Guest Post: Rebecca Ethington

Today I have Rebecca Ethington for a guest post on how she created the three friendships in Eyes of Ember!

Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then in stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family.

website   |    @RebEthington  |   amazon   |    barnes and noble

 Joclyn is in hiding, hunted by the man she still desperately loves. Ryland is gone, his mind erased; no memory of Joclyn remains, but Joclyn’s heart desperately begs her to hold out hope. Meanwhile the black-eyed monster that possesses him attempts to kill her over and over again.

If it wasn’t for Ilyan, Joclyn would be dead by now.

Ilyan, the man who once stalked her, is now Joclyn’s protector, the only person she has left. He protects Joclyn from the men who seek to end her life, and all the while, she is haunted by dreams where Ryland begs her to break the bond between them.

Ilyan is there. Always there.

Ilyan trains and prepares her, teaching her everything she needs to know in the hope that one day she can avenge Ryland, if not protect herself from him.

And then, there is her father.

The man who has never been there is suddenly responsible for everything. And who he is has made Joclyn into something she never wanted to be:

The Silnỳ.

While the main friendships in Kiss of Fire were between Ryland and Joclyn, with a little bit of Joclyn and Wyn sprinkled in; friendships in Eyes of Ember have become a bit more complicated.

For starters let’s look at Ryland and Joclyn. In Kiss of Fire theirs was a friendship that molded into a love that ended when Ryland lost his mind. In Eyes of Ember Ryland’s loss of his memories has turned him into a very powerful trained killer, a killer that only wishes to hunt and Kill Joclyn. But it’s complicated, because Joclyn still holds on to the desperate hope that Ryland has retained his memories of her, placing a wall between her ability to defend herself, and hindering her friendship with the young Ryland that still lives inside of her mind.

The next friendship would be between Joclyn and Wyn. This is a friendship that is also strained. The infantile friendship that was created in Kiss of Fire is now put to the test as Joclyn is left in hiding in a mysterious city and Wyn is secluded in Prague; half a world away. And, to make things worse something in Prague has begun to happen, placing everyone at risk. How is that for scary foreboding?

The last of the three main friendships is between. Joclyn and Ilyan. A tall, menacing man who once stalked Joclyn is now the only person able to keep her safe. He keeps her in hiding while he trains her, and prepares her to kill the one person she still desperately loves. While Ilyan may seem standoffish, his past and layers make him someone who is not only powerful but endlessly intriguing. In Eyes of Ember, you really get to see the friendship between Ilyan and Jos grow, as well as get to know Ilyan on a very deep level.

The friendships in Eyes of Ember are as complex and dark as the book. They are each deep and dangerous in their own way, while still blending together to create something complex.

The complexity of these relationships really give Eyes of Ember a much deeper feel than Kiss of Fire, and I hope it is this complexity that really draws the readers in.

Buy Links:
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Cover Reveal + Excerpt: Tremble

Dez Cross has problems. She’s almost eighteen and on the verge of losing her mind thanks to the drug the Denazen corporation used to enhance her abilities. People close to her have turned their backs on the underground and are now fighting for the wrong side. And then there’s Kale... Things couldn’t get any worse.

Until, of course, they do. Denazen is about to start a new trial—this one called Domination—and it works. But that means out with the old and in with the new. The order has been given to terminate all remnants of the second trial—including Dez. The good news is that there’s a survivor from the original trial. A woman whose blood may hold the cure for the second generation of Supremacy
kids' defects. But the underground Sixes aren’t the only ones who know about her.

Dez's father is willing to throw away everything he has to keep Dez from getting the cure—including the one thing that might tear her apart from the inside out.

Exclusive Excerpt

“I told them you wouldn’t come alone. Yet here you are,” Kale’s dark voice said from the doorway. “You’re an odd one.”

“You don’t realize it, but coming from you, that’s kinda funny,” I said, swallowing hard and turning to face him. The light from the hall lit the entire right side of his face, leaving the left cloaked in darkness. Two sides of the same dangerous coin. I wanted to back away but resisted, meeting his gaze straight on. My Kale was in there somewhere—and he could sense weakness. “Did you kill her?”



“I figured as much,” I said, jaw tense. Another step closer. “But I’m asking if you did it.” 


He cocked his head to the left and I could see his expression. Confusion. “You asked the same thing about the other girl. Why does it matter?”

