YAY! Breaking Away has a cover! Take a look at this steamy addition to Toni Aleo's Assassins Series! 

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Release: June 10, 2014

Book 5 in the ASSASSINS SERIES. 

NOTE: This is an Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

BREAKING AWAY is a story of loss, healing, and love… where unexpected turns and heartache lead to passion.

To Nashville Assassins’ leading scoring center Phillip Anderson, playing hockey has always been easy… as natural as breathing. His life is no different. That’s until his world is turned upside down by the death of his sister. While mourning his loss, Phillip has to find a way to make his very angry sixteen-year-old niece, Claire, happy. Now, as her guardian, he discovers the only thing that seems to heal her lonely heart is dance class. But what he didn’t count on was the attraction he’d feel towards her drop-dead sexy dance teacher.

For Reese Allen, dancing has always been part of her soul. After having her heart broken in New York, she comes home with the determination to make her dance studio one of the best in Tennessee and succeeds. When she sees Claire dance for the first time, she knows the girl is bound for greatness and takes the troubled teen under her wing. Using dance as therapy, she suddenly finds herself bound to the young woman… and her hot-as-sin uncle.

However, Phillip and Reese are happy in their single lives. It’s simple. They do what they want, who they want, and how they want, but from the moment they meet, the attraction is undeniable. Soon, they are more than willing to spend just one night tangled in the sheets. But, one night turns into two, and two turns into three, until they find themselves in a repeated dance of “One Last Time” that has the potential to be something more… if only Reese and Claire allow it.

Can Phillip find a way to thaw the hearts of both the women in his life, or will he be forever trying to break them away from their pasts?

I'm SO excited to post about this book today. You guys have NO idea. I've already had the amazing opportunity to not only READ this title but the synopsis you see up above... I helped to WRITE IT! A good part of the words you see above are mine mixed in with Toni's and I couldn't be more excited to have had this amazing opportunity. I look forward to working with her again on her next synopsis! 

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Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.

When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.

She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.

Website † Facebook † Twitter † GoodReads  

Hey everyone! Today I'm SUPER EXCITED to spotlight and fangirl over an amazing author - Toni Aleo! She writes one HECK of a team of hockey players in her Assassins Series and then has tackled some strong issues in her stand alone title - Let it be Me. I have loved the Assassins Series when they were originally self published and couldn't have been more happy for her when she was picked up by LoveSwept/Random House. If you haven't read anything by Toni I just have to ask... What the heck are you waiting for?

Oh and I wanted to mention that I don't normally talk about or feature books above "New Adult" on my blog but every once in a while there's an author or a book(s) that needs to be in the spotlight here and Toni and her books are defiantly spotlight worthy...

NOTE: These is a Adult novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Title: Blue Lines (Assassins #4)
Author: Toni Aleo
Publisher: LoveSwept/Random House, 384 Pages (December 9th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK, iTunes

Check out my review of: Empty Net (Assassins, #3) By: Toni Aleo

Synopsis: Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.

Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, and Empty Net.

Title: Let it be Me
Author: Toni Aleo
Publisher: 352 Pages (October 2nd, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Check out my review of: Let it be Me

Synopsis: Do you see that woman there?
The one with long, wavy blond hair and blue eyes that used to sparkle?
That’s me, Violet Moore.
Do you see those men over there?
One is my husband, Rob.
A man who claimed he loved me, but proved his fist loved me more.
The other is Tucker McCloud, my savior and confidant.
I'm torn between what's right and my own fear.
But not anymore.
I’m taking my life back now.
I will fight back.
I will be happy.

Guest Post from TWO of my Favorite ASSASSINS!!!

Want to know what the Assassins would say to their Valentine on Valentines Day?

Lucas: I told my valentine that there was a bed upstairs, go get naked.

Erik: I bought my girl a spa day, then I got us a babysitter and I don’t plan on leaving our room until we have to go get the little guy.

About the Author:

I am a wife, mother of two and a bulldog, and also a hopeless romantic.

I am the biggest Shea Weber fan ever, and can be found during hockey season with my nose pressed against the Bridgestone Arena’s glass, watching my Nashville Predators play!

When my nose isn’t pressed against the glass, I enjoy going to my husband and son’s hockey games, my daughter’s dance competition, hanging with my best friends, taking pictures, scrapbooking, and reading the latest romance novel.

I have a slight Disney and Harry Potter obsession, I love things that sparkle, I love the color pink, I might have been a Disney Princess in a past life… probably Belle.
… and did I mention I love hockey?

