Nerd Blast & Giveaway! When the Wind Chimes by Mary Ting

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Publisher: Rosewind Books (November 17, 2020)

Where to buy: AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

 

Synopsis

Kaitlyn Summers is heartbroken.

When she receives an invitation to spend Christmas with her family on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, she feels it may be the perfect medicine.

She throws herself into helping her sister’s struggling art gallery, even taking a temporary job for extra money by looking after a little girl from her nephew’s school. She also begins to paint again, something she’s been unable to do since her breakup. It’s tempting to stay on Kauai, but she has obligations back in Los Angeles.

Life gets more complicated when circumstances keep putting her close to Leonardo Medici. Not only is he drop-dead gorgeous, he’s a local celebrity. But Kaitlyn can’t shake the feeling he’s hiding something.

Should she believe the rumors that he’s romancing half the island’s single women?

Or is the random sound of wind chimes when he’s close-by a sign that an angel is near and the secret to her happily ever after?

Praise for ISAN Series

“A stunning sequel! Mary Ting takes us once again into the inventive world of ISAN–one of intrigue and betrayal–but this time, with deadly consequences. A must read!” —Jonas Saul, Bestselling Author of the Sarah Roberts Series

“Captivating from the very beginning, this sci-fi novel explores issues of autonomy and survival in a world where there are few remaining citizens after meteors crashed into Earth… this thrilling dystopian drama has a splash of romance and tons of action. The fast-paced chapters will engage reluctant readers and fans of postapocalyptic scenarios.” —School Library Journal

“Addictive and impossible to put it down!” —Addison Moore, New York Times Bestselling Author

PHOTO CREDIT: MICHELLE ENGLAND DELAVARA

About the Author

Mary Ting is an international bestselling, award-winning author. She writes soulful, spellbinding stories that excite the imagination and captivate readers around the world. Her books span a wide range of genres, and her storytelling talents have earned a devoted legion of fans, as well as garnered critical praise.

Becoming an author happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she had in high school. After realizing she wanted to become a full-time author, Mary retired from teaching after twenty years. She also had the privilege of touring with the Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children’s chapter book: No Bullies Allowed.

Mary resides in Southern California with her husband, two children, and two little dogs, Mochi and Mocha. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Being a huge Twilight fan, Mary was inspired to make book-themed jewelry and occasionally gives it away as prizes to her fans.

WEBSITE: http://www.tangledtalesofting.com/
TWITTER: @MaryTing
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4388953.Mary_Ting
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryTing
INSTAGRAM: http://instagram.com/authormaryting

Giveaway Time!!!

Click the pic above for the giveaway!

– 1 Winner will receive an Exclusive WHEN THE WIND CHIMES Swag (Book, Bookplate, Coaster) by Mary Ting.
– 1 Winner will receive a $20 Amazon Gift Card

Giveaway is open to International. | Must be 13+ to Enter

Thank you JeanBookNerd and Mary Ting for the opportunity to spotlight this upcoming release!

If you want to learn more about JeanBookNerd and their awesome tours, click the pic above!

 

 

Flower Photo Credit: Floral vector created by freepik – www.freepik.com

Ornament Photo Credit: Background vector created by rawpixel.com – www.freepik.com

Cover Reveal: The Fate of Crowns by Rebecca L. Garcia

Happy Monday Everyone! I am super excited to collaborate with Lady Amber’s Reviews to introduce the cover of The Crown of Fates by Rebecca L. Garcia.

Title: The Fate of Crowns
Author: Rebecca L. Garcia
Genre: YA Fantasy
Editor: Novel Nurse Editing
Cover Designer: Dark Wish Designs
Publication Date: January 5th, 2021
Hosted by: Lady Amber’s PR

Synopsis

With my brother’s death came the crown and all the trappings that accompany it. Now, my father—the most dangerous man in Magaelor—seeks to control my future.

But fate has other plans.

Thrown into mer-filled waters, I’m dragged into the rival kingdom of Berovia. Surrounded by those who murdered my brother and wished my entire family dead, I must battle my way back to my kingdom. There, a century’s old division between the fae and sorcerers is breaking down with threats of war.