“Because it does. It matters to you, too. You just don’t remember.”

He took another step. Inches. He was inches from me now, the warmth from his body radiating like the sun. Every one of my muscles plunged into an all- out war with my heart. Common sense screamed for me to match his steps forward with ones away. Keep your distance—he’s dangerous!

My heart wanted to move closer. I wanted this to all be nothing more than a bad dream.

“I feel like...when I look at you—” He shook his head and placed a hand on either side of me, up against the mattress, and brought his face close to mine. For the longest moment all he did was stare. When he did speak, there was so much rage in his voice. “You stabbed me. When that didn’t do the trick, you pushed me from the bridge. I’m asking you why?”

“I never did that, Kale. No one’s ever pushed you from a bridge as far as I know. I promise. As for the scar, yeah. You were stabbed. Alex did it.”

“I’m not. And my name is Dez,” I said, voice cracking under the weight of his words. “Deznee.” I wasn’t ready to give up, so I went with what had always worked for me. Something insane.

Pushing forward, I crushed my lips to his, wrapping both arms around his neck to lock him in place. He didn’t resist and, to my surprise, didn’t shove me away. Instead, after a moment, he responded, his lips moving fervently with mine.

The kiss only lasted a few moments. I was the one who broke it, pulling away as the clouds passed, allowing the moonlight to shine through the bedroom window once again. For a second, neither of us said a word. His cheeks glistened with my tears, making it look like he’d been crying, too, as he stared—eyes wide and mouth agape—like he’d never seen me before.

For a crazy, insane moment, time froze. I thought maybe the kiss had done the trick. That this time the princess had woken the prince. He looked at me with a mix of shock and awe, the tiniest hint of my Kale gleamed through. My heart pounded so loudly I could barely hear anything else. It was there. I could see the spark in his eyes. “Kale?”

But it didn’t last. Or maybe it hadn’t been there at all. Maybe I wanted to see it so badly that I imagined the whole thing.

His lips parted and the corners tilted upward just a hair. “Roz is right. You are crazy.”

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Jus Accardo spent her childhood reading and learning to cook. Determined to follow in her grandfather’s footsteps as a chef, she applied and was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America. At the last minute, she realized her path lay with fiction, not food, and passed on the spot to pursue writing.

Jus is the bestselling author of YA paranormal romance and urban fantasy fiction.

A native New Yorker, she lives in the middle of nowhere with her husband, three dogs, and sometimes guard bear, Oswald. Her first book, Touch was released in November 2011 from Entangled Publishing. She is currently working on the next book in the Denazen series.

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Moonset Tour: Review

Moonset by Scott Tracey
Moonset Legacy: Book One
Source: Netgalley
Release Date: April 8, 2013
Overall: 4/5

Moonset, a coven of such promise . . . Until they turned to the darkness.

After the terrorist witch coven known as Moonset was destroyed fifteen years ago—during a secret war against the witch Congress—five children were left behind, saddled with a legacy of darkness. Sixteen-year-old Justin Daggett, son of a powerful Moonset warlock, has been raised alongside the other orphans by the witch Congress, who fear the children will one day continue the destruction their parents started.

A deadly assault by a wraith, claiming to work for Moonset’s most dangerous disciple, Cullen Bridger, forces the five teens to be evacuated to Carrow Mill. But when dark magic wreaks havoc in their new hometown, Justin and his siblings are immediately suspected. Justin sets out to discover if someone is trying to frame the Moonset orphans . . . or if Bridger has finally come out of hiding to reclaim the legacy of Moonset. He learns there are secrets in Carrow Mill connected to Moonset’s origins, and keeping the orphans safe isn’t the only reason the Congress relocated them . . .

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | FLUX

Justin and his siblings must move again. This time it's mostly because a wraith attacked them and not because Jenna started a riot. They are relocated to Carrow Mill, a small town where Moonset began and the symbol keeps mysteriously showing up. Not to mention there are people hearing voices and saying that 'we only need one.' Automatically the finger pointing turns to the Moonset kids, but the Council believes that Cullen Bridger, the last of the original Moonset, is hiding in Carrow Mill.

Justin and his siblings are Moonset kids, their parents were evil and nearly destroyed everything or that's how the story goes. Which makes everyone fear them. Even the witches Council gives them a healthy allowance and a place to live to keep them happy.

