blog tour, books

Blog Tour: Cut From Stone – Brendan O’Meara

CutfromStone copy

Welcome to the book tour for Cut from Stone, a gritty YA dystopian by Brendan O’Meara. 

Cut From Stone Cover Image

Cut from Stone (Crafting Humanity #1)

Genre: YA Dystopian

The world is fresh from humanity splitting in half – the BlankZone in the East and the Federation in the West. As an inevitable attack from the BlankZone looms, the Federation makes swift, mysterious, and unexpected moves to prepare.

James, a 17-year-old living in the Federation, is drafted by the military. He learns that he has been selected to join a group of skilled teens who will be transformed into elite human weapons. Follow James and his friends as they mature from teenagers to lethal warriors. Together, they will face life altering events navigating a new existence dedicated to protecting their friends, families, and humanity at all costs.

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Excerpt

One of the motherships from the BlankZone sat offshore. Its size alone was enough to cause concern from any angle, but it surprised him how calm he was looking at one of the largest warships ever created moored miles away from his current location.

“Jesus, man, how the hell did you survive?” James heard Clint say before he was embraced in his vicelike grip, the shorter mechanic’s biceps constricting James’s body until he thought he heard a crunch.

“Let him go. You’re gonna strangle him,” Stacie said, tapping Clint’s arm.

“I shouldn’t have let you go home,” Clint said, letting him go and standing back, shaking his head.“

You didn’t know what was gonna happen. Relax man. We’ve got a battle to plan.” James said, putting a reassuring hand on Clint’s shoulder.

“Jon, Stacie, I need updates. What’s happening out there?” James asked, turning to face the floating screens forming one of the Nest’s walls.

“Looks like they’re taking a break. Haven’t seen any other missiles coming into the city for a few minutes,” Jon said from behind him while the images changed to various scenes of damage spread all over the city.

There must be thousands dead, James thought.

“Do we know what they were using to bomb us?” James asked, zooming in on one of the blast sites and focusing on the melted metal pooling in superheated ponds.

“Nothing we’ve seen before, but none of this is. They’ve managed to decimate the city in an hour,” Stacie said, her voice crisp, clear, and analytical. “In our best estimate this was, frankly, the worst-case scenario.” James heard the break in her demeanor at the end of the sentence before he flipped his view to the ship off the coast.

Ten miles offshore, according to the HOLO’s distance finder, a ship the size of a skyscraper hung in the air elevated just slightly off the water. He couldn’t tell what part of the ship he was looking at, but his mind was stuck trying to piece together the mini nuclear station they would need to move the behemoth to the shore let alone across the ocean.

He took a breath, realizing they were up against an enemy no one understood before turning around to address the team when he heard a rumble from the HOLO emitters’ speakers. The ship opened, its armor plate covering the top pulled back, revealing a row of cannons stretching the length of the ship.

The front armor retracted until it disappeared under the ship’s bow. Meanwhile, the cannons lowered themselves, revealing another row of cannons behind them lining the length of the ship. The two rows of weaponry lowered themselves until they were parallel to the water.

What the hell is happening? James thought, hoping he was wrong about what was coming next.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Brendan OMeara Headshot

Raised in White Plains, New York, Brendan O’Meara formed a love of stories and books from a young age. He has spent his free time over the last decade crafting his debut novel, Cut From Stone, book one in the Crafting Humanity series.

It began in Philadelphia where he attended college daydreaming about a dystopian reality. With a vivid imagination (as described by his middle school teachers) and a passion for adventure, Brendan’s novels will transport you to a different life and capture you from cover to cover.

Brendan lives in Washington, DC with his daughter, wife, and two dogs. You will find him on the weekends drinking a beer watching the Packers and Notre Dame football games. He is an avid reader with a specific interest in sci-fi, anything dystopian, fantasy, history, and all levels of fiction.

Follow him on, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter, Amazon, and BookBub.

Book Tour Schedule

June 12th

http://rrbooktours

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

June 13th

https://www.instagram.com/calhoun.crew/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/jlreadstoperpetuity – Review

https://www.thesexynerdrevue.com – Feature

June 14th

https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/my.bookish.ways/?igshid=ODMwYzU2MzQ – Review

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Spotlight

June 15th

https://www.instagram.com/abookshelftomagicalrealms/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/mommasbookies/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA%3D%3D  – Review

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/theclumsybiblio/ – Review

June 16th

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

https://countrymamaswithkids.com/

https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonstbr/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/magicalmushroombookshelf/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

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Blog Tour: Balloon Days – Kristi Strong

Welcome to the book tour for genre-bending novel by Kristi Strong, Balloon Days. Read on for an exclusive excerpt!

