Cover Reveal & Excerpt: Smother by Lindy Zart

Title: Smother
By: Lindy Zart
Cover by: Cover to Cover Designs - https://www.facebook.com/CoverToCoverDesign
Expected release date: May 21, 2015
Add to your TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23657398-smother
Book trailer: https://animoto.com/play/lHFDzGy61Ge36SO0BfEY8w
Genre: Dark NA, Romantic Suspense

Blurb: 

You won't like me.
I am not the nice girl.
I am not your friend.
I don't care about you, but most of all, I don't care about me.
Go ahead, hate me.
We all have secrets.
I have them as well—dark, terrible secrets.
The only time I can breathe is when I forget.
I need to be numb. You don't want to know how.
But as long as I can breathe, the past cannot smother me.

Excerpt:

Her head was throbbing and her mouth tasted like sandpaper. As she walked, she looked up and saw the one person she’d rather not. Even so, her steps lightened, like she was relieved to see him, like he could make it all okay. Save her, redeem her. Wash away the bad. Make her good. Remove the last few hours from her soul.

He was leaving the apartment building as she was stumbling toward it, his stride determined. Her shoes scraped against the pavement and his head shot up, his slate-colored eyes locking on her and taking the air from her lungs. They both paused, lost in what they were looking at. She couldn’t breathe, struck by the sheer power of him, the way he held himself, the look on his face. He could be deadly if he wanted to be, she saw that. There was a dangerous element to him that could be ignored due to his quiet nature. It sent a thrill—part excitement, part fear—down her back.

Ryan honked the horn before peeling away. She flinched at the sound, looking away from Leo, but not before catching his unwavering stare on the sports car as it sped down the street. Her skin was crawling, her insides raped even though she’d never told them no. She wanted to cry, needed to hide.

She didn’t stay immobile long, swaying when a light, chilling breeze pushed at her. The bathing suit was dampening her shirt with cold wetness and she shivered. His eyes darkened as he looked her over, seeing all she’d rather he didn’t. Her crimes were not visible, but even so, he knew them. She wanted to hide from him at the same time she wanted his arms around her so that she could hide from herself, from those men, from every man but him. Nothing about her made sense.

His jaw went tight. “Who’s that?” he ground out.

“No one,” she answered, wanting it to be true. She never wanted Leo to know those men. She wanted to forget them as well.

His mouth pulled down as he studied her. She swore he could see each place they touched her—that he knew what they’d done to her even though she’d never tell a soul.

“Am I fired?” she asked slowly, wishing the drugs would clear completely from her brain, even if just for this conversation.

“Want to be?”

She swallowed, looking down without answering.

Yes.

No.

“Hurting yourself.”

Heat flooded her skin and she snapped her head up to glare at him. “No. I’m not.” I do this to stop hurting.

He moved toward her and she straightened, keeping her gaze on his. His mouth pulled down. “Do things to fly, but you always fall.”

“Shut up,” she whispered, her eyes stinging.

“We all fall, eventually.”

Review: #Nerd by Cambria Hebert

Cover Source: GoodReads.com

Title: #Nerd

Series: Hashtag #1

Author: Cambria Hebert

Version Reviewed: Finished, eBook.

Website: www.cambriahebert.com

*This book was provided for free by the author for review.

GoodReads Summary:

Two people from completely different worlds are about to be thrown together…
In more ways than one.
She wants to keep her scholarship. He wants to stay on the team. An awkward alliance doesn’t even begin to cover Rimmel and Romeo’s relationship.
But that’s about to change.
It starts with a dare. An initiation. A challenge.
Quickly, it turns into more. But when you’re a victim of your status, there is no room for anything real. The rules are clear and simple.
Stick to your circle.
And never fall in love with anyone on the outside.

Review:
 First off, I want to thank Cambria Hebert for gifting me a review copy of #Nerd. I was so excited to read this one.

