised it by causing a scene.”

Weirdo alarm bells ringing at full volume, Davey took two steps back. “I’m sorry saving my ass messed up your mission. Thanks anyway.” Going in the other direction would get her away from him but also make the trek home thirty minutes longer. It really didn’t seem like a bad trade off.

“What did that guy want from you?”

“It’s none of your business.” Davey quickly started walking.

Remington followed. “You could have been hurt.”

“Again, none of your business.” She doubled her stride, but he kept pace effortlessly. Forging ahead for about fifty feet, Davey stopped. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m escorting you home.”

Flabbergasted, her mouth opened and shut. “Why?” she finally asked.

Remington watched her for a quiet moment. His features were oddly attractive in the glow of the streetlights. “I swore to serve and protect. It’s my job to keep you safe.”

Unconvinced, she gestured toward the house where the party raged on. “So a cop is going to show up and escort every one of those kids home too?”

“No.”

She folded her arms. “Then why are you following me?”

Remington shifted. “I don’t know.”

It wasn’t really an answer, but the way he spoke, as well as the manner of his movements, made the words seem true. Plus, Remington hadn’t appeared comfortable admitting them.

“What’s your name?”

“Officer Remington.”

“Well, I don’t like cops. Give me something else to call you.”

“Like what?”

Davey rolled her eyes. “Like your first name.”

“Oh.” Remington smiled. The expression transformed his features, and she thought he should do it more often. “Ethan.”

“Okay, Ethan. Walk me home.”





~~~~~~~~~~~~~

AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Realist, cynic, and hopeless romantic all rolled into one, Eden lives in a small, sunny town in SC where thunderstorms inspire her best ideas. When not daydreaming about her next novel, Eden can be found curled up with a musty old paperback and a cup of coffee...or mired deeply in her next plot to take over the world. She enjoys reading or watching anything with supernatural elements, so writing paranormal and fantasy romance is a natural fit.


Links:
Twitter: @Eden_byNite

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION 

Eden will be awarding a $10 Starbucks Gift Cards to two randomly drawn winners via rafflecopter during the tour.


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Saturday, July 9, 2016

Vigoo Women's Cotton Maternity Nursing Tank Top




Awesome top pregnant or not. This top is very stretchy and the material is soft and comfortable. It is light weight. It  can be tossed in the washer and the dryer, at least I did and had not problems with shrinking or the color fading. I do like that the chest area has a 2nd lining to it as well. The baby pink color is really pretty. I like that it is seamless. The straps seems to be attached very well and should not pop off easily. If you are pregnant this shirt will grow with you. If nursing it is very easy to get situated for you and baby.

I received this product during a promotion free for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no compensation for this review and I am not required to give a good review. I am also not associated with the seller in any way.

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Beaumont Kitchenware Top Rated Stainless Steel Zinc Alloy Jumbo Lemon Juicer







Very nice juicer. The size of the juicer works great for me. It actually holds a full sized lemon instead of some of the others that only hold tiny lemons which squish everything out the sides. The holes are large enough to let the juices through but I have had no problem with excessive pulp going through, actually there is very little if any pulp.

The juicer is made of stainless steel and is easy to clean up with soapy water or stick it in the dishwasher. Being stainless steel I won't have to worry about it rusting. The connector that holds the 2 pieces together is very strong and should not come loose or break. I am very happy with this juicer and see it being a part of my kitchen for a very very long time.

I received this product during a promotion free for my honest review and they are 100% my own opinions. I received no compensation for this review and I am not required to give a good review. I am also not associated with the seller in any way.

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