BalloonDaysCover

Balloon Days

Publication Date: January 25th, 2023

Genre: Psychological Fiction with Literary Bent

Let Your Perception Be Your Guide…

At the Manhattan-based Center of Balloon Days, you will find a psychotherapy unlike any that came before it. Imagine unlocking your desires and fears and manipulating them in an unparalleled lucid-dream-like state.

Bookish Elliott Bailey, a psychologist at the Center, struggles to prove the perfect life exists, all while helping others with their own troubles. Love-starved Howard Nor’s use of Balloon Days may be allowing him to live in a fantasy while his real life falls apart. Top lawyer, Orson Thatch, develops an obsession with Balloon Days-even if it puts his career and his relationship, with his young son, at risk. All three face a choice: Continue to live a life rooted in illusions or overcome the challenges of reality.

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Excerpt

“We ensure that all our patients who undergo Balloon Day therapy are ready. And you are ready. Your grief is fresh, your emotion is raw. It is the perfect time to work on your healing.”

Dr. Heller passed the tablet, consent form open, over to Orson. The limit was three Balloon Day sessions per week, ninety minutes maximum per experience. An in-person check-in session at least once a month was required or else the Center would suspend any further appointments. Scrolling down, he noted at the bottom, as Dr. Heller mentioned, the risks stopped when the patient wanted them to stop.

“I’m in full control then.”

Dr. Heller slowly nodded, smiling. “Precisely.”

Images of Madison overwhelmed him. It felt right, as if she was telling him to sign on the dotted line and go with it.

He thought of life without her. He thought of Ryder.

He signed.

Dr. Heller nodded, taking the tablet back. “Your Elite Day Room, B107, is on floor ten. You will take the blue elevator. This will be yours to return to as you please for your scheduled Balloon Day sessions. In addition to the delightful perk of Elite Day Rooms being grander in size, we stagger the appointments, so you will not have to wait for anyone, but there is still a pre-room with the bathroom for you if need be.”

“Thank you.”

“Let your perception be your guide.” Dr. Heller smiled and shook Orson’s hand.

Orson’s waiting room, or the “pre-room” rather, was gleaming white and cozy. As he stepped into the restroom, he noticed an immaculate toilet and sink, complete with a beautiful brass waterfall faucet.

No mirror? Strange.

Although there wasn’t necessarily any reason why he would need to see himself at this moment, not having a mirror there gave him a feeling of invisibility; nothing to reflect his existence, no feedback for his mind. Maybe that was the point. Soon, as he was told, all sensory input would be stripped from him, allowing his brainwaves to shift into a blank canvas. Whatever the hell that meant.

He stepped back out. Slipped his Day Room card into the slot, selecting to use four out of his ten credits. Dr. Heller had suggested buying credits in bulk; Orson figured he would stick with the ten to see how things panned out.

The stunning blue, ice-like door slid open. Orson’s gaze fell to the floor first—the same thick white carpet as in Dr. Heller’s office. He took off his shoes and sunk his feet into the plush, delicate material. The softness against his silver socks, peppered with race cars for Ryder, put him at ease. The air smelled of mulled cider. Soothing sounds of a crackling fire filled the room. White angelic feathers covered all four walls. To his surprise, he suddenly wanted to create art, romantic, dreamy art, the art Madison had inspired. His Day Room was divine.

Scanning the sizable but quaint square room, everything was white save for the cobalt blue of the sky-like ceiling matching the pillows atop the velvety-looking sofa lining the back wall. The ethereal hammock in the middle of the room, hanging diagonally, the thin, clear wires of it barely noticeable, giving it a look of invisible suspension, was pure luxury.

Next, he discovered the control in a small white pocket hanging on the wall to the right of the door. He clutched it in his hand as the lights dimmed further, the white of the room now snow, in the dark.

The button glowed. His promise of refuge. He closed his eyes and envisioned his beautiful wife’s face, as he had remembered her long before she had become bedridden, mostly skin and bones. He pushed it. Instantly, he was as weightless as one of the feathers on the wall.

Opening his eyes, astounded and sitting on the edge of his bed inside his old college dorm, he recognized where he was immediately. The room Orson had during his second year—the year he met Madison. He hopped off the bed.

Everything was as it had been. His desk a mess of pens and papers from studying, political science textbooks opened to random chapters on the floor. A mirror hanging on his closet door showing his reflection, which startled him. Orson was his young and handsome nineteen-year-old self.

Hair darker and thicker, body less muscular in his green t-shirt and jeans—he had been scrawny in his youth. Minor wrinkles around his umber-brown eyes smoothed over. All in all, he was impressed at how little he had changed over the years.

Orson left his room and ambled down a path between the fellow residence halls. He didn’t feel quite in control of his actions. Not quite out of control either.