Find Toni Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet. Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce.  The Book Wars winner for Unremembered is... the US COVER!   Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Also, there's a poll at the bottom of the post that we'd love to hear your input for the two covers! Tell us which one YOU love the most.

Left: US - Right: UK

Title: The Blood Keeper
Author: Tessa Gratton
Publisher: US - Random House Books for Young Readers , 432 Pages, (August 28th 2012), UK - Double Day, 416 Pages, (August 30th 2012)
Add to Goodreads: The Blood Keeper USA | The Blood Keeper UK
Order online here: USA: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository UK: Amazon UK, Waterstones, W H Smith, The Book Depository

Synopsis: For Mab Prowd, blood magic is as natural as breathing. She spends her days on a secluded Kansas farm with other blood witches, practicing spells for healing and trying to avoid boring lessons like algebra and history.

Wild and confident, Mab uses magic to understand her entire world. But when one of Mab's spells mistakenly taps into a powerful, long-dormant curse, she finds her magic spinning out of control - and crashing right into Will Sanger, a boy from town.

Will has always relied on the logical, tangible things in his life, like his dogs, his soccer team, and even his complicated family. So he tries to dismiss all he sees and feels around Mab. Still, the strangeness and beauty of her magic draw him in.

As Will and Mab grow closer, the unbound curse grows stronger. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, it seeks to manipulate Will and gain Mab's power - even if that means destroying everything they love.

About the author:

Tessa Gratton has wanted to be a palaeontologist or a wizard since she was seven. Alas, she turned out too impatient to hunt dinosaurs, but is still searching for a someone to teach her magic. After travelling the world with her military family, she acquired a BA (and the important parts of an MA) in Gender Studies, then settled down in Kansas with her partner, her cats, and her mutant dog. She now spends her days staring at the sky and telling lots of stories about magic. Monthly free short stories with Maggie Stiefvater and Brenna Yovanoff at The Merry Sisters of Fate: www.merryfates.com

Find Jessica Online: Website | Twitter | Tumblr

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Tessa I love both covers, which is always a relief, and I like how they highlight different aspects of the book. The US brings the magic directly to the table: it's bloody and beautiful and natural, and focused on the atmosphere, the local farm feel of the book. The UK is more specific about the main character Mab Prowd, and captures her darkness very well, as well as her resemblance to her mother Josephine, the primary villain of the first book BLOOD MAGIC. I love the blood dripping from her fingers and dark forest, the crows that add those golden touches of beauty to the cover. It's very gothic, very unsettling in a way I think the book can be.

That said, if I have to choose, I choose the US version. I wanted The Blood Keeper to be the daylight version of the nighttime horror of Blood Magic. It's about nature and God and living with the magic that connects you to your past and your family history. The US cover is a barn hex, the sort of old folk magic found across America painted onto the sides of barns, and you can see the grains of wood on the cover. I asked for a seven-point star, and the purple flowers are intrinsic to the plot and symbolism, too. Everything about the US cover circles back around to something I was trying to communicate with my story.

Lisa This is the first time I've seen the UK version of this title and while it is kind of haunting I'm not much of a fan. It is kind of simple for a cover when you really look at it. And while I'm not a fan of the UK cover I'd still read the book because I LOVED the first title in The Blood Journals - Blood Magic. This week the US cover wins my vote. I think it fits the series very well.

Michelle I love the cover for the USA version and how contrasting the images are on it, but I also love the cover of the UK one, being able to see the character but also the birds flying and how they play a role in the story. My vote goes to UK this month.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of The Blood Keeper NOW! and make sure to enter the competition to win a copy of this book.

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Enter the GIVEAWAY!!!

**Please make sure to follow the giveaway policies of Much Loved Books and
A Life Bound By Books. 
Giveaway is for USA, UK, and CAN entries only.
Giveaway will run for exactly ONE WEEK, starting on 20th January and ending on 26th January**

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"Waiting On" Wednesday is an event hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. The purpose of this weekly event is to spotlight a soon-to-be-released book that you are very much anticipating. "Waiting On" Wednesday will also give bloggers an opportunity to share ideas for our TBR lists.

Title: Divided (Dualed #2)
Author: Elsie Chapman
Publisher: Random House, 304 Pages (May 27th 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: The hunter becomes the hunted. . . .

West Grayer is done killing. She defeated her Alternate, a twin raised by another family, and proved she’s worthy of a future. She’s ready to move on with her life.

The Board has other plans. They want her to kill one last time, and offer her a deal worth killing for. But when West recognizes her target as a ghost from her past, she realizes she’s in over her head. The Board is lying, and West will have to uncover the truth of the past to secure her future.

How far will the Board go to keep their secrets safe? And how far will West go to save those she loves? With nonstop action and surprising twists, Elsie Chapman’s intoxicating sequel to Dualed reveals everything.

Title: Fates (Fates #1)
Author: Lanie Bross
Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 336 Pages (February 11th 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: What if your destiny was to kill the one you love?

One moment. One foolish desire. One mistake. And Corinthe lost everything.

She fell from her tranquil life in Pyralis Terra and found herself exiled to the human world. Her punishment? To make sure people’s fates unfold according to plan. Now, years later, Corinthe has one last assignment: kill Lucas Kaller. His death will be her ticket home.

But for the first time, Corinthe feels a tingle of doubt. It begins as a lump in her throat, then grows toward her heart, and suddenly she feels like she’s falling all over again—this time for a boy she knows she can never have. Because it is written: one of them must live, and one of them must die.

In a universe where every moment, every second, every fate has already been decided, where does love fit in?

Dualed was really interesting and I'd LOVE to find out what the heck is going to happen next in Divided. Can't wait actually! And Fates is somewhat new to me but it looks like a nice change from what I've been reading more these days and I'm always looking for something new, exciting and different. What do you think of my two choices this week?

*covers are always subject to change.

This is a SPECIAL BLAST!

For all the Toni Aleo lovers out there & to all the new ones to come!

Toni is doing this blast to spread the word on PRE-ORDERS of Blue Lines!

She is working towards a certain number of pre-orders; which will guarantee her SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL!

Lets all do everything we can to help her realize this goal!

What do you have to do?

It’s simple – Just PRE-ORDER your copy today!

Once you pre-order; come back and enter the GIVEWAY!

Above all – share this to your hearts content!

Title: Blue Lines (Assassins #4)
Author: Toni Aleo
Publisher: Loveswept (Random House), 388 Pages (December 9th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

NOTE: This is a ADULT novel. Due to mature content this title is recommended for ages 17+

Synopsis: Opposites do more than just attract in Toni Aleo’s latest Nashville Assassins novel about a very bad boy and the good girl he can’t resist.

The instant Piper Allen sees Erik Titov, she wants him—wants his rock-hard body, sure, but the strength and mystery that lies behind that superstar hockey jock demeanor, too. So when he sidles up to her at a bar and slinks his arm around her waist, she’s lost. What follows is the wildest night of her life . . . followed by inevitable heartbreak the next morning. And then, a few weeks later, a very big surprise: two blue lines on a pregnancy test.

Only a check to the head could make Erik fall for a nice girl like Piper. But since their crazy-sexy night together, he’s been trying to forget about her alluring body by falling into bed with every woman in Nashville, and it’s not working. So when Piper shows up at his house with a baby-bomb to drop, it doesn’t take much for Erik to suggest the nuclear option: marriage. While it’s supposed to be all for show, the second they say “I do,” the ice between them starts to melt into sizzling steam.

Includes a special message from the editor, as well as excerpts from these Loveswept titles: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, and Empty Net.

Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, and Crossing the Line. When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel. She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog.

About the Author: 
Toni Aleo is the author of the Nasvhille Assassins series: Taking Shots, Trying to Score, Empty Net, Falling for the Backup, and Blue Lines.

When not rooting for her beloved Nashville Predators, she’s probably going to her husband’s and son’s hockey games and her daughter’s dance competitions, taking pictures, scrapbooking, or reading the latest romance novel.

She lives in the Nashville area with her husband, two children, and a bulldog. Read more about Toni here.

Find Toni Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

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Book Wars a weekly feature hosted between two book review blogs – A Life Bound By Books & Much Loved Books!

It’s a fact that book lovers know all about the covers of the books they covet.  Often when a title is released here in the UK, it’s sometimes vastly different across the pond in the US.  So, Michelle from Much Loved Books Books and I have come together to create Book Wars to talk about the difference in covers when it comes to the US vs. UK versions.

We hope from time to time authors will chime in with their thoughts as well. We welcome everyone to comment and share their thoughts too! The more the merrier!

Today we have a slight twist for Book Wars, as part of the Ironskin Blog Tour we have asked author Tina Connolly to pick her favorite book, and give us her thoughts on the covers themselves.

Before we get to this weeks Book Wars, we have a winner to announce. The Book Wars winner for Storm Glass is..... the US Cover!!! Thank you to everyone who voted for both books, and for picking a winner.

