Month: June 2022

I am so excited that VERSE BOOK 2: THE SECOND GATE by Sam Beck Blog is available now and that I get to share the news!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for 2 finished copies of VERSE BOOK 2: THE SECOND GATE courtesy of Wonderbound  & Rockstar Book Tours. So if you’d like a chance to win, check out the giveaway info below.

About The Book:

Title: VERSE BOOK 2: THE SECOND GATE

Author: Sam Beck, Rebecca Taylor (Editor)

Pub. Date: June 28, 2022

Publisher: Wonderbound

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 256

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle, B&N, iBooks, TBD, Bookshop.org

FACE THE MAGIC

THE BATTLE FOR THE FUTURE OF MAGIC HAS TAKEN ITS FIRST PRISONER.

Held captive by the leaders of a dangerous new movement, Neitya is forced to
face a darker side of her abilities that threaten to tear her away from Fife,
her only true friend. The only way back to one another may be to follow their
destinies down divergent paths and discover what it means to face their worst
fears alone.

Book 2 of the three-book original graphic novel fantasy series!

Reviews:

“Verse’s rich drawings and colours
beautifully illustrate a complicated, engaging fantasy world filled with
sympathetic characters. I can’t wait to learn more about them as their journey
continues!” — Faith Erin Hicks ― “The Nameless City” –
Comics Creator, Writer, Artist

“An intricately woven tale of magic and mystery, Sam Beck has written and
illustrated an unforgettable story.” — Victoria Ying ― Illustrator –
“Diana Princess of the Amazons,” “I Kissed Alice,” and
more!

“VERSE is an intricately woven story of magic, mystery and
unforgettable characters with lushly illustrated worlds. You’ll want more and
more.” — Victoria Ying ― Illustrator – “Diana Princess of the
Amazons,” “I Kissed Alice,” and more!

“Verse is the sort of book you spend hours pouring over, even after
the first read. Every single page is a visual delight – I lingered on every
panel and relished every page-turn. Sam expertly crafts a sprawling world full
of gripping characters and thrilling stakes that transported me to another
dimension– it’s the kind of book I would have devoured as a teenager, and
certainly still love now.” — Hannah Templer ― Artist –
“Cosmoknights”

Grab book 1 VERSE now!

FOR DOWNLOADABLE DIGITAL ITEMS
(Bookmarks, Digital Wallpapers, and Poster), please click on this link: https://www.readwonderbound.com/books/verse-book-1/

To see and hear Sam
talk about VERSE, click on the YouTube link below for her Zoom chat at the 2021
US Book Show, entitled: MAGIC IS REAL: https://youtu.be/6kJ_1k–KDs

Excerpt: 

About Sam Beck:

Sam Beck is a writer and illustrator living in Toronto. She likes to explore
themes of identity and relationships through the lens of fantasy. Sam has done
work with Dark Horse, Vault Comics, and BOOM! Studios. When she’s not drawing,
find her admiring the forests of northern Ontario or playing the ocarina and
guitar.

Sign Up for the Verse email list!

Verse Website | Website | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok | Goodreads | Amazon

Giveaway Details:

2 winners
will receive a finished copy of VERSE BOOK 2: THE SECOND GATE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Title: Emma’s Sunflower
Author: Phillipa Warden
Illustrator: Grace Ward
Publisher: PURPLE BUTTERFLY PRESS

Blurb 

Mother Nature has a cunning plan and, much to Emma’s delight, a discarded sunflower seed snuggled deep in the soil grows through the different seasons and emerges on her birthday. The sunflower attracts the family of greenfinch Emma feared lost back to the garden. This lovely picture book covers concepts of nature, birds, seasons, colors, and counting. It’s also created with a dyslexia-friendly font.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3FN8e81

Title: One Night in Edinburgh
Author:   Nina Kaye
Publisher: Canelo
Publication Date: June 23rd, 2022
Pages: 324

Blurb

One night. But how many second chances?

Heartbroken on Hogmanay, Steph wanders through the Edinburgh street party until she bumps into Jamie. He’s funny, attractive and clearly interested. In a word, he’s perfect – but she didn’t get his number. All she remembers is his lime and mango beer.

Determined to be reunited, Steph tracks him by a milk carton-style campaign, sticking a message to his favourite beer across local pubs. Although eventually reunited, Jamie is frequently uncontactable and evasive, and Steph worries she’s on the path to heartbreak once more.