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Etsy

About the Author

Biophoto
Kristi Strong was born and raised in (or how we prefer to say it here: on) Long Island. She considers herself to be the human version of her dog—the exceptionally weird and affectionate Rat Terrier named Sophia. Kristi loves to wander the planet with her wonderful hubby as much as she loves being nestled in the same spot of her couch most evenings, curled up with a good book.
Kristi’s writing draws upon her professional experience as a trauma- informed mental health therapist. Highlighting the human condition and the power of resilience—whether it be through fiction or non-fiction—is Kristi’s calling and passion. She has the honor of witnessing all facets of what it means to be human, and she wrote her first novel Balloon Days to remind readers they are worthy and capable of change.

Kristi Strong

Book Tour Schedule

May 29th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/bingingbooksandcoffee/ – Feature

May 30th

https://www.instagram.com/get.outside.and.read/?r=nametag – Review

https://www.instagram.com/paulalearmouth/ – Review

https://instagram.com/beckerbingesbooks?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= – Review

https://www.instagram.com/fictionandme/ – Review

May 31st

https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/silkybookloverfun – Review

https://www.instagram.com/sabireads1984 – Review

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

June 1st

http://blackcoffeebrowncow.blogspot.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookqueenbee/ – Review

https://rissreviewsx.wixsite.com/website – Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

June 2nd

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/ems.readsandreviews/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/jlreadstoperpetuity – Review

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

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Blog Tour: Bad Realities – Andrew Schrader

Welcome to the tour for Andrew Schrader’s creeptastic collection, Bad Realities. Read on for more details!

Cover V3

Bad Realities: Stories of Shock and Suspense

Expected Publication Date: Spring 2023

Genre: Speculative Fiction/ Horror/ Suspense/ Sci-Fi

To avoid the apocalypse, a boy must cannibalize the dead in . . . THE IMPORTANCE OF EATING ERNEST

A Tarkagen barbarian returning home to retrieve an ancient elixir faces his own worst fears in . . . HONDO RANE AND THE CITY OF ILLUSION

After World War IV, a giant, radioactive floating brain haunts the wastelands. Can a psychic girl harness her powers long enough to stop it? . . . in THE FLOATING BRAIN.

Join these poor souls and many others as they struggle to survive in worlds gone wrong. Can you handle the shock? Or will their stories leave you in a crumpled heap, screaming in vain to escape.

Now Available on Amazon and Free for KU!

About the Author

andrewtattoopic

Andrew Schrader is a Los Angeles-based author and film director known for his fascination with the stranger sides of human nature. He’s directed two feature films, music videos for bands Osees, Moon-Drenched, and White Reaper, and was a script consultant on “Afterlife,” a horror series for Crypt TV.

His three-book series, What Goes On In The Walls at Night, was featured on the Reddit No Sleep podcast and twice won the Red City Review Book of the Year for fantasy and horror. He also wrote several episodes of the animated show Tig n’ Seek. Bad Realities is his fourth book of short stories.

Yes, of course he loves cats.

Andrew J. Schrader

Book Tour Schedule

May 29th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

http://www.ismellsheep.com/ – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Review

May 30th

https://instagram.com/jemreader?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== – Review

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Review

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

May 31st

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

June 1st

https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/toomuchcoffeemd/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D – Review

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

June 2nd

https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/punkybookbabe/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

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Blog Tour: Grace Summit – Denise Roma

We are happy to share Denise Roma’s novel Grace Summit with you all today! Read on for more details!

9-12-22 FINAL Full Cover -- Grace Summit

Grace Summit

Publication Date: September 2022

Genre: NA College Romance/ FF Romance (slightly literary bent)

Ann, Amelia, and Jackie arrive at Grace Summit Bible College with their own particular heartbreaks. Ann is lonely and hungry for belonging, Amelia is broken from abuse and separation from her child, and Jackie is searching for friendships to sustain her.

Ann and Amelia find the connection they seek in one another, but they must navigate the college’s religious mandates and eventually, the passage of decades. It is during those passing years that Jackie comes to understand the influence Amelia’s and Ann’s love story has had on her own life.
Grace Summit explores the lives of women coming of age in the late ’80s, navigating their places in a changing world. Giving each woman a voice to reflect on her story, it weaves together attraction, love, religion, and finally, aging, illness, and loss. It’s an achingly beautiful novel that spans cities and lifetimes, capturing the intensity of first loves and women’s friendships.

Available on Amazon

About the Author

Denise photo 2

You can find Denise Roma’s poetry in After Hours, a Chicago journal of literature and visual art, and short fiction in the online literary journal Thread and the New Town Writer’s Off the Rocks magazine. Grace Summit is her first novel.

Denise lives in the Chicago area with her family. She loves reading, writing, dancing in land or water and early morning air.

