Monday, June 5, 2023

BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - FANTASY - THE BIRTH OF DEATH (Evorath, #1) by Joseph P. Macolino

The Birth of Death
Evorath, #1
by Joseph P. Macolino
Publication date: August 11th 2016
Genres: Adult, Fantasy





BLURB

What you see on the surface is not always what you get.

Meet Artimus, the head investigator for the elvish kingdom of Erathal who begins to notice the flaws in his apparently perfect society. As he develops feelings for Savannah, a beautiful elvish druid hiding an important secret, he struggles to separate his personal feelings from his responsibilities to the kingdom.

In a nearby center village, the young warrior Irontail struggles to distinguish himself in a tribe where independent thought is discouraged. When their paths cross, they both discover that their own people’s shortcomings may be the least of their concerns. Putting aside their own personal troubles, they must fight against the clock to ensure the very survival of their peoples. As they work towards this common goal, they find that they each have their own, unique gifts to offer. But, will they be strong enough to survive?

The second edition of the critically-acclaimed 5-star fantasy epic, The Birth of Death takes readers on an unforgettable fantasy journey. Re-released in collaboration with Free Dragon Press, the second edition brings all the excitement of the initial release in a more refined package. Dark elves, demons, centaur, elves, trolls, and a host of other fantasy creatures, Evorath offers it all!

Editorial Reviews:

“Overall, The Birth of Death is definitely recommended to fans of LOTR and Game of Thrones.” – Readers’ Favorite 5-Star Review

“Snappy writing keeps the action moving, and satisfying doses of lore, bolstered by appendices with maps and a glossary, will keep readers wanting to return to the world of Evorath for more.” – The BookLife Prize in Fiction

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EXCERPT:

As the embarrassing exchange concluded, Goldenchest left Irontail alone with the two elves. He felt uncomfortable after being scolded by his elder, but he was mature enough to ignore the shame. His habit to think about every little order before executing it was proving to be quite a nuisance lately. Still, he had a job to do, and he wouldn’t let his embarrassment interfere.

Fortunately for Irontail, both elves were much too shocked to ask any questions as their eyes traveled across the giant chamber. Even Irontail could not believe that all this was possible, but somehow the elders had gathered a druid from every sentient species of the forest.

He spotted the satyr druid he had escorted across the hall and watched as he conversed with a beautiful lamia. Not far from them were a group of lizock who seemed intent on being isolated, a practice common to their race. To the other side of the room there were felite conversing with a pair of barghest and a rather small troll. This was a gathering to be proud of and knowing that it was his elders who had organized this event reassured Irontail of their infinite wisdom. Never before had all of these races united for a single cause.

“I don’t believe my eyes,” Artimus exclaimed as his gaze passed over the felite and fixed in on the troll.

“Is that a troll?” Savannah asked.

“Yes it is,” answered Irontail full of pride.

“What are all of these people doing here?” Artimus questioned. “And what is that dog looking creature?”

“I believe you mean the barghest, sir.” Savannah interjected matter-of-factly.

“Yes, it is a barghest,” Irontail confirmed. “Their elders claim that at one time they were more numerous than both our species put together.”

“There are many legends about barghest being around in the age of demons, before elf, dwarf, centaur, or any other common race even existed,” Savannah added.

“Don’t stories also say that barghest fought on the side of the demons?” Artimus asked.

To that, Irontail had no answer. History was not one of his strong points.

“I don’t know,” he interjected, “But enough about the barghest. You asked why they have gathered. I shall give you an answer.”

Irontail paused for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what to say. In all honesty, he wasn’t even sure of the exact reason these races had gathered. All that he did know was what his elders had told him in the meeting he attended just after escorting the satyr courier. He just needed to make it look like he understood more…

“Well. You see. These nine races that are gathered represent the greatest species of the woods. These nine, including both your race and my own, will perform the first perfect druidic ritual. With your help,” he said turning to Savannah, “all nine races will be present and the ritual will be done.”

“Wait,” Savannah began, her face losing color. “Are you talking about a Xyrloom?”


 

Author Info

Husband, father, and seeker of truth, Joseph Macolino has a passion for nature, philosophy, and all things fantasy. An unwavering Christian and self-declared anarchist, he dreams of a future human society where people can truly cooperate and voluntarily exchange ideas, goods, and services.

When he’s not writing Evorath, he’s likely outside gardening, spending time watching a show with his family, or reading a book on philosophy. Considering himself a lifelong student of humanity, Joseph enjoys meeting new people and being exposed to new perspectives. He believes each person’s unique gifts can help contribute to stronger communities and hopes his work encourages others to embrace their gifts.

Evorath introduces a rich world full of magic, adventure, and diverse characters trying to find their place in the world.

