Cover Reveal-Courtney Cole

It's here! Courtney Cole's The Minaldi Legacy Series' long awaited Part 2, OF DARKNESS AND DEMONS, is on it's way to our hands! Courtney's giving us Part 2 in an Omnibus that will be released in January 2014 containing both, OF BLOOD AND BONE and OF DARKNESS AND DEMONS. Today, we're revealing the beautiful cover for The Minaldi Legacy Series! Filled with dark romance, this is an adult contemporary series. Now, here's the cover for The Minaldi Legacy!

See below for all of the information regarding The Minaldi Legacy Series and Courtney Cole! </ div>

ABOUT The Minaldi Legacy:

“I’m a monster, Eva.  There’s no saving a monster.  But I love that you want to try.”</ i>

Luca Minaldi is rich, powerful and mesmerizing.  He’s also a reclusive enigma.  He lives in Malta, a fairy-tale place filled with sunshine and sea, beauty and secrets.  And Luca’s darkest of secrets is the best-kept of them all. 

Eva Talbot comes to Malta to finish her doctoral dissertation in Psychiatry.  When she meets Luca, there is a very real and instant attraction that she has never felt before. But even still, she senses the darkness that lives within him.   

In part one of this Romantic Thriller, Of Blood and Bone, Eva is hired to care for Luca’s mother, a woman who suffers from dementia.  It is Luca, however, that Eva will eventually risk everything to save.  But by the end of part one, Eva doesn’t know if she can save Luca without losing herself. 

In part two, Of Darkness and Demons, the legacy and curse that plagues Luca continues. Eva and Luca are thrust into a world where their love is tested and darkness reigns.  Amid chaos and treachery, love and hate, Luca and Eva learn one important thing.

Love is dangerous. 

But it also might be the one thing that can save them all.

ABOUT COURTNEY COLE:

Courtney Cole is a novelist who would eat mythology for breakfast if she could. She has a degree in Business, but has since discovered that corporate America is not nearly as fun to live in as fictional worlds. She loves chocolate and roller coasters and hates waiting and rude people.

Courtney lives in quiet suburbia, close to Lake Michigan, with her real-life Prince Charming, her ornery kids (there is a small chance that they get their orneriness from their mother) and a small domestic zoo.

LINKS:              

Website:  http://www.courtneycoleauthor.com/

Blog:  http:// courtneycolewrites.com/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/Court_Writes

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/#!/courtneycolewrites

Author Goodreads:   http://www.goodreads.com/author/ show/3112212.Courtney_Cole

The Minaldi Legacy Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/series/97613- the-minaldi-legacy

Amazon author page: http://www.amazon.com/Courtney-Cole/e/ B004Y4Z8ZU/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1375577792&sr=8-2-ent

Unwanted Release Day Blitz!!!!!

Title: Unwanted

Author: Alivia Anders

Genre: NA Dystopian

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Book Description:

She would be his freedom. He would be her price.

In a world overrun with people and narrowing resources, the basis of life has turned to do or die. No longer does the balance of wealth and power apply. A strict split between the rich and poor has made the lines clear- the more money you have, the more power you control. For seventeen year old Emily Beucant, life is an equal gift and curse. Having grown up pre- Unwanted society, she can still remember the days it was okay to play with children from the other side of the concrete wall, back when her father was still alive, and back when the Unwanted program was used to Mark and hunt criminals, not sign away the lives of ungrateful children or spouses with high insurance collections over their heads. But since her father's creation of the program, the government has taken control and made it into a lucrative monster. And as Emily is days away from her eighteenth birthday, and handsome inheritance, she will soon see just how badly it is to be Marked. When her soulless aunt places Emily up to be Marked an Unwanted, she is forced to go on the run from all she has ever known. No where is safe for her, and no one will protect her, least they wish to have the same fate as her. It isn't until she forms a tense, explosive alliance with a former doctor, Ben, that it looks like the tables may turn in her favor. Together they race against those searching for her, desperate to find a way to free her from an early death. But is it too late? No one is safe. No one is free.