Find out more at: Facebook profile: https://www.facebook.com/GraceSummitNovel

Instagram profile: https://www.instagram.com/gracesummitnovel/

Book Tour Schedule

May 29th

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

https://www.instagram.com/silkybookloverfun – Review

http://readsandreels.com – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

May 30th

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/latishaslowkeylife/ – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

https://www.facebook.com/CocktailsFairytales – Feature

May 31st

https://www.instagram.com/bingingbooksandcoffee/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/margiebythebookcase/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/literaryinspired/ – Feature

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Feature

June 1st

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/aebennettwrites/ – Feature

https://freelancewriterjannyc.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/siriuslyjenn_/ – Feature

June 2nd

https://countrymamaswithkids.com – Review

https://www.instagram.com/katierichardauthor/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/sharingthebooklove/ – Review

https://www.thesexynerdrevue.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/sky.s_library/ – Feature

https://www.booksblog.co.uk/ – Feature

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Blog Tour: My Summer With the Hermit King – William Todd

A Summer with Hermit copy

Welcome to the tour for A Summer with the Hermit King by William Todd. Read on for more details!

hermit ebook cover 1

A Summer with the Hermit King

Publication Date: December 2022

Genre: YA/ Cozy Mystery

Year: 1888. Diminutive sixteen-year-old Auggie Rose decides he can no longer take the physical and mental abuse at the hands of other boys living at the orphanage. He decides to leave and cast his lot living as a recluse on the nearby beautiful Presque Isle, a peninsula on the shores of Lake Erie. After sneaking out in the middle of the night, on his way to the peninsula, he witnesses a murder at the hands of ‘the man with a limp’.The murderer initially does not know he was witnessed. Not knowing what else to do that wouldn’t jeopardize him being sent back to the orphanage, Auggie tries as best he can to put the incident out of his head and so begins his new life adjusting to the wilds of Presque Isle. To that end, Auggie is helped along by Joe Root, a hermit himself and a curiosity among the locals, who has been living on the beaches of Presque Isle for decades. He is also befriended by kitchen help, Maisy, who works at a resort at the entrance to the peninsula. Over time, his relationship with Maisy blossoms into more than just friendship as he adjusts to his new life. During this time, he also slowly begins to realize that the murder he had witnessed is part of a larger plan that has something to do with the peninsula itself. Auggie inadvertently inserts himself into the investigation and is befriended by Will Weston, the detective investigating the murder. As businesses around Presque Isle are being bought then shuttered by a mysterious businessman, one of these owners is murdered. It is then that Auggie begins to realize that whatever nefarious plan ‘the man with the limp’ has, it is putting his life and the lives of those closest to him in mortal danger.

Free for KU

Paperback

About the Author

William Todd has been writing for over 20 years, primarily gothic horror stories in the style of Lovecraft, Poe, and Shelley. Loving all things Victorian, he was inspired to read (and later to write) by Arthur Conan Doyle. The first book he ever read cover to cover was Hound of the Baskervilles, which also fed his appetite for horror. William Todd has written two short story compilations of gothic horror, Dead of Night and Beyond the Gossamer Veil and one sci-fi/horror hybrid genre Something Wicked This Way Comes. He has also written multiple Sherlock Holmes pastiches, Murder in Keswick, A Reflection of Evil, Mystery of the Broken Window, and Elementary—a short story compilation, which were picked up for republish by Spellbound Publishing, LTD. Three of his short stories were part of MX Publishing’s New Sherlock Holmes Stories with proceeds going to a charity for special needs children housed in Undershaw, the very home Conan Doyle penned Hound of the Baskervilles. Writing for the books was a special privilege because his daughter, Alina, has Down Syndrome. In 2022, he published his first YA/historical novel A Summer with the Hermit King, which was an Amazon #1 New Release, and he has started yet another Sherlock Holmes compilation. When not writing (which isn’t often!) William spends his time walking the trails and beaches of Presque Isle in his home of Erie, Pennsylvania, and spending time with his family.

Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Book Tour Schedule

May 22nd

http://rrbooktours.com – Kick-Off

https://aubreywynne.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Feature

https://christinebialczak.com/ – Feature

May 23rd

https://www.instagram.com/louturnspages/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/caffeinatedbookowl/ – Review

https://lshadowlynauthor.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/okuta.otherside/?hl=id – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

May 24th

http://www.thefaeriereview.com – Review

https://www.tiktok.com/@bratzlibrary?_t=8YgzeawOzHu&_r=1 – Review

http://readsandreels.com  – Feature

May 25th

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com – Feature

May 26th

https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/books_coffee_and_pao/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bingingbooksandcoffee/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

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Blog Tour: Scale – L.R. Friedman

Welcome to the tour for Scale by L.R. Friedman, the second novel in The Blaze Legacy series. Read on for more details and visit one of our Instagram hosts for a chance to win a signed copy of the book!