#Nerd was SO amazing! I absolutely loved this one! The story drew me in immediately and once I started reading, I couldn't stop.  I read over half the book when I should have been sleeping.  I only stopped because I knoew it would only be a few hours before my daughter would be waking up and I needed to get some rest.  I just couldn't get enough though! As soon as I got the chance, I continued reading.

The characters (especially Romeo) were very easy to fall in love with and the story was very realistic and very reminiscent of college life.

I really liked that there were equal parts romance, emotion, and sexiness (HELLO! That library scene in the beginning!!).

I loved Rimmel and her story.  We all have felt like her at times and I found her very easy to relate to.  We seemed to have a lot in common, her and I.  And Murphy!  I wish I could have Murphy.

Romeo... Oh, Romeo. We all know someone like him or went to school with someone like him.  The popular jock that gets all the girls, has the best luck, and no matter how much you hate to admit it, is devilishly good looking.  It was nice to see his journey from player to boyfriend throughout the book, to see the other side of things.  I'm really happy that his character had his own point of view chapters.

Overall, I LOVED #Nerd and I absolutely cannot wait to dive into #Hater.


Favorite Characters: Romeo, Rimmel, and Murphy.
Rating: 5 Stars

Excerpt & Giveaway: Sparrow Way by Annie Rose Welch

 Sparrow Way

by Annie Rose Welch

 

 The final journey of the Saving Angels series has come to an end. All roads have led you to….

“What’s the address?” she asks.“Eleven Sparrow Way.”She closes her eyes for a moment. “I like that. Our journey has flown us here, flown us home….”Gabriel Roberts found his happily ever after at The Crossroads of his life. He found his brother, Michael, his history in the Legion, and the love of his life, his Evangeline. He has finally arrived at the place he always yearned for—home.But time stops for no one; not even an angel.For years Gabriel has guarded what is most precious to him, Evangeline and their transcendent love story. When the opportunity presents itself in an unexpected way, Gabriel decides to tell his story, and in doing so, answers the riddle of his heart: If life is the journey of years, perhaps love is the journey of a lifetime?

GoodReads | Amazon

Review: Lays "Do Us A Flavor" Cappuccino Flavored Potato Chips

Photo Source: http://media2.popsugar-assets.com/files/2014/07/17/790/n/1922195/06708422fd52699f_lays-cappucino-1r4LFdB.xxxlarge/i/Cappuccino.jpg

*I bought this item myself.

*NOTE: This review was written when the chips first came out.  I just never got around to posting it.

SCENT

I think these chips smell very mocha-y.  A lot of reviews I've seen comment that they smelled a lot of cinnamon but I didn't with my bag. It straight up smells like a mocha coffee drink.

TASTE

I expected these to be absolutely terrible. They were the ones that I wanted to try the least (except Mango Salsa, but we'll get to that later).

I actually don't find these too horrible, however. It's like a cappuccino-dipped potato chip.  It's definitely not, in my opinion, disgusting.  I do plan on finishing the bag but I honestly wouldn't go out in search of these to purchase again.  I didn't hate them, but I didn't love them either.

Would I Repurchase? No.

Would I recommend? To eat on a regular basis? No. Just to try them out? Definitely. I'd love to see what others think, especially super crazy coffee lovers.

Promo & Giveaway: Firebird Vengeance by Orren Merton

I'm excited to present the teaser tour for Firebird Vengeance by Orren Merton. This is the third book in the Sedumem Chronicles, a young adult urban fantasy series. Today we have a teaser for you to give you a taste of the authors style. This is not included in the book, but gives you a taste of it.

BRIEFING GIVEN BY COMMANDER LLAMAR WALTERS, 4TH PRECINCT COMMANDING OFFICER, SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT, DETROIT, MICHIGAN

Walters: Thank you for assembling on such short notice. I realize how extraordinary it is to be called from your beats, but this is pretty extraordinary. I’d like to start by taking a moment to lower our heads for Officers Herrera and Nguyen, killed in the line of duty.

Officer Julie Conklin: Sir, what are those things?