Also being Moonset, they are lacking in magic education. Knowing basic spells because everyone is afraid that if they give the kids the knowledge, they will turn out like their parents. They don't learn anything without a dozen people signing off on it. This really shows how afraid the Council and the community really are of the kids and they truly treat them as if they were their parents.

I really liked Justin and his siblings, even Jenna. Justin is really the peacekeeper amongst the group. Always making sure Jenna isn't going to cause another riot, that Bailey isn't going to cry, that Cole has enough attention, or that Mal and Jenna don't cause a crater killing each other.

After being moved to Carrow Mill, they are assigned Witchers to guard them. Quinn is one of my favorite characters. He has a love for caffeine, never answers a question and if he does it's always with another question. Quinn is there to watch the kids and protect them if necessary, but he quietly makes sure that Justin and his siblings have what they need to take care of themselves. Which I really liked about him.

I liked Ash as a love interest. She was fun and had this charismatic way of getting people to like her. 

I usually don't like books with witches in them, but I love Scott Tracey's witches. Moonset is full of magic, revenge, and a mysterious family legacy. Moonset got the story set in motion and more importantly - got the kids to Carrow Mill, where there is sure to be more danger lurking in the shadows in the next book.

Scott Tracey is a YA author who lived on a Greyhound for a month, wrote his illustrated autobiography at the age of six, and barely survived Catholic school (and definitely not for the reasons you might think).

He is the author of WITCH EYES, chosen as one of Amazon’s Best LGBT Books of 2011, as well as an ALA Popular Paperback in the Forbidden Romance category. The final book in the WITCH EYES trilogy, PHANTOM EYES, will be released in the fall of 2013.

He is also the author of MOONSET, a new series which will be released April 8, 2013, as well as a
contributor to the SHADOWHUNTERS & DOWNWORLDERS anthology, edited by Cassandra Clare.

His career highlights include: accidentally tripping a panic alarm which led to nearly being shot by the police; attacked in a drive-thru window by a woman wielding a baked potato, and once moving cross country for a job only to quit on the second day.

His gifts can be used for good or evil, but rather than picking a side, he strives for BOTH (in alternating capacity) for his own amusement.

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | TUMBLR

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour schedule - HERE

GIVEAWAY

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Cover Reveal/Teaser Tuesday: The Avery Shaw Experiment by Kelly Oram & Giveaway

 

Title: The Avery Shaw Experiment

Author: Kelly Oram

Publisher: Bluefields

Format: ebook

Genre: YA contemporary romance

Release Date: May 2013

When Avery Shaw’s heart is shattered by her life-long best friend, she chooses to deal with it the only way she knows how—scientifically.

The state science fair is coming up and Avery decides to use her broken heart as the topic of her experiment. She’s going to find the cure. By forcing herself to experience the seven stages of grief through a series of social tests, she believes she will be able to get over Aiden Kennedy and make herself ready to love again. But she can’t do this experiment alone, and her partner (ex partner!) is the one who broke her heart.

Avery finds the solution to her troubles in the form of Aiden’s older brother Grayson. The gorgeous womanizer is about to be kicked off the school basketball team for failing physics. He’s in need of a good tutor and some serious extra credit. But when Avery recruits the lovable Grayson to be her “objective outside observer,” she gets a whole lot more than she bargained for, because Grayson has a theory of his own: Avery doesn’t need to grieve. She needs to live. And if there’s one thing Grayson Kennedy is good at, it’s living life to the fullest.

Teaser One - Avery

Grayson finally noticed Aiden and I on the couch. “What are you two dorks doing?”

“Learning about steroids,” I said cheerfully. “You should probably know that using them can cause acne, testicular atrophy, decreased sperm count, prostate enlargement and gynecomastia.”

Grayson looked rightfully appalled. “Gyneco-what-ia?”

“Enlarged breasts in men,” Aiden translated. “So you should lay off the juice before you have to start borrowing Avery’s bras.”

I gasped at the mention of my underwear and whacked Aiden’s shoulder hard.

Behind me, Grayson laughed. I knew he was about to deliver a comeback, but I refused to look at him. Seconds later his breath was warm on my neck. He whispered just low enough that his mother couldn’t hear what he said. “I like my bras colorful and lacey, Aves. Not sure your collection would do it for me.”