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BOOK BLITZ w/EXCERPT - CONTEMPORARY - IT HAD TO BE YOU by Tracy Solheim

It Had to be You
by Tracy Solheim
Publication date: June 5th 2023
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance





BLURB

It’s hard to keep a big secret in a small town . . .

When Paige Hollister discovers her “Mr. Right” already has a “Mrs. Right,” she swears off men forever. Even more humiliating, she suddenly finds herself labeled the other woman and out of the teaching job she loves. So Paige does what every unemployed single woman staring thirty in the face does: She hightails it to the beach. Bad luck like hers is hard to outrun, however. Her getaway is stalled when her car breaks down in a small-town chock full of meddling, nosy residents. The worst of them being the local sheriff—none other than her estranged father.

Finally on top of the golf world, Tanner Gillette is poised to show everyone he’s not just an entitled playboy coasting through tournaments on his pedigree. That is until his life is turned upside down by a little girl who shows up on his doorstep with a birth certificate inexplicably bearing his name. Complicating matters more, the kid isn’t talking. When the stress of caring for a child whose mother is AWOL gives Tanner a bad case of the yips, he’s forced to enlist help from the one person in town who can’t wait to leave.

Sticking around Chances Inlet and her father’s shiny new, über-successful family isn’t on Paige’s to-do list. Especially when she’d prefer to keep her embarrassing incident under wraps. Yet she can’t walk away from the troubled little girl. Or the sexy Australian golfer who just might make her want to take a chance on trusting her heart again.

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EXCERPT:

She snatched up one of the beach-reads she’d brought from home. The well-worn paperback was one of her “comfort” books. Part of a Victorian era romance series featuring a group of wallflowers trying to find love. The familiar words kept swimming on the page, however, before Paige finally slammed it closed.

“There’s more to life than finding a man, sister,” Paige mumbled. Sighing heavily, she smacked her head against the pillows. “Yet another thing Jon ruined for me. Romance novels.”

She was about to reach for the TV remote when a sound from Whitney’s room caught her attention. Flipping back the covers, she listened intently for it to come again.

“It was probably something outside,” she told herself.

Except it wasn’t. Whitney was crying out in her sleep. And it sounded like she was calling for her mother. Paige raced through the bathroom and into the adjoining bedroom. Whitney was tossing and turning as sobs wracked her small body. As sweet as it was to finally hear the girl’s voice, Paige was devastated by her cries.

“Shh.” Paige crawled into the bed, gathering Whitney up beside her. “Shh,” she repeated. “Everything is going to be okay. You’re safe. I’m here.”

Whitney’s gulping sobs eventually subsided. She curled against Paige, remarkably, still fast asleep. Paige rubbed the girl’s back, softly whispering reassurances. She wiped Whitney’s tear-stained cheeks with the sheet. Within minutes, the child was sleeping peacefully.

A noise in the doorway alerted Paige they were not alone. She looked up to see a shadow of a man illuminated by the hallway lights. After resettling Gladys in Whitney’s arms, Paige replaced her own body with a pillow. She waited a moment to make sure Whitney was settled before slipping out into the hallway where Tanner waited.

A shirtless Tanner.

“She okay?” he whispered.

Paige picked a spot beyond his muscled shoulder where she could fix her gaze to avoid openly drooling at the man.

“Mmhmm,” she answered with a nod.

He took a step closer. “Are you okay?”

She wanted to be blasé and mature, but she wasn’t that skilled at playing it cool. The man’s chest was a freaking work of art. And who knew golfers had six-pack abs? Weren’t they supposed to be pot-bellied or some damn thing? It was the trail of dark hair disappearing beneath his flannel joggers that sent her over the edge.

“Could you—” She wiggled her fingers in the direction of his chest. “Could you cover that up, please?”

He looked at her as though she’d just asked him to shoot a hole-in-one on the moon. Then he chuckled sadistically before turning on his heel and padding down the long hallway leading to his bedroom.

“Water.” Paige fanned herself. “I need some water.”

Hurrying to the kitchen, she filled a glass using the dispenser on the refrigerator door. She was gulping down its contents when Tanner reappeared. Thankfully, he was wearing a T-shirt with what looked like German writing on it. A pair of sheepskin moccasins covered his feet.

“I’ve got something stronger in my study,” he said when he walked past, presumably on his way there.

A smarter woman would have returned to her bed and listened for signs Whitney might be having another nightmare.



 

Author Info

USA Today bestselling author Tracy Solheim writes books with shirtless men on the cover. Some of them are actually best-sellers. The books, not the men. When she's not writing, she's practicing her curling. . . bottles of wine, that is. She's been known to cook dinner but no more than two nights in a row. Most days, she'd rather be reading, which to her is just necessary research. She lives in the suburbs of Atlanta with her husband and a neurotic Labrador retriever. Her two adult children visit but not often enough. (See the note above about cooking.) Check out her romantic suspense series featuring the Men of the Secret Service--shirtless, of course! See what she’s up to at www.tracysolheim.com

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SPOTLIGHT w/INTERVIEW - PNR ROM-COM - SCROOGE'S FOLLY - Saving Jacob Marley by David Weinberg


Scrooge’s Folly – Saving Jacob Marley
by David Weinberg
Date of Publication: May 23rd, 2023
Publisher: Old Fezziwig Press
Cover Artist: Nicole Collis
Genre: Romantic Comedy/Paranormal Romance
ISBN: 9798218104054
ASIN: BOBRZ457N4
Number of pages: 285
Word Count: 80,000

Tagline: Love and redemption are always possible…even for the dead.


BLIRB
Award-winning, but down-on-her-luck playwright, Andrea Smilow, is commissioned by The Playhouse in Connecticut to save it from bankruptcy with a new work.  

When she arrives, she discovers that The Playhouse is inhabited by the spirit of the real Jacob Marley, and he wants her play to be about him…to set the story straight about how Dickens ruined his life with A Christmas Carol. 

Andrea believes he needs to be reunited with the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge, who lives in the caretaker house.  It is all Scrooge’s idea.  He has been working with Andrea’s roommate, the most powerful witch in North America, to win a second life for Marley from God…and to get Marley and Andrea to fall in love.

Amazon     BN

Excerpt:
     Andrea walked to the coffee table and picked up the letter. She held it up and jabbed at it with her right index finger. “Eleven regional theatre companies have performed Rememberings this year, and I get a royalty check for $750. How could that be right? They’re screwing me and I have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”
     “Call Roger and see what he has to say.”
     Andrea laughed. “Roger? He texted me yesterday. Not a word about money. He texts me once a year and never once has mentioned royalties…let us not forget that Roger is my last remaining tie to Brian. I met Roger through Brian. Fifty agents wanted to sign me, and Brian insisted I go with Roger and WMA. He’s a pleasant enough guy, unlike Brian, but he’s never done a damn thing for me. Is it Brian’s fault for recommending him, or my fault for listening to him?”
     Thoughts of Brian hit Andrea like a face against a windshield. She hadn’t thought about him consciously in a long time, yet he was never far from her thoughts. Some guys are like that; they just get into your blood. Often it is the horrible ones that stay there. As the hot water from the shower touched her skin, it elicited an almost imperceptible sigh. She and Brian had spent many a shower together. She remembered how he loved to soap her breasts, and make her nipples hard…until they begged for his lips. She tossed her wet hair out of her eyes and slapped the wall, chastising herself for even thinking about him. He was just one of many evil spirits she had encountered in her life, and he was her past. Perhaps Ivoryton would point the way to her future. She shook her head as she dried her hair with a towel. She had no idea that she was not quite done with Brian yet.




Author Info
David Weinberg is a screenwriter and musician. Most recently a quarter-finalist in the 2022 Creative Screenwriting Pilot competition. 

He has a B.S. in Environmental Health from Quinnipiac University and a Masters in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University.  He is divorced and owns the two most spoiled cats in America.

The Book Junkie Reads . . .Reckless Dreams  Interview with  . . . David Weinberg . . .




You can also enter The Contest on the author's site to win
1st Prize – A cameo in the movie version when it gets produced. 
Winner chosen Christmas Eve -2023
2nd Prize – Ibanez 6 string sunburst acoustic guitar, gigbag and capo.
https://davidweinbergauthor.com/reader-rewards/ 

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Sunday, June 4, 2023

SPOTLIGHT w/EXCERPT - SUSPENSE - GULLIBLE by Rosemary Kubli


Gullible
by Rosemary Kubli
Genre: Suspense 


Even the most cunning femme fatale has her weakness

Siena Ricci is shrewd, seductive, and an expert in the art of deception. Masking her identity behind the guise of Marie Lacroix, a specialist in antiques and objets d'art, she swindles her employer's wealthy clients out of their valuable possessions. She hasn't yet met the man she can't manipulate, but then the con she's playing on Jonathan Woodward has only just begun.

Jonathan proves to be an easy mark, but he's also enticingly irresistible. As their relationship heats up, her plot to steal his multi-million-dollar antique trinkets begins to unravel. Noticing a subtle change in Jonathan's demeanor, Marie questions whether she's still in control of the con or if she's blindly become the gullible victim of her own scheme.

