Angelbound by Christina Bauer Audiobook Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Angelbound
Christina Bauer
(Angelbound Origins #1)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: December 30th 2016
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult

*Now an audio book!*
Eighteen-year-old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She’s not your everyday quasi-demon, half-demon, and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory’s arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she has not lost a battle yet.
But as she starts her senior year at Purgatory High, the arena fights are not enough to keep her spirits up anymore. When the demons start to act weird, even for demons, and the King of the Demons, Armageddon, shows up at Myla’s school, she knows that things are changing and it is not looking good for the quasi-demons. Myla starts to question everything, and does not like the answers she finds. What happened 17 years ago that turned the quasi-demons into slave labor? Why was her mom always so sad? And why won’t anyone tell her who her father is?
Things heat up when Myla meets Lincoln, the High Prince of the Thrax, a super sexy half-human and half-angel demon hunter. But what does a quasi-demon girl to do when she falls for a demon hunter? It’s a good thing that Myla is not afraid of breaking a few rules. With a love worth fighting for, Myla is going to shake up Purgatory.

Goodreads / Amazon / Audible / iTunes

Monster House Books is celebrating the launch of the audiobook version of the best seller Angelbound, both on iTunes & Audible! As a result, every launched book in the series is only $1.99, aka more than 50% off…And that includes Angelbound ACCA, which was only released a few months ago!

—

Excerpt: 

It’s been one month, three days, and six hours since I last ‘got my gladiator on’ and battled in the Arena. Not that I’m obsessing or anything. Sure, I can sneak in and watch someone else fight, but that’s a snore.

I roll over on my dingy bed, scooch under the drab covers, and watch the gray drizzle outside my window. Mondays are the pits.

Mom’s voice echoes into my bedroom. “Time to get up! You don’t want to be late for school, do you, honey?” I roll my eyes. Of course, I want to be late for school.

Raising my head, I open my mouth to say just that, and then decide against it. Instead, I bite my lower lip, yank the pillow over my head and groan. Loudly.

“Don’t make noises at me, young lady.” Mom rustles papers in the kitchen. “I’ve a letter right here. You’re on something called the Official Watch List for Unreasonable Tardiness.” Her footsteps echo down the hall and pause outside my room. “You’ll be suspended from high school at this rate. What do you think about that?”

I peep out from under my pillow. Mom looms in my doorway, her fist set on her hip. She’s a quasi-demon like me, so she resembles a lovely human with a curvy figure, amber skin, chocolate-brown eyes, and chestnut hair that falls in waves over her shoulders. All quasis have a tail; Mom and I both sport the long and pointed variety. The big differences between us are laugh lines, some grey hair and our opinion of what’s ‘dangerous’ for eighteen-year olds.

I fluff the pillow and slide it under my noggin. Being suspended means no school. Maybe even catching a few Arena matches on the sly. I wag my eyebrows. “And suspension would be bad because?”

“I’d make it that way.”

Ugh. She would, too. Off go my covers. “This is me getting up.”

“Good.” Mom stomps away.

I shower, pull on some sweats, and sleepwalk into the kitchen, seeing the familiar lime-green appliances, mismatched furniture, and peeling linoleum tile. Everything looks peaceful, quiet, and empty. Another typical Monday morning before another average day at school. BO-ring. I’ll have to charm Walker into taking me to the Arena later. Until I’m called to fight again, it’s better than nothing.

A thick white envelope sits at the center of the kitchen table. I scoop up and read: “To the Quasi-Demon, Miss Myla Lewis, 666 Dante Row, Purgatory.” I lick my thumb and run it over the loopy calligraphy. Real ink. My long black tail flicks in a nervous rhythm.

Frowning, I tap the unopened letter against my palm. No one sends me fancy stuff like this. In a blur of motion, my tail darts across my torso, grips the envelope with its arrowhead-shaped end, and tries pulling it from my fingers.

“Hey now!” My tail’s always had a mind of its own. For some reason, it’s decided this letter is dangerous. I jerk the envelope out of reach, but not before one corner gets totally shredded. “Now, look what you did.” My tail slinks behind me to curl guiltily about my ankle.