There’s a fine line between being patient and being gullible, and Steph’s reaching her limit. When a chance encounter with Jamie reveals his secret, she faces an even tougher decision. Should Steph give love another chance, or was one night in Edinburgh all she and Jamie were meant to have?

A funny and emotional romance for fans of Mhairi McFarlane, Beth O’Leary and Rosie Walsh.

Buy Links

https://amzn.to/3Hzvask

The Starburst Effect
Kelly Oram
Publication date: June 20th 2022
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult
Lily Rosemont lives next door to the biggest jerk in high school. Noah Trask has bullied Lily for years, and now he’s ruined her senior year by making her a target and turning the whole school against her. On top of that, her parents are getting divorced, and her world is falling apart around her.

After an accident on the football field leaves Noah with a traumatic brain injury, shattering his life as he knew it and leaving him with a whole heap of new disabilities, he’s no longer at the top of the high school food chain. In fact, he’s right down at the bottom with Lily.

In a cruel twist of fate, if Noah wants to graduate high school on time, he needs Lily’s help to complete a project—a book he wants to write about his experience. Lily’s not sure she can put aside her anger and hate for the boy who destroyed her senior year, but she desperately needs this project to get a scholarship to college.

It doesn’t take long for Lily to realize that the Noah who got injured is not the same Noah who survived the accident. He’s different. Way different. Slowly, Lily softens to this new Noah, but can she find it in her heart to forgive him? Can the two most unlikely people find friendship in adversity and help each other pick up the pieces of their broken lives?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Authors Note: Noah suffers from a Traumatic Brain Injury which effects a lot of his speech abilities. He often mixes up words or can’t get them out correctly. If you see a wrong word in his dialogue, it’s not a typo, I promise. You’ll have to read the book to see how it all comes together!

Noah falls to his bed, lies back, and puts his hands behind his head, looking up at the faded glow-in-the-dark stars that have probably been on his ceiling since he was a little boy. “I like music,” he admits. “Can’t really follow lyrics anymore, but…” He struggles for a moment, then sighs.

“But you can still enjoy the music?” I guess.

“Yeah.”

There’s a hint of melancholy in his voice that makes me sad. How many things in his life have been affected, or even taken from him, because of his injury? His inability to follow a fast conversation or stay focused for long periods of time must make him miss out on so much.

Wanting to take his mind off of whatever’s got him down, I cross the room and push his arm, forcing him to make room for me on the bed. He scoots over, and it feels natural to lie down beside him as if we’re just two friends hanging out for the millionth time. “What else do you do?” I ask, staring up at the stars with him. “What are your hobbies now, besides listening to awesome music?”

He opens his mouth, then shuts it again. His brow furrows. Whatever he wants to say, he can’t come up with the answer. “I can’t remember the name,” he says with a grunt of frustration.

He leans up and reaches over me to grab a TV remote off his nightstand. My breath catches. I don’t think he meant to practically lay on top of me, but my body seems to come alive from his nearness. And have I mentioned before how good he smells? I need to find out what cologne he uses and then spray my pillow with it or something.

Oblivious to the chaos he’s just put my body through, he sits back, placing his pillow up against the headboard. I sit up with him, attempting to get my heart rate back to normal, while he finds whatever it is he’s looking for. Once the TV and a Netflix menu comes up, things seem to click back in place for Noah. “There it is.” He finds what he’s looking for in his Continue Watching list.

I grin at the show he pulls up. “You watch Bob Ross?”

He acts offended by the teasing tone in my voice. “Bob Rock is cool.”

I hold my hands up. “I don’t disagree. I just didn’t figure you for the type.”

He shrugs. “I like art. Plus, he talks slow enough, and it’s not over…over…”

“Overstimulating?”

“Yeah. Doesn’t hurt my head.”

It makes sense. Bob Ross is very slow and soothing. I’m sure it’s one of the few shows he can follow fairly well. He clicks on an episode and leaves the show on mute. For a minute, we watch Bob Ross paint the beginnings of a mountain landscape while The Mad Hatters jam out softly in the room. It’s nice. “You ever painted along with him?” I ask, pointing at the screen. “I’ve always wanted to try it. I bet you could follow along. Or at least you could pause and rewind as much as you needed.”

His eyebrows climb his forehead. He watches the screen, and after a few seconds, nods his head. “Maybe.”

“Could be fun.”

He perks up the tiniest bit, and there’s a touch of excitement in his voice when he says, “Let’s tire it. My mom will get us the…the…” He mimes painting. “She always wants me to try new things.”

“Sounds good. You, me, and Bob Ross.”

