In a realm where toxic mist sweeps the lands and magic is forbidden, all Bleak wants is a cure for her power.
Still grieving the death of her guardian and dangerously self-medicating with alcohol, Bleak is snatched from her home by the Commander of the King’s Army, and summoned to the capital. But the king isn’t the only one interested in Bleak’s powers. The leader of an infamous society of warriors, the Valia Kindred, lays claim to her as well, and Bleak finds herself in the middle of a much bigger battle than she anticipated. Heart of Mist is the gripping first book in The Oremere Chronicles, a fantasy series of epic proportions.
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Open internationally | Must be 13+ to enter - 1 Winner will receive an Audio Book Copy of HEART OF MIST by Helen Scheuerer - Winner will receive a $10.00 Amazon Gift Card.
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There are times we all feel we need more than one heart to get through. When Briana’s father dies, she imagines she has a new heart growing inside her. It speaks to her in her Dad’s voice. Some of its commands are mysterious.
Find Her! it says. Be Your Own! How can Briana “be her own” when her grieving mother needs her to take care of her demanding little brother all the time? When all her grandpa can do is tell stories instead of being the “rock" she needs? When her not-so-normal home life leaves no time to pursue her dream of writing for the school literary magazine? When the first blush of a new romance threatens to be nipped in the bud? Forced by the loss of her favorite parent to see all that was once familiar with new eyes, Briana draws on her own imagination, originality, and tender loving heart to discover a surprising path through the storm. AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY "Bass tackles some heavy issues—having a sibling with a disability, losing a parent suddenly and at a young age, and coping with a parent's depression—but she manages to do it with grace and empathy." ―Kirkus Reviews "In this tenderhearted tale, Bass (Sign of the Qin) conveys the complex, conflicting emotions that arise in a family facing the unexpected death of a parent . . . It’s an emotionally nuanced exploration of grief and resilience." ―Publishers Weekly "Bass excels in portraying the family members, their relationships, and how they shift when one person is no longer there . . . A heartfelt story of loss, grief, and healing." ―Booklist "Bass balances the coming-of-age narrative with a grief journey that sensitively and realistically shows how friendships and family relationships change after a tragedy." ―School Library Journal
What if you could ask for anything... and get it?
In the sandy Mojave Desert, Madison is a small town on the road between nothing and nowhere. But Eldon wouldn’t want to live anywhere else, because in Madison, everyone gets one wish—and that wish always comes true. Some people wish for money, some people wish for love, but Eldon has seen how wishes have broken the people around him. And with the lives of his family and friends in chaos, he’s left with more questions than answers. Can he make their lives better? How can he be happy if the people around him aren’t? And what hope is there for any of them if happiness isn’t an achievable dream? Doubts build, leading Eldon to a more outlandish and scary thought: maybe you can’t wish for happiness… maybe, just maybe, you have to make it for yourself. AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY Praise for AS YOU WISH "Heartbreaking, other times hilarious, but always thought-provoking. An unexpectedly affecting book that will have readers pondering what they would wish for if given the chance." ―Booklist "Poignant... Will inspire readers to explore the question: if you could have one wish, what would it be" ―Kirkus "An engrossing read, fantastical and believable at the same time." ―Horn Book Magazine "The plot itself transcends Eldon's quest for a wish and becomes a study of human nature. This is a good story that includes a bit of romance, sports, friendship, family issues, and coming of age. A thoroughly engaging choice for readers of realistic fiction and magical realism." ―School Library Journal "Depending on the reader, this novel offers different levels of intensity, starting with the everyday sort of teen troubles, progressing to difficult family dynamics, and reaching up to the ethical dilemmas wishing can create-all while being easy to read and hard to put down." ―VOYA Magazine, Perfect Ten "The book provides an interesting and original premise that will open up some great discussion about what students might wish for and what the ramifications of those wishes might be." ―School Library Connection "The countdown structure creates a natural hook, and Sedoti (The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett) makes good use of her what-if premise to give readers much to consider. She successfully captures the feelings of uncertainty that come with nascent adulthood, the desire to leave home, and waiting for one's life to begin." ―Publishers Weekly
Three lucky winners will receive a copy of AS YOU WISH by Chelsea Sedoti!
Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter | Ends June 22, 2018 
Happy Friday, my fellow booklovers! Today, I'm excited to announce the release of the third book in the Pen Pals and Serial Killers series by Jo Michaels. Read on for a snippet from Intensification and other great info!