I reread the outside of the letter. Nothing here to worry about. I am a quasi-demon (mostly human with a little demon DNA). I’ve spent all eighteen years of my life in Purgatory (where human souls get judged for Heaven or Hell, aka the most boring place in the history of ever). This letter’s like dozens of others that hit our doorstep each week. Why’s my tail on a mission to trash this thing?

I stare at the words again, feeling like they should read: “Open this to turn your life upside-down and your heart into mush.” Clearly, I’m having an off-morning.

I slip the envelope-slash-time-bomb into my mangy backpack. I’ll read it later at school.

Mom steps into the kitchen. “How’s my sweet baby, Myla-la?” Yes, I’m eighteen years old and Mom still uses pet names from when I was three.

“I’m good.” I open a cabinet and pull down a box of Frankenberry cereal.

Mom eyes my every movement, her forehead creasing with worry.

“Did you sleep well last night, Myla?”

Oh, no. Here it comes. I square my shoulders and mentally prepare my ‘I’m so very-very caaaaaaalm’ voice. “Absolutely.” Nailed it.

“Any bad dreams?”

“Nope.” The ‘calm voice’ isn’t working so well this time.

“Hmm.” She taps her cheek. “Met anyone lately? Made any new friends?”

I grit my teeth. All my mornings start off with maternal interrogations like this one. I find it’s best to give soothing, one-word answers. “Negative.”

“No friends at all?”

“Only the same one since first grade.” I raise my spoon for emphasis. “Cissy.”

“That’s good.” She offers me a shaky grin. “You’re safe.”

I shoot her a hearty thumbs-up. Today’s cross-examination ended relatively quickly; maybe Mom’s getting less overprotective. A grin tugs at the corner of my mouth.

“More than safe.” I speed-chop the air, karate-style. “I’m a lean, mean, Arena-fighting machine.” Wincing, I freeze mid-chop. How could I be so dumb? Mom loses her freaking mind whenever I say the word ‘Arena.’

There’s a pause that lasts a million years while Mom stares at me, her face unreadable. Finally, she moves. But, instead of jumping around in hysterics, she flips about and rifles through cabinets in search of a coffee mug.

Wait a second.

This morning Mom cut her interrogation short and she didn’t panic when I said the word ‘Arena.’ I wind my lips into an even-wider grin. Sweeeet. Things could be changing, after all.

Leaning back in my chair, I watch Mom pour coffee. I know she goes overboard because it’s just me, her, and this nasty gray ranch house. I have no brothers, sisters, or straight answers about who my father is, except that he’s some kind of diplomat. Add it all up and Mom’s a wee bit clingy.

Or, at least, she used to be. I drum my fingers on the Formica. A less overprotective Mom opens up all sorts of possibilities. I could watch more matches. I could fight in more matches. I could develop interests in things other than the Arena.

Eh, maybe it’s a ‘no’ on that last thing.

Mom slides into the chair across from mine, her large brown eyes watching me through the wisps of steam curling from her mug. “Want a ride to school today? I don’t mind waiting outside the door.” A muscle twitches at the corner of her eye. “You know, in case anything happens.”

My heart sinks to my toes. Then again, maybe Mom’s worse than ever.

“Uhhhh.” My mouth falls so far open, some Frankenberry rolls off my tongue and onto the tabletop. Did she really offer to stand outside school all day long ‘in case anything happens?’ Cissy told me how parents get extra-twitchy during senior year. A shiver rattles my spine. My Mom plus ‘extra-twitchy’ equals a huge nightmare.

I force a few deep breaths. “Thanks for the offer.” It’s getting really hard to keep my ‘calm voice’ handy. “I’ll pass this time.”

Suddenly, the air crackles with energy. A black hole seven feet high and four feet wide appears in the center of the kitchen.

Out of the void steps a ghoul.

Author Bio:
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers. It is now available as an audiobook on Audible and iTunes.
Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.
Be the first to know about new releases from Christina by signing up for her newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/CBupdates
Stalk Christina on Social Media – She Loves It!

Blog / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / LinkedIn / Website

GIVEAWAY!

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL)

• Dragon Bling
• Angel Wing Bobby Pins
• Dragon Scale Ring
• ANGELBOUND AudioBook copy from Audible

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Audiobook Review: Children of the Different by S.C. Flynn!