Noah nudges my shoulder with his. “Next weekend. It’s a date.”

I smile to myself. Painting with Noah sounds fun. I could play it off as a “friends” thing, but something stops me. Taking a breath, I force myself to take a chance on something that might be strange but could also be amazing. “It’s a date,” I agree.

Author Bio:

Kelly Oram wrote her first novel at age fifteen–a fan fiction about her favorite music group, The Backstreet Boys, for which her family and friends still tease her. She’s obsessed with reading, talks way too much, and likes to eat frosting by the spoonful. She lives outside of Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and four children.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hosted by:

Never Coming Home by Kate Williams
Genre: Young Adult Thriller
Publishing Date: June 21, 2022

Synopsis:
The beach read you have been dying for! When ten of America’s hottest teenage influencers are invited to an exclusive island resort, things are sure to get wild. But murder isn’t what anyone expected. Will anyone survive?
Everyone knows Unknown Island—it’s the world’s most exclusive destination. Think white-sand beaches, turquoise seas, and luxury accommodations. Plus, it’s invite-only, no one over twenty-one allowed, and it’s absolutely free. Who wouldn’t want to go?

After launching with a showstopping viral marketing campaign, the whole world is watching as the mysterious resort opens its doors to the First Ten, the ten elite influencers specifically chosen to be the first to experience everything Unknown Island has to offer. You know them. There’s the gamer, the beauty blogger, the rich girl, the superstar, the junior politician, the environmentalist, the DJ, the CEO, the chef, and the athlete.

What they don’t know is that they weren’t invited to Unknown Island for their following—they were invited for their secrets. Everyone is hiding a deadly one, and it looks like someone’s decided it’s payback time. Unknown Island isn’t a vacation, it’s a trap. And it’s beginning to look like the First Ten—no matter how influential—are never coming home.

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours (you can click HERE to see the tour schedule) and the publisher for sending me an eArc of the book to read.

You might recognize Kate William’s name and that’s because she is the author of The Babysitter’s Coven series. This is Kate’s fourth book. I have yet to read that series and after reading this I am kind of curious about that series now. I just might have to pick it up to read. Would it be something I would enjoy?

This was a roller coaster of a read. I probably could have read it in one sitting but I had to stop and break it up into two days just because I know how my brain works and if I had read it in one sitting I would have been up all night.

When I first got the email about this tour I was intrigued, Ten Influencers, One Island, One Week, and someone bent on revenge, yes sign me up please.

I should mention that there are several trigger warnings in the book such as death, gore, and suicide and a few others.

This island is called Unknown Island set somewhere remote in the South Pacific and there is only one way in and one way out. The island appears to be located in a beautiful spot but it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Looks can be deceiving. Once these ten influencers arrive they discover that this is nothing like they were told it would be.

Someone launched a marketing campaign for Unknow Island that went viral and it got everyone’s attention. Whoever did this knew what they were doing. ( I instantly thought of Fyre Festival!) This was the world’s most exclusive destination. It was invite-only and no one over21 was allowed on it. The mission was that it was going to represent a new kind of travel, one that would allow travelers to avoid crowds and meet & mingle with curated strangers. No one knows who the owner is except that is a foreign philanthropist billionaire.

The ten influencers are:
Emma Jane (LA, 18-year-old, spoiled rich girl who is into true crime)
Justice (Kansas, 17-year-old, environmental activist)
Robby (17-year-olds, Youtube sensation chef, restaurateur)
Xander (Texas, 19 years old, football star, TikTok star for dancing)
Chelsea (LA, transgender, 18-year-old, youtube beauty guru)
Margot (NYC, 20-year-old, CEO of her own company)
Graham (Minneapolis, 19-year-old, ex-City Council member)
Manny (Miami, 19-year-old, DJ)
Frankie (18-year-old, a superstar who is TikTok famous has her own make-up and clothing line, cohost & produces reality tv)
Celia (California, 16-year-old, gamer)

When I saw the list of characters at the beginning of the book I knew I had to keep a piece of paper beside me to take notes and I am so happy that I did because so much was going on.

All these influencers think they are there because of their social media following but soon realize that it has nothing to do with their following but the deep dark deadly secret that each of them keeps to themselves and someone wants payback.

No sooner do they hit the island than things begin to go wrong. They all receive a letter after breakfast with a list of the influencers and their crimes. Then just like that one of them is murdered and a cryptic message appears on the Unknown Island’s Instagram page. It doesn’t take the group long to figure out that they will all be picked off one by one. As it continues to happen they realize that someone in the group is behind it but who and why?

I was way off in who I thought it could be and I wasn’t right in any of my guesses only when I got to the end that I was like of yea I see it now.

I loved how the author made sure the reader got to know a little bit about the characters and what they were hiding. The story behind their secrets. Although I do have to admit that I was curious about why this particular group was curated because looking on the outside you know they are all influencers, do they know each other? Someone did a lot of work/research to curate this group.

The book is told from multiple points of view and at first, it was a little confusing but once I started to take notes it was a bit easier to follow.

This book definitely makes you realize that just because someone does something bad doesn’t mean they are a bad person. It’s not our place to take the law into our own hands. Two wrongs don’t make a right. I think sometimes that there is a gray area in there.

I didn’t realize until I went to write my review that this is a modern-day retelling of one of Agatha Christie’s books, And Then There Were None. I definitely need to pick this up and read it. Have you read this?

The moral of the story is never take a free luxury vacation from a stranger you have never spoken to before.

If your looking for that summer beach read then I highly recommend this.

Book Links:
GoodReads
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Book Depository
Chapters Indigo
Indie Bound

About the Author:
Kate Williams has written for Seventeen, NYLON, Cosmopolitan, Bustle, Vans, Calvin Klein, Urban Outfitters, and many other brands and magazines. She is the author of The Babysitters Coven trilogy: The Babysitters Coven, For Better or Cursed, and Spells Like Teen Spirit. Kate lives in Kansas. To learn more about her and her books, go to heykatewilliams.com or follow @heykatewilliams on Instagram.

Author Links:
Website: http://heykatewilliams.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heykatewilliams/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18681662.Kate_Williams

Tour Schedule:
https://tbrandbeyondtours.com/2022/05/07/tour-schedule-never-coming-home-by-kate-williams/

Title: Go Hunt Me
Author: Kelly DeVos
Publication Date:  June 14th, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Horror

About the book:

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets, this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

Content warnings: Some discussion of sexual harassment and abuse, death, violence, gore

Before I begin my review I quickly have to thank TBR and Beyond Tours (you can click HERE to see the tour schedule)

This is Kelly’s second book, and her debut was Fat Girl on a Plane. I definitely need to pick it up because it’s been on my TBR since it came out.

When I first saw this in my email I was intrigued by it and decided I needed I wanted to read it. I was looking to mix up my reading a little bit. I would say that this is a YA Horror/Thriller kind of book.

I have to say I was slightly confused in the beginning and then it all began to make sense after that. I should just quickly mention that there are no vampires in this book.

I did enjoy this and I kept saying WTH am I reading for a good part of the book. I also hand plenty of WTH moments. As much as I wanted to read this in one sitting I wasn’t able to because I knew my overactive imagination would make me dream about this at night.

The book is told from Alex’s point of view. The story was told between flashbacks, police interview tapes during the aftermath and a movie script that Alex wrote. The book’s timeline starts out 153 days ago up until 209 days later.

The book follows seven friends, Alex, Maddie, Reagan, Carter, Kenna, Jax, and Hazel who are all horror buffs. They all get into their retrospective colleges/universities, except Alex who was put on the waiting list. All of them want to be in the film industry in some way. When they find out Alex doesn’t get in the group decide Alex has to make her script into much more than what she submitted to the school. With the help of a go fund me account and a celebrity who just moved into the community they all fly to Romania to film it. Only to find out the celebrity ditches them in Romania.

The setting was definitely fitting for the movie. It’s an old eerie castle that is under construction and they were told it was safe for them to film there, or is it? Then factor in how far they are away from civilization, the creepy dark woods, and the constant rainy weather. Although when they get there they realize that it’s not at all what they thought it would be. There is definitely more to this castle them meets the eye.

As they begin to film strange things begin to happen. One friend goes missing and is found dead and then it seems like someone is picking them off one by one but who? As each death happens they begin to become more grotesque. Who would do this and why?

I don’t want to say much more for fear of giving it all away. Even though I started off a little confused and wonder what I was reading I did enjoy this. Although I wish there would have been more details of why and how it all came to be.

The pacing of the book, in the beginning, is okay as it was setting things up and the second half hit you in the face with everything that was happening. It was all action-packed. After reading it I definitely could see all the foreshadowing and wish I would have picked up on that sooner because after I read it all made sense. I definitely did not see that happening as I was reading it. The book was filled with twists and turns. I was shocked when I found out who the killer was. I didn’t see that coming right away.

I definitely would read future books from Kelly.

About the author: