[Spotlight + Giveaway] Ruination by Amanda Thome

YA Bound Book Tours is organizing a Blog Tour for: Ruination (Worlds Apart #1) by Amanda Thome. Awesome book packed with action! Check out the schedule below & enter the giveaway!

Ruination

by Amanda Thome

What if everything came down to a single test? If your life was defined at seventeen, could you handle it? Could you accept your fate leaving the ones you love, or would you risk it all and stay? 

One test stands between Vanessa and Central. One chance to make the leap across the walls to a better life. At seventeen, Central considers Vanessa an adult. Her labor role, marriage, and housing divisions will be dictated by her performance on the leap. 

Dedication and unfaltering friendship has bonded Vanessa to Garrett as they fight for their chance to leap into Central. But what happens when love overtakes reason? When defiance in the name of love creates an unintentional fracture in their nation. 

Without warning Vanessa is at the mercy of the nation that’s supposed to protect her. Exiled and abandoned she must fight but she find’s she’s not alone. With her heart divided she seeks her revenge, but will her stand be enough?

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

excerpt 

The regulator nestles his gun to his shoulder as I hear the tick of metal snapping. My breath quickens as I imagine them shooting me on the spot. 

“Come on out. We know you’re in there!” The regulator hisses. “We might even go easy on you if you turn yourself in.”

I swallow and feel my throat closing-in out of fear. My chest tightens like my breastbone’s being squeezed in a vice. It extends outwards along my ribs towards my arms and tingles unpleasantly as I fight the terror. Squeezing chest and sweating arms are all I can think about as I crawl the last foot towards the boulder. My knee jams into a jagged rock and I gasp in pain. The lights land across my back and hold steady.

“Got ya!” The regulator shouts.

Their lights feel hot against the back of my neck. What should I do? Do I stay where I am and let them punish me, or maybe I should just stand up and run? What if they shoot me like Garrett’s fox? I tremor as their steps close-in the last few feet. With each closing step my chest tightens more and more until it feels like my heart’s about to burst my chest wide open. What would happen then? Would Central send a hovercraft to scoop up my lifeless body in the morning I wonder?

About the Author

Amanda Thome is the Author of Ruination, book one in the Worlds Apart dystopian trilogy. Amanda grew up in Maine and later moved to Pennsylvania where she obtained her bachelor’s degree from Ursinus College. She later received her doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University. Amanda currently resides in San Antonio, TX with her husband Clint.

Author Links:

   

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[Guest Post + Giveaway] Harlequin Holiday Reads - Christmas with a Billionaire

Hey everyone! I am super excited to be a part of  Harlequin Holiday Reads Blog Tour featuring:

• Brenda Novak's THE HEART OF CHRISTMAS
• Shannon Stacey's HER HOLIDAY MAN
• RaeAnne Thayne's SNOW ANGEL COVE
• Sarah Morgan's MAYBE THIS CHRISTMAS
• Sheila Roberts' THE LODGE ON HOLLY ROAD
• CHRISTMAS WITH A BILLIONAIRE with stories from Carole Mortimer, Maisey Yates and Joss Wood.

Make sure you don't forget to stop by every stop to read excerpts, guest posts from amazing authors, and enter some sweet gifts! Spiced Latte Reads is excited to feature Christmas with a Billionaire, one of Harlequin holiday favorites! 

CHRISTMAS WITH A BILLIONAIRE

Carole Mortimer, Maisey Yates, Joss Wood

Pub. Date: October 7, 2014

Publisher: Harlequin

Pages: 320

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Find it: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads

An embarrassment of riches: three sweet and sexy tales of holiday romance! 

Billionaire under the Mistletoe by Carole Mortimer

When softhearted Sophie pulls off a last-minute Christmas miracle for a family in crisis, she wins the gratitude—and heart—of wealthy Max Hamilton. But at what cost?

Snowed in with Her Boss by Maisey Yates

Dutiful Amelia is stranded on Christmas Eve. (Bad.) She's at a five-star Aspen resort. (Good!) She's posing as her handsome boss's girlfriend. (So bad it's good!) But is she pretending…or practicing with Luc Chevalier?

A Diamond for Christmas by Joss Wood

Headstrong Riley's holiday run-in with hot gemstone tycoon James Moreau is unsettling to say the least. But she soon discovers that the only thing better than resisting temptation is finally giving in!

guest post: do you have christmas romance story?

I've always loved the holidays. My family has a lot of traditions, from going down to the woods to get our own Christmas tree, going to my grandparents house to open presents on Christmas morning, having a great dinner—even though I had to sit at the kids table—and playing card games all evening.

December continues to be a significant month to me. Two of my kids were born in December, and it's hard to get more significant than that.

But my most romantic holiday story isn't really a Christmas story. It takes place after Christmas. But it most definitely wins for romance.

I already knew that I would get engaged New Year's Eve. My husband, who was my boyfriend at the time, had asked my dad if he could marry me a few months after we started dating. Yes, he moves fast. I was eighteen, you can imagine my dad was slightly less than thrilled. He told my husband to ask again in the New Year.

And so… He did. New Year's Eve. As soon as the clock struck midnight. My husband is nothing if not determined.

After that, all I had to do was wait for the proposal. We went on a very fancy date New Year's Day, okay, it was fancy for us. It was Red Lobster. Not exactly Harlequin Presents, but it remains a good memory for me.

We made it all to the dinner, and dessert. And nothing. I expected it would come after. We went to Target. And still nothing. Then, he suggested he take me back home. I fumed to the entire drive back. And we live almost a half hour from town, so there was a lot of time to fume. I waited for him to pull over, for him to produce some sort of surprise, but it didn't happen. I was resigned, to not getting my proposal that night. But I wasn't happy about it.

Then he suggested we stop at his house so he could drop off the things we bought at the store before he took me back home. I sighed, and agreed. He asked me to come upstairs with him for a second, and I sighed, and agreed.

When we walked into the apartment, I saw that all the furniture except one couch, in the living room had been cleared. Around the perimeter were strings of white Christmas lights making a bright, glowing circle around the room. He sat me down on the couch at the center of the lights, and got down on one knee. And with tears in his eyes he asked me to marry him.

It might have been after Christmas, but I did get engaged surrounded by Christmas lights.

We've gone on to make holiday traditions of our own, and we've kept a lot of the same ones. Christmas has always been special to me, but it's become even more so now. Sharing it with him, and with our children.

With all of these warm and fuzzy memories, it's no wonder that I enjoy writing and reading Christmas stories. They take all of the warmth and happiness in the holidays and add romance into the mix.

The heroine of Snowed In With Her Boss is like me. She loves Christmas. Loved to spend time with family, loves the cheer and the music. Her hero, however, does not. And when they end up together, he has to contend with her cheer, while she has to put up with his persistent grumpiness.

Fortunately, they find they have a mutual attraction in common. One that is powerful enough to keep them warm while the snow falls outside.

week one giveaway

The Harlequin Holiday Reads prize-pack includes:
* One mass market paperback of each of:
o Christmas with the Billionaire by Carole Mortimer, Maisey Yates and Joss Wood
o Maybe this Christmas by Sarah Morgan
o Snow Angel Cove by RaeAnne Thayne
o The Heart of Christmas by Brenda Novak
o The Lodge on Holly Road by Sheila Roberts
* One copy of Her Holiday Man by Shannon Stacey in the digital format of your choice
* One package of ornament charms
* One box of Harlequin-themed gift tags

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[Book Blitz + Giveaway] Burdened by Peiri Ann

Burdened (Book 1)

by Peiri Ann 

Release Date: April 2014

Summary from Goodreads:

Eighteen-year-old Tracey Warren is a ‘run-of-the-mill’ high school student on the verge of graduation. She has her friends and her fun; she has life all figured out. Or she thought she did.

Her pedestrian reality crashes around her after an innocuous touch from a diabolically handsome stranger. Just one touch from Nathan Newcomb and her head and her world spins out of control. Soon she discovers that the only cure for the uneasy feelings and pain is Nathan himself. A man whose very existence balances between violent chaos and rigidly controlled dangers.

Nathan knows that the life of a woman mated to a burdened Sephlem is destined for peril beyond a human’s reckoning. But Tracey calls to his desire to experience love in spite of the hazards. And Nathan’s impossibly potent magnetism draws Tracey into a bonding that will put her in mortal danger again and again.

Once the pair becomes one, the threat escalates and nowhere is safe. There are enemies that lurk behind every corner. But the greatest danger may be in the bloodlines that course through Nathan’s veins.

Can a love for all time survive or will their burdened souls surrender and fade away?

(Warning: Burdened contains mature contact and strong language some may not find appropriate for readers under the age of 18.)

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble

excerpt

Getting in my Mazda 6, there is a flyer on my window. They are really planning on

advertising this party everywhere.

Really, flyers?

And on my car of all places. I hate shit on my car.Throwing the flyer to the backseat, I turn up the radio. There are little-to-no cars left, and I am soready to be at home, on a couch, watching something not relevant to life.Maybe there will be something on MTV, no, E, no…

Maybe there will be a good movie onHBO, no, maybe on FX. Yeah, FX always has a good movie on. I’ll sit back in the family room andwa—There’s a loud screech and a hard bang. I jolt forward and back—my body slams against theseat.

Blinking, trying to get my eyes to focus, I’m dazed; my vision fades out then back in. I think—Ithink I just got hit waiting at a stop sign.

Panic kicks in as I look myself over. Am I okay? Oh mygoodness, am I hurt?What the hell! Somebody just hit my damn car! I grab my head, feeling it starting to throb. Ithink I hit my head on the—A tap pulls me from my self-examination.

No, the idiot who just hit me is not tapping on my damn window!I open the door, pissed.

“What? What the hell? You just hit me!” I yell, still trying to get myeyesight to focus.

“Um, yeah, I know.” I look at him.

“I am so sorry.”

The apologetic voice comes from aperfectly chiseled face that subtly responds to my anger.He looks at me with slanted, brown, prominent eyes.

When he turns a little away from thesun, they turn a pale hazel. His strong nose ends in a rounded point, and his hair is—maybe black orbrown, depending on how the sun hits it.

Very attractive lips that say ‘Hey, I am here, kiss me.’

He istall with broad shoulders capable of blocking the sun and that adds to his presence in a way that isequally hypnotizing.

“I know this is probably the worst thing that could happen right before your break. I amtruly sorry. I can get the car fixed for you.”

His exposed arms show off his tanned skin tone, whichsomewhat glistens from the rays of the sun, and it’s as if I’m watching it soak up every ray. 

About the Author

I fell in love with the short story writing after I started reading a lot of fiction fantasy. I loved the idea of creating new worlds and placing people to live within them. Then came the love. Awe...love. Specifically I love to write paranormal romance, adding a twist to everyday life. I'm a lover of YA and NA, but I've written some middle grade fantasy fiction that is soon to be released. 

You can never write 'too much,' you can never read 'too much,' you never learn 'too much,' and there is never 'too much' imagination and creation. Everyday is a new day to dream, to create, to love, to try again and again, to live, and to explore. Time may be short but we have to take as much of it as we can, to make sure it doesn't slip away. 

My moto, "Love Life's Loves because Life Loves You"

If you love something, do what you need to do to have it, the only person holding you back is you.  

Author Links:

   

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[Book Review + Giveaway] The Next Breath by Laurel Osterkamp

The Next Breath
by Laurel Osterkamp

I kiss him, choosing love over honesty, which is a choice nobody should ever have to make…" 

Robin loves sweet, responsible Nick, with his penchant for Beethoven and Ben Folds Five. But she also still loves her college boyfriend Jed, an irreverent playwright plagued with cystic fibrosis. Now Robin is struggling to reveal her secrets and confront her past, as she finally performs in the play that Jed wrote for her, eleven years ago. Will Robin have the strength to keep her promise and stay true to her heart?

Alternating between present-day scenes, college flashbacks, and segments from Jed’s play, this tear-jerking yet uplifting tale illustrates how life is finite but love is infinite, and the road to recovery begins with the next breath.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

 Ever since the traumatic past relationship, Robin Bricker has had some problems with her current relationship and trying to move on. Between the present, and her past, the story is an incredible journey through raw emotions and the process of moving on. This was my first book by Osterkamp and her writing has been really powerful to me. 

Even though the main character was older than me and had different life goals and character, I still felt very connected to her. The emotions that were going through her when she faced the two men were incredibly confusing and I actually had the same thoughts about my previous relationship. I loved the creativity, humor, and even the sadness that passed through the pages. 

My final thought? Get it, read it, love it. INCREDIBLE! 

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[Book Review] The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp

The Accidental Highwayman
by Ben Tripp 

The Accidental Highwayman is the first swashbuckling adventure for young adults by talented author and illustrator, Ben Tripp.

In eighteenth-century England, young Christopher “Kit” Bristol is the unwitting servant of notorious highwayman Whistling Jack. One dark night, Kit finds his master bleeding from a mortal wound, dons the man’s riding cloak to seek help, and changes the course of his life forever. Mistaken for Whistling Jack and on the run from redcoats, Kit is catapulted into a world of magic and wonders he thought the stuff of fairy tales.

Bound by magical law, Kit takes up his master’s quest to rescue a rebellious fairy princess from an arranged marriage to King George III of England. But his task is not an easy one, for Kit must contend with the feisty Princess Morgana, gobling attacks, and a magical map that portends his destiny: as a hanged man upon the gallows….

Fans of classic fairy-tale fantasies will find much to love in this irresistible YA debut by Ben Tripp, the son of one of America’s most beloved illustrators, Wallace Tripp (Amelia Bedelia). Following in his father’s footsteps, Ben has woven illustrations throughout the story.

“Delightful and charming. A swashbuckling adventure in the vein of Robert Louis Stevenson.” —#1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson.

AMAZON | GOODREADS 

The Accidental Highwayman is a must-have for all YA collections and a great crossover for adults who still enjoy that magical taste and love the fantasy aspect of stories that leaves you so mesmerized. 

Kit and Morgana's relationship is incredibly adorable. It's a roller coaster of emotion, them constantly getting angry with the other yet trying to move forward. I felt for them and their little crushes! In addition, the little notes in the margins are great and makes the story feel realistic because I don't know phrases and words used in the 19th century and getting summaries on them helped me understand.

I enjoyed the writing and the whole excitement of the book. I did wish that some of the parts weren't so detailed because it made it feel draggy. Although I still do recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did!