My favorite post of the year! Giveaway included!!!
In case you missed any of the book reviews or author interviews that I did over the past year, here’s a handy list all in one place 🙂 The authors have come back one more time to offer a holiday greeting or share one of their favorite holiday memories. So, enjoy the post, find a few books you’d like to read or give to someone for Christmas, and enter the Rafflecopter GIVEAWAY for a chance to win a large prize pack that includes 11 of these books!
INDIGO INCITE by Jacinda Buchmann
(of course I had to include my own book, LOL)
My favorite Christmas memory: When I was in my teens I lived in Montana in a very small town. My grandparents had a house on a large chunk of land, outside of town. Before they bought it, the previous owner had plans to create a Christmas tree farm, and they had planted rows upon rows of baby Christmas trees. When my grandparents bought the place, the trees were just the right size. They never utilized the property for a Christmas tree farm, but every December, my mother, grandfather, and I would wander out into the Christmas tree patch, usually trudging our way through knee high snow, and we would look for the perfect Christmas tree to cut down. Then after we dragged the tree back up to the house, we would go inside where my grandmother would have a nice warm cup of tea or hot chocolate waiting 🙂 – Jacinda Buchmann
Genre: YA science fiction/romance
Blurb:
There are no secrets
Sixteen-year-old Tyler believed that his extra-sensory powers were a secret, but when his twin brother, Toby, is kidnapped by a covert government agency, he realizes that he has no secrets, and he has nowhere to hide.
He’s not alone
Now, in order to save himself and rescue his brother, Tyler must call upon the help of four strangers. Unknown to each other, Eddie, Liliana, Grace, and Sarah share a common bond. They are Indigo Children. With extra-sensory powers of their own, they must unite with Tyler in order to maintain their freedom.
Unexpected romance
They’re on the run. They’re on a mission. Romance is a distraction that Tyler can’t afford. But sometimes, the heart has a mind of its own.
Time is running out
Will they find Toby before the agency finds them first? Find out in Indigo Incite, Book One of the Indigo Trilogy.
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18387423-indigo-incite
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ksv8r6c
WHEN YOU’RE READY by J.L. Berg
Favorite Christmas Memory: My favorite holiday memory is always decorating the tree. In our house growing up, we would always make an entire day of it. We’d buy a fresh tree, listen to holiday music and decorate the tree as a family. Egg nog and bubble lights were a must as well. As an adult, I carry on the tradition with my kids, even though my kids aren’t too fond of egg nog. We’re working on them though. Merry Christmas! – J.L. Berg
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb: Can his love mend the pieces of her grieving heart?
Years after suffering the tragic loss of her husband, Ethan, which left her alone to raise their young daughter, Clare Murray still holds the last letter he wrote with the words “When You’re Ready” written in his familiar messy handwriting, unable to break its weathered seal. Ready for what? He was her entire world, and Clare had accepted a life without him, without love. Until years later, fate brings her to an emergency room, and face to face with a stormy-eyed doctor intent on changing her mind.
Logan Matthews is the son of a billionaire who has spent his entire life trying to make his absent father proud. Years of living up to a man who was more ghost than father, and a publicly failed marriage has left Logan cold and emotionless until he walks into an exam room and discovers a woman who can stop his heart, make his body burn with desire and leave his entire world altered.
But how far are Clare and Logan willing to go for love? When their love is tested, is Clare ready to put her whole heart on the line again? Can Logan learn the true meaning of love, even if it means sacrificing his own happiness? When a second chance at love is given, Clare and Logan learn you never know if you are truly ready until you’re ready to risk it all.
