Writing Update | 7/31

July 31, 2021July 31, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! So it’s the last day of July and you may have noticed I didn’t have a ton of writing updates the past couple weeks. I did write a few thousand words on a couple different projects, but didn’t really hit my goal. There are a number of factors or reasons that I could go into, but the crux of it is that life is life and things happen.

Plus…Cozy Grove. Playing lots of Cozy Grove.

So yeah, lots of different factors that have meant I haven’t had time to write, I’ve been trying to maintain mental health, improve overall health in general, practice some self care, etc. July was weird and went by super quickly.

So what are my plans going forward after two Camp Nano’s that didn’t go well? I’m still planning on participating in NaNoWriMo in November and planning on winning if possible but until then I might just take a break. I may do some planning as we get closer to November and I’m always jotting down notes and ideas, but until then I may just take it easy and concentrate on other things.

That’s the way I’m feeling I need to go. My day job is taking up a huge amount of time and between reading, gaming and self care I don’t really have the mental space for writing intensely. So I’m going to do a refresh and hopefully come back strong in November.

Happy writing!

Cover Reveal | Huntsman by Cambria Hebert

July 30, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Huntsman
Cambria Hebert
(House of Misfits, #3)
Publication date: August 13th 2021
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Fairy Tales, Retelling, Romance

Once upon a time…
A boy is sired with poison in his veins. He cannot outrun the venom in his blood, so he escapes from those who put it there. Secreting away his darkest tendencies, he grows to become a friend, brother, bartender…
Huntsman.

A man who becomes exactly what he ran from, a villain of his own making.

A villain who falls in love with the one woman he is told to steer clear of.

Enchanted by a girl with hair as brilliant as the sun and innocence as potent as his corruption.

A girl locked away in a tower and told she will never walk again.
This boy doesn’t want to be the villain in her story. For once, he desires to be a hero.
Regrettably, his past creeps in like thick, winding fog, reaching wickedly for the one he loves the most. A hero is no match for the rotten tree from which he fell.
Once a huntsman, always a huntsman.
Poisoning guaranteed.

**Huntsman is a contemporary romance novel – a modern retelling of the fairy tale Tangled. It is recommended that you read Ivory White (House of Misfits #1) before diving into Huntsman. This book does not have a cliff hanger and has a HEA

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:

Cambria Hebert is an award winning, bestselling novelist of more than twenty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.

Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of chickens (yes, chickens). You can often find her running on the treadmill (she’d rather be eating a donut), painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails), or walking her chorkie (the real boss of the house).

Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. Her favorite genre to read and write is romantic suspense. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, Text, Torch, and Tattoo.

Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Pinterest

Hosted by:

Blog Tour | A Brambleberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne | Review

July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 DeAnne1 Comment

A new season leads to a new beginning in New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne’s latest heartwarming romance!

Will the secrets of her past…

Prevent her from having the future she’s always wanted?

Rosa Galvez’s attraction to Officer Wyatt Townsend is as powerful as the moon’s pull on the tides. But with her past, Rosa knows better than to act on her feelings. When Wyatt and his adorable son become Brambleberry House’s newest tenants, Rosa finds her resolve slipping. Her solo life slowly becomes a sun-filled family adventure—until dark secrets threaten to break like a summer storm.

Add A Brambleberry Summer to your Goodreads!

If you’re looking for a fun and easy read for the summer this is definitely a good one. It’s very much a low angst story and is really light and heartwarming. There are certainly some moments of tension, but nothing that is extreme. I really liked the relationship between Rosa and Wyatt, but also the one between Rosa and Wyatt’s son. I also love that it was set in Oregon, as it’s a beautiful state, so it’s pretty much an auto buy location for me. Thayne’s writing in this book was light and refreshing and made this story a perfect summer read.

New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website at www.raeannethayne.com.

Happy reading!

Blitz | On Mission by Aileen Erin

July 28, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

On Mission
Aileen Erin
(Off Planet, #3)
Published by: Ink Monster LLC
Publication date: July 27th 2021
Genres: Dystopian, Young Adult

“Action adventure, space drama, political schemes, and just the right hit of romance has this series turning into an absolute must-read. Whether you think you’re a fan of sci-fi or not I’d urge you to give this series a try….” – Angela, Pooled Ink Reviews

From USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Erin comes the fourth book in the Aunare Chronicles

Amihanna di Aetes has finally accepted her place in the Aunare world. In a matter of weeks, she’ll be their High Queen, but no matter how hard she tries, she finds that she’s always doing the wrong thing. At least that’s what the High Council keeps telling her…

There’s only so much rejection a girl can take, which means she’s spending her afternoons trying to get out of High Council meetings. And yet, every time she leaves the council room, she sees the disappointment on her father’s face, and worse, on Lorne’s face. It pains her, but she can’t say what they want her to say.