Scale (The Blaze Legacy #2)

Publication Date: January 16th, 2023

Genre: NA Dark Romantasy with Dark Academia elements

🌟 Dark Portal Fantasy
🌟 Secret Societies
🌟 Adult Dark Academia
🌟 Dual POV
🌟 Slow Burn
🌟 Morally Grey Characters

The Revered have returned.

Struggling to confront burning truths, Kyleigh must keep her identity a secret or risk endangering everyone. As she and Dru navigate her awakened magic and new role within the kingdom, self-doubts emerge, threatening to pull them apart.

Aislin is discharged from her assassin duties, only to find herself tethered to another master when a small favor comes back to haunt her. A familiar enemy re-enters her life, complicating things further and conjuring feelings she can’t ignore or trust.

The restoration of power in Celaria rouses a dangerous foe. Now, two warring kingdoms with a heated past must form a tenuous alliance.

Secrets will be unmasked.

Hearts will be measured.

What are they willing to sacrifice to heal a decade of scars?

Scale is the second book in The Blaze legacy, an NA/Adult Dark Portal Romantasy that is full of magic, mythical creatures, delicious tension, and spice that builds through the series. It contains some explicit content best suited for readers over the age of 18.

Available on Amazon

Descend (The Blaze Legacy #1)

Genre:  NA Dark Romantasy with Dark Academia elements

Publication Date: August 23rd, 2023

A hidden portal isn’t something most students bargain for when they enroll at Halston University.

When a mysterious black envelope arrives during freshman orientation—one inviting Kyleigh Roberts to the school’s prestigious secret society—she immediately feels an unexplainable pull to pledge.

What Kyleigh doesn’t realize is that getting closer to the answers she’s been searching for will force her further from everything she’s ever known.

She plummets into a dark realm full of magic and twisted creatures that once only lived in her bedtime fairy tales. Grappling with explosive powers that begin to emerge, Kyleigh stumbles into a stranger—a woman with glowing eyes who claims she can help.

Since Aislin discovered her gift, she’s been nothing more than a weapon—one wielded by criminals. The idea of freedom has always been just that, an idea. A luxury for those who don’t possess her talent for delivering a swift and merciful death. But for the first time, she’s given a shot at the freedom she’s craved for years.

The catch? She must use her gifts one final time to carry out a mission fueled by revenge against the man least deserving of her mercy.

When Kyleigh and Aislin’s stories become entangled, the two women from worlds apart must find a way to join forces against a vengeful king or risk remaining pawns in a deadly game played by those in power.

The Blaze Legacy is a NA/Adult Dark Portal Romantasy series containing content best suited for readers over the age of 18.

Amazon

About the Author

Author L.R. Friedman loves curling up with a cup of coffee while diving into her fantasy and paranormal romance worlds. A Virginia native, she currently lives in Texas with her husband and three children.

LR Friedman

Twitter: @RRBookTours1 #RRBookTours #TheBlazeLegacy

IG: @lrfriedmanauthor @rrbooktours #rrbooktours #rrbtscale #theblazelegacy #lrfriedman #nafantasy #darkromanticfantasy #darkfantasy #portalfantasy #romantasy #romanticfantasy #fantasyromance #adultdarkacademia #darkacademiabooks

TikTok: @lrfriedmanauthor @shannon_of_rrbooktours #rrbooktours #rrbtscale #theblazelegacy #lrfriedman #nafantasy #darkromanticfantasy #darkfantasy #portalfantasy #romantasy #romanticfantasy #fantasyromance #adultdarkacademia #darkacademiabooks 

Book Tour Schedule

May 15th

http://rrrbooktours.com – Kick-off

https://www.instagram.com/its_b.e.l.l.e/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/over.on.my.bookshelf/?hl=en – Review

https://www.tiktok.com/@bratzlibrary?_t=8YgzeawOzHu&_r=1 – Review

https://www.instagram.com/squeakeysundergroundlibrary/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/justsokristin/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/ – Feature

http://www.ismellsheep.com/  – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/katslovesbooks/ – Feature

May 16th

https://www.instagram.com/balancing_books_and_beauties/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/countrymamaswithkids/ – Review

https://breakevenbooks.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/booksontheknightbus/?hl=en – Feature

http://ramblingmads.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/sumbularsalan_thebibliophile/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/notastringonme/ – Feature

May 17th

https://bookwormbunnyreviews.blogspot.com/ – Review

https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/ – Feature

http://www.instagram.com/nerdybookmama – Feature

https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/ – Feature

https://www.instagram.com/read.em.if.you.got.em/ – Feature

May 18th

https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/emilyinthearchives/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bingingbooksandcoffee/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/niveditha_preeth/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/paulalearmouth/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/books_cats_andchemistry_tt/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/kemalareadsbooks/ – Feature

May 19th

https://www.instagram.com/book_lover_danny/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/demigodreading19/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/ems.readsandreviews/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bouviebooks/ – Review

https://www.instagram.com/jlreadstoperpetuity – Review

https://www.instagram.com/bookishlyrieka/ – Review

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Blog Tour: The Gathering of the Four – A.E. Bennett

Welcome to the book tour for A.E. Bennett’s Gathering of the Four, the first novel in the Serrulata Saga!

Gathering Four FINAL

Gathering of the Four (Serrulata Saga #1)

Publication Date: April 2, 2021

Genre: Dystopian Sci-Fi/ Fantasy 18+

“In the Realm, every citizen knows their place.”

Leora of Mae is a young woman orphaned at birth and raised on a remote farm. As a wielder of Xanthcraft, her abilities set her apart from her adoptive family and the other villagers.

Shortly before her twentieth birthday, she learns of her family’s plot to sell her into servitude. Fearing for her life, she flees from the only home she’s ever known—defying societal conventions and breaking the edicts of the Realm.

As she runs, Leora meets Roland Shallowbrook, a traveler on the Thieves’ Road; Lady Aurora Verte, daughter of a powerful member of the gentry; and the White Rider Leopold, a soldier with a secret.

Together, this found family will have to band together to survive.

Set in the far distant future, Gathering of the Four is the first book in the Serrulata Saga.

Excerpt

Leora beat her arms to make the blood and feeling return to them. She hated sleeping in the barn, although the only alternative was on the floor by the hearth in the cabin, which Liza only permitted during the coldest winter months. The cabin had been built before Leora was born and probably could have been modified to comfortably sleep more than three people, especially when one was a child. But Liza would have none of it and had banished Leora to sleeping in the barn shortly after the marking of Leora’s fourteenth birthday. Nial had protested, and a compromise had been made, but it was now Third Month, so Leora had recently moved back into the loft.

She knew sleep would continue to elude her so, grumbling, she stood slowly for a walk around the small parcel of land that her adoptive parents could call their own—as much as anyone could call anything theirs under the gentry. She made it to the lone serrulata tree on the lawn before she realized she was not the only one awake.

She crouched down and held her breath as she strained to listen to the voices coming from the direction of the farm- house. Concentrating as she closed her eyes, she breathed in and out slowly, then opened them, feeling a surge of triumph. Her skin was tinged lavender, as was everything around her, which meant her Xanthcraft was working. She was now invisible. She still had to creep toward the farmhouse, though. No one could see her, but they could still hear her if she made any noise.

“I don’t care; we made a promise—”

“Promise nothing!”

Liza and Nial were arguing in hushed whispers. Although Leora had heard them disagree in the past, Nial’s voice was more urgent and strained than she’d ever heard it.

“It’s been nineteen years! Years! And now this comet! And we’re starving —”

“—not starving! What are you talking about? The comet means nothing—”

“—put that thing before your own son—comet a sign—time to let her go—”

Leora shivered when she heard her adoptive mother refer to her as a “thing.”

A slight breeze picked up then, rustling the grass and making it impossible to hear their next few sentences. It died almost as quickly as it had come, and Leora slapped her hands over her mouth at the next word she heard.

“Servantry.”

She knew Liza hated her, but not even she could be so cruel. Or could she?

“Are you out of your mind?” “Keep your voice down!”

There was a pause, as though a heavy cloud had descended on the field.

“You needn’t be here—will come for her—out in the field—don’t even have to say goodbye—”

“I cannot—cruel.”

“Not cruel—our son—our family—”

There was another dark pause. Leora’s chest constricted, as though a large beast had curled up and taken residence within her heart. Surely Nial couldn’t—wouldn’t—let her go. Not like this! She only had another half of a year before she would be of age and could go off into the world…and leave the family with nothing to profit from. Twenty was the legal age of majority throughout the Realm, no matter a person’s station, and a child under that age could be sold into the servantry. An adult who had committed no crime could not.

Her twentieth birthday was this summer.

Bile rose in her throat. Nial had yet to give his wife a firm no. He had been her one ally against Liza’s, and eventually Preston’s, cruelty. He had tended to Leora’s skinned knees and bruised elbows and other growing pains. He’d mopped her forehead free of sweat during that one winter, years ago, when she’d fallen ill with fluenza. He was the only one in the farmhouse who’d had time to give her smiles and asked about her well-being. He couldn’t abandon her. Not when she needed him so desperately.

“—make it quick—I don’t want to be here when they come.”