A marriage between myself and the dark fae prince could bring peace to the realm. But it would mean turning my back on my magic. The choice is mine. Will I allow myself to become the exalted Queen of everything? Or be reduced to a cautionary tale as the shattered princess of nothing?

I love how dark and sharp this cover is. I also love Fae books in general so I am excited to read this when it comes out this year.

Where to buy: Amazon

About The Author

Rebecca lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and son. Originally from England, you can find her drinking tea, writing new worlds, and designing covers. She writes young adult fantasy. She devoured every book she was given, with the first being Harry Potter. She fell in love with magical worlds, and when she got older, her imagination grew with her. She implements royalty into her books because she adores historical monarchies. Her favorite TV shows are Reign and The Tudors.

When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, you can find her traveling, and hosting book signings with Spellbinding Events.
Each event supports a different charity where a portion of the profits go, as well as bringing together authors and readers from different states. Check out more here: spellbindingevents.com

Author Links

Newsletter | Facebook | Instagram | Website | Reader Group|Twitter| Goodreads

Giveaway

Along with this awesome cover reveal, Lady Amber’s Reviews is also hosting a giveaway!!

1 Hardcover copy of The Fate of Crowns, signed, a digital copy of the novella in the series, Ruin, and limited edition swag (character cards and bookmarks) —> Click Below!

 

Blog Tour [Review]: Secret Crush Seduction By Jayci Lee

Author: Jayci Lee
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harlequin Desire
Publication Date: September 1st, 2020
Rating: 4/5 Stars

*Thank you Harlequin Desire  for the opportunity to review this story!*

Where to buy:  Amazon | Harlequin | Bookshop

Synopsis

She’s done waiting for what she really wants…

“If I don’t have you after that kiss,

I’ll burn to dust from the inside out…”

Aspiring fashion designer Adelaide Song wants to prove she’s more than just a pampered heiress. All she needs is a little courage—and the help of deliciously sexy Michael Reynolds, her childhood crush and her brother’s best friend. But when her secret crush turns into an illicit liaison, Adelaide realizes mixing business with pleasure spells trouble for all her plans.

Review

Wow, Jayci knows how to write a romance I would swoon over. Like Temporary Wife Temptation, Secret Crush Seduction pulled out all the stops and blessed me with a great, enticing and sometimes steamy story. I also have huge appreciation for the cover because it is absolutely amazing!

We meet Adelaide, an inspiring fashion designer and one of the Hansol Heirs. Due to her crazy college years, Adelaide isn’t treated as seriously by the people around her. Now in her twenties, she wants to prove to her Grandmother, The matriarch of the Hansol family that she is long passed her wild college days and ready to be a vital part of the Hansol Corporation. This does not come easy but her quick thinking to create a charity event definitely helps her out. This was one thing I really enjoyed about Adelaide. Her creative mind and quick thinking gave her the ability to visualize everything she wanted to do while also getting Michael to go along with it. Michael is the friend of Adelaide’s older brother Garrett and the Hansol Corp PR specialist. Michael initially turns down the offer, but the project and Adelaide grows on him and he becomes part of the dynamic duo creating a fantastic event. The one thing I did enjoy about Michael was his inner struggle. Throughout the story he was fighting feelings because he didn’t want to disrupt the Hansol family. Throughout the story and through that struggle he saw the beauty of Adelaide in every facet of her personality and how she took on planning the event. She was strong, independent and far from the wild child he has seen. Adelaide completely crushed those thoughts and opened up the doors to their lust.

Speaking of lust…The more intimate settings were steeeeeamy! You felt the sexual tension build and build until they couldn’t hold on any longer. Each intimate moment was more passionate than the next and through each scene, you can tell Adelaide and Michael were growing closer together. Did I enjoy their building romance? Yes! Did it sometimes feel like it wasn’t compelling enough? Yes! Did that stop me form reading? Of course not! I was rooting for Adelaide the entire time. She deserved to get the man she had been crushing on since she was younger. Overall, I enjoyed the romance in this book and was sad to see the story end.

When thinking about the plot, I was happy with it’s simplicity because it allowed me to zone in on the romance and character development of the story. There was enough of the plot to see the ball rolling, but the auto did leave certain parts to the imagination allowing the reading to fill in some pieces, which i appreciated. I also loved what the charity event was centered around and how it was close to Adelaide’s heart. It was her passion. The charity event focused on autism awareness through fashion. Adelaide came up with the idea after noticing that people with Autism/on the spectrum should be able to feel comfortable in their clothing and also have variety of the things they can wear.

If you want a romance that has a sizzling chemistry, good plot backdrop and is a quick, yet swoony read then pick up Secret Crush Seduction when it comes out on 9/1/2020!

About the Author

Jayci Lee writes poignant, sexy, and laugh-out-loud romance every free second she can scavenge. She lives in sunny California with her tall-dark-and-handsome husband, two amazing boys with boundless energy, and a fluffy rescue whose cuteness is a major distraction. At times, she cannot accommodate real life because her brain is full of drool worthy heroes and badass heroines clamoring to come to life.Because of all the books demanding to be written, Jayci writes full-time now, and is semi-retired from her fifteen-year career as a defense litigator. She loves food, wine, and travelling, and incidentally so do her characters. Books have always helped her grow, dream, and heal, and she hopes her books will do the same for you.

 

Graphic Novel Review: Gotham High by Melissa de la Cruz

Title: Gotham High
Author: Melissa de la Cruz [Author] & Thomas Pitilli [Illustrator]
Publisher: DC Ink
Pages: 208
Release Date: April 7th, 2020

Rating: 3/5 Stars

Where to buy:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Target

 

Synopsis

After being kicked out of his boarding school, 16-year-old Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham City to find that nothing is as he left it. What once was his family home is now an empty husk, lonely but haunted by the memory of his parents’ murder. Selina Kyle, once the innocent girl next door, now rules over Gotham High School with a dangerous flair, aided by the class clown, Jack Napier.

When a kidnapping rattles the school, Bruce seeks answers as the dark and troubled knight–but is he actually the pawn? Nothing is ever as it seems, especially at Gotham High, where the parties and romances are of the highest stakes … and where everyone is a suspect.

With enchanting art by Thomas Pitilli, this new graphic novel is just as intoxicating as it is chilling, in which dearest friends turn into greatest enemies–all within the hallways of Gotham High!

 

Review

I first want to say that this rating is solely based on the plot/ characters of the story. In regards to the illustration, I would give it 5 stars. Thomas Pitilli masterfully created vivid backgrounds drops throughout the graphic novel. They were able to capture colors for each tension building scene, blend different color styles to visually making the story pleasing and overall wrapped it up beautifully. There was a grittiness to their illustration that definitely gave me a tough New York-esque kind of feel.

While the illustration was vibrant and creative, the story did not capture me as well. Initially, I was excited to see a bit of a modern twist to the classic Batman story. This was before Bruce Wayne became Batman, Selina Kyle became Catwoman and when all were just teens. We get introductions form the two along with Ivy and Alfred. The story fell short for me in the character department. I felt that with some characters, there was no development, while with other, the development felt rushed. I was also confused with some of the foreshadowing in the story. Without spoiling any part, there was some foreshadowing towards a character that I wasn’t entirely sure the author want to hint at a possible future villain, with that character being said villain. At times, I thought this was the case, but the personality of the character would throw me off and have me question what I thought.

In terms of characters, I found Bruce to be extremely arrogant. Although, yes, we have seen him in this nature – it almost felt like he was the rich kid who  flaunted his money to get anyone to do anything and that trope is overplayed in my book. Selina Kyle was a conflicting character to like. The parts that I liked about her [Her ability to be a bad-ass mastermind], I loved and the parts I didn’t enjoy were parts where with enough character development could have been executed so well. Jack was a hopeless romantic and a poor kid. What I didn’t enjoy about his character had nothing to do with his character at all but how the author gave him a stereotypical ‘poor kid’ parents [parents who suffer form substance and alcohol abuse].

[Possible Spoiler!!] Let’s talk about the weird love triangle between three characters. It didn’t feel organic to me and much like some of the character’s development of the story, felt a bit rushed. Although, there was one character who I actually felt was really crushing one of the main characters. Did I feel bad for them? At times, I did. But, with the overall rush to quickly develop the love triangle and with how it was portrayed like the two were at war for what they considered their chance/ownership [YUCK!], it was hard to continue on a enjoy it all.