Total mortification. Grayson may be as close as family to me, but he was still one of the hottest, most popular guys in our whole school. Him discussing my bras in that low sexy voice that could stop a girl’s heart on the spot made my lungs constrict. Plus, he was right of course. My bras were all of the plain white cotton variety.

About Kelly Oram...

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which family and friends still tease her. She's obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and loves to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Website † Twitter † Facebook † GoodReads 

Win all four books by Kelly Oram in ebook format. This giveaway is open international, as long as you have a way to open the file.

Must be 13 or older to enter.

Enter via Rafflecopter below.

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Cover Reveal: Made of Stars

When eighteen-year-old Hunter Jackson and his half sister, Ashlin, return to their dad’s for the first winter in years, they expect everything to be just like the warmer months they’d spent there as kids. And it is—at first. But Chance, the charismatic and adventurous boy who made their summers epic, is harboring deep secrets. Secrets that are quickly spiraling into something else entirely.

The reason they’ve never met Chance’s parents or seen his home is becoming clearer. And what the siblings used to think of as Chance's quirks—the outrageous stories, his clinginess, his dangerous impulsiveness—are now warning signs that something is seriously off.

Then Chance's mom turns up with a bullet to the head, and all eyes shift to Chance and his dad. Hunter and Ashlin know Chance is innocent...they just have to prove it. But how can they protect the boy they both love when they can’t trust a word Chance says?
Pre-order buy links:
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 Once upon a time, Kelley York was born in central California. And it's there she she still resides with her lovely wife, step-daughter, and an abundance of cats, while fantasizing about moving to England or Ireland. She has a fascination with bells and animals, is a lover of video games, Doctor Who, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she’s a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or at least write about them.

Kelley is a sucker for dark fiction. She loves writing twisted characters, tragic happenings, and bittersweet endings that leave you wondering and crying. Character development takes center stage in her books because the bounds of a person's character and the workings of their mind are limitless.
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Teaser: Kiss of Fire

 “No!” I clutched to his hands desperately. “Don’t leave me!”

“Love you.” Ryland’s voice was broken in my ear as he pulled my hand against the side of his face.

Joclyn Despain has been marred by a brand on her skin. She doesn't know why the mark appeared on her neck, but she doesn't want anyone to see it, including her best friend Ryland, who knows everything else about her. The scar is the reason she hides herself behind baggy clothes, and won't let the idea of kissing Ryland enter her mind, no matter how much she wants to.

The scar is the reason she is being hunted.

If only she knew that she was.

If only she had known that the cursed stone her estranged father sent for her 16th birthday would trigger a change in her. Now, she is being stalked by a tall blonde man, and is miraculously throwing her high school bully ten feet in the air.

Joclyn attempts to find some answers and the courage to follow her heart. When Ryland finds her scar; only he knows what it means, and who will kill her because of it.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Rebecca Ethington has been telling stories since she was small. First, with writing crude scripts, and then on stage with years of theatrical performances. The Imdalind Series is her first stint into the world of literary writing. Rebecca is a mother to two, and wife to her best friend of 14 years. She was born and raised in the mountains of Salt Lake City, and hasn’t found the desire to leave yet. Her days are spent writing, running, and enjoying life with her amazing family. 

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Excerpt: Perception

Thanks to AToMR Tours, I have an excerpt of Perception by Lee Strauss.

 Title: PERCEPTION
Author: Lee Strauss
Release date: September 2012
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi/dystopian/romance
Event organized by: AToMR Tours

Links to find/buy your book:

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Eternal Life is To Die

For seventeen year old Zoe Vanderveen is a GAP—a genetically altered person. She lives in the security of a walled city on prime water-front property along side other equally beautiful people with extended life
spans.

Her brother Liam is missing.

Noah Brody is a natural who lives on the outside. He leads protests against the GAPs and detests the widening chasm they’ve created between those who have and those who don’t. He doesn’t like girls like Zoe and he has good reason not to like her specifically.

Zoe’s carefree life takes a traumatic turn. She’s in trouble and it turns out that Noah, the last guy on earth she should trust, is the only one who can help her.

Want to read PERCEPTION? It's FREE on Kobo itunes B&N Smashwords and on Amazon!

VOLITION is the exciting continuation of Noah and Zoe's story from Perception.