• Written by: S. C. Flynn
• Narrated by: Stephen Briggs
• Length: 9 hrs and 39 mins 
• Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:08-19-16

Publisher: The Hive

Nineteen years ago, a brain disease known as the Great Madness killed most of the world's population. The survivors all had something different about their minds. Now, at the start of adolescence, their children enter a trance-like state known as the Changeland and emerge either with special mental powers or as cannibalistic Ferals.
In the great forest of South West Australia, 13-year-old Arika and her twin brother Narrah go through the Changeland. They encounter an enemy known as the Anteater who feeds on human life. He exists both in the Changeland and in the outside world, and he wants the twins dead.
After their Changings, the twins have powers that let them fight their enemy and face their destiny on a long journey to an abandoned American military base on the northwest coast of Australia...if they can reach it before time runs out.
Children of the Different is a post-apocalyptic fantasy novel set among the varied landscapes and wildlife of Western Australia

My Thoughts:

Years ago, a plague happened that was called The Great Madness, it wiped out most of the population, with the rest being broken up by people with special powers, or ones who succumbed to the madness and are now feral. Now when kids enter into adulthood, they go into a trance and enter the realm called Changeland. Here they enter the change and either come back with powers, or feral. 

Narrah and Arika are twins and at the age where their Change will happen anytime. Arika enters the Changeland first, but I'm not going to tell you what happens because that will ruin it ;), and then Narrah. Their lives are changed forever because of it and we are brought along for the ride! 

It is very hard to summerise the plot of this because this is such a unique and intriguing world, that I will inadvertently spoil something, so I'll try to get my thoughts together enough to make sense. 

Ok, so this was a pleasant surprise for me. I pretty much loved everything about it. The world building was amazing and incredibly vivid. It's set in Australia, which seems like an incredible place anyway, and goes from forest, to city (albeit derelict) to ocean. The author really brings the scenery to life and makes it very easy to visualise. Not only that, but we have the incredible Changeland. A pace where anything is possible, where you can see memories or sites you have never seen before. It's here where the twins meet The Anteater. (Again, I'm not going to explain this because it is best experienced!! Read the book and you will see who he is!!) The author nailed the setting and it really made the book come alive.

I also loved the characters. There were some varied and intriguing ones too! I loved the twins, their bond was awesome and I loved reading about them. I found all of the abilities to be intriguing and the characters more so. Weirin, Turah, The Anteater, the scientist, the people Arika meet along the way, all of these were well written and developed and I loved each of them. 

So why only 4 stars? Well, I found that things got a little repetitive with the twins and felt like they were focused too much on missing each other some times, when they didn't have to keep on about it. I also found that the inner monologue the twins had was sometimes..... annoying but I think that had more to do with the quality of production than it did the writing!! Other than those minor things, this was an amazing debut book! This author is one to watch!!!!

Now, the narrator, Stephen Briggs, was really good. I'm so glad that the author picked an Australian to read it as it really worked well. Stephen himself did a great job with the narration and had a brilliant array of tones and voices that brought this story alive. What stopped  him from being 5 star was the fact that the volume kept going up and down. It seemed like he spoke low and turned down the volume during the inner monologues and then turn it back to normal every other time. I found it annoying and distracting because if there was any background noise in my house, (and there always is with 4 boys!!) I'd have to turn the volume up and then turn it down again or else my ears were basted!! It took away from an otherwise flawless performance. 

I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

Story: 

Performance: 

Digging in the Stars by Katherine Blakeney Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Digging in the Stars
Katherine Blakeney
Published by: Blaze Publishing
Publication date: March 28th 2017
Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

A lost ancient civilization and the tomb of a legendary king lie buried beneath centuries of ash on the volcanic planet Thror, but that’s not the only reason sixteen-year-old Carter has tricked her Archaeology of Outer Space class into coming here. Her best friend Conrad has just disappeared on a trip to Thror, leaving behind little more than a broken vintage camera. The strange and disturbing photographs she manages to extract make her suspect Conrad’s disappearance is somehow connected to the hidden tomb of the last king of Thror.
Unfortunately, the ludicrously over-friendly ‘Furry Giants’ who have taken over the planet’s barren surface would rather offer her cheap souvenirs than answers, and the local officials insist they have no record of Conrad’s existence. Inspired by fear for Conrad’s life and the chance to make the greatest archaeological discovery of the century, Carter and her friends follow Conrad’s footsteps deep into the mountains of Thror’s forbidden Black Zone and launch an illicit excavation.
Coded messages, stunning ancient ruins, and clues left by Conrad himself begin to surface as the young archaeologists fall victim to an alarming series of accidents staged by the increasingly hostile Furry Giants. Piecing together a history of dictatorship, terrorism and disguise, Carter glimpses the horrors beyond Thror’s flamboyant façade and startling revelations about the friend she thought she knew. The masks of Thror hide devastating secrets, and the golden tomb buried deep in the frozen core may claim the lives of everyone she loves.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Kobo