Overall, the story was okay. I can see how the author wanted to change it up a bit and I do appreciate the effort. However, it fell flat for me because the story line at times felt detached, which made it easy for me to lose focus and interest. The plot had a promise in seeing Bruce as a teen before he becomes the superhero we know, seeing Selina slowly grow into Catwoman and other characters potentially becoming the civilians of Gotham City and ended Selina being portrayed as a very unlikable character even though there was a good motive to her actions, Jack’s character staying in limbo and Bruce going back to being whoever the author wanted him to be.

While this graphic novel wasn’t a win for me, I do think it could be a great read for others who enjoy a twist to a classic or readers going into the DC world and want a more modern backdrop to the Batman origin story.

Blog Tour: [Review] The Witch House by Ann Rawson

Title: The Witch House
Author: Ann Rawson
Publisher: Red Dog Press
Pages: 382
Release Date: August 4th, 2020

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Where to buy:  Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

Synopsis

Who can you trust, if you can’t trust yourself?

Alice Hunter, grieving and troubled after a breakdown, stumbles on the body of her friend and trustee, Harry Rook. The police determine he has been ritually murdered and suspicion falls on the vulnerable Alice, who inherited the place known locally as The Witch House from her grandmother, late High Priestess of the local coven.

When the investigations turn up more evidence, and it all seems to point to Alice, even she begins to doubt herself.

Can she find the courage to confront the secrets and lies at the heart of her family and community to uncover the truth, prove her sanity, and clear herself of murder?

 

Review

A psychologically thrilling roller coaster of a read. The Witch House is a descriptive story about a girl named Alice, who after suffering a mental breakdown due to her grandmother passing away is the prime suspect of a murder. The author creates a backdrop of a story that keeps you turning the page to find out what happens nest. I was intrigued with how much I thought I knew was happening and how far form the truth that was. The story has so many twists and turns, which keeps you on tour feet wondering who is the person responsible for it all. The plot was well thought out and the author  wrote enough to leave space for your imagination to fill the rest of the fictional picture.

The character depictions and development were top notch. Alice, a girl with so many family secrets, is mourning and is seen as unstable to everyone around her after her breakdown. But the Alice we get to know is so strong and will do what she needs in order to provide her innocence all while filling the gaps to her memory and trying to piece everything together. I also enjoyed the cameos of the other supporting characters. It felt natural to hear their voice and figure out how they tie into everything that is happening. Each character alongside Alice felt naturally written into a larger story.

There is so much that is discussed in this story and the three main themes [mental health, greed/dark secrets and paganism] are written with mystery, suspense and a style that streamlines the story so well and wraps it up all together smoothly. I would highly recommend.

About The Author

Ann Rawson has long been addicted to story. As a child she longed to learn to read because she knew there was magic in those pages, the inky squiggles that turned into words and became images in her head – the stories that could transport her away from the everyday. As she grew older, she divined there was truth in books too. They were a glimpse into other minds. Her reading became the foundation of a deep and abiding interest in what makes people tick – and so she soon became hooked on crime fiction.

Age ten, she wrote to Malcolm Saville, author of the Lone Pine Series, enclosing her first short story. He wrote back and encouraged her to continue writing – and she is heartbroken that the letter is long lost. His book, Lone Pine Five, sparked a lifelong interest in archaeology, as it mentions the Mildenhall Treasure which makes an appearance in The Witch House.

A lapsed witch with enduring pagan tendencies, she lives on the south coast. She still thinks of herself as a Northerner, although she’s been in exile for many years. Almost every day she walks on the Downs or the white cliffs with her husband, plotting her next novel while he designs computer systems.

Ann’s debut novel, A Savage Art was published by Fahrenheit Press in 2016. She has published some short fiction, and in 2019 her memoir piece If… was shortlisted for the Fish Short Memoir Prize.

She is currently completing a memoir and working on her third novel.

You can follow her on Twitter @AE_Rawson (where she doesn’t go far, to be honest), find her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/aerawson/, and her blog is at www.strawintogold.co.uk