Teaser

The time on my phone flashes 4:09AM by the time I come within sight of the first glimpses of Primrose Gardens. It’s nearly identical to Greener Lanes; a carefully monitored entryway was the only real way in, as the land was secured in a fence at least twenty feet high. Of course, like all high property, the maintenance of areas like the bottom of fences was generally overlooked, and were easily broken into by stray animals. Or fugitive eighteen year olds. I double-check no cameras are positioned on the outside of the fence, then carefully navigate around it. My hands and fingers brush through dewy ferns and pines, the cold droplets a welcomed relief to my grime-coated fingers. At the corner of the first half, I spot an opening. It’s small, roughly the size of a skinny barrel, and pieces of rotting wood have been shoved in front of it in a weak attempt to conceal it. I wiggle them free with little effort, check the other side for any pesky animals, and slip in. The backyard is empty, nothing but freshly mown green grass to both corners of the enclosed yard. Inwardly I sigh with huge relief. Nothing in the backyard means there’s almost no chance of the house having dogs or kids. I sprint up to the house and press myself into the siding, peering over the corner inside. Sunlight beams over the hedges and fencing, shining streaks of yellow into the wide floor-to-ceiling windows backing most of the house. There’s no lights on, and nothing casually abandoned or out of place. Maybe the place is abandoned. Pressing my luck, I try the handle to the sliding glass doors. It’s unlocked. I hold my breath and pop the door open a pinch. When no alarms sound, I can barely contain my jittery hands from smacking the windows with glee like some over-sugared toddler who found out the square shape goes in the square-shaped hole. I step inside and quickly shut the door behind me, careful not to make too much noise. Even with the sunlight streaking through the glass, I can’t see too much, but I figure it’s best not to turn on the lights just in case. The kitchen reminds me eerily of home. Modern, glass and black metal fixtures create a desensitized atmosphere, devoid of emotion and memory. No fruit in a bowl on the counter, no washcloths hanging on the bar to the oven, no magnets on the fridge. Whoever does live here, doesn’t seem to be really living. Two slim envelopes sit on the far counter near the entrance to what looks like a dining room. I inch closer and squint, trying to make out the name on the label. The sound of a door upstairs stops me cold. I spin about the room, frantic. A place to hide, a place to hide... the kitchen sink cabinet. The cabinet was small, barely built to hold the pipes for the sink. Tiny bottles of cleaner, rags, scrubbing brushes, and several wrenches were piled in a corner, eating up any extra space I could fit into. This was most likely the only moment I would ever be thankful for my recent years of near-death starvation movements at my aunt’s hand. I was told once that when you adrenaline hits, everything slows to a crawl. At the time, Dad had used the words heightened senses, joking that for a blink in our lives, we became superhuman. For my sake, I hope he was right. If the owner of the house found me, it would be either fight or flight. And I was counting on the former. My fingers silently grasp for one of the wrenches, and I tense, going quiet and still. Footsteps sound on the linoleum tiles. A chair is pulled from the dining room table, and a sound of something heavy dropped on the table. I dare not breathe. My heart races faster than helicopter blades slicing through the cloudy skies on an emergency rescue. Pressure builds in my ears and chest, my throat squeezing until I can barely gather a thread of air. Seconds tick by, painfully slow. The nervous tick in my chest shifts to my feet, the fight flickering within. It crosses my mind that if I move swiftly, I could catch the owner off guard, burst from the cabinet doors and run for the fence. Outside the cabinet doors, there’s nothing but silence. No feet, no mutters, not even a grunt. All I can be sure of is my heart, slamming erratically against my chest, pulsing faster with every passing moment. The cabinet door flies open. A hand reaches in, grasping onto my upper arm. I try to swing the wrench but there’s no room in the cupboard. In one move I’m yanked out and tossed onto the tiled floor, and greeted by a blackened barrel of a gun holding true to my face. I know better than to scream for help. Instead I scramble with haste, rolling over and finding myself on my feet. My eyes focus, and I meet with the owner of the gun hovering in front of my nose. Sharp, dark green eyes stare holes into me, but his expression is glacial, reserved. Instantly I’m reminded of Matthew, and how I’d handle his past dealers who would try and stiff him. Like a lion lying in wait, poised and in control, I’d wait until they left a sliver of their guard down and attack the first weak spot available. But this isn’t a drug deal gone wrong, and Matthew is not here. This is real life, and I’m staring down a loaded weapon poised to blow my face all over the wall. If I give this man a fraction of a weak spot, he will use it and exploit it. I refuse to give this man a weak spot. He jerks his head to the cabinet doors, the short brown hair on his head bristling with motion. “You have exactly ten seconds to give me one good reason not to empty my gun into your thieving frame.” Surprise crosses my face, but I mask it as quickly as it slips. Could he possibly not know who I am? That I’m Marked and as good as dead? I say nothing. His eyes narrow, as if he can see right through me and learn all my dirty secrets. I try not to visibly flinch. He motions his free hand to the chair that’s been pulled from the table in the adjacent room. Our eyes stay locked and unblinking, neither moving. “Why don’t you hand me the wrench, and take a seat?” My lips stay sealed. I run over the options in my head, each more bizarre and unlikely than the last. Each one ends with me getting