“—I will give you that—”

Available on Amazon

About the Author

bennett_avatar

A.E. Bennett lives in Washington, D.C. She is originally from North Carolina

A.E. Bennett | Newsletter | Instagram | Goodreads

Book Tour Schedule

May 8th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

@books.and.salt (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books.and.salt/

Book Butterfly in Dreamland (Review) http://purpleshadowhunter.blogspot.com/

@purpleshadowhunter – https://www.instagram.com/purpleshadowhunter/

Books + Coffee = Happiness (Spotlight) https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

Cocktails & Fairy tales (Spotlight) https://www.facebook.com/CocktailsFairytales

May 9th

Cheryl’s Book Nook (Review) https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

@beastreader – https://www.instagram.com/beastreader/

@squeakeysundergroundlibrary (Review) https://www.instagram.com/squeakeysundergroundlibrary/

@brandikaedesigns (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/

@sabireads1984 (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/sabireads1984/

May 10th

I Love Books & Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

Fiction Lux (Spotlight) https://fictionlux.blogspot.com/

@kemalareadsbooks (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/kemalareadsbooks/

Stine Writing (Spotlight) https://christinebialczak.com/

May 11th

@ameliaveganreader (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/

@fathomsamidstthelines (Review) https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/

The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

@amber.bunch_author (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

May 12th

@amanda_coffee_books (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/

@jayjay_pjkw (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jayjay_pjkw/

@takealookatmybookshelf (Review) https://www.instagram.com/takealookatmybookshelf/

@bookdragonstbr (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonstbr/

Stine Writing (Spotlight) https://christinebialczak.com/

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Blog Tour: ReInception – Sarena Straus

If you enjoyed the Divergent series or The Uglies, you are going to want to read ReInception by Sarena Straus! Read on for more info and a chance to win a fantastic giveaway!

ReInception_EBOOK-FINAL

ReInception

Publication Date: October 2022

Genre: NA Sci-Fi/ Dystopian

REINCEPTION WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND…whether you want it or not

A hundred years in the future, ReInception is used to modify the brain and eliminate unwanted behaviors–everything from overeating to the worst criminal impulses. Unmodified 20-year-old Leandrea Justus feels ordinary compared to her perfect friends who like living in a ReInception world.

Not everyone is in favor of modification–some remain quiet, while others are outwardly insubordinate. After a protest turns violent, a rogue member of the serving class known as The Prole saves Leandrea and exposes a new reality to her: The true purpose of ReInception may be far more nefarious than advertised. Now, her free will may be her greatest asset. But Leandrea’s discoveries about ReInception are putting her life at stake. Can she save society or will the secrets she uncovers start a Civil War?

ReInception is a fiction-debut, the first in a new, action-filled sci-fi trilogy with surprising twists, and a story that may be closer to reality than we think.

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About the Author

Sarena-Straus

I write novels for the curious and adventurous, for people who are intrigued by a “what happens if,” scenario, and who like to explore the outcomes. My characters are ordinary people who find out that they are capable of extraordinary things and discover that one person can truly make a difference.

After receiving a BA in art history and political science from Barnard, I graduated from Fordham University School of Law. I then worked for five years at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office (BXDA), where I prosecuted sex crimes and child abuse cases. After leaving BXDA, I published a true-crime memoir, Bronx DA: True Stories from the Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence unit (Barricade, 2006). In 2010, my book sold as a TV Pilot to CBS/Paramount.

I’ve gone on to publish numerous legal articles and works of poetry, and I was an editor for a legal magazine. For a few years, I was also a talking head, commenting on current criminal cases in the media on tv and radio.

Today, I live in the Hudson Valley, NY with my husband, our two children (also budding writers), two naughty Labrador retriever ladies, and two barn cat boys. I’m now working on sequels to my debut novel ReInception and will keep you posted about them on my site.

When not writing or lawyering, I love to scuba dive, take photographs, and travel off the beaten path. I’ll swap diving or courtroom stories with you all day long or happily talk to you about books–writing them or reading them!

Sarena Straus | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook

Book Tour Schedule

May 8th

R&R Book Tours (Kick-Off) http://rrbooktours.com

@books.and.salt (Review) https://www.instagram.com/books.and.salt/

Book Butterfly in Dreamland (Review) http://purpleshadowhunter.blogspot.com/

@purpleshadowhunter – https://www.instagram.com/purpleshadowhunter/

Books + Coffee = Happiness (Spotlight) https://bookscoffeehappiness.com/

Rambling Mads (Spotlight) http://ramblingmads.com

Cocktails & Fairy tales (Spotlight) https://www.facebook.com/CocktailsFairytales

May 9th

Cheryl’s Book Nook (Review) https://cherylsbooknook.blogspot.com/

@beastreader – https://www.instagram.com/beastreader/

@squeakeysundergroundlibrary (Review) https://www.instagram.com/squeakeysundergroundlibrary/