Walters: If you’ve seen Lady Firebird’s video, you know as much as I do. She’s calling them “Possessed.” That’s important, people—remember, it’s not grandma any more, or your buddy from down the street. I know how much it hurts to think of them as walking lasers in a meat wrapper, but that’s basically what they are at this point.

Officer Frank Lee: Why here? I mean, why Detroit, not that I want them to be blowing up the 7th District or anything.

Walters: We’re not sure. She said something about those things trying to destroy the purest among us. Maybe there’s some really pure nuns or rabbis or imams in our district. I don’t know. But I do know that they’re here, and we have to do what we can to protect our citizens.

Officer Jennifer Maiz: But they can shoot through anything—cars, body armor, buildings, you name it. What are we supposed to do?

Walters: I’m getting to that Maiz. I just got off the phone with Sergeant Hector Godinez in California. He’s the detective who’s got Lady Firebird on speed dial. He says that any minute now, we can expect a couple of her…I dunno what the hell they are. I think he called them “Marzipan”—

Officer John Dunn: I think it’s “Mazzikim,” sir.

Walters: Thanks, Dunn. We’re getting a couple of those in a minute or two. They’re bringing specially treated shields, swords, and bows and arrows they say can protect against the blasts and hurt the possessing spirits inside. I don’t suppose we have any sword and bow experts in our precinct, do we?

Officer Brent Jeffers: I go bow hunting with my cousins up north sometimes, does that count?

Walters: Right now it does, thanks Jeffers. You and any others who have training, you’ll try to take out those Possessed things. The rest of us will try and clear out as many citizens as we can, and if you’ve got a clear shot, go for their eyes—that won’t kill them, but it will keep ‘em from firing at us. Then we can take ‘em out with swords.

Officer Gill Fernandez: How, sir?

Walters: Well, I’m not an expert, but I think we need to stick them with the pointy end.

Fernandez: Yes, sir.

Intercom: Sir…I…we…there’s two large beings at the counter right now. One looks like a gorilla with an alligator head, and the other some kind of bear with a tiger head. They’ve got huge bags over their shoulders, that firebird lady’s symbol on their shirts, and they’re…they’re talking, sir. They’re asking to see you…What do we do?

Walters: Okay officers, we’re up. Everyone grab a shield, and lets get these Possessed. Keep safe, and let’s hope that Lady Firebird knows what she’s talking about.

About the Book:

When eighteen-year old half-demon Alexandra Gold uses her firebird spirit to save the soul of a murdered girl, it brings her to the attention of the most powerful beings in her parallel universe.

At first, she believes this is a blessing. When she discovers that she has been the unwitting pawn of an ancient vengeance that intends to destroy every living human and demon in both universes, she realizes that she's been cursed.

This ancient vengeance has the power to re-animate the dead and use them to murder the living—and for each of the thirty-six most righteous human beings it murders, the more powerful it becomes.

Alex is determined to protect the thirty-six and save both worlds, but she cannot defeat Vengeance alone. All she has is her demon blade, her spirit fire, and her wits—to prevail, she must convince those humans and demons who are terrified and blame her for this catastrophe to help her.

Goodreads | Amazon 


About the Author:

Orren Merton started writing fantasy and science fiction at an embarrassingly young age, mostly for

his own amusement. In high school, he listened to a lot of dark and moody rock, which inspired him to pick up guitar and start playing up and down California in a few bands, culminating in his Industrial rock group Ember After releasing their debut album, Grasping At Straws, and subsequently The Misery EP. During that time, magazines, developers, and corporations began to pay him to write and edit music software related articles, manuals, and books. Since then he has written the urban fantasy novel The Deviant and the science fiction novel Skye Entity before working on his current series of YA novels. He lives in Southern California with his family, pets, collection of sci-fi/fantasy memorabilia, and curiously large stuffed animal collection.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

5 ebook copies of Firebird Vengeance by Orren Merton.

Open worldwide.

Ends Feb. 24th

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This event was organized by CBB Book Promotions.