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18241993-when-you-re-ready
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/khbk28m
EMPATH by H.K. Savage
Holiday greeting: Happy holidays to all! This is my favorite time of year. Everyone is in a good mood, or if they’re not we can call them Scrooge and get away with it. Plus, who doesn’t like shiny paper and presents? I’m happy to have a gift to share. My very first book ever, Empath, is free. Also, we’ve included an ecopy of my new one, An Undying Oath for the giveaway. Enjoy and happy holidays!!! -HK Savage
Genre: NA Paranormal Romance
Blurb: All she wanted was to disappear…
Claire Martin is an empath. She’s lived her entire life as a slave to a constant barrage of emotions that weren’t hers. Off to college she hopes simply to blend with the crowd where she can best hide her curse. Within her first few weeks at school Claire meets Stephen Andrews, a small, fragile looking boy who changes her life forever.
Stephen, a boy with a secret of his own, instantly recognizes Claire for what she is. It is through Stephen’s aid that Claire meets James, a vampire with a talent of his own. As soon as they touch, their abilities connect in a way that has not occurred in over three hundred years forming a bond that cannot be broken.
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17999593-empath
Download for FREE on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/kjhp99y
OVER THE EDGE by Suzanne Carroll
Holiday Greeting:
Seasons Greetings from Australia! And best wishes for a fabulous 2014. I hope your new year will be full of love and laughter, friends and family. And books. Lots of books 🙂
Cheers & Merry Christmas!
Suzanne
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb: In six weeks Zoe Harper will marry Dan Costi in an over-the-top Sydney society wedding, complete with fire-eaters and belly dancers. But when she receives an unexpected gift from her future mother-in-law, Zoe realises she’s making a huge mistake. In a blazing sidewalk argument, she breaks up with her fiance, and his mother–who has joined the fight via conference call.
Following the advice of friends and co-workers, along with some inspiration from late-night-television self-help guru Dr. Pam, Zoe sets out to find the life she thinks she should be living. Always a planner, she makes a list of goals: travel, career, tattoos, and no relationships. It’s all carefully laid out, until she meets Angus Creed.
In six weeks Angus is supposed to lead the opening waltz at a charity ball in New York City. Only problem is, the handsome billionaire construction magnate with the tabloid past can’t dance. Not one step.
Tainted by gossip and with a well-publicised failed engagement behind him, Angus has become a master at keeping an emotional distance. Until he meets Zoe.
What starts as dancing lessons, slowly becomes something more. Angus begins to let down his guard and open his heart, even when his past makes an unexpected and unwelcome return. As Zoe discovers the real man behind the headlines, she questions where her new choices are taking her. Her goals look good on paper, but are they what she really wants? And by the time she realises where her heart lies, will it be too late?
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17738988-over-the-edge
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/ldtkrqs
EDGE OF TRUTH by Natasha Hanova
Favorite Christmas Memory:
I blame it on my pillow, my restlessness that night, my pillow and the Christmas tree. Or more accurately, the chocolate ornament that dangled within reach of a five-year-old’s grasp. My mama told me to wait until Christmas to try a piece. There were plenty of other sweets– peppermint candy, sugar cookies, fruitcake. None of them chocolate. But it was wrong to steal and had to be double wrong to steal from a Christmas tree.
As the youngest of four children, I knew if I didn’t get there first, someone else would get my candy. Then, I had another terrible thought. I’d made it clear to everyone the ornament with the blue and silver swirls was mine. Translation: my oldest brother would gobble that one first.
I snuck out of my room with the intent to hide the chocolate somewhere safe. The moment I held it in my hand, the intent changed. Surely, no one would miss one little ornament. No one would ever know. I ripped it open, not hearing the crinkle of the foil, or anything else as I popped it in my mouth. It tasted sweet, then, turned bitter.
I don’t remember which happened first – the click or the flash. My sister stood behind me with a camera and a smile. My mama showed up next. The look of disappointment on her face made me cry. Somehow, she understood my mumbled apology. Her words have since faded, but I remember her hug. Not only was stealing wrong, it tasted bad too, but my apology and mama’s hug made it all better. – Natasha Hanova
Genre: YA Dystopian
Blurb: Citizens who report to work on time, obey the Overlord’s laws, and stay off the Synbot’s radar, live long lives. Long, dull, monotonous lives.
