Darkness Watching Book Blitz!

Darkness Watching

by Emma L Adams

Release Date: 10^th October 2013

Publisher: Curiosity Quills

Genre: Urban fantasy/paranormal
Target Audience: Upper YA/New Adult

Summary from Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Ashlyn is one interview away from her future when she first sees the demons. She thinks she's losing her mind, but the truth is far more frightening: she can see into the Darkworld, the home of spirits– and the darkness is staring back.

Desperate to escape the demons, Ash accepts a place at a university in the small town of Blackstone, in the middle of nowhere - little knowing that it isn't coincidence that led her there but the pull of the Venantium, the sorcerers who maintain the barrier keeping demons from crossing from the Darkworld into our own world.

All-night parties, new friendships and a life without rules or limits are all part of the package of student life - but demons never give up, and their focus on Ash has attracted the attention of every sorcerer in the area. Ash is soon caught between her new life and a group of other students with a connection to the Darkworld, who could offer the answers she's looking for. The demons want something from her, and someone is determined to kill her before she can find out what it is. 

In a world where darkness lurks beneath the surface, not everyone is what they appear to be...

ReadChapter One

Buy Links:

Amazon * AmazonUK * Barnesand Noble * Kobo

Excerpt

"Hey, Ash, you know there's supposed to be a zombie apocalypse today?"

My best friend Cara gestured toward a clove of garlic she'd pinned to her jacket, out of her misguided belief that it would fend off any potential supernatural threats. I decided not to mention that it would only help with vampires, not zombies. Besides, I doubted a single clove of garlic would be much help in surviving the End of Days.

I had my own demons to contend with.

As people sloped into the assembly hall for the annual Careers' Talk, I skimmed through my notes yet again, hoping in vain that something would stick. For me, the following day reserved the title of Doomsday, the day of my interview at my top-choice university. Hell would be a better fate.

"Come on, Cara," said Alice. 'How many times is the world supposed to have ended now?"

"I'm not taking any chances," said Cara, indicating that she wore a headband threaded with garlic, too, perched on top of her purple-highlighted dark hair.

"You'll have a nightmare getting the smell out," I told her. "Aren't you supposed to be going out tonight?"

"Some guys like the smell of garlic," said Cara, although she looked doubtful. 'I think. Hmm. Maybe it's a bit much."

"Well, it better not be Armageddon, seeing as it's my interview tomorrow," I said. "Not to mention we're in a careers assembly."

Cara laughed. "I don't know why I bothered coming, anyway. I've heard all this before."

"Yeah," I said. "Besides, if we're going to die, I'd rather not be in this hellhole when it happens."

"You know, Ash," said Cara, squinting at me―the fluorescent lights in the hall gleamed far too brightly for a Monday morning―"you look like a walking zombie. When did you last get a decent night's sleep?"

"Define 'decent'?" I said.

"More than an hour. And not in the middle of school."

I blinked, looking at her concerned face. Her dark eyes―outlined in purple, in blatant defiance of the school's no-makeup rule―saw past my carefully constructed mask. Her penetrating stare saw right through any deception―something most people found a bit unnerving.

"Um…a couple of days ago? I can't sleep, or I forget everything I know about Milton."

"Jesus, girl." Cara shook her head. "Who gives a crap about Milton, really? You're going way over the top about this."

"Maybe." But sleep didn't come easy when the fate of the world depended on my ability to pass an interview. Well, more like the fate of the school's reputation. Ever since they'd found out about the Oxford interview, they wanted to hold me up as a beacon to prospective students. I thought this rather unfair on people like Cara, who'd worked just as hard as I had to get into a top-ten university but didn't have to deal with the indignity of walking around under a spotlight. The worst part? I didn't think I could do it.

I tried not to think about my record, which included scores of disastrous interviews for part-time jobs. And a tendency to panic in unfamiliar situations. But this time, I couldn't afford to screw up. This has to be worth it. Somehow.

"Ash, you'll be fine. You're a genius."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not."

I felt more like an imposter. I might be able to memorise past papers, but that didn't make me an intellectual. I'd rather play Mario Kart than read Wordsworth. Would I really fit in at Oxford?

Would I fit in anywhere?

Most of the time, I just felt scared. Scared and helpless, as if I teetered on the edge of a cliff and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop myself falling.

Mr Darton, our ever-clueless head of sixth form, began his customary mutter into the microphone―always the same speech. We had only one chance and this would affect the rest of our lives. The last thing I wanted to hear right now.

I tucked an errant curl of black hair behind my ear and tried to focus on the passage from Paradise Lost I wanted to memorise. It'll serve them right if I just dropped out and ran away to Australia or something, I thought, and not for the first time, I imagined doing exactly that. I need to get out of here. I felt like a cage surrounded me on all sides, a glass case no one could see but me.

Focus, for God's sake! snapped another voice in my head, jolting me back to reality.

The words jumped around the page, like they possessed a will of their own. I rubbed my temples, fighting the urge to groan in frustration. How would I ever remember any of this when staring down at a table of distinguished literary professors? I'd be lucky if I could remember my own name. In the mock interview with my personal tutor, I'd lost my head completely and babbled about a book I'd never even read for a good ten minutes. Panic obliterated all intelligent thought.

At that moment, the lights in the hall went out, as did the projector, plunging us into dusty darkness. Cara let out a shriek.

"It's happening!" she wailed, clutching at her garlic clove which, not being securely fastened to her jacket, fell to the floor. With another shriek, she dived underneath her seat to retrieve it.

"Calm down! It's just a power cut." I furrowed my brow, trying to read my notes. Everyone talked amongst themselves as Mr Darton struggled to turn the projector back on. I couldn't see any lights outside in the corridor, either. A whole school power-cut. Great. And why did I feel so cold?

A stream of faint winter sunlight shone through gaps in the blinds that covered the windows, lighting the myriad dust motes in the air. I sighed and tilted my head back, rubbing my eyes to stop them from closing. I could feel a headache building behind my temples.

Then a pair of eyes appeared amongst the rafters, and stared right into mine.

They gleamed violet, with vertically slit pupils like a cat's. They blinked, looking down at the confusion below. Then they locked onto me.

Once, when I'd cut my finger on a kitchen knife, I'd gone into shock and nearly passed out. My vision turned blue around the edges, and everything acquired an odd, blurred quality. Right now, looking into those sinister, alien eyes, I felt exactly the same.

I'm going mad. It's not real. Cara's superstitions have made me start seeing things.

That, or the lack of sleep. I realised I'd stopped breathing. I could feel sweat on my forehead, but at the same time I felt cold all over, cold as the frigid December air outside. As if fresh snow covered me, slowly seeping into my skin through my hoody and jeans. But at the same time, it felt more like the kind of paralysing chill I associated with that moment in horror stories when someone saw a ghost.

Was it a ghost? I'd always thought ghosts would look…human. If I believed in them, which up until now, I thought I didn't.

All around me, I could hear the other students chatting, laughing. No one screamed, cried, or ran for the doors. It was as though my own private bubble of horror enclosed me like the cage I'd envisioned earlier. Trapped.

Then I heard a faint whisper, almost like a breath.

"Ash."

I would have screamed if I'd been capable of making a sound. I knew beyond doubt that those eyes, that voice, belonged to something which wasn't human.

The eyes blinked again, becoming part of the shadow once more, as the hall lights came back on. For a moment, a swathe of blackness remained in the rafters, like a single patch of mist left behind after a fog has lifted. Not a single speck of dust disturbed the area around it.

Then it vanished.

I still couldn't breathe. Those cold eyes remained imprinted on the insides of my eyelids, light purple, glowing and staring.

Staring at me.

I blacked out for a minute. When I came to, I heard Mr Darton's low mutter into the microphone-not that anyone listened. Whispers filled the air, ordinary conversations. People talked about their plans for the weekend, not about monsters with violet eyes or piercing, unnatural coldness. The more studious skimmed through revision notes. I looked down and saw mine scattered all over the floor. I didn't remember dropping them. I didn't remember anything but those awful eyes.

I've cracked. Did staring violet eyes fall under the category of stress-induced hallucinations?

Cara tried to laugh off her moment of panic.

"I didn't really think it was the end of the world," she insisted.

The end of the world. Maybe that was what I'd seen. A sign.

Ridiculous.

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Reviews of DARKNESS WATCHING:

"Emma is an amazing writer. She has become one of my favorites. I couldn’t put Darkness Watching down." - Diane at A Creative Mind

"Darkness Watching provides an original world that is fully complete and from a teens POV. It was dark and entertaining and sometimes teen books don’t go full out, this one did. The world building was truly strong in this novel." - Lexi at Book Bliss

"Like good books should, Darkness Watching left me pondering the story after I'd finished reading AND left me wanting more. Adams built a strong world for readers to be immersed. But the regular world retained full realism. Normal every day teen situations felt completely believable." - Erin at Erin Albert Books

I have to say, I didn’t see the ending coming! ... the final showdown left me speechless (You will have to read it!)" - Julia at Never Judge a Book by its Movie

"This was entertaining from the start...I didn’t want to put it down, and fans of urban fantasies I think will enjoy this. Darkness Watching was definitely worth the read." - Jenea at Books Live Forever

"This book is unique, fun and interesting. I kept wondering what was going to happen next...I felt that this book was well written and It was hard to put this book down once I started. " -Jessica at Eat Sleep Read

About the Author

Emma spent her childhood creating imaginary worlds to compensate for a disappointingly average reality, so it was probably inevitable that she ended up writing fantasy and paranormal for young adults. She was born in Birmingham, UK, which she fled at the first opportunity to study English Literature at Lancaster University. In her three years at Lancaster, she hiked up mountains, skydived in Australia, and endured a traumatic episode involving a swarm of bees in the Costa Rican jungle. She also wrote various novels and short stories. These included her first publication, a rather bleak dystopian piece, and a disturbing story about a homicidal duck (which she hopes will never see the light of day).

Now a reluctant graduate, she can usually be found in front of her writing desk, creating weird and wonderful alternative worlds. Her debut novel The Puppet Spell, published in January 2013 by Rowanvale Books, is a fantasy tale for young adults and the young at heart, inspired by her lifelong love of the fantastical, mythology, and video games. Emma also writes supernatural fantasy novels for older teens and adults. Her next book, Darkness Watching, is the first in the upper-YA/New Adult Darkworld series, and was published in October 2013 by Curiosity Quills Press.

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

$10 Amazon gift card (INT)

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Book Blitz Organized by:

Lost Without You Book Blitz!

Lost Without You (Haven #1)

by Liz Hannah 

Release Date: 12/30/13

Summary from Goodreads:

Grace Young thought she was a survivor - until the day her twin brother died, leaving her parents heartbroken and their relationship with Grace fractured beyond repair. Now all Grace wants is a chance to experience something of a normal life, before it's all too late.

Going to college hundreds of miles from home seems like the right way to embrace her new found freedom, especially after years of homeschooling, but while Grace takes to her classes naturally, it's the other side of college that she's unprepared for.

The parties. The friendships. The boys. Especially one Dean Michaels, the Haven University's star soccer player. Fate throws the pair together, and their friendship starts to turn into something more. But can Grace keep the secrets of her past hidden without hurting those she's come to count on the most?

EXCERPT

It’s dark when I wake, except for the glow of the television. There’s no sound, but the movie we started watching earlier is playing; again, I presume, because I’m pretty sure that I’ve seen this part before. I can’t remember what it was about, aside from that it was a nineties adaption of Jane Austen’s Emma, the Californian accents all too uncomfortably familiar.

I blink a couple of times, stretching out. My arm collides with something solid, and I freeze, realizing that I’m not alone on the couch. Glancing upwards, I find myself looking into emerald eyes that seem to be illuminated in the soft light.

Oh, that’s right.

I quickly scramble to sit up, only to pause again the next second, my balance wavering. I’m half on Dean’s lap, and his hands shoot out to my waist to steady me before I fall off. A small wave of dizziness flows through me, and though I’m acutely aware of Dean’s fingers pressing into my side, a sweater the only thing between our skin, I’m glad that he has hold of me.

“Hey.” I take a deep breath in before exhaling. The hand I’ve placed on his shoulder burns like fire, and there’s an intensity building that scares me to death, but I can’t quite bring myself to pull away. In fact, instead of moving away from Dean like I should, I’m acutely aware that we’re so close, his breath tickling the loose strands of hair around my face.

“Hi.” His voice is thick from sleep. He tucks one behind my ear, his fingers hovering over the side of my face for a fraction of a second before pulling away. I want to lean in to his touch.

I shift my gaze away from his. This is not me. I’m not the kind of girl who melts when a guy looks at her. Especially one I still don’t know that well.

Lies, a voice hisses inside my head. You do know this boy, better than you think. Better than you want to know.

“You looked so peaceful; I didn’t want to wake you.” I could feel his words rumble in his chest. My lips turn up in a small smile. He was watching me sleep?

A quick look down at his watch told me it was well after midnight. I don’t even want to know how many texts Rosie’s sent to find out where I am. The thought alone sends a blush across my face.

“I didn’t mean to fall asleep. It’s been a long week.”

Dean nodded. “Midterms are an ass.”

I shift slightly, moving my weight into the dip between his legs, alleviating the pressure on his own, but he didn’t seem to mind. Instinctively, as if he thought I was about to run off, his fingers bunched the edges of my sweater together, holding on to me tighter.

I’m not going anywhere.

“What are you doing for Thanksgiving?”

I look down, at his chest. It rises slowly with his heartbeat, calm and even. How can he be so relaxed? I can feel the tension knotting its way through my own body. The v neck of his sweater dips low, small swirls of hair escaping up. I wonder what it would feel like to run my hand across his chest.

I blink. Question. He’d asked a question.

“Uh, nothing, as of yet. Study? Maybe. What about you?”

My voice sounds as if I just swallowed helium. His he as affected by me as I am of him?

I wouldn’t know. I can’t look him directly in the eye, so I concentrate on a spot on the wall, just below his ear. Brown locks curl around the nape of his neck, and it takes all of my self-control to not stretch out and play with them. What was it about the darkness that made us so bold?

“Come home with me. Have Thanksgiving with my family.”

I straighten up. Hands tighten around my waist, preparing for me to bolt. I don’t give in to my instinct to run. With all the heat that was passing between us, what did going home with him mean?

And why was my brain screaming at me to say yes?

Teaser

About the Author

Liz Hannah is a New Adult author that calls both Scotland and Australia home. Currently studying at university, when she’s not busy reading or writing, Liz can be found procrastinating from her studies pinning everything on Pinterest or collecting GIFs from Tumblr. 

Author Links:

   

***GIVEAWAY***

International giveaway – one winner will win a New Adult prize pack, consisting of Lost Without You swag, two New Adult titles and a dandelion necklace, as featured in Lost Without You.

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Book Blitz Organized by:

Love Show by Audrey Bell Tour Stop - Review!

Love Show by Audrey Bell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Published: January 5th, 2014

Series: N/A

Format: eARC mobi

pages: 270

Source: The Autumn Review

Main Characters: Hadley Arrington, Jack Diamond

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Tour Organized by: AToMR Tours

Summary from Goodreads:

Hadley Arrington is the career-driven editor-in-chief of her university’s prestigious newspaper. Jack Diamond is a laidback student whose good looks have made things even easier than they need to be. She’s the girl who came out of nowhere and kissed him in the rain. He’s the boy who made her do something crazy.

When the stakes seem too high, they have to decide if they’ll let their love show or if they’ll walk away for good.

My review:

Besides that some things didn't make sense it was a good story. I liked a lot the chemistry, the way they met. All the things about Jack and Hadley were good. I liked that the author included a lot of Hadley's friend David. When I started the book I seriously thought I wouldn't like it because It was a bit boring in the beginning but then she met Jack and it all started to get interesting. This book is a lot of things that I didn't expect and I definitely recommend it.

Stir Me Up Tour Stop - Promo Post!

I'm so excited to participate in the Stir me up Book Tour!

I've heard a lot of good things about this book from authors and other people. Hope you like the excerpt...

About Stir me Up:

Cami Broussard has her future all figured out. She'll finish her senior year of high school, then go to work full-time as an apprentice chef in her father's French restaurant, alongside her boyfriend, Luke. But then twenty-year-old ex-Marine Julian Wyatt comes to live with Cami's family while recovering from serious injuries. And suddenly Cami finds herself questioning everything she thought she wanted.

Julian's all attitude, challenges and intense green-brown eyes. But beneath that abrasive exterior is a man who just might be as lost as Cami's starting to feel. And Cami can't stop thinking about him. Talking to him. Wanting to kiss him. He's got her seriously stirred up. Her senior year has just gotten a lot more complicated….

Excerpt

“Come on,” Julian says. “Let’s dance.”

The place is massive, like a warehouse, and packed with people. A techno dance hall; rhythm is blasting from huge speakers; the smoky air is cut with flashing multicolored lasers; there’s an elevated DJ stand up front and above this a video screen shows a mix of people dancing at beaches, by pools, on boats, in clubs, on top of bars. Julian follows me out to the dance floor and we’re caught in a wave of noise and motion. He’s behind me with his hands on my hips. I move against him, getting swept up in the beat and the dancing is around us and up on the screen and the music is like a great pulse thrumming inside me, my hands drift down, over his and he starts kissing my neck, I push my rear harder against him, his grip on me tightens and the music squeezes through small spaces and lasers flash through the haze and the bodies around us give off heat and we’re filmed in sweat and surging sound and my head is thrown back on Julian’s shoulder, and still the music and lights and smoke and motion, the sounds flip and whirl together.

By the time we reach the car, I’m hot and loose and my ears are ringing; the ride home is a blur of longing; finally, we stumble into Julian’s room. “I want you,” he says. 

About the Author:

SABRINA ELKINS, author of STIR ME UP, has also worked as a journalist, movie copywriter and prep cook. She grew up in Vermont, graduated from USC, and now lives in Southern California with her husband and three kids. 

Sabrina loves hearing from fans and encourages you to visit her website, sabrinaelkins.com, and find her on Twitter @sabrina_elkins, Facebook, and here at Goodreads.

A Little Too Hot Exclusive Excerpt!

I'm so excited to be sharing with you guys the Exclusive excerpt of A Little Too Hot by Lisa Desrochers!

Without further ado…

Liked it? I sure did!! If you want to know more about this series and this book feel free to search and add it to your TBR List on Goodreads.

Also, here are the book links so you can find more information of the book!

Amazon | B&N | Apple

Take Two Trailer Reveal + Giveaway!

Book Title: Take Two

Author: Laurelin Paige

Release Date: February 4, 2014

Publisher: Samhain Publishing

Summary: He’s ready for his close up, but she’s the one calling the shots.

On the night of her graduation from film school, straight-laced Maddie Bauers fell completely out of character for an oh-my-god make-out session with a perfect stranger. Complete with the big O.

Seven years later, that romantic interlude is still fresh in her mind. That stranger is now a rich and famous actor. And she’s one very distracted camera assistant working on his latest production. She might consider another tryst…if he even remembers her.

Micah Preston does indeed remember Maddie. Too bad he’s sworn off Hollywood relationships. He allows himself as much sex as he likes—and oh, he does like—but anything more is asking for trouble. For the woman, not for him. Yet knowing Maddie could want more than a movie-set fling doesn’t stop him from pursuing her like a moth drawn to hot stage lights.

But as the shoot nears its end, it’s decision time. Is it time to call, “Cut!” on their affair, or is there enough material for a sequel?

Warning: Contains a dreamy movie star hero, a focus-pulling heroine, off-the-charts instant chemistry, steamy sex in near-public locations, and a new use for lip gloss.

Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/Take-Two-Laurelin-Paige-ebook/dp/B00FG2LWWM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1388620373&sr=8-1&keywords=take+two+laurelin

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17993595-take-two?ac=1

About Laurelin: Laurelin Paige is the USA Today Bestselling Author of the Fixed Trilogy. She's a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there's kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn't seem to complain, however. When she isn't reading or writing sexy stories, she's probably singing, watching Mad Men and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine.

GIVEAWAY!!!

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Finding It (Losing It #3) by Cora Carmack - Book Review!

Finding It by Cora Carck

My rating: 3.5 stars

Published: October 15th, 2013

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks

Series: Losing It #3

Format: Kindle

Pages: 320

Main Characters: Kelsey Summers, Jackson Hunt

Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

Sometimes you have to lose yourself to find where you truly belong...

Most girls would kill to spend months traveling around Europe after college graduation with no responsibility, no parents, and no-limit credit cards. Kelsey Summers is no exception. She's having the time of her life . . . or that's what she keeps telling herself.

It's a lonely business trying to find out who you are, especially when you're afraid you won't like what you discover. No amount of drinking or dancing can chase away Kelsey's loneliness, but maybe Jackson Hunt can. After a few chance meetings, he convinces her to take a journey of adventure instead of alcohol. With each new city and experience, Kelsey's mind becomes a little clearer and her heart a little less hers. Jackson helps her unravel her own dreams and desires. But the more she learns about herself, the more Kelsey realizes how little she knows about Jackson.

My review:

It was a good read, but I got to be honest. I heard a lot of good things about this book. I read Losing It & Faking It. Loved both of this books. But this one? I guess I had my expectations too high. I started reading it and I was intrigued for all the things that were happening. But for me it got very predictable, like I knew what the secret that he was keeping from her before she found out. I stopped reading it when I was in chapter 21. Then recently I wanted to if it turned out the way I thought. It was a month later that I finished it and I think it was great. I seriously expected the book to be one of the best. This is my opinion, and if you want to try it then, go ahead. It's a good read, but I seriously expected more.

About the author:

Cora Carmack is a twenty-something writer who likes to write about twenty-something characters. She's done a multitude of things in her life-- boring jobs (like working retail), Fun jobs (like working in a theatre), stressful jobs (like teaching), and dream jobs (like writing). She enjoys placing her characters in the most awkward situations possible, and then trying to help them get a boyfriend out of it. Awkward people need love, too. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Losing It series.