A Military Republic Book Blast

Welcome to the book blast for A Military Republic by Haythem Bastawy!

Egypt is in a state of turmoil, beggars have filled the streets, unemployment is at a record high, random individuals are vanishing under mysterious circumstances, and the president is grooming his son to take over. Fear clings to the air with secret police waiting in dark corners, and love withers under the crushing will of authority. Haythem Bastawy, an Egyptian himself, manages through his captivating narrative to depict a dangerous and yet absorbing world of a country in crisis and a people on the verge of a revolution. A Military Republic is a novel based on the true events that were the spark to the blaze of the Egyptian Revolution.

About the Author:

Haythem Bastawy was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He holds a B.A in English Literature from Alexandria University. He taught English for Berlitz-Egypt, before working for the as an English Language Lecturer based at both Cairo and Ain-Shams Universities. He also worked as a free-lance journalist for some local newspapers. He currently lives in Yorkshire with his wife and son. A Military Republic is the first novel in a series of books set in the year before the Egyptian Revolution and traveling back in time to the early nineteenth century.

Find the author on Facebook, Twitter, and his website.

Book Blast Giveaway:
$50 Amazon Gift Card compliments of Author Haythem Bastawy
Ends 10/11/12

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Women Redeemed 2.0 Webcast and iPad Giveaway

Join authors Kim Ketola, Teske Drake and Dawn Scott Jones for an evening of encouraging chat about healing and hope for women on the evening of October 10th. The authors will join together for a Live Webcast Event to share their stories.

BUT … wait there’s more! Between 10/1 and 10/10 enter to win a brand-new iPad from Women Redeemed!

 

One fortunate winner will receive:

• iPad with Wi-Fi
• Cradle My Heart by Kim Ketola, Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow by Teske Drake and When a Woman You Loved Was Abused by Dawn Scott Jones

Hurry, the giveaway ends on 10/10/12. Just click one of the icons below. The winner will be announced that evening at the Women Redeemed Webcast!  In coordination with the launch of their fall releases, Kregel will be hosting a live webcast event on October 10th at 8 PM EDT featuring authors Kim Ketola (Cradle My Heart), Teske Drake (Hope for Today, Promises for Tomorrow), and Dawn Scott Jones (When a Woman You Love Was Abused). The webcast will allow women to come together to share their struggles and fears in order to move toward healing and hope. Women will able to support one another and discuss shared experiences in a non-threatening, open and loving environment.

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 10th!

The Reluctant Bachelorette Book Blast

Welcome to the book blast for The Reluctant Bachelorette by Rachael Anderson!

Unknowingly cast as the bachelorette for her town’s charity event, Taycee Emerson wants out. Especially when she discovers her old teenage crush, Luke Carney, is one of the bachelors and it's up to the viewers--not her--to decide which bachelors stay or go.

Coerced into participating, Taycee does what any self-preserving girl would do. She launches a subtle attack on Luke’s good name with the hope of getting him voted off the show. Unfortunately, Luke's an eye-for-an-eye kind of guy, and when he discovers what she's up to, it means revenge.

But when their pranks go south, will they screw up any chance they have at a future together, or will they be able to forgive and forget and prove that love really does conquer all?

About the Author:
Rachael Anderson is the author of four contemporary romances: Divinely Designed, Luck of the Draw, Minor Adjustments, and The Reluctant Bachelorette. She's the mother of four, can't sing, doesn't dance, and despises tragedies. But she recently figured out how yeast works and can now make homemade bread, which she is really good at eating.





Find the author on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, Amazon, and her website!

http://iamareadernotawriter.blogspot.com/p/blog-tour.html

The Reluctant Bachelorette Blog Tour - October 2012

Giveaway Details:
$50 Amazon Gift Code compliments of Author Rachael Renee Anderson
Ends 10/31/12

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Trinity Blog Tour

Welcome to the blog tour for Trinity by C.J. Bolyne! Lots of great things in this post including a guest post, review, and giveaway, so keep reading!

Payton thought she had a normal, everyday life. When a mysterious man suddenly appears, he shatters her world telling her that her entire life has been a lie. She is a god with the Guardians having lived for 1000's of years. The Anords know where she is and he needs to protect her at all costs. Payton holds the key to saving humanity. However, a mysteriously familiar woman complicates everything.

About CJ Bolyne:

CJ Bolyne is a first time author and Trinity is her first book.

Born and raised in Southeastern Manitoba, Canada, CJ was an avid reader dreaming of the day she would write her own fantasy / sci-fi book.

When she’s not writing, CJ spends her time on her farm with her husband and multiple pets. She runs a full-time pet grooming business.

Her first book, Trinity, is the first in the series.

C.J. Bolyne has written a guest post for us today:

Hey everyone! Thanks for popping by on Day 4 of my very first virtual blog tour for my very first book, Trinity! I appreciate you being here and a huge thank you to Lisa for hosting me today.

Trinity is about a young woman – Payton – who thought she had your every day, ordinary life. After an extraordinary encounter with a stranger, she finds herself in another world. A world that she does not even remember. Apparently, someone had wiped and changed her memory and the only one who can restore it is this stranger.

““Hello” he said quietly. That slight grin was back on his lips.

“Uh, hey. How’d you get in here? I locked the back door already.”

“I have my ways” he answered.

“Yeah, well, that’s not an answer to my question. I have a few questions in fact. Like, number one, who are you? And number two, how did you know my name. That’s just for starters!” Payton’s voice squeaked a little. She was scared now.

The stranger took a step toward Payton. She took a step back. “Stop right there buddy! I do know how to defend myself!” Payton warned. The stranger could see that she was shaking. ‘She’s terrified of you,’ he thought. ‘We can’t have that. I must calm her; ease her mind.’

“Please, do not be afraid,” he tried to use a soothing tone. “I am not here to harm you. I am here to protect you.”

“Protect me? From who or what?” Payton demanded.

“It’s a long story Payton. I am your guardian. I am Terran.” he said.

“Alright, so now I know your name at least. So Terran, who are you and why would I need protection?” she asked.

“Can we go somewhere private to talk?” he asked.

“We are alone here! Right here! So talk!” she started to yell.

“No, we’re not” he said and grabbed her around the waist tight. Just before they seemed to disappear from her shop, she saw a shadow figure coming towards her … then darkness.

They landed, or he landed and had to steady her when her knees buckled. She shook her head. It felt fuzzy. When things cleared, she looked around. It was dark, cold and clammy – a cave.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“Safe, for now.” he replied.”

Be sure to check out C.J. Bolyne's website and Facebook page. You can purchase Trinity at Smashwords, Lulu, or Amazon.

Review:

Payton has a average life. Late one night though, she stops to help a stranger in distress. Soon she learns this stranger is even stranger than she had imagined, and Payton finds herself caught up in a world she didn't even know existed. It seems Payton's true identity has been hidden from her. Now Payton must struggle to regain her memory even as she tries to keep away from a rival faction that is very interested in her. 

This was a bit of a familiar story (girl is actually really important but has lost her memory), but it has a freshness to it due to the creativity of the plot. I found the story so interesting. There was a particular part of the story about another mysterious woman that was so cool. That kept me reading until the end and wanting more. It definitely managed to capture my attention. It was a very unique concept. I had a couple problems when reading though. One was I found the characters hard to keep up with a bit. Names of the gods were sort of thrown at me without too much information about them, so it was hard to keep up with who was who. I'm also horrible with just remembering names without some kind of distinguishing characteristic though. The other was that sometimes there were a lot of short sentences in a row. This could make for a choppy narrative, and that could take me out of the story a bit.

Getting past those things though, I was really intrigued by the story. I liked that Payton managed to take charge of her own destiny even when she was unsure what it was. Not only was Terran dreamy, he made a great companion for Payton. I did wish I got a little more information about the conflict between the various factions of the gods. Overall though, this book did a great job of leaving me hanging and wanting more. That ending was a little surprising and left me with tons of questions. I know I will be looking for the sequel. This book is creative and will leave you wondering what happens next.

Book provided for review

A great giveaway is also being sponsored for this book, so be sure to check it out and enter! Good luck to everyone, and thanks for stopping by!

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Freedom Road Book Blast

Welcome to the book blast for Freedom Road by T. M. Souders!

Since the tender age of eight, music served as Samantha Becker’s source of solace against her father’s tyranny and her mother’s alcoholism. Now at eighteen, her only dream is to study classical guitar at Juilliard. But when her father’s careless actions lead to an “accident,” which threatens her ability to play the guitar, Sam becomes despondent. Losing all confidence in her future, Sam hides behind the emotional barriers that have protected her for years.

Just when Sam has given up, two unexpected people enter her life, giving her the confidence she needs, and forcing her to evaluate all she’s ever known. Battling her father’s plans for her future, band mates using her for personal gain, and a permanent injury, the odds are stacked against her. With auditions approaching and time running out, Sam must relearn to play the guitar, or be destined to give up her dreams forever.

About the Author:

T.M. Souders was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and grew up in the suburbs outside of Pittsburgh. She graduated in 2004, from Youngstown State University, with a degree in Psychology and minor in Women’s Studies. She is the author of bestselling women’s fiction novel,Waiting on Hope, as well as the novelette Dashing Through The Snow and the newly released young adult/crossover novel ,Freedom Road. In her spare time when she is nor writing she is an active volunteer for The World Literary Cafe, a site dedicated to authors and readers. She currently lives in rural Ohio with her husband and children.

Connect with the author on her website, Twitter, Goodreads, and Facebook!



Book Blast Giveaway:
$50 Amazon Gift Code
Ends 9/27/12
Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent's permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

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Review: Never Enough by Denise Jaden

Title:		Never Enough
Author:		Denise Jaden
Publisher:		Simon & Schuster
Imprint:		Simon Pulse
Pub. Date:		7/10/2012
ISBN:		1442429070 (ISBN13: 9781442429079)
Pages:		400

From the author of Losing Faith, a novel about two sisters and the eating disorder that threatens to destroy their family.

Loann’s always wanted to be popular and pretty like her sister, Claire. So when Claire’s ex-boyfriend starts flirting with her, Loann is willing to do whatever it takes to feel special… even if that means betraying her sister.

But as Loann slips inside Claire’s world, she discovers that everything is not as it seems. Claire’s quest for perfection is all-consuming, and comes at a dangerous price. As Claire increasingly withdraws from friends and family, Loann struggles to understand her and make amends. Can she heal their relationship —and her sister—before it’s too late?

(Summary and cover via Goodreads)
            **************************************************

Loann is always being overshadowed by her older sister Claire. Claire is prettier, smarter, more popular- in short, Claire is everything Loann wants to be. As Loann begins to learn more about Claire's world though, Loann realizes things aren't as wonderful as they seemed. Claire's destructive behavior is much worse than Loann ever imagined, and Loann wants nothing more than to fix everything for Claire. Some things however are not easily fixed.

I put off writing this review for a long time because of the subject matter. Issues with body image hit a little too close to home for me. Watching Claire slowly destroy herself was extremely painful. I don't want to make this review about me and my issues, which is part of why this review is so hard to write. I have written whole paragraphs and erased them because it's just all about my issues instead of the book. However, this book really managed to bring a lot of that to the surface and made me question why females young and old feel this way. Claire's life is seemingly perfect. She has a great boyfriend and a good future. She's talented and beautiful and smart. Yet none of this is enough for her. None of it gives her the confidence and feelings of positive self-worth she needs to be able to do something as simple as eat. I think that while most women, like me, probably do not have eating disorders, they can find it difficult to accept and love their bodies.

Loann was someone who I think could have grated on me, but she managed not to do that. She could seem a little self-centered at times, but that certainly seemed age-appropriate for being a teen. Loann really did love Claire so much though. She wanted nothing more than to help and heal Claire, and I think it was difficult to discover that you can't just love someone into health. Of course, Loann also had to deal with her friend and his home situation as well. I don't want to spoil that, but I really just wanted to give Loann a big hug and some therapy. I hope someone was looking after her well-being as well.

 I think I spent the last quarter of the book or so in tears. This book was difficult to read and beautiful at the same time if that makes any sense. There is a very fine line there between exploiting a difficult plot line for a reaction and writing something that means something. I think this book managed to mean something. I am working very hard to change my attitude and ideas about what makes a person beautiful and of worth, and this book really helped put some of that in perspective. So while it is not an easy read by any means, it is definitely a worthwhile read. Just keep the tissues handy.

Galley provided for review.

Demons Blog Tour- Review and Giveaway

Welcome to the blog tour for Demons by Heather Frost!

Demons are not just killers, they are also masterminds.

Kate’s life is far from normal. She can see Auras, her boyfriend is immortal, and her powers make her a target. But now that the Demon Lord is hunting her, things are about to go from dangerous to truly deadly. Packed with action, mind-blowing plot twists, and characters you can’t get enough of, this is a fast-paced, heart-pounding read from cover to cover.

 About the Author:

Heather Frost was born in Sandy, Utah, and raised in a small Northern Utah town. She is the second oldest of ten children, and she has always been an avid reader and writer. She graduated from Snow College and is currently attending Utah State University. She enjoys playing the flute, listening to all types of music, and watching a wide variety of movies. Ever since she wrote her first short story—at the age of four—she has dreamed of one day becoming an author. Demons is her second published novel. Visit www.HeatherFrost.com to leave her a message, or learn more about her and the Seers Trilogy.

Be sure to check out the Seers Facebook fan page and the Goodreads page for author Heather Frost!

Review:

When last we met Kate, she was dealing with discovering that she was different from other people. Very different. Kate is in fact a Seer, a person able to see auras. She can use this ability to help the Guardians, a group of immortals who chose to help those still on Earth rather than go to Heaven, to find the Demons that are causing problems for people. After falling in love with her Guardian Patrick, Kate is now more ready to face the school year. As one would expect though, Kate's life is still not safe. The evil Demon Lord is after her, and she needs to find out why. When the acts of the Demon Lord puts everything she holds dear in danger, Kate is faced with some extremely difficult decisions. Will she have to sacrifice herself to save those she loves?

I really enjoyed the first book, so I was looking forward to reading this one. I was not let down. In fact, I think this book exceeded my expectations. It managed to be tense, romantic, scary, and hopeful all at once. The story took some twists that I did not see coming, and the ending was such a cliffhanger! I'm trying to avoid any spoilers in this review, because there are a lot of things that need to be read. That makes it more difficult to write this though. I have so many things to say about particular things that happened. There is one particular theme that I felt was touched on so amazingly, but I won't say more in the interest of not ruining the book for anyone. Just know that there are a lot of great things in there. 

It's always fun to rejoin characters you enjoyed before, and this book is no exception to that. Kate is still a worthy heroine. She's not one to just sit back and let things happen to her. Kate wants to take charge, and she is willing to do whatever it takes. In this book in particular, Kate gets to be the one who makes the decisions to try and save the day. I love when a female gets to be the rescuer instead of the rescuee. The rest of the characters are fun as well. There's teenage drama and supernatural drama, so there's plenty of fun for everyone. While I really enjoyed the first book, this book was even better. People definitely need to check this one out. It gets really intense towards the end, so much so that my heart was racing for several chapters. If you liked the first book, this one will be even better. If you didn't read the first book, do it and then grab this one. It is totally worth it.

Book provided for review.

And now for the giveaway! I have one copy of the book to give away. If you live in the US, you can choose between a hard copy or an ebook. If you live outside the US, you can win an ebook. This giveaway has easy entry. You get one free entry, one entry for liking the Seers fan page on Facebook, and one for becoming a fan of Heather Frost on Goodreads. Good luck!

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Be sure to check out all the stops on the tour! Thanks for stopping by!