a bullet lodged into some part of my body, and I really don’t like the idea of becoming swiss cheese. He sighs disappointingly. “Unless you prefer that I call the police?” His free hand now reaches into his pocket, cellphone ready to dial on his touchscreen. If I wasn’t shaking before, I am now. My body shudders so hard I drop the wrench, the sound the smack against the floor so loud I yelp. The willful voice in my mind resurfaces, screaming. Run! Attack him, take the gun from him and go! But the brazen drive fades as quickly as it comes, and I haven’t made a move. Confusion swings in my head. Part of me still clings to the past I ripped myself from. The truth that I am no longer Emily Beucant, socialite of Camardine, daughter of the man who established the Unwanted program, continues to sink it, startling me with each passing tick of the clock. I am now Emily, fugitive of the law, outcast of all areas of society, Marked an Unwanted and fighting a system my own blood created. Unwanted. Unloved. Undesired. “No one,” I say, ignoring the crack in my voice. “Is going to take me alive, Unwanted or not. You may as well shoot me.” The man lowered the gun by a fraction, tilting it to the side. His eyes darkened as if he would explode with rage, but he spoke as if confused. “I’m not going to... hold on,” he zeroed in on my face, taking in my blonde tresses. “You can’t be that girl...” I did my best to stand rigid and tall, envisioning a plank of wood for motivation. It offered little help for my intimidating factor. Okay, so he knew. His eyes couldn’t hide the connection behind them, same way Matthew couldn’t hide his traitor behavior. Where did that leave me? I was going to find out. “Do it,” I make the words harsh, hot like scalding water. “Shoot me. You have every right.” The frown on his lips deepens, and he lowers the gun by another inch. Then, just like that, he flips the gun’s safety on and tucks it into the side of his black pants. A new wave of emotion, raw and frightened, rolls over me. Is he going to turn me in? “Are you hungry?” His words catch me off guard. Until he asked, I hadn’t so much as given a passing thought to food. My stomach gnawed and groaned. “What, no-?” He stares at me suspiciously. “You look like you weigh twenty pounds soaking wet. Might want to refuel if you plan on trying to break into any more houses.” I couldn’t help it. “Are you seriously asking the person who just broke into your home if they want breakfast?” “Are you going to take breakfast from the only person who’s offered it to you?” He counters, scowling. “I’m not-” “Breakfast or the police. Your choice.” What the actual hell was going on? I crossed my arms and made a face. “Fine.” He motions to the dining room one more time, the grand gesture like salt rubbing in the wounds. Looking over my shoulder, I carefully walk past him, crossing into the next room and sitting on the pulled out chair. A basket is placed on the table, muffin tops poking out from the thin cloth covering the top. I peel back the cloth and sneak a peek between keeping my eyes on the man. “Blueberry.” “Do you not eat blueberry muffins?” His mouth turns up at the corners, fighting a snicker. “Actually,” I begin, pushing the basket away. “I’m allergic.” He pushes off the doorframe, moving for the fridge. “I have orange-cranberry, too.” “I’m not hungry.” He sighs with irritability, and runs his hands over the top of his head. “You’re either incredibly stupid or stubborn.” That gets a rise out of me. “Talk to my aunt, and she’d tell you I’m both.” “My guess is stubborn with a side of stupid, if what I saw earlier was any indication,” he jabs at me, eyes turning to their glacial stare. “You’ve got some nerve, some seriously huge cojones, thinking you could break into a place like this. Let me guess, you thought you were so lucky. No one spots you at the fence, the door’s are unlocked and place immaculate.” “You have no ide-” “I spotted you clear as day from the second floor, little girl. You hadn’t even finished moving those planks I shoved over the gaping hole. If I spotted you that fast, imagine how quickly the cameras on the other side got a look at your face.” I went weak in the knees. “But I didn’t see-” “Damn right you didn’t see, you were too busy enjoying the win of your little conquest. Tell me, what was your plan after you got inside, huh? Take the car, look for jewels to pawn, murder a family if they spotted you and reported to the Unwanted call line-” “It wasn’t supposed to happen!” I’m on my feet, but don’t remember standing. Flashes of my hands, white-knuckled as they grip the edge of the table, dance at the bottom of my line of sight. His green gaze is unforgiving. “Is that what you were planning to say if you were caught? ‘I’m sorry, sir, it wasn’t supposed to happen’?” “Is breakfast a codeword for lecture? Because I really, really don’t want any breakfast. Now or never.” I make to leave, but he stands in the way. My fists clench tight, and I relax my arms in case I need to power-fist my way through him. “Move.” “Answer me one question,” he says coolly. I can’t believe the nerve of this taunting jerk. In less than ten minutes, I’ve gone from fugitive to captive, all because my stupid instincts said to go to a place familiar to home. I can’t look him in the face, so I turn my head down to the ground. “Ask.” His words are like a thin thread of breath on my neck, a cold breeze that makes me shudder from the chill. “What was your plan?” To save Matthew. To kill Christine. To run long enough for someone to reverse my Unwanted status. “I have to fix it,” the words barely leave my lips, the truth a burning declaration I hadn’t known existed even in the deepest pockets of my mind. “I have to stop it before someone else ends up in my shoes. Marked while innocent, captured while terrified, slain without cause.” I tilt my head up slowly, coming within inches of his face. Waves of green swallow me, and for a second I swear I’m caught in the tide in his eyes, ready to be pitched into the waters, lost to the sea. “I have to end the Unwanted program.”