Title: Intensification - Pen Pals and Serial Killers - Story Three Author: Jo Michaels Genre: Psychological Thriller Length: 232 printed pages Buy Links: Amazon Kindle $3.17 ~ Paperback $19.99  Blurb:Detective Hank Reynolds has just been handed the case of a lifetime. Another reality TV star has gone missing, and it’s up to the Atlanta police department to find her before it’s too late. While he’s digging around, he discovers there have been nearly twenty similar kidnappings in the surrounding areas over the last twenty years, and while trying to find out more—and a witness that’s still alive—he’s dragged into a past he wishes he could erase. His dreams become nightmares about the women, and his sanity unravels. Even his eyes begin to play tricks on him, but no hallucinations are as devious as the antics of the killer—who’s always one breath away—waiting for the chance to strike again. NOTE: This is a stand-alone novel in a series with crossover characters and may be read independently of the other books. ~~~ Are you excited? You should be!! This is unlike any of the other books in the series, and I have my fingers crossed you enjoy it. For really, Claude will keep you up at night. He's worse than Tobias could ever have been. SECOND NOTE: There's a book releasing on June 6th that ties in HARD with this book titled The House. You need to read this one before you read that one. Otherwise, it'll spoil the surprise. Ready for the excerpt? Awesome. Here's a teaser to start you out: 
Hank
At six a.m. sharp, the alarm sounded, jolting Hank out of a deep sleep. He rolled onto his back, one hand absently slapping at the offending noise. Finally, it stopped, and he groaned. It was like he hadn’t slept in weeks, and it was starting to take a toll on him. A decision was made then and there that one of the sleeping pills the doctor had prescribed would be taken that night. Just one night of rest was all he needed to trudge on through another few weeks of restlessness. He peeled himself out of bed, pressed the button on the coffee pot, and headed for the shower. Music poured out of his mouth, and he took the detachable sprayer and held it in front of his lips, filling the small space with crescendos and a strong, natural vibrato. It was his favorite time of day, before dealing with the people from the office, before having to get into it with victims calling about some bullshit that might or might not have happened in the middle of the night; in that moment, he was just a man with music in his soul and warm spray from his shower microphone. Once he was clean, he stepped out and toweled off, going to the kitchen to pour a huge cup of the coffee he could smell from the bathroom. He gulped at it, loving the way it burned as it made its way to his stomach. A sigh tore out of him. Perfection. His routine was firmly established, and the next half hour was spoken for as he trimmed his beard, brushed his teeth, and dressed for the day in slacks and a button down, strapping his gun holster over his torso. He always grabbed his wallet and badge as he left the bedroom, and those went in his back pockets. Then, he filled his travel cup with more coffee and left for the day. On the drive to the precinct, he checked his voicemail. There were three calls: One from his ex-girlfriend inviting him for drinks—delete, another from his partner about the upcoming softball game—save, and a third from someone he didn’t know from some online bullshit magazine asking for a quote about the rich-girl kidnapping—delete. He sighed and threw the phone on the passenger’s seat, leaning back with two hands on the wheel, and finished driving to work while yelling at other drivers to pay attention to what they were freaking doing before they killed someone. Some days he was so tempted to hit the switch on the light bar so people would move the hell out of the way and he wouldn’t have to sit in traffic. Pulling into the lot, he parked in his designated spot and got out, nearly empty coffee thermos in hand, to go up to his office. His partner was already there. “Morning,” Hank said. “Dude. Phones are still blowing up over that rich-girl model that went missing. Cap says we need to nail this bastard soon.” Tony thumped the desk with his forehead. “Sorry. Good morning to you, too.” “Do we have any new information?” “No. That’s the thing. There have been a million and one ‘hot tips,’ but none of them check out, ya know?” Falling into a rolling chair behind a desk facing Tony’s, Hank shook his head as his anger bubbled. “Don’t know what Cap wants us to do about it if we don’t have any damned leads. The guy snatching these women might as well be a goddamned ghost! Unless there’s more than one, and if so, they’re goooood.” “I know. You’re preaching to the choir, man.” “I’m just so f*ing frustrated with it all.” “Well, what do you want to do today? Beat the streets?” “We’re gonna have to.” Frustrated, he pulled the file folder over and flipped it open. A pretty brunette smiled out of the photograph. Missing nearly a week, she’d disappeared while grocery shopping at a local store, one with no exterior cameras. He read over the report once again, but the only thing that stuck out to him was that she’d been on TV on some reality show about marriage. A few cases with eerie similarities had come over his desk the previous two years, but they’d already gone cold due to lack of evidence and witnesses, and his mind whirled. He wondered if anyone else had thought about that. I wonder if it’s a pattern. Their captain stuck his head out the door and barked at them, “Get in my office. Now!” With a sigh, Tony and Hank rose and went through the glass door into the chaos beyond. “Take a