The council is refusing to see the truth. War isn’t just upon the Aunare – they’re about to lose.

Training her guards to invade Earth is a much better use of her days. She spent too much time hiding, obeying, forcing herself to do what she had to do to survive.

She’s used up all her pretending and can only be who she is. A fighter. A leader. A warrior.

When SpaceTech attacks the Aunare colonies, she’ll do what needs to be done –she’ll fight to defend the Aunare alone if she has to. Because Amihanna is a di Aetes. She’ll never give up. Not until SpaceTech is dismantled and Jason Murtagh is dead.

Amihanna isn’t the queen the Aunare want. But she is the queen the Aunare need.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

“Go, but leave knowing that I’m okay. Earth didn’t kill me. I didn’t die on Abaddon. And SpaceTech? They’re not going to get me while I’m here. I’m going to win.” I brushed a quick kiss against his lips. “I hate that you’re having nightmares about what I played in that interview with Himani, but if you’re having them, that means that you’re forgetting that I survived. All of it. Everything. And I’ll survive whatever comes next, because I’m a di Aetes, and I never—”

“—give up,” my father said with me. “Not ever.”

I glanced at him. How did he know that’s what I always told myself to keep going? “Right.”

“I’m glad to hear that my teaching stuck with you despite everything.”

I blinked a few times. His teaching?

It made sense that my secret motto—the rallying cry that I gave myself to get through everything—came from him, but I’d never thought about it before. I don’t know why. It was obvious. Of course it came from my father. “It really did stick. Telling myself that over and over got me through a lot of tough times. When I was scared or hurt or burning to death on Abaddon, I told myself that and it made me keep going. Keep fighting. If I wasn’t dead yet, then I wasn’t going to give up. I couldn’t quit. Because I’m a di Aetes.”

“Good.” My father considered me for a moment and then his skin lit, just ever so slightly. “Good.”

There was approval and pride and respect for me in that second good that made me feel like I’d done something really right.

Author Bio:

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican, and 100% nerd–from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband in Los Angeles, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted by:

Review | 21 Questions by Alexandria Rizik

July 27, 2021July 27, 2021 DeAnne1 Comment

In Laguna Beach, California, sixteen-year-old Kendra Dimes is preparing for the 2010 USA Surfing Prime West. She’ll be competing this year in honor of her brother, who was a surfer too, but who died from a drug overdose. Kendra has suffered anxiety attacks ever since her brother’s death, and surfing is what’s been helping her heal.

Brock Parker is the new bad boy at school; he deals drugs to the high school clientele for his parents, who work for a Mexican drug lord. Though Brock and Kendra come from two different worlds, sparks fly when they meet at the homecoming dance—their attraction is magnetic. When they start a game of 21 Questions one night, they begin to learn more about each other—and, surprisingly, about themselves too. But some questions aren’t answered with the whole truth; after all, Brock can’t tell Kendra what his parents do for a living.

As Kendra and Brock experience all of life’s most exciting firsts, they prove that even when life throws you the perfect storm, you can make it through and come out stronger than before. 21 Questions is a coming-of-age journey packed with passion and heartbreak, risk and romance.

I was not expecting this one to hit me in the feels the way it did, but it did. Don’t let the summery beach cover fool you, this is a book containing some very real and heavy issues, mostly in the realm of drug use and selling. While the romance between Kendra and Brock is very much at the forefront, it is not the only focus. We get to see both of their points of view, which I felt really added to the story and all the different aspects of subjects that were included. Being someone who actually lost their older brother to drugs Kendra’s story hit especially hard – including her coping mechanisms, internal dialogue and specific memories of her brother. So much of the events and actions of people based on past experiences (especially Kendra’s) were so spot on in those situations.

Rizik’s writing flowed really well in both viewpoints and I really enjoyed the characters she crafted. There were a couple characters that I didn’t enjoy, but even they had some redeeming factors (and all teenagers can have moments of cringiness…so realistic). There were also characters who I really felt for and wanted to know more about, which is a sure sign that they are well crafted. Keep in mind that there are definite trigger warnings for death of a loved one, drug use, drug dealing, grief and more.