Giveaway

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About Alivia Anders

ALIVIA ANDERS is the author of the Amazon bestselling Illumine Series. Born and raised in PA, she fell headfirst into the world of writing at thirteen with the discovery of internet fan-fiction and RPG-forum boards. A lover of chinchillas, mexican food, and coffee, she spends most of her time drumming up new ideas to spin into tales to enchant readers everywhere. You can find out more about Alivia, and her upcoming projects, by visiting her Facebook or Blogger. Books Available by Alivia Anders: The Illumine Series: Illumine (Book #1) Obumbrate (Book #2) Riven (Book #3) Ethereal (Book #3.5, releases March 2013) Other Series By Alivia Anders: The Black Symphony Saga Novellas: An Ice Princess Heart (Novella #1, releases 2013) An Ice Princess Kiss (Novella #2, releases 2013) An Ice Princess Symphony (Novella #3, releases 2013) An Ice Princess Dream (Novella #4, releases 2013) The Black Symphony Saga: A Shard of Ice (Book #1, releases April 2014) A Brush of Fire (Book #2, releases January 2015) A Breath of Life (Book #3, releases December 2015)

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Cover Reveal- Kendall Ryan

So excited about presenting you with Kendall Ryan's next book! The cover is absolutely stunning and if it doesn't capture your attention, the blurb will and it'll have you wishing to fast forward time to the release date! So be on the look out on November 11,2013 to get your hands on this awesomeness!

So you probably want to see what I'm talking about right? You want to see this cover and blurb that has me hooked? Well her you go!!

 Blurb

Straight-laced and well-mannered southerner Emmy Clarke is out of her depth in New York City’s fashion world, but when she lands a job as an assistant at a modeling agency it seems like the perfect mix of business and pleasure. Working under the notoriously tyrannical Fiona Stone is a nightmare, but there’s one distinct perk: ogling the ridiculously hot male models who parade through the office—particularly rising star Ben Shaw.

Ben is everything Emmy’s not: exquisitely gorgeous, highly paid, and well-traveled. He’s also got more issues than Vogue. Emmy looks after Ben on photo shoots, but she refuses to become another one of his lusting groupies. Ben finds Emmy’s refreshingly real attitude to be surprisingly attractive.

Against a backdrop of the most fashionable cities in the world, casual flirting turns into an illicit affair, but when Ben’s twisted past is revealed, and the bitter Fiona catches wind of their relationship, their careers and hearts are threatened.

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 Check out the Steamilicious book trailer:  http://vimeo.com/75420400

About the Author

Kendall Ryan is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the contemporary romance novels HARD TO LOVE, RESISTING HER, UNRAVEL ME and MAKE ME YOURS.

She's a sassy, yet polite Midwestern gal with a deep love of books, and a slight addiction to lipgloss! She has a bachelor's degree in marketing, a few too many book boyfriends and two very naughty puppies.

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Cover Reveal- M. Leighton

So M. Leighton is a rock star, we all know that and I'm sure like us you have been waiting on the second book in the Wild One Series!!! So we may not have the book just yet but we can show you the gorgeous cover to it and give you a little blurb action!! Okay so the Wild Child, is a novella set to be released on October 22, 2013 add it on Goodreads now!

Are

You

Ready

to 

see

M.Leighton's 

next

bestseller?!!!!

Here 

you 

go!!!

Jenna Theopolis has always known what she wanted.  Getting out of her small hometown of Greenfield was number one on her list of priorities.  Until she met Rusty Catron. 

Rusty’s fun-loving personality was the perfect match for Jenna’s inner wild child.  But what started off as a summer fling quickly turns into something more.  At least it does for Jenna.
Rusty has lived with the ghost of his father’s abandonment since he was a child, but now he’s beginning to feel the crippling effects of his scars.  He wants to trust in Jenna, but deep down he doesn’t believe someone so wild and free can ever be tamed. 

But tragedy strikes, pushing Jenna out of Greenfield and leaving Rusty with a choice to make—face his inner demons or lose the love of his life.  Forever.

About M. Leighton:

M. Leighton is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Wild Ones and The Bad Boys romance trilogies.  She is a native of Ohio, relocated to the warmer climates of the South, where she lets her mind wander to romantic settings with sexy Southern guys much like the one she married and the ones you'll find in her latest books.  When her thoughts aren't roaming in that direction, she'll be riding horses, swimming in ponds and experiencing life on a ranch, all without leaving the cozy comfort of her office.  