—

TEASERS:

“Please remain seated as we begin our descent into Thror. Welcome, and enjoy your stay.”
The time for action was at hand, and she still didn’t feel ready. The flight felt much shorter than she’d expected.
The girls exchanged bewildered looks across the aisles. Stunned silence. They couldn’t have missed that final announcement. Avoiding Professor P’s gaze, Carter still felt the look of shock the professor shot across the cabin. Once, Carter had seen herself arriving on Thror as a great explorer. Instead, she would be remembered as a half-baked deceiver and kidnapper. The Throrians would have called her a scent-changer.

* * *

Carter had been so close to her goal. She saw that crack with her own eyes, a portal into a lost ancient world, chambers filed with carvings, images that had never been recorded or reproduced. The greatest discovery of this or any other century, waiting less than twenty feet away. Waiting for her. And Conrad had been there first. The moment she thought it, she felt guilty. She was allowing herself to get carried away by archaeological fervor, mentally competing with Conrad, when he might have paid a terrible price for his discovery.

Author Bio:
I am an author and independent filmmaker/stop motion animator with a BFA in Stop Motion Animation from the School of Visual Arts in New York and a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). My thesis focuses on silent film adaptations of late nineteenth and early twentieth century Gothic novels, with a special emphasis on psychological and aesthetic representations of the Monster figure. My debut novel, a YA Sci-Fi adventure called Digging in the Stars, is forthcoming with Blaze Publishing on March 28, 2017.
Raised by an Egyptologist mother, I grew up among museums and excavation sites, where I developed an unhealthy fascination with ancient art and mythology. I divide my time between bringing 12”-tall people to life in my studio in Edinburgh, excavating ancient tombs in the Egyptian desert, and researching Gothic literary monsters in silent film. I have worked for more than 10 years as photographer and videographer for the South Asasif Conservation Project, an archaeological expedition in Egypt and I have published numerous articles on film and archaeology.
I write, direct, design, and animate short films and commissioned projects in my studio in Edinburgh, Scotland and have been employed as an animator, screenwriter, modelmaker and art director for studios in Edinburgh, South Korea and Qatar. I have produced commissioned projects for IdeasTap in London, the Arts Trust Scotland and the British Library. My shorts have won competitions and screened at various international festivals including the Edinburgh Fringe. In 2015, my short film The Burglar With the Yellow Hand was nominated for an Arts and Humanities Research Council (UK) Research in Film Award.
You can find out more about all aspects of my work on my website, http://yorwickcastle.com
My new blog http://KatherineBlakeneyStardigger.blogspot.com is all about Digging in the Stars and my references and inspirations as a writer.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $5 Amazon gift card
• Sci-fi book bundle
• Sci-fi e-book bundle

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Audiobook Review: Zero Hour by Bobby Akart!

• Written by: Bobby Akart
• Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
• Length: 4 hrs and 56 mins 
• • Series: Blackout, Book 2
• Unabridged Audiobook



Release Date:09-12-16

Publisher: Bobby Akart Inc.

