Blog Tour Guest Post & GIVEAWAY: The Uncrossing by Melissa Eastlake

I am so happy to host this Guest Post from Melissa Eastlake, the author of The Uncrossing. I was planning on posting my review as well, but I've been a super slow reader lately, so I haven't quite finished the book yet. But, so far I'm loving it. My review will be up soon. 

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Title: The Uncrossing
Author: Melissa Eastlake
Recent Release Date: October 2, 2017

Synopsis: Luke can uncross almost any curse—they unravel themselves for him like no one else. So working for the Kovrovs, one of the families controlling all the magic in New York, is exciting and dangerous, especially when he encounters the first curse he can't break. And it involves Jeremy, the beloved, sheltered prince of the Kovrov family—the one boy he absolutely shouldn't be falling for.

Jeremy's been in love with cocky, talented Luke since they were kids. But from their first kiss, something's missing. Jeremy's family keeps generations of deadly secrets, forcing him to choose between love and loyalty. As Luke fights to break the curse, a magical, citywide war starts crackling, and it's tied to Jeremy.

This might be the one curse Luke can't uncross. If true love's kiss fails, what's left for him and Jeremy?

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Guest Post Topic: The Importance of Representation and Diversity in Fantasy

Fantasy stories expand our ideas about what is possible. They tap into deep archetypes or take readers to extreme situations in order to explore the depths of true, realistic human experiences. Characters in fantasy battle monsters or perform heroic acts to inspire readers in their own lives. Fantasy stories are fun and engaging, but they also teach us how we see ourselves and our aspirations.


Nuanced, realistic representation invites all of us to be those heroes. My original inspiration for The Uncrossing was to write a queer fairytale—to take some of the core, iconic tropes that we use to talk about what love is, and understand explore how they apply to queer people in a changing and still very broken world. 

---Melissa Eastlake--- 

Her debut novel, The Uncrossing, is coming in 2017 from Entangled Teen. She lives in Athens, Georgia with her partner and their dog.

Website --- Twitter

GIVEAWAY

A Prize Pack + a $20 B&N Gift Card (US)* 

* A $30 Amazon Gift Card will be substituted for an International winner

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BOOK BLAST: Loyal by Yasmin Shiraz

Hello Readers! Welcome to the Book Blast for

Loyal: The Prequel To Retaliation
by Yasmin Shiraz!

In the prequel to Retaliation, brother and sister, Khalil and Tashera find themselves on different sides of loyalty. Khalil's loyalty to his gang threatens the loyalty he should have to his family. This book illustrates the dynamic between a brother and sister and shows their love, challenges and desire to be there for each other.

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OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

Yasmin Shiraz is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls as well as The Blueprint for My Girls in Love. She is an empowerment speaker and program developer who has delivered programs and keynotes based on her books.

She is the author of the ALA's Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection, Retaliation. She has spoken at over 100 colleges nationwide on topics such as empowerment, black history and hip hop culture.

She is an award winning film director as her film, Can She Be Saved? won 4 film awards including Best New film.

When not writing books, she produces documentaries for her company, Still Eye Rise Films

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RELEASE DAY CELEBRATION: Sacrifice (Serpentine #2) by Cindy Pon - Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to the Release Day Celebration for

Sacrifice (Serpentine #2) by Cindy Pon

presented by Month9Books!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Happy Book Birthday, Cindy!

Sacrifice, the sequel to Serpentine, plunges Skybright into the terrifying underworld where demons are bred and whisks her up to the magnificent Mountain of Heavenly Peace where the gods dwell.

Stone is stripped of his immortal status and told to close hell's breach, which mysteriously remains open, threatening mortals.

Zhen Ni, Skybright's former mistress and friend, has been wed to the strange and brutish Master Bei, and finds herself trapped in an opulent but empty manor. When she discovers half-eaten corpses beneath the estate, she realizes that Master Bei is not all that he seems.

As Skybright works to free Zhen Ni with the aid of Kai Sen and Stone, they begin to understand that what is at risk is more far-reaching then they could ever have fathomed.