Stalk M. Leighton

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3:AM KISSES Blog Tour

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3:AM KISSES Synopsis:
Baya Brighton is looking forward to her first year at Whitney Briggs University, new friends, dorm life, and finally being close to her brother again. Love is the last thing on the list, but when Baya meets her brother’s roommate she begins to have thoughts and feelings that make even her blush.

Bryson Edwards has a secret he prefers buried in the past and long forgotten. He prefers loose girls, fast cars, and long nights working at the string of bars his family owns. When his roommate’s sister shows up on the scene, she’s far too innocent and sweet for him but he can’t shake Baya out of his mind and worse, it looks like she’s seeping into his heart as well.

Baya seems determined to show her brother she’s not a little kid and equally determined to use Bryson’s body to prove her point. It’s been made pretty clear that Baya is off limits to Bryson but their undeniable sparks explode into a whole lot more than just a few 3:AM KISSES.

 I cannot express how much I adore Addison Moore. I haven’t had the chance to read through all of her YA Celestral Series but they are for sure on my list and should be on yours. I did however read Someone to Love and I did love it. It was even more amazing after I had the chance to meet her at UtopYA Con and at the Naughty Mafia. Addison is one of the sweetest ever! But you don’t want to hear me fan girling right?

So 3:AM Kisses…. Oh. My. God. Can I please have a Bryson? No seriously I want him in the worse kind of way! Before I get hooked on Bryson, because you totally would if you haven’t already... I should start at the beginning. Baya, Love her unique name BTW, well Baya is off to college and is looking to shed the ‘good girl’ persona. Can’t say that I blame her. Once tragedy struck her family’s life, her big brother Cole took it upon himself to make sure she remained innocent. Put her in the ‘right’ crowd, so when she went off to college she wanted to finally live life. Experience everything everyone else was experiencing. Yes, that meant sex. But I love the way Addison wrote Baya. Baya was used to following whatever her brother said, but when she ran into Bryson and learned of her brothers ‘true’ ways, she decided enough was enough. Bryson. Oh how I love Bryson, let me count the ways! You can tell from the beginning they had this undeniable attraction to each other, but the questioned remained… would they act on it?

Bryson. I love this character so much, so much in fact that I can almost say he’s my favorite male POV that I’ve read. Addison wrote him perfectly. You can tell he had a history, something that hurt him deeply, and it was something that haunted him. What was his choice of distraction? Women, and loads of them. That is until Baya comes into the picture. He tries to fight it, he believe she’s too good for him, but he starts to hope. Spending time with her completely changes everything and I love watching him fall a little more each time. She’s different and he’s not letting go. He lets Baya in, lets her see the real Bryson hiding underneath the womanizing ways he’s hidden behind.

I love seeing them grow. Especially Baya coming into herself and Bryson accepting the fact that he’s worthy of love and loving in return. For once I was able to read a book that I didn’t feel like there was unnecessary drama or split ups because the characters past got in the way. Don’t get me wrong there is a character that stirs the pot, you won’t like her, I didn’t. Addison managed to write a romance that I wish I had, a romance that not everyone gets to have, but a few lucky people know what its like. 3:AM Kisses is definitely a book I’ll be rereading because it’s that amazing. I’m sure you’re wondering if there is sex in the book, am I right? I can tell you there is but its not overly descriptive and trash. It’s absolutely perfect and breathtaking. Addison Moore has a way with words and definitely held my attention from the moment I began the book till I finished. I didn’t put the book down at all, it was impossible. I had to know what was going on with Bryson. I had to know if Baya would stand up to her brother. I had to know if Baya and Bryson made it through it all. I HAD TO KNOW and that’s what makes a book in my eyes. So if you haven’t picked up your copy yet, you need to get on that! So go one-click it right now!

<3 Dani

Meeting Addison Moore in person and then knowing this book was coming out created anticipation for me.   Then when I got the book I was excited to start.  It captured me from page one.  In fact is broke me out of my reading funk.  3:AM Kisses was such a sweet story that I really want to go back and spend time with Baya and Bryron again.

Baya Brighton has moved to college, where her brother is.  First day on campus and her top falls down, and yes someone notices.  His name is Bryson Edwards.  This whole interaction is was hooked me! I knew they would be at least friends.  Bryson show's Baya to her room and when she walks in she learns her roommate is well, other wise engaged in sex.  Baya tells Bryson her brothers name, and he says he knows him........ he takes her to him and well..... Bryson just happens to be Baya's brothers roommate.  Bryson really likes Baya and knows nothing can happen because of her brother.  

Bryson can't seem to stay away from Baya. He doesn't want any other guy to have her.  He takes her to one of his family's bars and get's her a job.  Baya REALLY likes Bryson, she wants him, no matter what her brother, the guy who sexes his way through the girls at school, says.  Baya knows that Bryson  likes to bed girls, and Bryson wants to prove to Baya that he doesn't want that anymore.  When Baya moves in with her brother and Bryson because of her SEX CRAZED roommate, will their fire stir?  