It’s not a bad plan for someone with a hidden, emotion-based ability to trigger earthquakes. In a world pitted against her, sixteen-year-old Rena Moon strives for a life beyond working herself to death at the factory. Seeing an alternative, she risks selling relics from the forbidden lands at Market. It becomes the worst decision she ever made. Someone kidnaps her best friend in exchange for the one thing that would end her oppression.
Driven by loyalty, Rena and seventeen-year-old Nevan Jelani, soulful composer, green thumb extraordinaire, and the secret love of her life, plot to rescue her friend and reclaim her salvage. Still, the thought lingers whether Nevan is a true hero or another thief waiting for his chance at her loot. Events spin wildly, deepening Rena’s suspicions and pushing her limit of control. With more than her chance for freedom at stake, she must decide if she’s willing to kill to protect what’s precious to her. For once, the Overlord isn’t holding all the power, but can Rena live with being reduced to what she’s trying so hard to escape?
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18010365-edge-of-truth
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lma6vse
MINUTES BEFORE SUNSET by Shannon A. Thompson
Favorite holiday memory: My favorite holiday memory is less about the holiday and more about my family. At the time, I was seven, and my family—my father, mother, brother, and 3-year-old husky, Shadow—drove every winter from wherever we were living at the time to my mother’s hometown in Kansas. That year, we had driven from Atlanta, and it was pretty obvious why we were all exhausted. No matter how large the family van is, the two-day drive is not comfortable. But, despite the heavy winter storm, we made it safely, and my grandparents were waiting with waffles. I remember that they were in the shape of Mickey’s head because I was beyond delighted. (Later, we took the waffle iron home, and we still make Mickey waffles every Christmas morning.) But Shadow was hungry, too, and they didn’t have dog food. We had run out on the way there, so my grandfather tossed him a couple waffles. Shadow happily accepted the treats and took them outside to the igloo he built in the snow and ate them—or so we thought. Less than two weeks later, it was Christmas Day, and the storm had passed. The snow had melted just in time for the Christmas party we were having, and the decorations inside were beautiful. We hadn’t even concerned ourselves with the front yard until the first guest arrived, commenting on the interesting array of decorations outside: a collection of half-eaten Mickey waffles. Shadow was pretty proud of himself, and we couldn’t help but laugh—remembering that decorations aren’t important; laughter with your family and friends is. – Shannon A. Thompson
Genre: YA paranormal/romance
Blurb: She was undoubtedly a shade, but I didn’t know her.
Eric Welborn isn’t completely human, but he isn’t the only shade in the small Midwest town of Hayworth. With one year left before his eighteenth birthday, Eric is destined to win a long-raging war for his kind. But then she happens. In the middle of the night, Eric meets a nameless shade, and she’s powerful—too powerful—and his beliefs are altered. The Dark has lied to him, and he’s determined to figure out exactly what lies were told, even if the secrets protect his survival.
…
He had gotten so close to me—and I couldn’t move—I couldn’t get away.
Jessica Taylor moves to Hayworth, and her only goal is to find more information on her deceased biological family. Her adoptive parents agree to help on one condition: perfect grades. And Jessica is distraught when she’s assigned as Eric’s class partner. He won’t help, let alone talk to her, but she’s determined to change him—even if it means revealing everything he’s strived to hide.
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/work/editions/24903335-minutes-before-sunset
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/myuejfv
UNITED SERVICE by Regina Morris
Holiday Greeting:
It was Christmas of so long ago that I don’t even want to count the years. My immediate family had just moved to Germany, so no extended family members would be visiting us this year. I was a pre-teen. Any surly attitudes and angst were either not developed yet, or still lay dormant due to a move where I had no friends, no relatives, and couldn’t even speak the language. My family began the festive Christmas celebration by digging out the tree and ornaments, only to find that some of the more cherished items had been lost during the trek overseas. Plus, our American lights would not work with the German electrical outlets. This didn’t upset my mother. A native German, she wanted to bring in fresh garland and branches and decorate the house in the traditional German style. All I could think of was that this was another change, another deviance from our norm, and that Christmas had been ruined. She drug us out into the woods. Yes, Germany is a very wooded area and she marched us through thick snow and had us collect evergreen branches. We didn’t chop down a tree since she didn’t want to kill something living, so us three kids gathered and hauled what looked like, to me at least, discarded foliage by nature. Our house had a large deck, which was snow covered and a sheet of ice at the time. My mother collected the branches, dug out a porcelain vase and set to work. She put together such a lovely snowy scene, nearly making a tree itself with the branches sticking out of the vase. Since our lights wouldn’t work, my mother went to a local store and bought candle clips. I had never seen these before, but, evidently, they are traditional on a German tree. My mother clipped the little metal contraptions onto the “tree”, putting candles in each one. Once lit, we turned off the light and I was able to enjoy a beautiful Christmas display. Many years have passed, and my mother is now gone. When I think of Christmas at home, I think of her branch display and how wonderful she always made our Christmases. – Regina Morris
Genre: Paranormal romance
Blurb: Vampires exist among us. They can be our neighbor, best friend, our child’s teacher … They alter their aged appearance based upon the amount of blood they consume. They move to a new area, drink a lot of blood, and appear young. Slowly they limit their intake of blood and age, right in front of our unsuspecting eyes. After decades, they fake their death, move, and do it over and over again. Most live quiet lives in an effort to blend in. Some however want power and control. The Colony is an elite group of vampires sworn to protect the President of the United States from these rogue vampires. Sterling, a half-breed vampire who works with a covert team of vampires to protect the President of the United States, is the weakest link in the chain for his team, and he knows it. His unique ability to glean information from inanimate objects has Sterling spending much of his lonely life down in the evidence room at FBI headquarters. His current case involves the kidnapping of vampire children by a religious cult trying to save them. Sterling snatches the opportunity to do some field work by teaming up with a purebred vampire, Kate, who is the nanny of one of the missing children. Sterling’s world is turned upside down by Kate. She is everything Sterling could hope for in a mate, and he wonders if she’d ever consider loving a half-breed. Kate is beautiful, intelligent, charming and sophisticated – but has led a sheltered life and is considered handicapped by vampire standards. Will she be willing to trust Sterling with her dark personal secret? Could she be able to open her heart to a bad-boy who’s never known true love before? Together, can they save the children and find true love?
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18285765-united-service
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/mrt33sk
RECONNECTED and DISCONNECTED by Bethany Daniel
Genre: Contemporary romance
Blurb:
Reconnected: Katy Warren had it all. A new husband, who was a successful theater actor and their whole lives ahead of them. But then Liam got discovered and once whisked off to Hollywood, he changed. After a night of being ignored for “business”, Katy decides she can’t handle it and leaves. Taking back her maiden name, and deciding to go for a Psychology degree she leaves Liam Warren and his celebrity behind, but she never got a divorce and Liam hasn’t stopped looking for her. When their paths cross again, Liam does all he can to fight for their love even with Katy fighting against him.
Disconnected: A Fast Paced Love Story!
Liam and Katy were high school sweethearts. Shortly after they graduated they ran off to Vegas to get married. Liam does theater acting and it’s there that he is discovered by Excite Entertainment and flown to L.A.
Once he’s in L.A his marriage takes the backseat to rubbing elbows with Hollywood’s biggest and brightest. One night Liam throws a big party and Katy comes into their house filled with half dressed women. When Katy says she’s going to leave, Liam doesn’t believe her until he comes home from filming and finds a note that tears him apart.
Four years later, he’s tried to move on but never let go of the love he has in his heart for his Katy. It’s in a little town they are filming in that their paths cross again and Liam has to try and convince Katy that their love is worth fighting for.
Add to your Goodreads list:
Reconnected: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17908731-reconnected
Disconnected: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18046442-disconnected
Purchase on Amazon:
Reconnected: http://tinyurl.com/m6jz7p3
Disconnected: http://tinyurl.com/lcee55t
WHEN STARS DIE by Amber Skye Forbes
Favorite Holiday Memory: My favorite holiday memory was when my fiance came over for the first time and was actually able to stay at our house instead of having to sleep in a motel. My parents actually got him something for Christmas, too, which consisted of money that he used to go clothes shopping with–and I helped him to pick out some of his clothes. I can’t even remember what I got for Christmas, but all I know is that it was the best two-week Christmas break that I’ve had in a long while, even though I didn’t have my driver’s license yet and we couldn’t do much but stay in the house. – Amber Skye Forbes
Genre: YA Paranormal
Blurb: Amelia Gareth’s brother is a witch and the only way to save her family from the taint in his blood is to become a professed nun at Cathedral Reims. However, in order to become professed, she must endure trials that all nuns must face.
Surviving these trials is not easy, especially for Amelia, who is being stalked by shadowy beings only she can see. They’re searching for people they can physically touch, because only those they can touch can see them. Amelia soon learns why she is being stalked when she accidentally harms her best friend with fire during the third trial. Fire is a witch’s signature. The shadows are after witches.
Now Amelia must decide what to do: should she continue on her path to profession knowing there is no redemption, or should she give up on her dream and turn away from Cathedral Reims in order to stop the shadows who plan to destroy everything she loves?
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18387010-when-stars-die
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/k7axalx
15 MINUTES by Jill Cooper
Favorite holiday memory: My favorite Christmas memories are all with my little sister. We sat by the twinkling tree in the dark while listening to Christmas music. Sometimes we talked about what we thought Santa was doing or what he’d bring. But sometimes we just sat there, watching the lights reflect off the ornaments, enjoying being together. Merry Christmas! – Jill Cooper
Genre: YA Sci-fi
Blurb: I have 15 minutes to save my mother’s life….
15 minutes is all the Rewind Agency gives you in the past, but for Lara Crane it’s enough time to race through the city, find her mother, and stop her from being killed in a mugging that happened over ten years ago.
But that’s not how it happened. The story she’s been told all her life is a lie and when Lara takes a bullet meant for her mother, her future changes forever.
The love of her life acts like a stranger. Her simple life is replaced with a giant house, glamorous clothes and a new boyfriend.
Except someone knows her secret. And he will try to stop her at every turn as she races against the clock to unravel a dangerous conspiracy.
15 Minutes is an edgy high octane YA thriller that can be described as Back to the Future meets Inception where the people Lara trusts change in an instant. She is in a timeline she doesn’t understand, and is about to make one fatal mistake as she faces an enemy so familiar, he’s family.
Add to your Goodreads List: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17881862-15-minutes
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/lhqrxub
BETWEEN BY Cyndi Tefft
Favorite holiday memory: I got married the day after Christmas 21 years ago. I was 20 and he was 19. Everyone thought we were crazy, but it was right. He has always been my best friend and I would do it all again. ❤ – Cyndi Tefft
Genre: YA Paranormal Romance
Blurb: It just figures that the love of Lindsey Water’s life isn’t alive at all, but the grim reaper, complete with a dimpled smile and Scottish accent.
After transporting souls to heaven for the last 300 years, Aiden MacRae has all but given up on finding the one whose love will redeem him and allow him entry through the pearly gates.
Torn between her growing attraction to Aiden and heaven’s siren song, Lindsey must learn the hard way whether love really can transcend all boundaries.
Add to your Goodreads list: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11152377-between
Purchase on Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/l9z2mfd
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**GOOD LUCK** 🙂
My dog Simone is part husky and border collie. Originally we were only fostering her because she came into the rescue when she was 6 weeks old with a broken leg. When it came time to take her back we just couldn’t, she already had our hearts.
Not from a rescue, but a sweet stray who was in need of a home 🙂
Jacinda Buchmann 