Would you have the mindset to survive?
To provide for and defend the ones you love at all costs?
Willing to confront the depravity of man?
This is a true story, it just hasn't happened yet.
Book one of this new post-apocalyptic survival fiction series, 36 Hours, provided the listener a glimpse into the rapid decline of society once word of the catastrophic solar flare racing towards Earth began to spread.
Book two, Zero Hour, continues to follow the obstacles faced by Colton Ryman, his wife, Madison, and their teenage daughter, Alex. In 36 Hours, the Ryman family and the rest of the world was thrust into the darkness of a post-apocalyptic world. A catastrophic solar flare brought with it a blast of solar matter in the form of an EMP, leaving America in darkness.
The Rymans weren't preppers and had no concept of what prepping entails. They applied common sense, logic, and a will to survive to their decision-making as they prepared for the post-apocalyptic world created by the EMP.
The dangers they face are not from the solar flare itself, but from their fellow man. Who can they count on? Who is a threat? The words of Colton Ryman's grandfather repeated in his mind.
Never underestimate the depravity of man!
Note: This book does not contain strong language. It is intended to entertain and inform audiences of all ages, including teen and young adults. Although some scenes depict the realistic threat our nation faces from a devastating solar flare, and the societal collapse which will result in the aftermath, it does not contain graphic scenes typical of other books in the post-apocalyptic genre.

My Thoughts:

This starts right from the ending of book 1, so we are thrown into it from the start!! It's Zero hour and the Solar storm has hit. The Ryman family were lucky enough to heed the warnings and prepare some bit. Colton got home in time to see that his wife and daughter had managed to get an impressive amount of things in a short space of time. Now that it's Zero Hour, can the community come together to help each other, or is it a case of every man for himself?

Having loved book 1, I couldn't wait to dive into this and am so happy to say that it's even better than the first. 36 Hours sees them having to scramble to prepare but this one sees the fallout and what they have to do now. This time the family have to try to protect themselves and their home from not only raiders, but neighbours. 

I loved that this also gave us POVs from all the Rymans. We get to see how and what each of them do in any given situation and it really adds to the overall feel of the story. The tension and worry is palpable and makes for such an exciting read. You literally can't put the book down because you need to see what will happen next.  

In all, a brilliant second book and one that will leave you wanting the next one ASAP. It's fast paced, gripping and entertaining. It really makes you think of "what if?" and how quickly things could escalate if something like this did happen!! It's scary. Well written and researched, it's a must read for everyone, whether you like these types of books or not :) 

Kevin Pierce has narrated a lot of Post Apocalyptic books and I do think he does it well. He has a clear, crisp voice and knows how to read the story perfectly. He doesn't change his voice much for a female but more often than not that works better than if he tried to do a falsetto voice! He is easy to listen to and makes the story pop. 

I was voluntarily provided this free copy by the author, narrator, or publisher. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts.

Story: 

Performance: 

Marked by D. Laine Book Blitz and Giveaway!

Marked
D. Laine
(Apocalypse Assassins Trilogy #1)
Publication date: March 28th 2017
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal, Post-Apocalyptic

For trained assassin Dylan Romero, business is good. As the agency’s top warriors, he and partner Jake Walker are the last two people evil wants to see on the other side of a gun.
When a mission takes them to the college town of Bozeman, Montana, they discover that there is more than just another mark in another town to keep them there. With a heavy concentration of vessels doing their demon masters’ dirty work and flesh-craving monsters lurking around every corner, the secluded Midwest town is set to become the first battleground of the apocalypse.
The last thing Dylan needs is a distraction. With the fate of the world at stake, the life of one girl shouldn’t matter – until the day she changes everything.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

Seconds later, the bartender set two matching drinks on the counter in front of the guy from the parking lot.

