An Unexpected Sequel: Cover Reveal and Scavenger Hunt

11 Mar 2019 3 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in book tours, Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , , , ,

A while back I wrote a review for Kandi J. Wyatt’s book An Unexpected Adventure. Well today I get to share all about the sequel, An Unexpected Escapade. This post is going to be chocked full of fun, not only am I revealing the cover, but there’s also an exclusive excerpt from the book, and author Kandi J.Wyatt is running a scavenger hunt where you could win a unicorn prize pack. You can scroll all the way to the end for the clue but that wouldn’t be very sporting.

About the Book:

An Unexpected Escapade CoverProtect friendship, family or a creature that’s not supposed to exist?

Ana and Daisy have been friends since third grade, but a rift in the space-time continuum in their little town may change that. When a unicorn waltzes into the pasture with Daisy’s appaloosas, a poacher, who will stop at nothing to gain the unicorn horn and its healing tears, shows up. Daisy is focused on saving the unicorn while Ana’s parents face sudden life-threatening health issues. When Ana learns about the healing tears, she’s forced to choose between friendship and her family’s health. 

Can the girls find the grace to compromise and save Ana’s parents and the unicorn?

 

This Middle Grade Fantasy is releasing on April 9th!

Available for pre-order at just 99 cents now!

Buy Links: https://books2read.com/mythcoastadventures2

Kandi’s Bio:

Even as a young girl, Kandi J Wyatt, had a knack for words. She loved to read them, even if it was on a shampoo bottle! By high school Kandi had learned to put words together on paper to create stories for those she loved. Nowadays, she writes for her kids, whether that’s her own five or the hundreds of students she’s been lucky to teach. When Kandi’s not spinning words to create stories, she’s using them to teach students about Spanish, life, and leadership.

 Website: http://kandijwyatt.com/
Facebook: http://facebook.com/kandijwyatt/

Google: http://plus.google.com/u/0/+KandiWyatt/

Twitter: http://twitter.com/kandijwyatt

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/kandijwyatt

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13817774.Kandi_J_Wyatt

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kandi-J-Wyatt/e/B00ZTC4T10/

An Expected Escapade Excerpt:

Although Daisy had encountered the unicorn the night before, the sight still stunned her. Ginger’s ears flicked forward, and then the right one twitched back toward her rider.

“It’s okay, girl.” She wasn’t sure if she was reassuring herself or her horse.

“Hey there,” Ana called softly. “Where’d you come from? We won’t hurt you.”

Before Daisy could say anything, Ana slid off Root’s back. She let the lead rope fall to the ground and held her hand out.

“My name’s Ana, and this is Root. I think you already know her. She seems to know you.” Root blew air threw her nostrils. “See? I knew it. My friend over there’s Daisy, and she’s riding Ginger. Will you come meet us?”

To Daisy’s utter surprise, the unicorn complied. Step by wary step, it drew nearer. The shadows played along the pearlescent, twisted horn—the one feature that distinguished it from an ordinary horse. The unicorn paused just shy of Ana’s outstretched hand.

“You’re beautiful.” Ana’s voice was hushed with awe. “How’d you get here? I’ve never seen a unicorn before, and I don’t know anyone who ever has.”

The white head shook, flinging its mane out like an ocean wave breaking against a rock. Ana didn’t flinch. Instead, she kept up her litany of soft, soothing words. When Daisy realized the unicorn wasn’t going to hurt them, she slipped her leg over Ginger’s rump and dropped quietly to the forest floor. The fir needles muted her footsteps as she made her way over to Ana. By the time she reached her friend, Ana had one hand resting on the unicorn’s nose.

Book 1 in the series, An Unexpected Adventure will be 99 cents from

March 11-18 if you would like to catch up on the fun!

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An Unexpected Adventure: https://www.books2read.com/u/3yDLX6

 

GIVEAWAY Scavenger Hunt!

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 Visit all the blogs participating in the cover reveal to gather all the clues and win a prize, a felted unicorn and unicorn charms!!

The Second Clue:

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Make sure you fill out this form to enter! https://goo.gl/forms/UjLD2iJXyjFywNPA3

 Find all the Clues to enter. 

 https://sjeckert.wordpress.com/

https://cobonham.com — You are here

www.beliedoutcastlegends.com

https://www.facebook.com/1SarahAshwood/

https://www.facebook.com/conradstilling/

https://sparksofember.wordpress.com/

http://www.girl-who-reads.com

www.themusingsofabookaddict.com

stephaniesbookreviews.weebly.com

http://patriciamatherparker.com/blog/

Preorder 1

 

Artificial Love: a cover reveal

27 Feb 2019 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , ,

Boy howdy have I got a yarn for you! Today I’m talking about Artificial Love by author R. J. Conte. I’m going to show you a cover and tell you a bit about the book.

cover reveal graphicDeep in the heart of the wild west, rebel marauders are drawing out a bloody civil war that no side can win. Many ranchers, including Lisbeth’s father die trying to save their farms, leaving their women to fight to keep their land and stay alive.

When Lisbeth and her mousy younger sister Ruth come face to face with the uncouth land pirates who seize their farm as a scouting base, they only have one plan to protect their virtue: pretend to be commonplace, advanced domestic robots. Suppressing their fears, enslaved to the ruffians, the two young women are determined to convince the men they’re not human.

Their plan hits a snag when they meet Dane: a gorgeous prisoner-of-war who has a secret belief that robots can become sentient and develop emotions on their own… and he’s determined to use Lisbeth as proof.

Can the sisters keep up their ruse and survive?

For fans of The Twilight Zone meets Gone with the Wind and Magnificent Seven

BIO:

385861_3070429605502_1085714756_nRJ Conte has kissed only one boy in her entire life – and she married him – inspiring her to write about sweet or powerful love stories ever since. She writes issue-driven fiction that explores human nature and the depths of the soul while pointing readers to their Creator.

She writes a blog on parenting, publishing, painting, and perorating at http://blonderj.wordpress.com/

 

Here’s the cover:

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I am so excited for this release. I mean look at that cover! It’s so Steampunk!

 

The book will be available on March 5th. Preorder it here:

 

 

Be Our Guest Post: C.W. Briar

17 Feb 2019 2 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Be our Guest Post, book tours Tags: , , , ,

Whispers-Blog-Tour

It’s time for another blog tour. This time it’s for author C.W. Briar’s debut novel. Whispers from the Depth.

About the book:

Whispers from the Depths Cover.jpgJoyful and blessed are Voice-bearers, for the Heavens have set them apart.

 As Whisperers gifted with the Voice, Betka and her people are enslaved. Only they can control the dangerous spirits that haunt the waters, but they are forced to serve under cruel taskmasters. Betka has little hope of freedom from her service or her own bitterness.

 They toil for the goodness of others. 

 A powerful water spirit terrorizes the castle where Betka’s sister is serving. Betka is assigned to the crew sailing to face the foe, and she fears for the only family she has left.

 Rage is found nowhere in them.

 In the beleaguered, flooded castle, a new threat awaits—a magic more powerful and horrifying than anything they have ever seen. Loyalties will be tested, and enemies will become desperate allies.

 Betka is their only hope of escape—if she can subdue the wrath that endangers them all.

She who wields the waters for revenge drowns herself tenfold.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40800052-whispers-from-the-depths

Be Our Guest Post with C.W. Briar:

Thanks for having me. Can I start off by saying how surreal it is to be doing my first blog tour? It’s like arriving at the Academy Awards, except my ritzy gift bag looks more like a paper plate with Oreos from my own cupboard.

They’re delicious, by the way.

For those who don’t know me: Hello. I’m C.W. Briar, I write books, and I have cute dogs. That’s all the important bits about me. Those of you who already know me (sorry) have probably gleaned two other facts: I like creepy stories, and I joke around online. That might seem contradictory, but it’s because serious me is long-winded, and writing a dark fantasy novel lets me be super long-winded.

In addition to suspense, action, and humor, Whispers From The Depths is an exploration of questions I’d been contemplating. We’re all familiar with the phrase “love conquers all,” but how, exactly, does it conquer? How does love win against a foe that’s content with being violent and cruel? What does it look like to interrupt the downward spiral of grudges and vengeance?

As much as anything, it’s the immersion into those questions that pushes Whispers into dark fantasy territory. I threw the two main characters, Betka and Asi, to the wolves. They have immense power as Whisperers with water magic, but none to protect themselves. The limitation to their ability is that it can’t be used to harm others. The Whisperers are desperate for an escape or way to fight back against a kingdom that has turned against them.

Betka’s life is a nightmare, and that’s before she gets news that her sister’s village has been attacked by a dangerous spirit.

That was the heartbeat of the story, the lifeblood flowing through every chapter. The old Whisperer dictates about love feel oppressive in that situation. Betka wrestles with them, just as I wrestled with them. The great thing about fiction is that we can let characters explore difficult questions while we have fun as readers.

And the book is meant to be fun, not just moral ruminations. Readers will have form their own opinions, but I think the spirit Ylvalas creates an interesting conflict. In this world, spirits inhabit the waters and can manifest in various forms. I took rather morbid delight in creating ways for water to be used as a weapon, then pitting the characters against those threats.

That’s the situation Betka finds herself in, trapped between a murderous spirit and cruel oppressors, fighting to rescue herself and her sister. It’s Betka’s story, and I loved her honesty and resolve through it all. I loved the strength of Asi’s tender heart and the courage in Kuros’s humor. Now I get to find out if readers also love the characters and their diverse responses to the horrors.

Author Nancy Holzner wrote one of the novel’s blurbs. She said it “entertains on every page and leaves the reader thinking long after the last word.” Honestly, that’s everything I hoped for from the book.

Author Bio

CW Briar - Author Photo.jpgC.W. Briar writes fantasy that’s dark but hopeful, filled with wonder and humor along with the suspense and creepiness. His favorite stories are the ones that make him both smile and perch on the edge of his seat. By day, he works as a systems engineer, testing or even riding on trains, airplanes, and helicopters. At night, when not writing, he prepares fancy dinners and shows off his awesome corgis. He’s a graduate of Binghamton University and lives in Upstate NY with his wife, three kids, and secret stashes of chocolate.

 

Sign up for newsletter exclusives through his website: http://www.cwbriar.com

 Social Media Links:

https://www.facebook.com/CWBriar

https://twitter.com/CW_Briar

https://www.instagram.com/cw_briar/

Whispers from the Depth releases February 19th in both Ebook and print.

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 UUP website (Rumor says these are autographed!): https://uncommonuniverses.com/books/whispers-from-the-depths/

 Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Whispers-Depths-C-W-Briar-ebook/dp/B07LC2VTLM/

 Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/whispers-from-the-depths-c-w-briar/1130009932

 Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1446792349

 Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/whispers-from-the-depths-1

If Wishes Were Curses Blog Tour

09 Feb 2019 3 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Be our Guest Post, book tours Tags: , , , , ,

You’ve seen the cover reveal, now experience the tour!

IWWC Blog Tour Graphic

The urban fantasy about a half Jinn is back on the blog with the official blog tour.

As part of the blog tour am hosting a guest post from author Janeen Ippolito about one of the meaty themes explored in her story.

But first for those who may have forgotten, a refresher on what the book is about.

iwwc_ji[final2]So I accidentally killed a shifter. On purpose.

With genie powers I shouldn’t be able to use, thanks to my curse-mark.

In my defense, the damn grizzly was threatening civilians and might have been a vampire as well. Pittsburgh is safer without him. Only the Fae court doesn’t believe my story, and the shifters are out for blood.

Now I’ve lost my job as a romantic investigator, and I’m on death row. My only hope is an oddly outgoing vegetarian vampire lawyer who seems strangely familiar. Too familiar. 

Almost like we’ve met before, and this whole thing was a set-up to take us both down.

Wishing won’t get us out of this mess.
But my forbidden wish magic just might.

A snarky urban fantasy with a heart, some romance with heat (nothing graphic), and gleeful send ups of many tropes, all wrapped up with an otter-shifter in the bargain.

The book releases February 12, you can preorder it now for just 99 cents:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Were-Curses-Steel-Genie-ebook/dp/B07M743SN8

Add it to your Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43502789-if-wishes-were-curses

Now it’s time for our Be our Guest post from author Janeen Ippolito:

Trusting When You’ve Been Cursed: Abandonment in If Wishes Were Curses

 When I first started writing If Wishes Were Curses, I knew main character Allis Evanenko had some issues relating to people deeply. But I wasn’t exactly sure why. Yes, her mother died from illness, but I knew Allis had grieved deeply and made peace with that. And Allis was always close to her half-brother Gideon. Their sibling bond is so tight that Gideon left his father’s otter-shifter family to stick with his sister. So why did Allis feel so haunted by this deep sense of loss? As a matchmaker she worked so hard for people to make meaningful connections with each other. Why was she unable to open up and trust others would be there for her?

Then I realized that Allis had been abandoned before she was born. Her Jinn father had abandoned her mostly-human mother as soon as he learned she was pregnant. Allis’s mother never learned the reason why. She just woke up, alone and at the mercy of the Fae court who were very concerned about the possibility of a half-Jinn child. Some of them even strongly urged Allis’s mother to abort the child for the Fae peace of mind. She refused and chose to raise Allis on her own, with much Fae oversight, but little actual support. Moreover, the Fae insisted that Allis receive a curse-mark upon birth, blocking the majority of her magic and disabling her from any meaningful interaction in Fae society.

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No matter how much Allis’s mother and brother assured her that she was wanted and loved, Allis grew up knowing that she was abandoned by not only her father, but also Fae culture in general. And while she fought for meaning in the church and clung to her brother, she still believed that the only way to survive was to remember that ultimately, she’d be alone. And that it was all her fault, just for existing. Since she could never fix her own problems, she could at least prove herself by fixing relational issues for others. Helping others find true love that works and stopping people from getting into bad relationships—or helping them flee bad relationships—brings her comfort in a way nothing else can. Even if people around her often scoff at her little mission as being “light” and “fluffy” as opposed to people who do “real, serious cop or investigative work.” She takes her work seriously, has a college degree in interpersonal studies, and has devoted herself to figuring out how people work. All while making sure no one knows how alone she feels inside.

Of course, I’m quite terrible to Allis, because in the story she’s arrested, and even her handful of friends appear to desert her. Enter Cendric Atelier, a vampire with a story of abandonment of his own. You’ll have to read the book to learn more about that but sufficed to say that they connect over a deep understanding of what it’s like to be left behind. And that shared experience can turn them into a powerful team—if they can overcome their own insecurities.

Maybe it’s my own extroverted side, but I love writing stories where people must join with others to defeat evil. Ensemble casts rule! And in Allis’s case, one key part of her personal journey is accepting that Cendric is there to stay—and so are her Fae friends.

One major song with this is Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson, 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwTMz6Nfhjg

 

Janeen-016Janeen Ippolito writes steampunk fantasy and urban fantasy, and creates writing resources, including the reference book World Building From the Inside Out and the creative writing guide Irresistible World Building For Unforgettable Stories. She’s an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, marketer, and is the leader of Uncommon Universes Press, a small traditional science fiction and fantasy publishing house. She’s also the cohost of the podcast Indie Book Magic. In her spare time, Janeen enjoys sword-fighting, reading, pyrography, and eating brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica.

Website: https://janeenippolito.com/ 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeenippolitounique/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneenIppolito
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeen_ippolito/  

 

New Release: Etherno

31 Jan 2019 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in book tours Tags: , , ,

Today I have a special new release for you. Etherno: rise of the Dragon Girl has officially released  as an ebook. (Paperback pending.) This is an awesome book my friends. The author Aaron DeMott originally released it as a serial on his blog, and it was torture to wait a week between chapters. It’s so much better to have the whole book in front of you and read it all at once.

About the book:

Etherno_cover.jpgOnin’s life is changed when he meets a mysterious new student with a fiery dual dragon nature. Then the secretive alien Matari recruit him and his friends to track down the body-snatching Natas. Between the aliens, the cute new girl, and his idiot roommate, can Onin manage to graduate college?

Scholarship student Onin thought magical school would be easy.
Sure, his roomie’s a little flakey and one of his classmates tends to sneeze herself into the wall, but that’s par for the course.
Onin’s even made a connection with cute (and oddly warm) newcomer, Kasai.
Then the alien Natas start possessing humans and targeting the magically-gifted. Now it will take all of Onin’s wits and his magical classmates’ help to stop the invasion and discover the true endgame of the Natas.

Thankfully, they have a fiery half-dragon ally. One who seems curiously connected to quiet Kasai…

Buy the book:

e-book: https://www.amazon.com/Etherno-Rise-Dragongirl-Aaron-DeMott-ebook/dp/B07MTTG14D

 

aaronAuthor Bio:

Aaron has had a few different jobs, ranging from computer tech support, to real-estate, and lawn and farm sales and service (His current day-job is a Linux Sys-admin at a web hosting company.) He also enjoys photography and reading, and has been a Star Trek and Star Wars fan for as long as he can remember

Author Links:

 Website: www.aarondemott.com

 Amazon author page: https://amazon.com/author/aarondemott

 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorAaronDemott/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/AaronJDeMott

 Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/aarondemott/

 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aaron_demott/

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To Court a Queen: A Dive in Review

30 Jan 2019 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Today I have an exciting review for you. It’s a sneak peek of a new fantasy release from H.L. Burke.

About the book:

to court a queen_internet use(1)He doesn’t want to get married, but he wants to be a frog even less.

 Knight errant, Devin, takes a shortcut through the woods, only to be captured by fairy forces. The fairy queen has run out of breathing males to fight for her hand, and Devin, while not ideal fairy stock, is breathing–for now.

 Telling a vain fairy queen you’d rather not be her one true love is a ticket to life on a lilypad, so the knight agrees to face three challenges to win Queen Agalea’s hand. When a clever servant girl offers to help him navigate the trials in order to stop the constant bloodshed of the courtship ritual, Devin jumps at the chance. However, as he balances “flirting” with his “beloved” and overcoming tasks specifically designed to kill him, he finds his heart drawn to his new partner in survival.

Right now you can preorder it for only 99 cents. But act fast the price goes up February 1st. Purchase link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYG7526

The release date is Febuary 18.

Author Bio:

heidi-107H. L. Burke is the author of multiple fantasy novels including the Dragon and the Scholar saga and The Nyssa Glass YA Steampunk series and Coiled. She is an admirer of the whimsical, a follower of the Light, and a believer in happily ever after.

 H.L.’s social media links:
twitter.com/hlburkewriter (for random snarkiness and occasional book snippets)

facebook.com/hlburkewriter (for longer form random snarkiness, occasional book snippets, and #dailydragon posts where I share my favorite dragon related finds)

My website (and mailing list) for news and deals www.hlburkeauthor.com
My instagram for #TheodoretheDragon awesomness instagram.com/burkesdragons
and my reader group if you want to be the first to hear about beta and ARC reading opportunities as well as my day to day struggles and weekly live videos. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hlburkereaders/

introducing h. l. burke

To Court a Queen By H.L. Burke, A dive in review:

 To Court a Queen is a new snark filled romp from author H.L. Burke. Her trade mark style of sarcasm filled fantasy is always a delight to read.

 In this adventure a knight on errant leave, stumbles into fairy territory and into one twisted version of a love test. Devin does not want to marry the fairy queen, but he wants to die even less.

 The best part of this story was the human fairy dynamic. Fairies can not lie and therefore do not understand snark. Sir Devin speaks in a steady stream of sarcasm. So nearly every exchange is a humorous miscommunication.

 coming 2019Devin is a very good looking rouge and he doesn’t care about the odds, like a certain sci-fi character. You will laugh out loud when you see who this story is actually dedicated to. It totally fits. Devin is everything I want in a man, funny, smooth, able to take direction, and he can think on his feet too.

 The next best character is Savine, she is a fae from a race of cat like elves. Do not call her a cat elf! She is the most adorable fantasy character I think I’ve ever read. It is through her intelligence and persistence that Devin is able to survive the night let alone even consider facing the evil queen’s trials. And I ship them so hard.

 If you are looking for a fast light hearted read with a modern take on classic fairy tale gropes then look no farther. To Court a Queen has just the right amount of everything.

 * I was given an advanced copy of this book in order to disseminate my honest opinion of it to the masses. Mission accomplished.*

Cover Reveal: A Dream Within a Dream

22 Jan 2019 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , , , , ,

Last year I reviewed a book from Author Kristina Mahr called All that We See or Seem. 

It may have ended on a cliffhanger. So I am super excited to be helping with the cover reveal for her sequel, A Dream Within a Dream.

About the book:

cover reveal graphic(Dreamworld Duology book 2):

Invisible to the man she loves, Reeve Lennox fights to reclaim him from a dark world.

As her wedding day nears in Acarsaid, her betrothed Arden offers only his wayward soul and saucy tongue. At night she desperately tries to reach Bran, the young soldier of nightmarish Tenebris who holds her heart. However, her king insists that the realms of Tenebris and Acarsaid must remain separate, lest the evil wizard Rancore brutally conquer all.

But the dark magic of Tenebris defies mere distance. A war is coming, one only Reeve may be able to prevent, if she can reunite her family on opposing sides.

With two kingdoms at stake, Reeve must discover her strength and her family’s legacy before all is lost. Yet righting the wrongs of the past may require the sacrifice of her truest love.

Add it toGoodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43636717-a-dream-within-a-dream

About the author:
Kristina Mahr head shotKristina Mahr devotes her days to numbers and her nights to words. She works full-time as an accountant in the suburbs of Chicago, where she lives with her two dogs and two cats, but her true passion is writing. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, reading, and waking up at the crack of dawn every weekend to watch the Premier League.

Website: https://kristinamahr.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Kristina_Mahr

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristina.mahr/

Okay I’m sure you’re ready for the lovley cover now.

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It’s so amazing! Now that you’ve seen it you must be itching to preorder it. If you read the first book already, I know you were looking forward these links more than the cover.

A Dream Within a Dream pre-order links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MYR8QFJ/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-dream-within-a-dream-kristina-mahr/1130335449

Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1450130562

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/a-dream-within-a-dream-5

Autographed paperback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/a-dream-within-a-dreampaperback-pre-order/

Autographed hardback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/a-dream-within-a-dreamautographed-hardback-pre-order/

No let’s see those covers together:

cover reveal graphic - atwsos + adwad

The release date is March 26th 2019,

Need to catch up?

Get the first book here:

All That We See Or SeemAll That We See or Seem buy links
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/That-Seem-Dreamworld-Duology-Book-ebook/dp/B07BJH8L7J/
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/all-that-we-see-or-seem-kristinamahr/1128233212
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/all-that-we-see-or-seem-2
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1360731363
Autographed paperback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/all-that-we-see-or-seem/
Autographed hardback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/all-that-we-see-or-seemautographed-hardback/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39341536-all-that-we-see-or-seem

Dive in Review: One Flew through the Dragon Heart

16 Jan 2019 Leave a comment

by C.O. Bonham in Dive In Review Tags: , , , , ,

Hello readers, Today is January sixteenth and it is Appreciate a Dragon day. So today I am giving you a book review of a book that has a Dragon in it. If the title sounds familiar to you it’s because I hosted a cover reveal for this book back in October. Please note the awesome dragon silhouette behind title in cover image.

About the book:

A Chinese Legend. A British Secret. Star-Crossed Lovers with Incompatible Magic.

51whzhtwuul._sy346_Flew works as a professor of wielder instruction at Rembrandt Academy, hoping to erase the regrets of his youth along with the resulting debt. But when he comes face to face with his biggest regret—the woman who broke his heart, Adelaide Favan—Brixton soon realizes his troubles have only begun.

Unable to control her magic, Adelaide knew leaving Brixton was the only way to protect him when they were younger. Now she discovers he is the key to recovering the Dragon Eyes, a legendary treasure connected to her magic and her family’s disgraced legacy—and she knows the risk is great, to both his life and her heart.

With others seeking the power of the Dragon Eyes, Brixton and Adelaide must outwit their foes and face down their families to save London from an ancient legend that sleeps beneath the magic portal in their city.

But the renewed passion growing between them may prove to be the greater peril …

One Flew Through the Dragon Heart is the first book in a new steampunk series by C.S. Johnson, blending together history, romance, mecha-dragons and magic against the glittering backdrop of 1880’s Victorian London.

CS JohnsonC. S. Johnson is the author of several young adult novels, including sci-fi and fantasy adventures such as the Starlight Chronicles series, the Once Upon a Princess saga, and the Divine Space Pirates trilogy. With a gift for sarcasm and an apologetic heart, she currently lives in Atlanta with her family. Find out more at http://www.csjohnson.me.

 Website // Newsletter // Facebook // Twitter // Instagram // Pinterest // Google Plus 

Purchase your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HRW64SM

Dive in Review:

One Flew Through the Dragon Heart by C.S. Johnson is a steampunk fantasy.

The setting is an alternate London where a gaping magical portal hovers over parliament. This portal not only gives the citizens of this world magic abilities but it also holds a secret. A secret that someone is trying to let out.

This novel also features a great addition to Dragon lore. It totally explains why dragons hoard treasure. It also explains why someone would name a huge gemstone “the dragon’s eye.” It’s Awesome and trust me you really want to know what this is. I also loved that there was an actual Dragon in the book and it wasn’t just a tease. Perfect book for appreciate a dragon day.

I loved the magic system created for this story world. White magic and black magic are taken literally in this color based magic system. White creates and Black destroys. Guess what happens when two people with opposite magic fall in love. Suspense, tension, and adventure.

The main POV characters, Brixton and Ada were great. With personality and chemistry they make a couple worthy of shipping. It was a great twist on the star-crossed lovers troupe.

Without spilling spoilers all I can say is that I loved this book and eagerly await the next Installment. Also if you love steampunk, magic, romance , Dragons or all of the above. you will totally want to read this book.

*I was given a free ecopy of this book for promotional purposes. All opinions expressed are my own and are my honest opinion.*

 

Cover Reveal: If Wishes Were Curses

09 Jan 2019 1 Comment

by C.O. Bonham in Cover Reveal Tags: , ,

Happy 2019! Sorry I took such a long break from blogging. But the Holidays wrecked my schedule. I’m back now to ring in the new year with a cover reveal. If Wishes Were Curses by Janeen Ippolito is a new urban fantasy that I can not wait to read.

cover reveal graphicSo I accidentally killed a shifter. On purpose.

With genie powers I shouldn’t be able to use, thanks to my curse-mark.

In my defense, the damn grizzly was threatening civilians and might have been a vampire as well. Pittsburgh is safer without him. Only the Fae court doesn’t believe my story, and the shifters are out for blood.

Now I’ve lost my job as a romantic investigator, and I’m on death row. My only hope is an oddly outgoing vegetarian vampire lawyer who seems strangely familiar. Too familiar.

Almost like we’ve met before, and this whole thing was a set-up to take us both down.

Wishing won’t get us out of this mess.
But my forbidden wish magic just might. 

A snarky urban fantasy with a heart, some heat (nothing graphic), and gleeful send ups of many tropes, all wrapped up with an otter-shifter in the bargain.
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Preorder (99 cent preorder special for limited time)
Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Were-Curses-Steel-Genie-ebook/dp/B07M743SN8
Add it to your Goodreads shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43502789-if-wishes-were-curses

Janeen-016Janeen Ippolito writes steampunk fantasy and urban fantasy, and creates writing resources, including the reference book World Building From the Inside Out and the creative writing guide Irresistible World Building For Unforgettable Stories. She’s an experienced teacher, editor, author coach, marketer, and is the leader of Uncommon Universes Press, a small traditional science fiction and fantasy publishing house. She’s also the cohost of the podcast Indie Book Magic. In her spare time, Janeen enjoys sword-fighting, reading, pyrography, and eating brownie batter. Two of her goals are eating fried tarantulas and traveling to Antarctica.

Social media links: Website: https://janeenippolito.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/janeenippolitounique/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JaneenIppolito
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janeen_ippolito/  

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I love this cover! It is so mysterious and interesting. If the blurb wasn’t enough to make you want to read this then the cover seals the deal right? So when can you get your copy?

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 February 12 that’s when. It’s so close. Pre-order now to make sure you don’t miss out.

Amazon Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Wishes-Were-Curses-Steel-Genie-ebook/dp/B07M743SN8

And don’t worry I’ll be back next week with more Book reviews, Cover reveals and author interviews. But not all those things in the same post.

Rothana, blog tour.

02 Dec 2018 5 Comments

by C.O. Bonham in Behind the keyboard, book tours, FANtastic interviews Tags: , , , , , ,

Hello everyone, today I have another FANtastic Interview. This time it’s with author Sarah Delena White. She’s here to talk about her new book Rothana. You may remember it from Cover reveal I helped with.

 

About the Book

A new queen falls. A death lord rises. An ancient foe looms in the shadows. Sylvie Imanthiya is desperate to lead Faerie well and deepen the bond with her husband, former king Taylan Ashkalabek. But all hope of that vanishes when the winter solstice ceremony ends in disaster, stranding her and Taylan in the Deathrealm, and stripping the kingdom from her. With Faerie in chaos, Zad and Diza are separated once again: Zad to reconcile with an old mentor to stabilize the kingdom, and Diza to confront the nefarious Casimir in the mortal realm. But Casimir claims that a greater evil seeks to destroy both realms, an evil that Diza’s unique death magic can hold at bay—if she could only remember how. In the Deathrealm, Taylan is succumbing to the lure of specters from his past, and pushing away Sylvie’s love. Overwhelmed by decay and darkness, Sylvie must summon unexpected magic from the soul of Kyure to fight for her convictions and her husband’s heart. Shadows divide them. Their friends are in peril. If Sylvie fails, her marriage and her world will fall.

Amazon – Barnes & Noble – Signed Paperback

 

About the Author

Sarah Delena White was raised by wolves in an alternate dimension. She writes eclectic speculative fiction that reworks mythology with a fine balance of poetry and snark. She’s an experienced world traveler who loves to weave world folklore and ancient concepts into vibrant, original story worlds. She is the administrative manager for Uncommon Universes Press. When she’s not writing, she can be found making elegant designer bead jewelry, traveling to festivals as a professional ballad singer, drinking tea, and seeking to create the perfect latte. She can be bribed with dark chocolate.

Website— Newsletter— Facebook—Twitter— Instagram

 

FANtastic Interview with Sarah Delena White

Halayda had some awesome steampunk elements, the best of which was Sylvie’s alchemy potions. Will we see more of her alchemy, or will Sylvie discard it in favor of her fairy magic?

Sylvie’s alchemy will continue to play a role throughout the rest of the Star-Fae Trilogy! It’s a key part of her abilities. While magic is still new and difficult for her, alchemy is second nature. It’s also part of how she expresses her creativity. It’s her favorite art form.

There is a miniseries in the works and it’s up to you to choose who play, Sylvie, Taylan, Zad and Diza. Which actors get the part?

I’ve always pictured Neha Sharma as Sylvie. Sophie Turner would play Diza, and Takeshi Kaneshiro would play Zad. The only one I’m not sure about is Taylan. So far I haven’t found an actor with the right combination of fae good looks and curmudgeonly personality, haha!

Halayda introduced us to the mortal realm and the fae realm. Rothana teases a visit to the underworld. If you could visit one for real, would you choose the mortal, fae, or death realm?

Definitely the fae realm! Faerie is a place of wild beauty and magic, and I’d love to explore it for real… with the right companions, of course! It’s not wise for a hapless mortal to venture into Faerie alone. Anything could happen!

Everyone is inspired by something. What was your inspiration for the Star-Fae Trilogy, and more specifically the dragonfly element?

The inspiration for Halayda, and the Star-Fae Trilogy as a whole, came from a dream (this is weird for me. I haven’t been inspired by a dream before or since!). I dreamed about someone who got dragonfly wings as the result of a mad science experiment gone wrong. By the time I woke up, I had a basic sense of the concept and the two main characters. I first intended to write it as a superhero story, but when I rolled out of bed and scribbled down a summary, I realized it sounded like every superhero story ever, haha! But once I fused the superhero-esque concept with Celtic-inspired fae mythology, everything clicked into place. For Rothana, I also drew a bit from the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone (albeit very loosely!).

The title of the first book, Halayda, was revealed in the story to be the fae word for eternity. What does Rothana mean? And do these words have a basis in real language?

Rothana means “deathmarked.” It’s a term that is used for the shadow-fae (Taylan’s people), often in a derogatory way. A major theme in Rothana is facing and overcoming one’s past. Taylan and several others in the book believe they are marked for death (or other sorts of doom) because of their past deeds or experiences, and they must work through this in order to defeat their foes. The word rothana doesn’t have a basis in any real language, but halayda was loosely based on the Arabic word habibi, a term of endearment (I lived in the Middle East for a while and speak some Arabic, hence the inspiration).

The Star-Fae Trilogy is obviously going to be three books, but will there be any standalone, short stories, or spin-offs from the series?

I’m currently working a prequel novella featuring a younger Sylvie when she first meets Taylan and gets involved in the affairs of Faerie and the intrigues of the College of Alchemy. I chose to have Sylvie and Taylan already know each other well at the start of Halayda so the romance could progress at a fast pace and still be believable. I was a bit sad about skipping over the start of their relationship, though, so I’m excited to write a novella that explores that. I also have ideas for a few spin-off novels featuring some of the secondary characters from the Star-Fae Trilogy, but those projects are still a few years away.

Thank you, Sarah Delena White, for answering my questions and for sharing about your inspiration.

Party Time!

Join Uncommon Universes Press and Laura A. Grace of Unicorn Quester to celebrate the launch of Rothana by Sarah Delena White! Includes games, giveaways, exclusive behind-the-scenes, and more. Also features guest authors Bethany A. Jennings and Morgan L. Busse. Save the date to hang out with these fabulous authors!

RSVP HERE

 

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, November 26th Tuesday, November 27th Wednesday, November 28th Thursday, November 29th Friday, November 30th Saturday, December 1st Monday, December 3rd Tuesday, December 4th Wednesday, December 5th Thursday, December 6th Friday, December 7th Saturday, December 8th

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