seat, boys.” They did, neither of them saying a word, Hank still clutching the file. “I need you two on top of your game. This f*er has everyone terrified to take a step outside.” Hank held up a hand. “Whoa. Hold on a sec, Cap. I was just thinking that maybe this isn’t random and isn’t linked with those other two sloppy snatch-and-grab jobs from Fulton County. It struck me a few minutes ago that Sharon makes the fourth young woman that’s been kidnapped in what might be a series. All four of the women I’m thinking of have been on one reality TV show or another, and all have gone missing over the last few years. That suggests a pattern, right? I’m not sure ‘Jane the Wife’ has anything to be afraid of—as long as she doesn’t live in Fulton county. My guess is, those two will be solved pretty quickly. They’re lacking the finesse of the Sharon one.” “Right. Suggests. There’s no way to be sure of that, Reynolds. If all the women in your recollection had gone missing after being part of one show, we’d have something.” Truer words were never spoken, and he knew it; he just didn’t really like it all that much. A kidnapper had to be established several years and have a definitive pattern, but the cases they were working had no links between all the victims, only four out of six that he could see. It also seemed the reality kidnapper had only been active a little while, but if Hank’s suspicions were correct, the guy had snatched three other women who were in the public eye, but lesser known than the most recent. Reality kidnapper. Damn, I’m f*ing clever. “My gut tells me we’ll catch someone soon, so I want you boys looking into everything you can think of, okay? Get out there and get me some answers. I need to assure people that my guys aren’t complete morons.” Cap crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and waved his hands. “Get!” Tony and Hank got up and left, neither of them with a spring in their step. “Let’s go, big guy,” Tony said. “Wait a sec. I’m gonna grab another cup and look at something on my computer.” Hank refilled his travel thermos, capped it, and then pulled up the previous three cases that were on his mind, scanning them quickly. He shut everything down and stood. “Okay. Ready. Let’s do this sh*t.” They got into Tony’s black Impala and pulled out, headed for the grocery store the missing girl had been taken from. ~~~~ END EXCERPT ~~~~ From Jo Michaels: So? What do you think? I edited out some bad language. Tried to catch them all. Sorry if I missed one or two!!! This section happens right after the opening, so you're familiar with the killer already. Do you hope Hank and Tony catch the bad guy? Did you pick it up? If not, what are you waiting for? Go!  Title: Glamour of Midnight Author: Casey L. Bond Genre: YA Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services Publication Date: April 5th, 2018 Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
  Watch the book trailer! Buy the book! Amazon: http://amzn.to/2FXniDN Paperback: http://amzn.to/2Fbhlml
 
Check out the cover of the third book in Keary Taylor’s explosive continuation of the Blood Descendants Universe! Enter the Rafflecopter giveaway for the chance to win a signed paperback of CROWN OF DEATH and CROWN OF BLOOD or one of 5 Kindle copies of HOUSE OF ROYALS or 1 audiobook of HOUSE OF ROYALS!
About Crown of Ruin:
Logan has returned to Roter Himmel. Once a peaceful haven for the Royals, it is now a kingdom of chaos and distrust. The people may love their queen, but she has never ruled them on her own. Sevan has seen Cyrus work miracles long ago, and learned his methods herself. His curse has sustained stronger than death before but the visage of Cyrus’ demise is undeniable. Still, Logan refuses to believe this is the end. Cyrus keeps appearing to her in strange dreams, rambling that she must prepare—that the day is coming when night will rule the day. While the entire world of vampires watches, Logan will take on the weight of the crown, the certainty of impending change, and the threat of war. They all should have known better than to test her. She’s had multiple lifetimes to prepare for this… All hail the Queen. Amazon US: http://amzn.to/2GeoUJh Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2G1yVWR iBooks: https://apple.co/2GgYGWU Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/2G57Q5s Google Play: https://goo.gl/nPSAhP Goodreads: https://bit.ly/2pwhLKT
Title: Glamour of Midnight
Author: Casey L. Bond
Genre: YA Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling
Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen
Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services
Publication Date: April 5th, 2018
Blurb: Nineteen-year-old Karis has been blind since birth, but for some reason, she can see through the wall of smoke that separates the human lands from those of the Faeries that rule in grand courts on the other side. Most of the time, the only thing she can see on the other side of the wall is the swipe of a tail or the trailing of a bony hand along the surface. But one day, a handsome faerie appears and sweeps her away into his world—a world that is being ravaged by an evil so dark and deadly, she fears she may never see her home again. Loftin is a bounty hunter and he has been searching for Karis since she went missing from the Court of Ash. He needs to return her and collect the ransom. But the longer they travel together and the more he teaches her about what she is now able to see, the more difficult he finds the thought of letting her go. A fiery passion ignites between them, but with a monster tracking their every move, they must find a way to reach the Court of Ash before it kills them both.
Book Trailer:https://www.authorcaseybond.com/coming-soon.html
Award-winning author Casey L. Bond resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband and their two beautiful daughters. When she’s not busy being a domestic goddess and chasing her baby girls, she loves to write young adult and new adult fiction. You can find more information about Bond’s books via the following links:
Website: www.authorcaseybond.comFacebook: www.facebook.com/authorcaseybondTwitter: https://twitter.com/authorcaseybondGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7212486.Casey_L_BondPinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/caseyb007Amazon: http://amzn.to/1PmE0pg
Bond-Tourage: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1032678336804562/
 Title: Cursed (The Gaia Chronicles #1) Author: Grace White Genre: Urban Fantasy romance (reverse harem) Publication Date: Mar. 5th, 2018 Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR
Cursed is the first book in an urban fantasy reverse harem series from Grace White.  About Grace White:
Grace White is the paranormal pseudonym of romance writer, L A Cotton. She resides in the UK with her family, and lives for binge watching series on her Firestick, losing herself in a good book, and reliving her younger days through trashy teenage movies ... not necessarily in that order. Visit her at https://authorgracewhite.com/ I have been on a faerie reading kick the past year or so. It started with the A Court of Thorn and Roses series by Sarah J. Mass. Next, I read The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, which I loved so much I went on to read her backlist - the Tithe trilogy and The Darkest Part of the Forest. NOW, Casey L. Bond presents us with this jaw-dropping cover and an even more amazing teaser. Are you ready?  Title: Glamour of Midnight Author: Casey L. Bond Genre: YA Epic Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retelling Editor: Stacy Sanford/ The Girl with the Red Pen Cover Designer: Melissa Stevens/ The Illustrated Author Design Services Publication Date: April 5th, 2018 Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR  About Glamour of Midnight: Nineteen-year-old Karis has been blind since birth, but for some reason, she can see through the wall of smoke that separates the human lands from those of the Faeries that rule in grand courts on the other side. Most of the time, the only thing she can see on the other side of the wall is the swipe of a tail or the trailing of a bony hand along the surface. But one day, a handsome faerie appears and sweeps her away into his world—a world that is being ravaged by an evil so dark and deadly, she fears she may never see her home again. Loftin is a bounty hunter and he has been searching for Karis since she went missing from the Court of Ash. He needs to return her and collect the ransom. But the longer they travel together and the more he teaches her about what she is now able to see, the more difficult he finds the thought of letting her go. A fiery passion ignites between them, but with a monster tracking their every move, they must find a way to reach the Court of Ash before it kills them both.
 
Title: The Stone Queen
Author: L.E. Bross
Genre: YA Fantasy
Cover Designer: SelfPubBookCovers.com/Daniela
Publication Date: Feb. 26th, 2018
About The Stone Queen:
An empty throne.
A fairy realm on the verge of ruin.
THE STONE QUEEN is the tale of a girl who has spent her life trying to forget who she is—and the kingdom that will die if she succeeds.
A thousand years ago the only surviving heir to Alcaria disappeared and the throne stood empty. Over time, the entire kingdom succumbed to The Sleep of Stone, the silent death of a leaderless faery realm. On the verge of Midsummer’s Eve, time is up and Alcaria can be claimed by any with royal blood, Light or Dark.
Eighteen-year-old Merci lives a meaningless existence in the Bronx. Expelled from school, she spends her days dodging her prostitute mother and chasing her next high. As long as it dulls the pain and makes the shadows that follow her disappear, she doesn’t care how or where she gets it.
But her risky behavior is about to catapult her into a world unlike any she’s ever seen in her alcohol-fueled dreams. A tumble off a rooftop should end her life, but instead of falling to her death, she lands in the arms of a stone gargoyle come to life.
And that’s only the beginning.
When she’s attacked in the middle of Central Park, the same gargoyle comes to her rescue, but this time, he has a story to tell—one that changes everything she thought she knew about her life and who she really is.