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Rosemary Kubli writes the type of books she loves to read - intrigue and suspense mixed with a pinch of romance and a clever plot twist or two. Her professional experiences run the gamut from Human Resources and training to accounting and banking, with publishing being her most recent endeavor. Aside from the seven years she lived in southern California, she has always called the northeast corner of Ohio her home. Rosemary and her husband of 45 years enjoy traveling - on land to visit family and friends and on sea to any destination a cruise ship will take them. When not working on her next novel, she can be found discussing the latest in literary fare with her book club, playing a rousing game of Bunco with some of her oldest and dearest friends, researching her ancestry, volunteering in her community, burying her nose in a book, or obsessing over the latest binge-worthy TV series.

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Saturday, June 3, 2023

SPOTLIGHT - URBAN FANTASY - REIGN OF GODDESSES SEREIS by C.D. Britt

The Reign of Goddesses Series
by C.D. Britt
Genre: Urban Fantasy Romance 


Shadows and Vines
The Reign of Goddesses, #1

Everything you know about the gods of Ancient Greece is a lie.

Zeus.

Hades.

Poseidon.

They do not exist as you’ve been told.

For centuries, Persephone, the true Ruler of the Underworld, has watched humanity destroy themselves and the world around them. Known for centuries as her alter ego, Hades, she has guarded the souls under her care, her only interaction outside of her realm as C.E.O. of the largest financial company in the world, Cerberus Financial. She is content with this, except a soul has called to her and her alone for thousands of years. One that she finds herself bound to in more ways than one.

Devon Aideonous was murdered, his killer unknown, his past as a mercenary haunting him in the afterlife. He is sent to the Underworld, but not as a soul meant to live out eternity there. He is something far more powerful, and the more he learns about his new power, the more secrets are uncovered from his past.

This is book one in the “Reign of Goddesses” series.

Warning: Adult Content and Triggering situations such as PTSD, Trauma, Thoughts of suicide, Filicide (not happening in present), and rape (not happening in present).

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Sirens and Leviathans
The Reign of Goddesses, #2

Goddess of the sea

Head of the Zephyr Maritime Administration.

Spymaster.

Amphitrite has always lived in the shadows of her sisters, but the shadows are where she does her best work. Living two lives was always easy enough for the Goddess; from being a pirate ship captain chasing secrets instead of gold to an upstanding government official. She has worked alongside her spies and sirens for centuries, guarding both the sea and Halcyon.

But a war has started against the Titans, and the darkness taking over the sea is now more than she can handle alone.

West Murphy has been the golden heir all his life, making selfish choices and surrounding himself with disposable people. That was until the night an act of violence forever changed his life. Now, feeling betrayed by everyone he knows, he considers himself a hollow shell of a man with no true purpose.

Until a tsunami changes the tides of his fate forever.

This is book two in the "Reign of Goddesses" series. To truly enjoy book two, it is recommended that you read book one.

TW: adult subject matter discussed. Recommended for 18+. Scenes of violence and assault are all happening in the past.

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Storms and Embers
The Reign of Goddesses, #3

Archon of Zephyr.

Queen of the Goddesses.

A Broken Woman.

Hera has reigned over Olympus and humanity for millennia. Seen as cold, sarcastic, and callous, she uses this to her advantage, keeping everyone, including her sisters, at a distance. It's a lonely life, but it worked, until the Titans decided that breaking her father out of Tartarus was a good idea. A move that put her and her sisters against the Titans in a battle for their thrones upon Olympus.

Dr. Viktor Alden understands being alone. As a man who has spent his immortal life as a nomad, living with a curse that has kept him from allowing anyone to really know him, he is fascinated by the enigmatic woman who quite literally runs the world. Too bad they have a battle they may not win, or even live through, for him to learn the intricacies that make up the Queen of the Goddesses.

Now, two people who have spent their entire lives distrusting the world must learn to trust each other if they want to survive the upcoming war.

Storms and Embers is the final book in the Reign of Goddesses series. To truly enjoy this book, it is highly recommended you read the other books in the series first.
TW: violence, cursing, adult situations.

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C.D. Britt began her writing journey when her husband told her she needed to use her excessive imagination to write stories as opposed to creating a daily narrative for him. Ever since she penned her first words, life has been a lot more peaceful for him.

She currently resides in Texas where she has yet to adapt to the heat. Her husband thrives in it, so unfortunately, they will not be relocating to colder climates anytime soon.

Their two young children would honestly complain either way.

When she is not in her writing cave (hiding from the sun), she enjoys ignoring the world as much as her children will allow with a good book, music, and vast amounts of coffee (until it’s time for wine).

C.D. Britt is the author of the Reign of Goddesses series, Clan of Shadows series, and the upcoming Blood of Saviors series.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads



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