He wordlessly slid one of the glasses toward me. My eyes darted to his in surprise, and he shrugged. “You look thirsty.”
I picked up the glass with a grateful smile, and helped myself to a sip of the cool liquid. Jack and Coke—exactly what I wanted. He was observant. “Thank you.”
As he nodded, his eyes moved over my shoulder, in the general vicinity of Vivian. A small grin tugged at the corner of his lips. He glanced up at me briefly before giving undivided attention to his drink. “How’s your boyfriend?”
“Who? You mean the guy from earlier?”
“Well, I’m not talking about him.” His head nodded across the bar, where David was doing his best to catch the waitress’s attention. “That poor fucker doesn’t stand a chance, does he?”
“David is my friend,” I responded defensively. “And Kyle isn’t my boyfriend. You’re wrong on both counts.”
His eyes snapped to mine, then slowly lowered. Heat followed his gaze as it swept across my lips before settling on my neck. I was forced to sweep the hair off my shoulders in an attempt to cool off. It didn’t help.
He squinted at my neck like he considered devouring me right then and there. With the hot ball of lava tumbling through me, and ultimately settling in my core, I considered letting him. One look. That was all it took.
No guy had ever . . .
Oh, God. Vivian was totally right.
His mouth curved like he had read my thoughts. Then his hand shot out to mine as he stated, “Dylan.”
I accepted his hand with a smile. “Thea.”
His head angled closer to mine. “Thea?” When I nodded, he leaned back with a smirk. “Are you a librarian, or something?”
“What?” I demanded, suddenly on edge.
“Hot librarian,” he corrected with a lazy shrug, as if that somehow made his comment less insulting. At my unamused glare, he used his hand to cover the smile spreading across his face, and muttered, “I’m sorry. I don’t think I’ve ever met a Thea before. It’s, uh . . .”
“A librarian’s name, apparently,” I finished for him sourly.
He chuckled. “I like it, alright? I do. In fact, you’ve given me a new standard to associate with the name Thea. Next time I hear it, I won’t imagine a ninety-year-old librarian. I’ll picture you instead.”
He somehow made me like the sound of him thinking about me, despite the example he used. Some small, gullible part of me liked it. The rest of me reared back with revulsion.
“Need to picture me to get you through the night, huh?” I quipped.
His lips pursed as he considered my question. Then a broad grin turned his lips up. “Never really gone for a good girl before. Unless it’s an act . . .” His eyes swept down the length of me with obvious interest, and I folded my arms over my chest to interrupt his uncensored gaze. When he finally made it back to my eyes, he hooked an inquisitive brow.
“It’s not an act,” I stated firmly, “and I don’t play games.”
He shook his head at the counter, and muttered, “I didn’t think so.”
“Not like it would matter anyway.” My eyes lowered to his lap in mock consideration, then to the drink in front of him. “You’ve had so many of those, I doubt you could even play your part at this point.”
Dylan’s head rolled back as a deep laugh rumbled through him. I refused to acknowledge how sexy it sounded.
“First of all . . .” He lifted a finger in the air. “I’m always up to playing my part. Got it?” I kept my arms folded, my face unreadable, as he lifted another finger. “Secondly . . . I find it interesting that you know how much I’ve had to drink tonight.”
My arms slowly uncrossed under his amused and knowing gaze. His eyebrows shot up in silent inquiry, and when I offered no explanation, his grin broadened.
“I thought so.” With a flirty wink, he turned in his seat to face the bar.

Author Bio:
I write relationships. Whether contemporary or fantasy, they are always real and never easy.
When I'm not writing, you can usually find me with my nose in my Kindle - reading romance of course - or running around after my three little boys, or catching up on an episode of Supernatural or This Is Us.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $25 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Audiobook Review: To Beat the Devil by M. K. Gibson!

• Written by: M. K. Gibson
• Narrated by: Shawn Purvis
• Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins 
• Unabridged Audiobook
Release Date:01-03-17

Publisher: Amber Cove Publishing

One hundred and seventy-five years have passed since god quit on mankind. Without his blessing, Hell itself, along with the ancient power of The Deep, were unleashed upon the world. Two world wars and oceans of blood later, a balance was reached. Demonkind took its place as the ruling aristocracy. Mankind, thanks to its ability to create, fell to the position of working proletariat. Alive, but not living. Lucky us. Welcome to New Golgotha, the east coast supercity. In it you will find sins and cyborgs, magic and mystery, vices without virtue, and hell without the hope of heaven. In the middle of it all is Salem, smuggler extraordinaire and immortal recluse, who has lived and fought through the last two centuries, but his biggest battle is just beginning. To Beat the Devil is an incredible adventure full of cyborgs and demons, gods, magic, guns, puns, and whiskey, humor, and heart. Follow Salem as he embarks to discover the meaning of the very nature of what mankind is: our souls. And who is trying to steal them.

My Thoughts;

This is definitely a case of don't judge the book by the cover!! The cover wouldn't entice me to pick this up in a book store, but trust me when I say that you should definitely pick it up!! This was a funny, unique and addicting read. 

Plot wise, it was fast paced, entertaining and fun. This centers on Salem, a mercenary/smuggler for hire, who has a mysterious background and one that rolls out slowly throughout the story. He is approached by an equally mysterious man, Father Grimm, who has a job for Salem. From the second Salem meets with Father Grimm, his life is changed forever. What follows is a book that is intriguing, entertaining, funny and a must read. 