That is, if she chooses to believe him and embrace the truth; That she was born to be a Queen.
 L.E. Bross is the NA/adult contemporary pen name of YA writer Lee Bross. Her sexy New Adult SECOND CHANCE series debuted In 2015 and her adult contemporary debut, THE DO OVER came out in 2016.
Most recently she has stepped into self publishing with THE STONE QUEEN, a YA fantasy novel that is the first book in a planned trilogy. L.E. Bross lives in Maine with her husband, sons and many four legged fur babies.
Author Links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2BNTDKS
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lebrossauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lee_Bross
Buy Link:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/2HKOovL
Chapter One
The car lights below crawled along like ants on their way to a midnight picnic.
I was the giant in my own surreal fairytale, ready to stomp down and squash them with my huge boot. I stretched my arms out and shouted into the night. “Fee, Fi, Fo, Fum.†My foot slipped off the ledge and giddy laughter bubbled from my throat. I barely managed to keep from tumbling over the side. A tiny blip of fear cut through the fog of alcohol in my head.,
I looked over my shoulder and winked at Torin to dispel the thick nothingness that was always present in my gut. Being this close to the edge always made my thoughts heavier.
Sometimes it took all my will to step back and not forward.
“Get away from the edge, Mer.â€
Torin’s gravel-filled voice washed over my bare arms and I shivered in pleasure. He was the only good thing in my life. Without him...
“Would you even miss me if I was gone?†I hated the neediness that crept into my voice. I stopped relying on other people a long time ago, but Torin had found a way under the armor I wore. Now I cared, and some days I hated him for it.
He lit a joint and leaned back against an old rusted roof vent. His black leather jacket pulled tight across his arms as he squinted at me through the smoke. I could feel his gaze moving up and down my body and I loved the thrill it gave me.
“Hell yeah, I’d miss you.â€
Satisfied for the moment, I jumped. My boots thudded when they hit the roof and I sauntered over to the makeshift table we set up. A board across a couple of milk crates was all we needed. Torin watched me, his eyes half closed. I already knew what he wanted. That look on his face said it all.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to give it to him or not. I’d been in a weird headspace all day and even though we were celebrating, a part of me just wanted to be alone. I leaned down and grabbed the almost empty bottle of bottom shelf whiskey and straightened.
“To forgetting,†I shouted and tipped the bottle back, guzzling until it was empty. I threw my arms wide and laughter poured from my throat. The bottle clunked at my feet. It didn’t matter how I’d gotten to this point anymore. The alcohol kept the shadows away, and that’s all I cared about.
The roof spun in crazy circles around me, whizzing by like some twisted carousel ride, making me lose my balance and stagger sideways. The laugh that burst free was anything but joyful.
Torin’s fingers slid over my shoulder and cupped my breast. Hot lips pressed against my neck and I couldn’t help the involuntary shudder of pleasure that rippled through me. He always knew all the right spots. I let my head fall back onto his shoulder and looked up. The stars danced above us, brighter than ever before. An orgy of gyrating fireflies that I wanted to reach up and pluck from the air. To put in a glass jar and remember how beautiful they were tonight.
To tuck away and take out when I needed the reminder that life wasn’t all dark shadows and despair.
With a loud sigh, I stepped out of his embrace and dropped into a rickety old lawn chair.
“Not now, I just want to enjoy this.†I waved my hand upwards.
“Babe seriously? I thought we were celebrating?†He stepped behind me and brushed his fingers over the back of my hair. God, it felt good to be touched. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the sensation. He was the only person I let do this. The only person I let close enough to.
“Maybe later, ’kay?†I reached behind me to run the back of my fingers along his rock-hard stomach. He sucked in a breath and pressed my hand lower, to an even harder part of him. My stomach clenched and my pulse sped up. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to strip him down and let him make me forget about the noise in my head for a while.
But the respite was always temporary.
Even with the bottle of whiskey sitting in my guts I knew I couldn’t escape it. I hated the darkness that was always around the edges. It felt like the shadows watched, waited for me to give up.
All of a sudden, the weight of the city air settled over me so thick that breathing felt more like drowning.
“I just want to be alone for a little while. Later?â€
Torin sighed and brushed his lips over the top of my head. “This was supposed to be your birthday celebration, Mer. You sure?â€
“Yeah.â€
I was eighteen today. It seemed like it should be an important milestone, but all it did was remind me that nothing had changed. Another year gone. Time moved faster, speeding toward a giant black void. That scared the hell out of me. Now what danced through my head in a constant chant.
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