@brandikaedesigns (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/brandikaedesigns/

@sabireads1984 (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/sabireads1984/

May 10th

I Love Books & Stuff (Spotlight) https://ilovebooksandstuffblog.wordpress.com

Fiction Lux (Spotlight) https://fictionlux.blogspot.com/

@kemalareadsbooks (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/kemalareadsbooks/

Stine Writing (Spotlight) https://christinebialczak.com/

May 11th

@ameliaveganreader (Review) https://www.instagram.com/ameliaveganreader/

@fathomsamidstthelines (Review) https://www.instagram.com/fathomsamidstthelines/

The Faerie Review (Review) http://www.thefaeriereview.com

@amber.bunch_author (Spotlight) https://www.instagram.com/amber.bunch_author/

May 12th

@amanda_coffee_books (Review) https://www.instagram.com/amanda_coffee_books/

@jayjay_pjkw (Review) https://www.instagram.com/jayjay_pjkw/

@takealookatmybookshelf (Review) https://www.instagram.com/takealookatmybookshelf/

@bookdragonstbr (Review) https://www.instagram.com/bookdragonstbr/

Stine Writing (Spotlight) https://christinebialczak.com/

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Blog Tour: Soul Sucker – Kayla Maurais

SoulSucker copy

Welcome to the tour for Soul Sucker by Kayla Maurais! Read on for more, and make sure to visit one of our Bookstagram hosts for a chance to win a hardcover edition and some other bookish goodies!

OFFICIAL SUCKER COVER

Soul Sucker

Publication Date: February 17th, 2023

Genre: YA Sci-fi/ Fantasy

If the horror planet they’re trapped on doesn’t kill them first, their sibling rivalry just might . . .

For siblings Dash and Shea, stealing and selling rare artifacts across the galaxy is the family business. Meticulous planner Shea yearns to make her father proud, while chaos comedian Dash secretly wishes to be a normal teen.

When Dash fails to return from a classified heist on a planet in the Realm of Shadows, his negligence falls on Shea, and it’s up to her to rescue him. Again. Locating her brother is tricky enough, but upon her arrival Shea discovers that not only has Dash lost the portal key that was meant to deliver them home, the vile creature he was sent to steal has latched onto him and now feeds on his soul.

To save her brother, Shea must enlist the help of a runaway spellcaster in order to find the cure. Nobody else can guide them across a treacherous terrain filled with viscera-laden rivers and forests lurking with carnivorous predators. Relying on someone else means being vulnerable for the first time. And as Shea’s confidence in herself and her tolerance for her brother’s mistakes start to waver, she must decide what’s more important—being the perfectly-polished leader her father raised her to be, or letting her guard down to save her siblingship and her little brother’s soul.

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About the Author

Author

Kayla Maurais is a Young Adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy author from New England. She first started writing creatively when she was thirteen. Since then, she’s gone on to get a Masters in Screenwriting. When she isn’t writing, Kayla enjoys spending time in nature and going on road trips to discover new places. She is also a certified TEFL teacher, birth doula, and an intuitive empath.

Kayla Maurais

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Blog Tour: New Normal – Michelle Paris

Welcome to the tour for Michelle Paris’ new book, New Normal. Read on for more details!

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New Normal

Publication Date: May 2nd, 2023

Genre: Women’s Fiction/ Light-Hearted

Publisher: Apprentice House Press

After the sudden death of her husband, Emilie Russell just wants to feel normal. But being a middle-aged widow doesn’t come with a how-to manual. Her well-meaning friend, Viv, believes the cure to all that ails is simple: a new man. So, she sets Emilie up with her handsome and charming new neighbor, widower Colin. There’s only one problem with the plan—Colin is gay.

Emilie embarks on a rollicking journey of self-discovery with Colin as her mentor and best friend. From learning to swipe right without cringing while midlife dating in constricting shapeware to cougar moments in Key West, Emilie reenters the dating pool with both humorous and soul-crushing results.

With the encouragement of her friends, including a new furry one, plus a little therapy, Emilie begins forging a new life, one where she exchanges tears for laughter, and one that maybe—just maybe—includes the courage to find love again.

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Available on Amazon

About the Author

Paris, Michelle 1 5x5

Michelle Paris is a Maryland writer who believes laughter can heal the heart. Her debut novel, New Normal is loosely based on her own experience as a young widow. Her personal story of overcoming grief was featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. And her essays about grief and mid-life dating have appeared in multiple editions of the Chicken Soup for the Soul inspirational book series as well as in other media outlets. She is a member of the Romance Writers of America, the Maryland Writers’ Association, and the Women’s Fiction Writers’ Association. Currently, Michelle is enjoying chapter two of her life with her new husband, Kevin, who keeps her from being a cat lady but only on technicality.

Michelle Paris

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