Alexandria Rizik is an award-winning filmmaker and the author of two books, the poetry collection Words Written in the Dark and the children’s book Chocolate Milk. She was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she was brought up by a large Armenian family. She received her bachelor of arts in English literature from Arizona State University. Alexandria’s love for writing began when she was a young child: her aunt bought her a journal and told her to write her a story, and the rest is history. Her favorite part about writing is being able to write the happily ever after that doesn’t always happen in real life. Besides writing, Alexandria loves yoga, wine, and family time. She lives in Scottsdale, AZ. Learn more at https://www.alexandriarizik.com.

A huge thank you to SparkPress for sending me a copy of this book so I could review it! Come back on release day (8/3) for a Q&A that I was able to have with Alexandria!

Happy reading!

August TBR & Reading Plans

July 26, 2021July 26, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hello everyone! Time to talk about what I plan to read in August. I may be taking on more than I can handle, but I not only did my card draws but also am going to do the Trope-ical readathon!

For my cards I drew the following:

3 of Diamonds – Wheel #3: The Proposal
6 of Diamonds – Horror/Thriller: Home Before Dark
5 of Diamonds – YA: My Best Friend’s Exorcism
Jack of Spades – Under 300 Pages: Kamisama Kiss #18
5 of Hearts – BotM: The Guest List
6 of Hearts – Random Kindle: The Folcroft Ghosts

For the Trope-ical Readathon I tried to have as much crossover as possible with these picks as well as previous card picks. I’ve made a graphic to show my TBR for this readathon. If you want more information on it make sure to check it out on JenJenReview’s Blog post.

Who knows what I will be able to complete, we’ll just have to see. For the most part I just want to have some fun! Are any of these books on your TBR?

Happy reading!

Kindle Deals | 7/25

July 25, 2021July 25, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Today I got hit by a bit of a spring/summer cleaning bug so somehow I lost pretty much my whole Sunday to that. Good news is that I have tons of stuff to donate, bad news is that now I’m tired haha. So I decided to see what kindle deals I could find today. As always double check the pricing in your region as it could have changed or be different!

American Royals ($2.99) – Two princesses vying for the ultimate crown.
Two girls vying for the prince’s heart.
This is the story of the American royals.

When America won the Revolutionary War, its people offered General George Washington a crown. Two and a half centuries later, the House of Washington still sits on the throne. Like most royal families, the Washingtons have an heir and a spare. A future monarch and a backup battery. Each child knows exactly what is expected of them. But these aren’t just any royals. They’re American.

As Princess Beatrice gets closer to becoming America’s first queen regnant, the duty she has embraced her entire life suddenly feels stifling. Nobody cares about the spare except when she’s breaking the rules, so Princess Samantha doesn’t care much about anything, either . . . except the one boy who is distinctly off-limits to her. And then there’s Samantha’s twin, Prince Jefferson. If he’d been born a generation earlier, he would have stood first in line for the throne, but the new laws of succession make him third. Most of America adores their devastatingly handsome prince . . . but two very different girls are vying to capture his heart.

The duty. The intrigue. The Crown. New York Times bestselling author Katharine McGee imagines an alternate version of the modern world, one where the glittering age of monarchies has not yet faded–and where love is still powerful enough to change the course of history.

The Ivies ($1.99) – Everyone knows the Ivies: the most coveted universities in the United States. Far more important are the Ivies. The Ivies at Claflin Academy, that is. Five girls with the same mission: to get into the Ivy League by any means necessary. I would know. I’m one of them. We disrupt class ranks, club leaderships, and academic competitions…among other things. We improve our own odds by decreasing the fortunes of others. Because hyper-elite competitive college admissions is serious business. And in some cases, it’s deadly.

Alexa Donne delivers a nail-biting and timely thriller about teens who will stop at nothing to get into the college of their dreams. Too bad no one told them murder isn’t an extracurricular.

Cast In Firelight ($1.99) – Adraa is the royal heir of Belwar, a talented witch on the cusp of taking her royal ceremony test, and a girl who just wants to prove her worth to her people.

Jatin is the royal heir to Naupure, a competitive wizard who’s mastered all nine colors of magic, and a boy anxious to return home for the first time since he was a child.

Together, their arranged marriage will unite two of Wickery’s most powerful kingdoms. But after years of rivalry from afar, Adraa and Jatin only agree on one thing: their reunion will be anything but sweet.

Only, destiny has other plans and with the criminal underbelly of Belwar suddenly making a move for control, their paths cross…and neither realizes who the other is, adopting separate secret identities instead.