Sacrifice (Serpentine #2) by Cindy Pon
Publication Date: September 27, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books

Google Play | BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

He gripped his dagger tighter as he leaned down to seize a large branch from the forest floor, his eyes never leaving the undead creature. The other six had long since crumpled to the ground, filling the forest with the harsh stench of burned clothes and hair. When the last corpse was near enough, Kai Sen stabbed the long branch into the corpse’s throat, and it halted, skewered like a beetle, yet it still fought to stagger toward him, scrabbling its skeletal fingers in the air. It was strong, but so was Kai Sen. He had the advantage of training and muscle, and this thing was mere rotten flesh.

Forcing the thick branch even deeper, he shoved the corpse back until with a final thrust, the thing toppled onto its back. He was on the creature before it could rise again, stomping on its extended arms with furious kicks, breaking them, before driving the branch into the earth and pinning the corpse. It struggled still, thudding its feet as Kai Sen crouched above it, one hand clutching the branch tight as he hacked at its neck with his dagger. It was exhausting and gruesome work, but the undead could only be killed with fire or decapitation. He needed to train and fight in every capacity, by magic or weapon or with his own hands. As a warrior, he knew it was crucial to his survival.

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES:

SERPENTINE is a sweeping fantasy set in the ancient Kingdom of Xia and inspired by the rich history of Chinese mythology.

Lush with details from Chinese folklore, SERPENTINE tells the coming of age story of Skybright, a young girl who worries about her growing otherness. As she turns sixteen, Skybright notices troubling changes. By day, she is a companion and handmaid to the youngest daughter of a very wealthy family. But nighttime brings with it a darkness that not even daybreak can quell.

When her plight can no longer be denied, Skybright learns that despite a dark destiny, she must struggle to retain her sense of self – even as she falls in love for the first time.

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Cindy Pon is the author of Silver Phoenix (Greenwillow, 2009), which was named one of the Top Ten Fantasy and Science Fiction Books for Youth by the American Library Association’s Booklist, and one of 2009′s best Fantasy, Science Fiction and Horror by VOYA. Her most recent novel, Serpentine (Month9Books, 2015), is a Junior Library Guild Selection and received starred reviews from School Library Journal and VOYA. The sequel, Sacrifice, releases this September. WANT, a near-future thriller set in Taipei, will be published by Simon Pulse in summer 2017. She is the co-founder of Diversity in YA with Malinda Lo and on the advisory board of We Need Diverse Books. Cindy is also a Chinese brush painting student of over a decade. Learn more about her books and art at http://cindypon.com.

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COVER REVEAL: My Junior Year of Loathing by Jennifer DiGiovanni + GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to the Cover Reveal for

My Junior Year of Loathing
by Jennifer DiGiovanni

Be on the look out for this upcoming release from
Swoon Romance!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Junior year is supposed to be tough. Exams, term papers, homework, college tours, and participation in extra-curricular activities can all add up to non-stop stress. But Melinda Banner has goals to achieve and dreams to make real. This year, she’ll be unstoppable. But even over achievers need a break.

While walking in the woods to take a break from the stress of it all, Melinda meets a boy named Connor. After a few more run-ins, the two settle into an uneasy friendship, if you can even call it that.

But Connor's closed and mysterious. Whenever Melinda asks too many questions, he suddenly has to go or is no longer interested in talking. When they’re together, she’s torn between wanting him to open up and running away as fast as she can. Still she can't seem to shake her budding interest in him.

Connor has his own way of looking at the world, and his views often conflict with Melinda’s practical nature. Can you like someone and loathe them at the same time? Is he even worth the emotional tug on her heartstrings or distraction from all things Junior year?

And, as if she needs another project right now, Melinda starts to obsess over the abandoned estate she passes on the way to school each day. Between Connor and the old estate, Melinda's beginning to think she's taking on too much.

But Melinda's smart. She finds a way to indulge her interest in the estate and fulfill her obligations. She will uncover the truth behind the aging edifice for an epic article in the school newspaper.

But when her investigation reveals a connection between Connor and a tragedy long-since forgotten, Melinda has a choice: put off her junior year achievements to save a local landmark and a boy who constantly pushes her away or put them both out of her mind for good and focus on making the grade.