Guest Post from author Tina Connolly:

Cover wars! I love seeing all the different ways a book can be interpreted around the world. (This is partly why I was so excited to get a second cover for Ironskin - I already loved the first cover, but then I got the chance to see ANOTHER awesome one!) I chose one of my favorite 2012 books, Seraphina, by Rachel Hartman. This is a gorgeous YA high fantasy of a girl and a world with some VERY unique dragons. Luckily it turns out that it did get several different covers as it got republished around the world.

Left USA: Right UK

USA I have to admit, I was really drawn in by the uniqueness of the US cover. I love how it looks like an old-fashioned etching. I can tell the story is set in a city, and of course, I can tell that there are dragons! To me, this cover said that the book was a "big" book, not a cookie-cutter girl and dragon story, and it really did not disappoint. Love this cover (and I love the red, too.)

UK This feels more like a standard YA fantasy cover to me. Again, I love the use of the dark red on the book. Again, I can tell there's going to be a dragon and a city. But the girl looks kind of modern, and the girl/castle/eye look like three different elements stuck together on the page. I wouldn't necessarily have picked this book up based on the cover, but it wouldn't have turned me off, either. And what's that around the dragon eye? Candles? It looks like a dragon eye chandelier. I was just looking for a book that had US & UK editions, but when I went on Goodreads, I found out there are a couple more covers for this, too! So:

R-L: German - Indonesian - Italian

German  All of a sudden we're into blue! Blue says sea monster to me, not dragon. (I don't read German, but the subtitle "Das Konigreich der Drachen" is no doubt "the kingdom of dragons", right? So I guess that explains things for you...) Mostly I don't understand what that large thing behind her shoulders is. SPOILERS HERE: I suppose it might supposed to be a wing-thing hinting at her draconic nature? But it's all tangled up in her hair and I can't tell what it is at all.

Indonesian Oh, I like this one! But I think partly I like it just because it reminds me of the US cover? The US cover made better use of colors with the touch of dark red – this one in all browns could have used something to punch it up.

Italian Like the German and UK covers, this one also fits squarely into what I currently expect a traditional YA fantasy cover to look like. However, there's nothing wrong with that, and this is by far my favorite of the three. It's a simple, spare cover that hints at the SPOILER I mentioned earlier: her draconic nature. From my tiny laptop the wing part of the dress looks a little photoshoppy, so I'd like to see it up close, but otherwise I think this is a fantastic and elegant way to clearly show the central conflict of the book.

About Tina Tina Connolly lives in Portland, Oregon, in a house that came with a dragon in the basement and blackberry vines in the attic. Her stories have appeared in Strange Horizons, Lightspeed, and Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and the anthology UNPLUGGED: Web's Best SF 2008. Her novel IRONSKIN is out from Tor in Fall 2012, with a sequel in 2013. She is a frequent reader for Podcastle, and narrates the Parsec-winning flash fiction podcast Toasted Cake. In the summer she works as a face painter, which means a glitter-filled house is an occupational hazard. She likes re-reading books and eating pie for breakfast (preferably at the same time.) Website - Blog - Twitter - Facebook

Thank you Tina for some great thoughts about the covers for Seraphina, now its time for you, the readers, to vote for your favourite cover.

Let the Wars Begin: Its now time to make our decision, let's see what we think about the covers and pick our favorite cover.

Lisa WOW! So many pretty covers to choose from this week! I love the US cover, but for me it's coming down to the German cover VS. the Italian cover. I love the look and colors of both. I have yet to read this title but have heard many great things about it, so I think for this week, my favorite cover goes to..... the Italian cover.

Michelle This is a tough pick for me, I have not read this book but I have heard about it on the blogosphere. After taking a look at the covers above my favourite would have to be the UK version, just for how eye catching it is but also for how that although it is mainly red, there are different shades of red with some hints of other colours, yet its not too overpowering. The German cover comes in at a close second.

VOTE for YOUR favorite cover of Seraphina NOW!

survey software

Welcome to the Crossroads!

The Crossroads Blog Tour for 2013!
Day FOUR!

This year we have 23 authors that I'll be featuring over 7 days and each day you'll have a chance to enter to win! There's also a scavenger/trivia hunt going on, so be sure to check out The Crossroads Tour Post HERE to see what questions will be asked, what blog you'll be able to find the answer on and enter to win!

So, we've made it to the FORTH day in the week long event and I have another set of amazing authors and their characters, FOUR authors to be exact who are dropping by. Take a look, and don't forget to enter to win the giveaway via the Rafflecopter below!

Title: Solstice
Author: P.J. Hoover
Publisher: Tor Teen/Macmillan, 384 Pages (June 18th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Piper's world is dying.