And working with Bryson brings them closer together.  When a first kiss is shared at 3:AM they grow closer.  These 3:AM kisses are shared many times.  Bryson is set on loving Baya and moving past his past.  Baya wants to hang on to Bryson no matter what.  When he invites her to meet his family on a weekend away, how close will they get? What happens when Baya tells her brother about them? AND What is Bryson not telling her about his past? 

There are a few other characters in this book that I loved! Baya's friends, Love them.  They provide humor in this book. :) 

Overall I am in TOTAL Love with this story! I want more of their 3:AM Kisses and Just more of Baya and Bryson.

-Christina-

NOW a little About the Amazing Addison Moore 

Addison Moore is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author who writes contemporary and paranormal romance. Previously she worked as a therapist on a locked psychiatric unit for nearly a decade. She resides on the West Coast with her husband, four wonderful children and two dogs where she eats too much chocolate and stays up way too late. When she's not writing, she's reading.

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Maven/Nemesis Promo Post - Starla Hutchon

Maven & Nemesis Blog Tour

Author: Starla Huchton

Maven (The Endure series, book 1)

By S.A. Huchton

Genre: New Adult Sci-Fi Romance

Available Now: Amazon | Goodreads |Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Synopsis

"How far would you go for love?

Since losing her parents at 14, young prodigy Dr. Lydia Ashley has focused on one thing: an appointment on the Deep Water Research Command Endure. Now 21, she’s about to realize that dream, but nothing is how she imagined it would be. Her transitional sponsor forgets her, her new lab is in complete chaos, and, as if that weren’t enough, she’s about to discover something so horrific it could potentially destroy all life on the planet. 

Daniel Brewer, a noted playboy and genius in his own right, may be exactly what she needs… Or he may make everything worse.

Has she finally found a puzzle she can’t solve?"

Excerpt:

"Close your eyes," he said before opening the doors.

"What?"

"Just do it." He smiled reassuringly.

Lydia sighed and shut her eyes. Daniel pressed his thumb to the scanner and the large bay doors parted. At her back, he guided her forward by the shoulders until she was a few feet from the stairs. Then he stepped around her. He wanted to see her reaction.

"Okay, you can look."

Her dark eyes opened, then widened at the sight before her. "Can I go up?" she asked.

Daniel nodded. After seeing her panicked state earlier, he thought she could probably use a distraction. Lydia raced up the six steps to the edge of the tank. Three sleek, gray heads popped above the surface to greet her. Two others hung back, the meeker of the pod, waiting for the verdict from the more outgoing ones.

"This is Gracie, the mother hen of our resident dolphin pod. You can recognize her by the heart-shaped spot between her eyes."

Lydia's grin was a mile wide. "Hello, Gracie. Nice to meet you." She reached out and touched the nearest dolphin. It rose to meet her, answering her greeting with a click and a whistle.

"This is Dora, Gracie's oldest daughter. She has an indentation on the top of her dorsal fin due to a run in with a shark. We almost lost her that time. She's a bit too friendly for her own good."

"Fozi is the youngest of the pod, a male. He's smaller than the others, but twice as loud." Daniel stroked the top of the dolphin's melon as he swam by.

"Back there are Lucinda and Talulah, impossibly rare twin girls. In the case of dolphin twins, one of them is usually stillborn or dies soon after birth. Those two are fighters, and stick together like nothing I've seen, but they also shy away from strangers."

Lydia looked elated. "They're beautiful. I've been wanting to see them since I got here. I was starting to think they were avoiding me."

"Not at all," Daniel said. "At this time of year they spend more time out than in."

"I wish we had one of their tubes running through the lab," she said. "They'd be a welcome sight every now and again."

"I know what you mean. I'd love to have them in the Tech Center too." He laughed as Gracie nudged her way in for another one of Lydia's pats. "She likes you. They aren't always so welcoming."

"Have you been successful in teaching them hand signals?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. The twins were pretty stubborn about it, but even they know twenty or more different signs. Daniel made two pumping motions with his right index finger. As Lydia reached out to touch Dora, she was met with a light spray of water from her blowhole. Daniel couldn't help but laugh loudly as she gasped in shock. 

"Very funny," she said, wiping saltwater off of her face.

Daniel tossed her a towel hanging from a rack on the wall. "Just wanted to prove a point." He winked.

"Mission accomplished," she said through the terrycloth. "Speaking of, didn't we come here for something?"

"Oh, right." Daniel removed the drive from his pocket. He hopped down the stairs and grabbed a stepladder. Placing it against the wall, he climbed up and stuck the drive inside a container on a high shelf.

"You don't think someone will find it there?" Lydia asked.

"Nah," he said, pushing the container to the back. "They only use this stuff once every other year for a SCUBA class. That happened last month so I think we're safe for awhile."

He mounted the stairs again and perched on the tank edge next to her. "How are you doing?"

"Better, thanks," she said, running her hand along Fozi's side. "I still have this sick feeling of violation, but it's getting better."

"Violation?"

She said nothing for a moment and was very quiet when she spoke again. "Since my family died, I haven't really felt comfortable anywhere. I've spent the last six years wanting nothing more than a place on the Endure. Coming here was like..." She stopped, swallowed, and began again. "Coming here was like coming home. To know that a place I care about so deeply, and my own lab at that, was abused for something so despicable... Yeah. Violation is the best word I can think of, but even that's an understatement."

Daniel reached out and laid a hand on her shoulder. He had been with the Endure since the beginning, but hadn't ever stopped to think if he considered this place as home. "Hey," he said, and she looked at him. "We'll get to the bottom of it. We'll fix it. Both of us."

She gave him a half-hearted smile. "I hope so, Daniel. I really do."

Nemesis (The Endure series, book 2)

by S. A. Huchton

Genre: Science Fiction Romance (New Adult)

Available Now: Goodreads | Amazon| Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

Book Description:

"Tech genius Daniel Brewer isn't the only one with a romantic history. Already weighed down with the impossible problem of the Maven Initiative's plans for world domination and disaster, Dr. Lydia Ashley is finding it more and more difficult to keep things in balance. With an old flame reappearing and the schemes of a vindictive new rival thrown into the mix, her hopes for a life with Daniel may be on the brink of annihilation. 

When Lydia's past is brought to light, one big secret could destroy everything."

Excerpt

At 1045, there was a quiet rapping at her door. Lydia turned to see Dr. Corvis standing there, smiling politely. It was like watching a shark circling for an attack.

"Do you need something, Dr. Corvis?" Lydia said.

"Dr. Miller and I have worked out a possible sequence of alterations for one of the bacteria. Care to take a look?" 

Sure she was walking into a trap, Lydia agreed anyway. One of the work stations had been arranged with four different devices: an electron microscope, a centrifuge, a chromosome splitter more compact than any she had seen before, and a rotating rack for petri dishes.

"Where did that come from?" She indicated the splitter. The display screen on the top showed a squirming object, pinned in place by the microlasers hovering above the sample tray. The controls hummed, waiting for their next command.

"My own personal stash," Nick said, coming up behind her. He was closer than she would've liked, but given the confines of the area there wasn't anything for it.

Lydia was stunned. "You own a chromosome splitter? How did you afford that?"

Nick shrugged. "It was a gift from Dr. DeBeauvoir."

"He's as generous as he is brilliant," Dr. Corvis gushed. 

"Uh huh." Lydia gave her a sidelong glance. "So what have you been working on?"

Dr. Corvis answered for him. "Dr. Miller had some amazing insights on how to achieve the necessary virulence while maintaining its water-borne nature."  

"You figured that out? That was the one thing I was dreading the most. I had hoped to find a workaround so I wouldn't mess with bacteria's environmental needs." What Lydia hadn't said was that she was terrified of creating some super bug that would become airborne and infect everyone on the station.

Nick moved over to the electron microscope and looked into the eyepiece, adjusting the focus. "If you take a look here, you can see the segment of the chromosome we're targeting."

He took a step back and she positioned herself in front of the device. "What am I looking at, exactly?"

Nick leaned against the table, closing the distance between them some. He was close enough that she caught the scent of sandalwood from the soap he'd used since she'd known him at Stanford. Focus, she reminded herself.

"These base pairs are responsible for virulence and environment adaptation. They're right beside one another so it can be difficult to separate them. You have to know exactly what you're doing or you could wind up with something really nasty."

Lydia looked up from the eyepiece and was startled to find his face less than a foot away from her own. "Good thing you're here to make sure we don't do that then, I guess." She sounded like an idiot. His proximity was flustering her.

"I was about to make the first cut with the splitter, but I wanted to show you one other thing first." Nick slid up to the microscope and she skittered away, as though he might burn her if they touched.

If he noticed, he didn't show it. He made another slight adjustment to the eyepiece. "Here." They traded places again. "This is the chromosome segment responsible for host selection. According to Anna, this was being altered to make it viable on multiple cellular types. What this basically means is that the cell wall degradation mechanism will be much more powerful and adapted to both rigid cells from plants and softer cells from animals. Really wicked stuff." 

He was calling her Anna already? Damn. That woman worked fast. She pushed it aside. Lydia focused on what was important: a bacterium that could attack both flora and fauna. Something that strong could be devastating. "So it feeds off of organic material then, but doesn't discriminate in regards to the source? The environmental impact that will have..." Lydia rubbed her forehead. "Not only on human life. Anything within the release area will be obliterated."

"It's designed to only work for a certain period of time, within a certain range, remember," Dr. Corvis offered. Was she really defending the Maven Initiative? "The nanotags will ensure self-destruction of any infected phytoplankton outside that."

Lydia gaped at her. "And so that makes it okay?"

She shrugged. "To them, it was acceptable."

Unbelievable. 

"Now I'll show you how to split the base pairs and graft the new ones," Nick said. Her spine went rigid as his hand touched the small of her back, ushering her towards the other piece of equipment. Fortunately, there wasn't far to go and the contact was brief.

Nick's hand grasped the controls, strong and steady. He talked her through the operation, explaining where the precise cuts needed to be made and directing the microlasers expertly.

"Did you do a lot of this with Dr. DeBeauvoir?" she asked.

"Not at first," he said, keeping his eyes on the screen. "But the last two years I was in the lab almost exclusively. I got a lot of practice with this thing. They were upgrading the equipment when I left so that's why I didn't feel guilty when they sent me away with this baby. We have spent many an hour together, Sheila and I."

She tried not to laugh, but couldn't help herself. "You named the splitter Sheila?"

"I thought about calling it Lydia, but that seemed inappropriate given the circumstances."

Her face burned as Dr. Corvis giggled. She actually giggled. Lydia was mortified, and Nick didn't so much as crack a smile. He couldn't be serious.

"There." He finished the cut and turned back to her. "Want to give it a try?"

Reining in her embarrassment, she nodded and stepped up to the controls. Nick loaded up another sample. He reached in front of her and punched in the autofocus on the sample camera. Another hit of sandalwood drifted up to her, scattering her thoughts. 

"You're looking for the eighteenth base pair," he said, directing her where to shift the sample plate. "Stop."

She had to remind herself to breathe. With the way her entire body was shaking, she would probably wind up creating a highly virulent super bacterium.

"Good, now lock in the sample position."

Lydia flipped a switch and six microlasers pinned the sample in place.

"This is the tricky part," Nick said. "You have to have the right touch."

Every nerve in her body electrified as Nick slid behind her and wrapped his hands around hers. If she wasn't seven shades of scarlet before, she absolutely was now. This was not happening. No way was this professional by any stretch of the imagination.

"Slowly... slowly... now cut."

Her thumbs pressed down on the buttons to fire the incision lasers, and she was careful not to jerk away as soon as it was done.

"Perfect," he said, leaning over her shoulder to smile at her.

Right on cue, a throat cleared and she jumped, pushing away from both the machine and Dr. Miller. 

Daniel was standing not ten feet away, looking none too happy about what he'd walked in on.

"We're dicing bacterial DNA," she blurted. "Dr. Miller was demonstrating how his equipment worked."

His eyebrow twitched and somewhere behind her, Dr. Corvis coughed to hide her laughter. Maybe her word choice had been a little questionable, but her brain was scrambled.

"Daniel Brewer, right?" Nick strode forward, hand extended. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. Nick Miller."

Daniel was not impressed.

Lydia hurried forward, cutting Nick off before he got any closer and all but pushed Daniel toward the door. "Time for lunch? Great! I'm famished. Let's go."

She was pretty sure Dr. Harpy was still laughing when they left the lab. Apparently, she'd decided on a new plan of attack.

Author Bio & Links

Starla Huchton released her first novel, The Dreamer's Thread, as a full cast podcast production beginning in August 2009. Her first foray went on to become a double-nominee and finalist for the 2010 Parsec Awards. Since her debut, Starla's voice has appeared in other podcasts including The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, The Drabblecast, and Erotica a la Carte. She is also a voice talent for Darkfire Productions, and narrates several of their projects, including The Emperor's Edge series, This Path We Share, and others. Her writing has appeared in the Erotica a la Carte podcast, an episode of the Tales from the Archives podcast (the companion to Tee Morris and Philippa Balantine's Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series), which garnered her a second finalist badge from the 2012 Parsec Awards, and a short story for The Gearheart (earning her a third Parsec finalist badge). Her second novel, a Steampunk adventure entitled Master of Myth, was the first place winner in the Fantasy/Science Fiction category of The Sandy Writing Contest held annually by the Crested Butte Writers Conference. Maven was her third completed novel and the first in a planned series of four, being released under the name S. A. Huchton. Nemesis is the second in the Endure series.

After completing her degree in Graphic Arts, Starla opened up shop as a freelance graphic designer focusing on creating beautiful book covers for independent authors and publishers. She currently lives in Virginia where she trains her three Minions and military husband.

Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Starla-Huchton-Author-Page/255657227797465

Twitter: https://twitter.com/riznphnx

Website: http://www.starlahuchton.com

Giveaway

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Print and ebook copies of MAVEN and NEMESIS

An Angkor Wat postcard signed by Daniel

Sandalwood Vanilla goat's milk soap handcrafted in small batches by Haldecraft

3 oz of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls (green tea) from Teavana

Stonewear infuser mug with lid

MAVEN and NEMESIS postcards with party mustaches!

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