Excerpt

“I didn’t think there were places left that took cash anymore,” I said, as Noah took his rice bowl off the tray and pushed a second one to me. I inhaled the savoury curry scent, eager to dig in. I picked a cashew off the top and tossed it into my mouth.

“There aren’t many. Only the ones whose owners haven’t taken the chip themselves. Dealing in cash is becoming an underground activity.”

“But you just did it in broad daylight.”

“That’s because it’s not illegal. Yet.”

Chip implantation was a voluntary procedure. The security and convenience it provided made sense to me. Plus, it wasn’t that expensive. Even the naturals could probably afford it. I didn’t think not having a chip would ever be illegal. Noah was just paranoid.

Dexter’s leg jiggled under the table. The guy could not sit still. “So, Dexter,” I started. “Have you and Noah been friends long?”

Dexter stared at Noah and grinned. “So long, we could be brothers.”

Noah snorted good-naturedly. Dexter cleared his throat directing his next comment to Noah. “Dude, is this your new lady love?”

New lady love? Like he has an old one? Or several? I had no plans to fill that role. There was a thud and then a yelp from Dexter. Noah had kicked him under the table.

“You’re such an idiot.”

Dexter laughed and wiggled his eyebrows at me. “Well then, maybe me and the new girl?” I wasn’t amused. I couldn’t believe Dexter thought he’d have even the slightest chance with me.

“I don’t think so,” I said.

Another stupid grin. “I didn’t think so either, but it doesn’t hurt to try.”

I didn’t have time to be the object of some jerk’s desire. I needed to get the conversation where I wanted it to go, so I could get the information I was hoping for and leave.

“Have you always lived in L.A?”

“Yup,” Dexter mumbled with a mouthful. “Home sweet home.”

“Have you ever been, you know, to Sol City?”

Noah’s fork paused mid-air. Dexter choked a bit before gulping from his soda can. Uh, oh. Wrong thing to say.

“No,” Dexter finally said. “You can’t get through the gates without GAP ID. Why’d you ask that?”

I picked at my rice with my fork. “I don’t know. I’m new here. Just making conversation.”

Noah turned his chair toward me, the metal legs scrapping along the cement floor. The grinding noise made me shudder. “You must miss New San Diego. I heard they finally finished the Obama Memorial Bridge.”

I hesitated before answering. I was worried that Noah might know more about New San Diego than I did, which was entirely possible.

“Sure. It’s awesome,” I said, wondering if there even was an Obama Memorial Bridge and if I’d just failed some kind of test. Dexter stood suddenly. “Nature calls.” He sauntered down a dark hallway to the public restrooms.

I took a bite of curry. It burned my throat, and I followed it with a sip of soda. Noah seemed fascinated by my every move. I couldn’t think of a thing to say, and when he stayed silent, watching me from the corner of his eye, I squirmed, desperate to get out from under his gaze.

“You know, maybe I’ll go, too.”

I followed the hallway Dexter had taken, entering the ladies room that was at the end of the hall. The toilets and sinks hadn’t been cleaned in a few days, and there was no way I was going to touch anything in the room, much less use the facilities. In fact, I wasn’t even going to go back to the table. I’d have to find a way to get Dexter alone if I wanted answers. Noah Brody was becoming a huge nuisance.

I waited a good fifteen minutes before treading softly back down the hall, glancing at our table and sighing with relief when I saw it was empty. They must have left without me. But just as I turned the corner to make my escape, a body stepped in front of me, blocking the sunlight. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was Noah Brody. And I knew that he knew.

I took a small step back.

“Where you off to, Chloe? Don’t you know it’s rude to eat and run?”

I felt my throat constrict. I took another step back. Noah placed his arm over my head as I pressed against the wall.

“I’m just going home.”

“Home? To Sol City?”

My eyes burned, and I feared I might burst into tears. Instead I swallowed hard and stared back at him. I fought to keep the quiver out of my voice. “My boyfriend knows where I am.”

“Sure he does.”

“I’m serious.”

“Then he’s not a very good boyfriend.”

Lee Strauss writes historical and science fiction/romance for upper YA and adult readers. She also writes light and fun stuff under the name Elle Strauss. To find out more about Lee and her books check out her facebook page. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/elle_strauss To find out about new releases sign up for her newsletter at www.ellestraussbooks.com

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