Between dodging deathly spells and keeping their true selves hidden, the pair must learn to put their trust in the other if either is to uncover the real threat. Now Wickery’s fate is in the hands of rivals..? Fiancées..? Partners..? Whatever they are, it’s complicated and bound for greatness or destruction.

The Tea Dragon Society ($3.49) – From the award-winning author of Princess Princess Ever After comes The Tea Dragon Society, a charming all-ages book that follows the story of Greta, a blacksmith apprentice, and the people she meets as she becomes entwined in the enchanting world of tea dragons.

After discovering a lost tea dragon in the marketplace, Greta learns about the dying art form of tea dragon care-taking from the kind tea shop owners, Hesekiel and Erik. As she befriends them and their shy ward, Minette, Greta sees how the craft enriches their lives — and eventually her own.

Ok, I may have included that last one because I love it and think everyone should read it, but it’s also a great price right now!

Happy reading!

Cover Reveal | Don’t Forget to Breathe by Cathrina Constantine

July 24, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Don’t Forget To Breathe
Cathrina Constantine
Publication date: September 1st 2021
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Leocadia arrives home from school to find her mom’s body. Unaware that the killer still lingers, she rushes to her mother’s side, only to be grabbed from behind. And everything fades to black.

Leo has been battling personal demons after a year of retrograde amnesia. She’s been having vivid dreams of that day. And her dreams are getting worse—she’s starting to remember. Two more bodies are discovered and they are oddly linked to her mom’s unsolved homicide.

Leo befriends her new neighbor. He’s eager to visit Star Hallow’s notorious haunted mansion. It’s located on a deserted cul-de-sac where she once lived and where her mom was murdered. But it’s the Lucien Estate, the mansion next door to her old home, where they happen upon misty ghosts, ghosts that just might help to unravel the homicides.

Will Leo’s memories send her reeling into a relapse, or will she be able to overcome her demons to find her mother’s killer – only to become the next victim?

Add to Goodreads

Author Bio:

I am blessed with a loving family and forever friends. My world revolves around them.

I grew up in the small village of Lancaster, NY, where I married my sweetheart. I’m devoted to raising 5 cherished children, and now my grandchildren.

I love to immerse myself in great books of every kind of genre, which helps me to write purely for entertainment, and hopefully to inspire readers. When not stationed at my computer you can find me in the woods taking long walks with my dog.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Bookbub / Instagram

Hosted by:

Summertime Giveaway | Reminder

July 23, 2021July 23, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Have you entered the Summertime Giveaway yet? If not you still have plenty of time!

So here are the details, one person will win a book of their choice up to $15 from Book Depository (or Amazon if the winner is in the US). This is available internationally as long as book depository ships to you. For the blog giveaway there are a number of ways to enter, for which I’ve set up a rafflecopter.

Click Here to Enter!

Now for the twitter part – I’m holding a second giveaway (for the same prize) on twitter! You can enter both giveaways, but there will be two separate winners. You can enter the twitter giveaway by retweeting the giveaway tweet AND following me on twitter (if you already follow that counts of course).

Both giveaways will end on 7/28 and I will contact the winners at that point.

Thanks so much and happy reading!

Blog Tour | Redemption on Rivers Ranch by Kathy Douglass

July 22, 2021July 22, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

The return of his childhood friend

leads to the fresh start he never expected

Horse rancher Carson Rivers has his own emotional demons. There’s no place in his life for a divorced single mom pulling at his heartstrings. But when Gabriella Tucker and her adorable children move next door—the place of her favorite childhood memories—Carson’s tempted to help the heart-guarded beauty make more adult memories. Maybe Gabriella and her kids are the healing balm he’s been yearning for…

Add Redemption on Rivers Ranch to your Goodreads!

I really enjoyed this sweet friends to lovers romance. Sometimes it can be hard when a romance includes kids, but I felt the inclusion of Gabriella’s kids and how Carson interacted with them was really well done. The writing style was easy to read and made this a quick and fun read. Though the steam level is relatively low it was still a great story. The characters and their emotional baggage was really well written and their actions were believable as they moved from friends to lovers.

Kathy Douglass came by her love of reading naturally – both of her parents were readers. She would finish one book and pick up another. Then she attended law school and traded romances for legal opinions.

After the birth of her two children, her love of reading turned into a love of writing. Kathy now spends her days writing the small town contemporary novels she enjoys reading.

Kathy loves to hear from her readers and can be found on Facebook.

Happy reading!