Each day brings hotter temperatures and heat bubbles that threaten to destroy the earth. Amid this global heating crisis, Piper lives under the oppressive rule of her mother, who suffocates her even more than the weather does. Everything changes on her eighteenth birthday, when her mother is called away on a mysterious errand and Piper seizes her first opportunity for freedom.

Piper discovers a universe she never knew existed—a sphere of gods and monsters—and realizes that her world is not the only one in crisis. While gods battle for control of the Underworld, Piper’s life spirals out of control as she struggles to find the answer to the secret that has been kept from her since birth.

An imaginative melding of mythology and dystopia, Solstice is the first YA novel by talented newcomer P. J. Hoover.

Welcome P.J.! It's great having you and your characters visiting today to talk about Halloween. I appreciate you passing along my questions to them, so a HUGE thank you for that.

What are your plans for Halloween?

Piper: I plan to decorate the Underworld. Maybe try to make it a bit scarier, especially at the entrance. People should be scared when they come here. They should be scared about how they’re going to get judged.

Can you tell me a bit about the last scary movie you watched? (Were you alone? What snacks you had? What movie you watched? Did it scare you, etc.)

Piper: It was some scary movie about how global warming was killing the earth. And the cities were building domes overhead to keep the heat out. And terrorists were fighting the government. It was horrible. (And it happens to be my real life. Yikes!)

About the Author:

P. J. Hoover first fell in love with Greek mythology in sixth grade thanks to the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. After a fifteen year bout as an electrical engineer designing computer chips for a living, P. J. decided to take her own stab at mythology and started writing books for kids and teens. P. J. is a member of THE TEXAS SWEETHEARTS & SCOUNDRELS. When not writing, P. J. spends time with her husband and two kids and enjoys practicing Kung Fu, solving Rubik's cubes, and watching Star Trek.

Find P.J. Online:

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Fangtabulous (Vamped #4)
Author: Lucienne Diver
Publisher: Flux, 288 Pages (January 8th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Can a fanged fashionista take out a deadly Salem spirit?

Being on the lam from the Feds and the vampire council with no money is not as glamorous as it sounds, especially when I, Gina Covello, fashion queen of the undead, am forced to abandon my wardrobe. Salem, Massachusetts, seems like a great place to hide our supernatural gang. But who knew the city would be crawling with ghosts? The nasty spirit of George Corwin, infamous sheriff from the witch trial days, is on a killing spree. It's up to us to take down the breath-stealing phantom-without blowing our cover.

Hi Lucienne! It's great having you back on the blog for another year of Crossroads! Thanks for taking the time to ask some of your characters a couple questions that fit in perfectly with this time of year.

 Would you ever want to spend the night in a haunted location? If so, why?

Gina Covello (from the Vamped series): Been there, done that in Fangtabulous.  If the ghost is murderous, clinically insane, bent on possessing my boyfriend or all of the above, I’m gonna have to say hell to the no.

Tori Karacis (from the Latter-Day Olympians series): Bring it on.  So far I’ve fought down gods, goddesses, titans and other terrors.  Ghost, hah!  Full on poltergeists and you might have me shaking in my boots.

3 or more of your characters – please discuss various candies and why they love it.

Does it have to be candies?  Sweets I’ve got.

Gina: Mochachino for the win! Cocoa and caffeine, can’t beat it.  Unfortunately, my all-liquid diet is now limited to blood, so to get my fix, I have to stalk the occasional Starbucks.

Bobby Delvecchio (Gina’s above mentioned boyfriend): Gummy bears.  I don’t know what the heck flavor they are, but the light yellow are the best.  Pina colada?  Pineapple?  Whatever, there’s a definite order to eating gummy bears, starting with the green and moving on through orange, dark yellow, red and finally, my favorite.  I like to save the best for last.

Tori: Oh, sorry, my mouth was full!  Chocolate croissants.  Hands down.

About the Author:

Lucienne Diver is a long-time book addict, literary agent, writer, mom and sun-worshipper. She's the author of the Vamped series of young adult novels following the humorous adventures of Gina Covello, fashionista of the damned. The fourth book in the series, FANGTABULOUS, comes out in January! (Following the first three, VAMPED, REVAMPED and FANGTASTIC.)

Her new Latter-Day Olympians urban fantasy series began with BAD BLOOD and continues with CRAZY IN THE BLOOD (digital August 2012, print July 2013) from Samhain.

Find Lucienne Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: Demon Derby
Author: Carrie Harris
Publisher: Random House, 304 Pages (July 8th, 2014)
Add to: Goodreads
Pre-order here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Casey kicked cancer’s ass. Now a demon wants to kick hers...

Casey hates being known as the girl who survived cancer. She wants people to treat her like her old self, fearless and strong. And after a creepy encounter with a crazy guy in an alley, Casey is all about reclaiming her power.

So when she has a chance to try out for the Apocalypsies roller derby team, she jumps on it. Being a derby girl would prove that she doesn’t need anybody’s pity. It doesn’t hurt that Michael, the team manager, is almost unnaturally hot. Which makes sense when Casey finds out that he’s not even human.

Michael’s got a secret: he trains demon hunters. That crazy guy in the alley? Demon. And the fact that Casey went head to head with evil and lived makes her a threat to demonkind. Casey thought she’d already fought and won the battle of her lifetime. But it’s only beginning...

Hey Carrie! Here we are again for another Crossroads blog tour and I'm thrilled to have you stop by again and chat with your characters for a couple of questions.

Answers from Sally Slick of Sally Slick and the Steel Syndicate

What are your plans for Halloween?

We’re having a Harvest dance, and I’m in charge of the apple bobbing basin! But I think apple bobbing is way too easy, don’t you? So I’ve invented the Apple Sucker, which will stir the water and suck the apples down to the bottom of the basin. As long as nobody drowns, it’ll be a lot of fun.

You don’t think anybody will drown, do you? I’d get grounded for sure.

Can you tell me a bit about the last scary movie you watched? (Were you alone? What snacks you had? What movie you watched? Did it scare you, etc.)

I don’t know what a movie is—we don’t have those in 1914. But I did read an Amazing Stories about an evil Egyptian pharaoh who kidnapped Lana Powers, and Dirk Knifely had to go and save her. That pharaoh chap gave me the willies!

Answers from Casey Kent of Demon Derby

What are your plans for Halloween?

We’ve got an All Hallow’s Eve Derby Match—the Apocalypsies against the Tilt-a-Girls. We’re going to stomp their derby butts, and then Michael and I are dressing up as angels and going trick-or-treating. He’s never done it since he’s not really human and all. So I predict I’ll be on a total sugar high for about the next month. Which is awesome.

Can you tell me a bit about the last scary movie you watched? (Were you alone? What snacks you had? What movie you watched? Did it scare you, etc.)

My sister made me watch one of those romance movies; does that count? Because it was HORRIFYING. All the kissy faces and the angsting made me want to smack my head against the wall. I don’t really watch horror movies any more, though. They’re either really bad, or they give me demon flashbacks. Once you’ve seen the real thing, you don’t really feel like watching it for fun, you know?

About the Author:

Carrie Harris is a geek-of-all-trades and proud of it. Brains are her specialty; she used to work at a lab where they were delivered daily via FedEx. After that, it seemed only natural to write a zombie book. Now she lives in Michigan with her ninja-doctor husband and three zombie-obsessed children.

Find Carrie Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Title: The Case of the Invisible Witch
Author: Patrice Lyle
Publisher: Leap Books, LLC 194 Pages (October 2nd, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Online here: Amazon, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Thirteen-year-old Tulip Bonnaire, Witch PI, runs Spells & Spies out of her dorm room at Poison Ivy Charm School, a school for polite witches and warlocks. She only has 72 hours to figure out her latest case, or her classmate Missy will never be seen again. The mean triplets who call themselves the Belles have cast an invisibility spell on Missy. If Tulip can't crack the case, Missy will remain invisible forever.

Hi Patrice! Welcome to the blog! It's always fun chatting with new authors and characters and during the Crossroads tour is always a blast so thanks for taking the time to ask your characters a few questions for today's post.

Would you ever want to spend the night in a haunted location? If so, why?

Yes, Tulip would love to! Tulip and her best warlock friend, Dexter, love to ghost hunt so spending the night in a haunted location would be a dream come true! They could use all his cool spy scopes and ghost cameras to capture some live footage. Their only unsolved case (to date) is why the witches of Poison Ivy coven all died together. On the same day. While drinking coffee in the attic.

3 or more of your characters – please discuss various candies and why they love it.

(Note: Morgan and Sienna are from Lethally Blonde, and Tulip is from The Case of the Invisible Witch.)

Morgan: Chocolate covered honey nuggets are the best candy ever.

Tulip: Really? I think Witches Kisses rock glittery, witch wands.

Sienna: Sorry, but you’re both wrong. Otis Skullmeister cookies are the best.

Tulip: Um, aren’t we talking about candy?

Morgan: I guess I should drop the chocolate covered honey nuggets and vote for my mom’s cookies. I would have voted for her if the question hadn’t specifically asked about candy.

Tulip: Your mom’s the Otis Skullmeister cookie master?

Morgan: Yeah, she loves baking.

Sienna: Cool, huh?

Tulip: Way cool. Think you could score me a batch of oatmeal toffee chocolate chunk, Morgan? I’d love to give my associates at Spells & Spies a new treat after we solve our next case.

About this Author:

Patrice Lyle writes in a variety of genres that include holistic medical suspense, teen paranormal romance, and tween paranormal mystery. Her lifelong interest in natural health began when she was a nanny in Europe where she bought a homeopathic remedy for a sore throat at a drug store in England. She later earned a PhD in Holistic Nutrition and became a Certified Traditional Naturopath. Her other passion is creative writing, and she has an MA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. For further details, please visit her website at www.patricebooks.com.

Find Patrice Online:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

Totally awesome giveaway going throughout the WHOLE WEEK of the tour! Enter to win and be sure to check back again tomorrow for another spooky post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to the Crossroads!

The Crossroads Blog Tour for 2013!

This year we have 23 authors that I'll be featuring over 7 days and each day you'll have a chance to enter to win! There's also a scavenger hunt going on, so be sure to check out The Crossroads Tour Post HERE to see what questions will be asked, what blog you'll be able to find the answer on and enter to win!

So, today I have three amazing authors to kick things off. Take a look, you might see some characters popping in to answer some questions and enter to win the giveaway via the Rafflecopter below!

Title: The Liberator (Dante Walker #2)
Author: Victoria Scott
Publisher: Entangled Teen, 331 Pages (August 27th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Victoria's Books Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Check out my review for: The Collector (Dante Walker, #1)
Check out my review for: The Liberator (Dante Walker, #2)

Synopsis: Bad boy, meet bad girl.

Dante has a shiny new cuff wrapped around his ankle, and he doesn't like that mess one bit. His new accessory comes straight from Big Guy himself and marks the former demon as a liberator. Despite his gritty past and bad boy ways, Dante Walker has been granted a second chance.

When Dante is given his first mission as a liberator to save the soul of seventeen-year-old Aspen, he knows he’s got this. But Aspen reminds him of the rebellious life he used to live and is making it difficult to resist sinful temptations. Though Dante is committed to living clean for his girlfriend Charlie, this dude’s been a playboy for far too long…and old demons die hard.

With Charlie becoming the girl she was never able to be pre-makeover and Aspen showing him how delicious it feels to embrace his inner beast, Dante will have to go somewhere he never thought he’d return to in order to accomplish the impossible: save the girl he’s been assigned to, and keep the girl he loves.

Have more questions about the romance in THE LIBERATOR? Read a note from the author about Aspen's involvement in the story: http://tinyurl.com/asl8qyy

Hi Victoria! Welcome back to the blog for The Crossroads Blog Tour! Today I have two questions that are for your characters.

What are your plans for Halloween?

I’m going to seal a crap ton of souls. Halloween is my favorite holiday because my job becomes very easy. – Dante Walker

Can you tell me a bit about the last scary movie you watched? (Were you alone? What snacks you had? What movie you watched? Did it scare you, etc.)

Oh! I watched The Departed with this cute boy who I never thought would ask me out but he finally did and Hannah and I nearly died when it happened. Boy and I made popcorn. Well, I made popcorn, but whatever. I kept thinking he was going to try and kiss me. He didn’t. Why do you think that is? Annnd…go. – Tella Holloway

About the Author:


Victoria Scott is a teen fiction writer represented by Sara Crowe. She's the author of THE COLLECTOR trilogy (Entangled Teen) and the FIRE & FLOOD series (Scholastic). Victoria lives in Dallas with her husband and hearts cotton candy something fierce.

Find Victoria Online: 

Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Title: The Sweet Dead Life (Sweet Dead Life #1)
Author: Joy Preble
Publisher: Soho Teen, 244 Pages (May 14th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Joy's Books Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: “I found out two things today. One, I think I’m dying. And two, my brother is a perv.”

So begins the diary of 14-year-old Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad eighth-grade year. Her single mother spends all day in bed. Dad vanished when she was eight. Her 16-year-old brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs— difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.

Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her. Beatified. Literally. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that Casey didn’t survive the accident at all. He’s an “A-word.” (She can’t bring herself to utter the truth.) Soon they discover that Jenna isn’t just dying: she’s being poisoned. And Casey has been sent back to help solve the mystery that not only holds the key to her survival, but also to their mother’s mysterious depression and father’s disappearance.

Hi Joy! Welcome back again for another year of Crossroads posts! I have a couple questions for your characters, please feel free to see who might like to answer.

What are your plans for Halloween?

Well, I decorate, of course! I just can’t resist doing it up for Halloween! Beyond that, I think we may be celebrating my husband’s birthday since it’s the next day on 11/1 but on that day I’ll be at Houston Book Rave! He gets Halloween birthday cakes a lot, my guy.

Can you tell me a bit about the last scary movie you watched? (Were you alone? What snacks you had? What movie you watched? Did it scare you, etc.)

I have this love/hate affair with scary movies! Like those trailers for The Conjuring? I seriously have to close my eyes!! It scares the pee out me. So I prefer my scary movies not so scary… like Warm Bodies, the zombie/Romeo and Juliet story.  Or World War Z which had a few startling moments but nothing you had to hide your eyes from.  Hmmm. Maybe zombie movies are just less scary to me than movies where people are haunt/stalked by evil spirits. Actually, that’s very true.

About the Author:

I live in Texas. I write YA novels (with crazy witches and malevolent Russian mermaids and stoner guardian angels) and eat guacamole. My books include THE DREAMING ANASTASIA series (Sourcebooks), THE SWEET DEAD LIFE (Soho Press), and its forthcoming sequel, THE A WORD (Soho Press, May 2014). And then there's my Bravo Channel addiction...

Find Joy Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Title: Gated
Author: Amy Christine Parker
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers, 352 Pages (August 6th, 2013)
Add to: Goodreads
Order Amy's Books Online here: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, The Book Depository, Amazon UK

Synopsis: Do the gates keep the unchosen out or the chosen in?

In Mandrodage Meadows, life seems perfect. The members of this isolated suburban community have thrived under Pioneer, the charismatic leader who saved them from their sad, damaged lives. Lyla Hamilton and her parents are original members of the flock. They moved here following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, looking to escape the evil in the world. Now seventeen, Lyla knows certain facts are not to be questioned:

Pioneer is her leader.

Will is her Intended.

The end of the world is near.

Like Noah before him, Pioneer has been told of the imminent destruction of humanity. He says his chosen must arm themselves to fight off the unchosen people, who will surely seek refuge in the compound's underground fortress--the Silo.

Lyla loves her family and friends, but given the choice, she prefers painting to target practice. And lately she'd rather think about a certain boy outside the compound than plan for married life in the Silo with Will. But with the end of days drawing near, she will have to pick up a gun, take a side, and let everyone know where she stands.

Hey Amy! Welcome to the blog! It's great to have you visiting! I have two questions for any of your characters that might like to answer...

Would you ever want to spend the night in a haunted location? If so, why?

Lyla’s answering this one: No. Never. I’ve had enough of dark and creepy places to last me a lifetime. (she stops talking, looks over at Pioneer anxiously)

How about for 3 or more of your characters? Please discuss various candies and why you love it.

Lyla: Um, well, I don’t know…my mom makes caramels at Christmas time, so maybe those? I don’t really get the chance to eat candy that often…at all, really…(she fidgets, pulling at a tiny string attached to her pants, slowly unravels it)

Pioneer: Don’t tell them that!  They’re Outsiders. Tell them how we live and they’re liable to offer you some of their poison—gum and licorice—all of it sinful. If they can get you to like it what’s next? What other part of your life or heart will they try to corrupt? He looks up.  Of course, you people should feel free to indulge…your time is so limited on this earth that it will hardly be your biggest health concern.  (His mouth slowly turns up in a grin.)

Marie: (stares off into space for a moment and then lets out a small, humorless laugh) I used to like gummy bears. I would get them at the corner store with my brother when my mom took us there to buy milk. They were cute and colorful and so yummy.

(Pioneer shoots her a look and she stops talking immediately.)

Pioneer: I think we’re done answering your questions. Girls, come along.

Lyla (sighs so quietly it’s barely audible): Yes, sir.

Marie (to the interviewer): So, what kind of candy do you like?

Pioneer: Enough! (he grabs the girls’ arms and drags them from the room)

About the Author:

AMY CHRISTINE PARKER writes full-time from her home near Tampa, Florida, where she lives with her husband, their two daughters, and one ridiculously fat cat. Visit her at amychristineparker.com and follow her on Twitter @amychristinepar.

Find Amy Online:

Website | Twitter

GIVEAWAY!!!

Totally awesome giveaway going throughout the WHOLE WEEK of the tour! Enter to win and be sure to check back again tomorrow for another spooky post!

a Rafflecopter giveaway