My Junior Year of Loathing
by Jennifer DiGiovanni
Publication Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Swoon Romance

Available for Pre-order:
Amazon

Jennifer DiGiovanni is the author of the School Dayz Series. When she’s not writing or reading, she likes to try new sports and activities from archery to ballroom dancing, with varying degrees of success.

Website • Twitter • Facebook • Tumblr

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BOOK BLAST: The Carver by Jacob Devlin + GIVEAWAY!

Hello readers!

Are you looking for your next read?

Well, let us help make things easier for you!

Welcome to the Book Blast for

The Carver by Jacob Devlin

presented by Blaze Publishing!

Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post!

Looking for more books to read?
Read on and find a book that's waiting for you to devour!

THE GIRL IN THE RED HOOD has been looking for her mother for six months, searching from the depths of New York’s subways to the heights of its skyscrapers...

THE PRINCE looks like he’s from another time entirely, or maybe he’s just too good at his job at Ye Old Renaissance Faire . . .

THE ACTRESS is lighting up Hollywood Boulevard with her spellbinding and strikingly convincing portrayal of a famous fairy. Her name may be big, but her secrets barely fit in one world . . .

Fifteen-year-old Crescenzo never would have believed his father’s carvings were anything more than “stupid toys.” All he knows is a boring life in an ordinary Virginia suburb, from which his mother and his best friend have been missing for years. When his father disappears next, all Crescenzo has left is his goofy neighbor, Pietro, who believes he’s really Peter Pan and that Crescenzo is the son of Pinocchio. What’s more: Pietro insists that they can find their loved ones by looking to the strange collection of wooden figurines Crescenzo’s father left behind.

With Pietro’s help, Crescenzo sets off on an adventure to unite the real life counterparts to his figurines. It’s enough of a shock that they’re actually real, but the night he meets the Girl in the Red Hood, dark truths burst from the past. Suddenly, Crescenzo is tangled in a nightmare where magic mirrors and evil queens rule, and where everyone he loves is running out of time.

The Carver by Jacob Devlin
Publication Date: July 19, 2016
Publisher: Blaze Publishing

BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

WHAT READERS ARE SAYING:

"an inspired vision that felt fresh and unique; and something that would be entertaining for all ages" - Silvia's Reading

"The descriptions were vivid and I could easily see it in my head!" - Kindle and Me

"It brings you great laughs, tears and a special twist on all the fairytales we know from our childhood." - Goodreads Reviewer

When Jacob Devlin was four years old, he would lounge around in Batman pajamas and make semi-autobiographical picture books about an adventurous python named Jake the Snake. Eventually, he traded his favorite blue crayon for a black pen, and he never put it down. When not reading or writing, Jacob loves practicing his Italian, watching stand-up comedy, going deaf at rock concerts, and geeking out at comic book conventions. He does most of these things in southern Arizona.

Website | Twitter | Goodreads

YOU SHOULD ALSO CHECK OUT...

Seventeen-year-old Rose suffers from terrifying, painful nightmares that leave her bruised, exhausted, and questioning her sanity. Desperate to hold on, she makes a choice: Trust her doctor who claims he can cure her, or listen to another patient who swears the asylum will kill them.

Asleep by Krystal Wade
Publication Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Blaze Publishing

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD

When Sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton discovers she’s pregnant, she also learns the truth of her adoption. Overwhelmed, Andie must choose what’s best for the baby, but after hearing the heartbeat for the first time, she doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able let go.

Because I Love You by Tori Rigby
Release Date: May 17, 2016
Publisher: Blaze Publishing

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD | iBooks

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BLOG TOUR: Into the Light (Into the Dark #2) by Caroline T. Patti - Ashley's Review + GIVEAWAY!

Good morning, and welcome to our stop on the blog tour for Caroline Patti's newest release, Into the Light! We have Ashley's review for you as well as a giveaway, so be sure to enter via the Rafflecopter form at the end of this post.

Don't forget to stop by all the other amazing tour stops as well! You can find the entire schedule by clicking the banner above.

About the Book

Title: Into the Light (Into the Dark #2)

Author: Caroline T. Patti

Publication Date: August 23, 2016

Publisher: Month9Books

Synopsis: Mercy’s family is back together and the threat of danger appears to have passed. But any relief she feels is short lived as she is ripped from her body and thrown in jail. Gage and Nathaniel’s plans to break Mercy out won’t exactly be easy. Stuffed full of a chemical binding agent, Mercy is trapped inside the body of a convict without the ability to breach and set herself free. Unfortunately for Mercy, being trapped in jail becomes the least of her problems when she meets her evil twin, Justice.

BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD

OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES

A girl’s sweet sixteen party is supposed to be among the most memorable events of her life. But on the night of hers, Mercy Clare wakes in the waiting room of a hospital with no memory of how she got there. To make matters worse, she’s wearing something she’d never be caught dead in: her best friend Lyla’s clothes.

Mercy’s nightmare is just beginning. The doctor arrives to tell her that it’s she who lies in the hospital bed waiting to die. A trip to the bathroom confirms Mercy’s fears, as Lyla’s face stares back at her and Lyla’s curvy figure pokes through her tight clothes.

But finding out what’s really going on won’t be easy. Because if Mercy wants her body back, it might just cost her Lyla’s life.

AMAZON | KOBO | B&N | CHAPTERS | iBOOKS | BAM | TBD

About the Author

Caroline T Patti is the author of The World Spins Madly On and Too Late To Apologize. When she’s not writing, she’s a school librarian, mother of two, wife, avid reader and Green Bay Packer fan. You can chat with her on Twitter: carepatti or find her on Facebook: Author Caroline T Patti. 

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Ashley's Review

I was really excited when I found out that Caroline Patti was writing a sequel to Into the Dark. The first book was weird and unique in all the right ways, and I had such high expectations for Into the Light! I really wanted to know more about this incredible world and the characters that I'd come to know and love in Into the Dark, and definitely find out how things would turn out for them in the end.

My favorite thing about this book was the expanded world-building. There was just so much that we didn't know by the end of the first book, and Patti does an excellent job of expanding the world that the Breachers come from. I really enjoyed how "passing over" was explained, and the background as to why things are the way they are now. I do think there could have been a little bit more about Purgatory and the Afterlife, but maybe that's for another book. I still have some questions, but I was content with my knowledge by the end of this book. The world-building feels very natural in this book, especially since Mercy knows just as much (or really, as little) as we do, so we get to learn new things as she does.

There is some romance in this book, but I was really glad that there was a lack of a love triangle. I really thought that Mercy was going to spend the majority of the book trying to choose between Gage and Nathaniel, but she makes her decision fairly quickly and the one she doesn't choose isn't just left out to dry. The solution is a little weird... but it totally makes sense. I was also really glad that the romance didn't take over the plot.

Speaking of which, I was less impressed with the plot in this book than I was in the first one. I don't know if it's that I just didn't like Mercy as much, or that the book was split up into three perspectives and there was just a lot going on, or what. Maybe it was a lack of things happening? Most of the time is spent trying to find Mercy's aunt, but then they do and then things aren't what they seem and it seems like a giant waste of time. Like if people would quit lying to each other, we wouldn't have even had this problem to begin with.

Overall, I think this book just fell a little short for me. It was mostly enjoyable, and  I did finish it quickly because I couldn't put it down, but I think I was just expecting so much more. I would still recommend this book to anyone who read Into the Dark, and the series to anyone who is looking for something completely different. I'd give this one a 3/5!

The Giveaway!

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BOOK BLAST: Asleep by Krystal Wade - Excerpt + GIVEAWAY!

Hello readers! Are you looking for your next read? Well, let us help make things easier for you!

Welcome to the Book Blast for

Asleep by Krystal Wade

presented by Blaze Publishing!

Check out the teaser below, and be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post! As a special treat, we've got another book that may tickle your fancy... What is it?  Read on, dear reader, read on!

"To cure fear, you must use fear."

Rose Briar claims no responsibility for the act that led to her imprisonment in an asylum. She wants to escape, until terrifying nightmares make her question her sanity and reach out to her doctor. He’s understanding and caring in ways her parents never have been, but as her walls tumble down and Rose admits fault, a fellow patient warns her to stop the medications. Phillip believes the doctor is evil and they’ll never make it out of the facility alive. Trusting him might be just the thing to save her. Or it might prove the asylum is exactly where she needs to be.

Asleep by Krystal Wade

Publication Date: February 16, 2016

Publisher:  Blaze Publishing

Purchase Links: BAM | Chapters | Amazon | B&N | TBD

What Readers Are Saying

"This was hands down one of the best thrillers I've read in a long while." -  Martina McAtee, Author

"It's amazing how this book can bring so many emotions out of me and leaves me being a sobbing mess in the end!" - Gina, A Thousand Books

" It is 100% a book that you need to experience completely for yourself." - Lauren, Wonderless Reviews

[youtube_sc url="https://youtu.be/8q_efvwpSmc" autohide="1"]

That was the first time he’d spoken her name, and she would have celebrated the fact she’d made a connection with someone—anyone—had her world not been spinning.
“Betty just gave me something before I came outside.”

“Something’s changing, something big.” He nodded once, agreeing with himself most likely. “You’re like me.”

The sounds of the door opening and closing, the women squabbling near the oak tree over who drew the better picture in the dirt, and people’s feet crunching on the gravel path leading to the door all felt trapped inside her head, loud and somehow touching her, upsetting her system more. God, even the smell of antiseptic made it out here and into Rose’s nostrils...

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

“You are.” Phillip gently placed his hand on her back and rubbed small circles. “And they’ll get you.”

“I don’t understand. What’s changing? Why do you keep saying I’m like you? Who’ll get me?"

He was paranoid. Crazy. Unpredictable. Yet part of him seemed to know things, to understand, to want to help. How much of what he said was real? How much was just crap made up in his head?

“Different. Everything’s different. Except it’s not. And you . . .” He fell to the ground with Rose as she began vomiting. Phillip held her hair back and talked softly, the lunatic whispering, “It’s okay,” a couple times and touching her raw wrist before continuing, “I wish you never had to fall asleep again.”

I’m happily married to the love of my life (don’t gag) and raising three beautiful children in the gorgeous state of Virginia. We live just outside Washington, D.C., and every day I wake up to find myself stuck in traffic trying to get there.

The horrid commute gives me plenty of time to zone out and think about my characters in full, brilliant details (I’m a safe driver; don’t worry). Stories give me a way to forget about the sometimes smelly strangers sitting next to me on the fifty mile trek into town (I pick up hitchhikers every day. True story. Check out www.slug-lines.com if you don’t believe me).

I’ve been a part of organized hitchhiking for nearly fifteen years, but that’s just one small aspect of my oh-so-large life. When I’m not working, commuting, or chasing after my three children (four if you count the man), you can usually find me outside talking to my chickens like they’re the cutest things in the world (they are), or training my amazing dogs how to herd said chickens (which they love), or curled up on the sofa with a good book (why can’t that be 100% of the time?).

I hope you love my stories (or just like them a little; that would be okay, too). And I hope that one day you find your passion, because there’s nothing in life better than doing what you love while surrounded by people you love.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

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Eight weeks after sixteen-year-old Andie Hamilton gives her virginity to her best friend, “the stick” says she’s pregnant.

Her friends treat her like she’s carrying the plague, her classmates torture and ridicule her, and the boy she thought loved her doesn’t even care. Afraid to experience the next seven months alone, she turns to her ex-boyfriend, Neil Donaghue, a dark-haired, blue-eyed player. With him, she finds comfort and the support she desperately needs to make the hardest decision of her life: whether or not to keep the baby.

Then a tragic accident leads Andie to discover Neil’s keeping a secret that could dramatically alter their lives, and she's forced to make a choice. But after hearing her son’s heartbeat for the first time, she doesn’t know how she’ll ever be able to let go.

Because I Love You by Tori Rigby

Publication Date:  May 17, 2016

Publisher:  Blaze Publishing

Purchase Links: BAM | Chapters | Indies | Amazon | B&N | Kobo | TBD

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