I loved the setting of this. The apocalypse came and God had had enough. He upped and left and left the world in the hands of Demons. Now they rule the world and have a kind of deal with humanity, but with the Demons come depravity and death. Salem and Grimm are on a course that could change the world as they know it, but along the way they have to deal with Demon armies, risen dead, and Demon overlords, to name but a few!!

The characters in this were my favourite part of it. All were well written and developed and charismatic!! I loved Salem and his snarky, quirky attitude. He is a character that is memorable and easy to like. Father Grimm was mysterious and I couldn't wait to see his story unravel throughout the book. We also get some truly unique and fun side characters, that just add to the overall awesomeness of this book. 

In all, this was a surprising and engaging read. Filled with amazing characters, action, adventure, Demons, Angels, Magic, Science and enough Pop Culture references that will make you laugh out loud, it's a must read for everyone. I loved pretty much everything about this and can highly recommend. 

The narrator, Shawn Purvis, was really good. He had a variety of tones and voices and really put his all into this performance. He brought the story to life.

I received a complimentary copy of this from the author but voluntarily reviewed it. This in no way affected nor influenced my thoughts. 

The Supernatural Pet Sitter by Diane Moat Book Blitz and Giveaway!

The Supernatural Pet Sitter
Diane Moat
(The Magic Thief, #1)
Publication date: March 5th 2017
Genres: Fantasy, Middle-Grade

Every animal can talk to you. You just have to know how to listen.
Pepper Neely is better at this than most, especially because she is in charge of pet sitting all the familiars in her neighborhood. A familiar is a pet magically linked to a witch or warlock. As a gnome, Pepper is no stranger to spells and sorcery. She also knows that, despite their special name, familiars aren’t all that different from regular animals. They get anxious when separated from their people, so Pepper uses her special gnome powers to calm them down. She watches Cranky the high-strung ferret, Frank the laid-back parrot, King Arthur the elderly tortoise, and many others.
Then, something terrible begins happening to the familiars. Someone is stealing their magic! It not only prevents Pepper from communicating with them but breaks their magical connection with their people. When King Arthur’s magic is stolen, his owner’s powers stop working too. Pepper can sense that the tortoise is very scared.
In order to protect the animal’s magic, Pepper decides to track down the culprit. With the help of her best friend, Luna, and her brother, Jax, Pepper fights to protect all of the special pets.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Familiars don’t do well when they are separated from their witches. That was how Pepper got into the business of pet sitting. Gnomes have a low-level connection with all supernatural animals. Gnomes are kind of like the Dog Whisperer, except that they communicate well with Familiars, basilisks (a magical lizard), unicorns and so on, rather than the more usual “pets”.

Pepper’s business of helping witches by taking care of their Familiars had boomed over the past year. Thank goodness she wasn’t sitting for the McCrorys last month when “it” happened.

Mr. McCrory was an accountant and Mrs. McCrory worked part-time at the downtown Dewitt Mall. Their two kids lived away at college. Mrs. M’s Familiar was a huge, bright-green-and-blue parrot named Frank. Pepper had only checked on the parrot once when the McCrorys drove their kids to their out-of-state campus several months earlier. Frank didn’t cause any trouble, so the job was easy money.
Supposedly, Mrs. M was at work one day last month when she had a “bad feeling” that prompted her to go home to check on Frank. The house seemed undisturbed, and everything looked fine at first. But when Mrs. M went to Frank’s cage, she found him looking away from her. He wouldn’t even turn around when she called his name. When she walked around the cage to greet Frank face-to-face, he had only ducked and bobbed his head the way a normal parrot would. But Frank wasn’t normal.
Next, Mrs. M had reached out to the Familiar with her magic, but got no response from him. Not only that, but she said she had trouble focusing, and even her own magic had felt weak. With hands trembling, she had picked up Frank to try again. Nothing. Since that day, Frank’s magic was gone, and Mrs. M’s magic was broken.

Author Bio:
Diane is a Tennessee transplant, animal rescuer, and nurse. Dog Gone is her debut novel, born from years of hearing animal rescuers say about animal abusers, “If only I could get my hands on that person...” Diane is assisted by her many rescue dogs.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!

Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)

• $50 Visa gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway