Thursday, August 31, 2017

NERD BLAST: The Keep of Ages by Caragh M. O'Brien


We have a cool Nerd Blast for Caragh M. O'Brien's The Keep of Ages, the third and final book in The Vault of Dreamers Trilogy! Just released August 29th, we celebrate this book birthday with an awesome blast-wide giveaway!!! Check it out and grab your copy today!

Genre:
Young Adult
Science Fiction/Dystopian Romance
Series:
The Vault of Dreamers, #3
Publish Date:
August 29, 2017
Publisher:
Roaring Brook Press

Synopsis:
In the fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to Caragh M. O'Brien's Vault of Dreamers trilogy, Rosie travels to a derelict theme park to shut down dream mining once and for all.

Driven by fear when Dean Berg kidnaps her family, Rosie Sinclair strikes out across the country to rescue them. When an elusive trail leads her to Grisly Valley, the contaminated ruin of a horror theme park, Rosie has to consider that Berg may once again be manipulating her every move to make her fearful, priming her for a final, lethal dream mining procedure. As Rosie struggles to outmaneuver Berg, she unearths the ultimate vault of dreamers and the hint of a consciousness more powerful and dangerous than any she's imagined before. Faced with unspeakable suffering and otherworldly beauty, Rosie must discover how to trust her mind, her friends, and reality itself.

Propulsive and deeply speculative, The Keep of Ages concludes the Vault of Dreamers trilogy with stirring possibilities for what it means to be alive.


      

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What Others Are Saying About The Vault of Dreamers series

“A sharp novel about the ways in which everyone can be manipulated, either through editing or one's own desire to go the easiest path.” ―BCCB

“Like O'Briens Birthmarked trilogy, this dystopian, sci-fi, psychological-thriller hybrid raises ethical and moral questions about science. This might have been a difficult story to pull off, given the environment, but with a likable narrator who is thoroughly unimpressed with herself, it works . . . this should have wide appeal.” ―Booklist

“Fans looking for a science fiction novel that is not heavy on the science fiction or who want something vaguely dystopian will enjoy this title.” ―VOYA

“A mixture of science fiction and contemporary fiction, this novel is an interesting addition to both genres.” ―School Library Journal

“A fast, satisfying psychological thriller . . . The sudden cliffhanger will polarize readers.” ―Kirkus Reviews

“Like viewers of The Forge Show, readers will want to keep watching Rosie.” ―Publishers Weekly

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Don't miss the previous titles in the Vault of Dreamers trilogy!
 
(covers link to Goodreads)

      

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**About the Author**
Photo Credit: Tomy O’Brien 2014
Caragh M. O’Brien is the author of the Birthmarked trilogy and the Vault of Dreamers trilogy, both from Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ms. O’Brien was educated at Williams College and earned her MA in the Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University. Her young adult science fiction has been honored by the YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, the Amelia Bloomer Award, the Junior Library Guild, and numerous state reading lists. A former high school English teacher, she now writes young adult novels full time from her home in rural Connecticut.

Stay connected with Caragh O'Brien
    

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***The Giveaway***


Giveaway is Open Internationally | Must be 13+ to Enter

Note: Not responsible for Lost or Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box
Nerd Blast Organized by

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

BLOG TOUR: Masked by J.D. Wright


Welcome to our tour stop on this Blog Tour for J.D. Wright's Masked, the first book in the Superheroes Undercover series! On our stop today, we have a sneak peek into the book with a cool excerpt and a few character bios! We even have guest post featuring J.D. Wright's "Top 10 Favorite Superheroes!" But... That's not all! Just follow the tour, HERE, and check out all the various posts by participating blogs! And... We have a tour-wide giveaway to share, too! Check it out  and grab your copy today!

Genre:
Upper Young Adult
Paranormal/Fantasy
Superheroes
Series:
Superheroes Undercover, #1
Publish Date:
August 15, 2017
Publisher:
Limitless Publishing, LLC

Synopsis:
Vada’s To-Do List:

- Turn 18 (check!)
- Register super name
- Order supersuit
- Attend superhero indoctrination
- Graduate high school
- Start kicking criminal tail


Vada Lawson can’t wait to be a superhero. Born into a family with special powers, she’s been training to fight criminals and villains her whole life. But her indoctrination into the underground super community is derailed when normals start breaking out in superpowers themselves.

Not trained to control their new abilities, the normals are frightened and vulnerable. Then their mutilated corpses begin turning up all over town. What the heck?

Somehow, with the help—and hindrance—of an annoying newly-minted super named Orion, Vada has to stop the chaos before it destroys her and everything she holds dear…and ruins her superhero debut.

No one ever said that being a superhero was easy…


     
*FREE on Kindle Unlimited*

*Excerpt*
Henley finished her drink off just as she spotted Nick for the first time all evening. He had entered the kitchen from the backyard, laughing along with several of his friends while they refilled their cups. Not a single one of them looked her way, and she thought it was probably for the best that they didn’t catch her staring. 

She was too far away to hear what they were discussing, but she watched out of the corner of her eye and waited for an opportunity to approach Nick. When his buddies began to disperse, most of them returning to the backyard, Henley saw her chance. 

However, after only two steps in Nick’s direction, she lost her nerve. Instead, she turned and pretended to look at an insanely boring painting on the wall of a table with a bowl of fruit on it. 

“Pathetic.” 

“What?” Henley jerked her head to the side when she heard the voice. A shadow in the hallway behind her moved forward and Victor Cursey emerged. 

He was tall and dressed in black pants, shirt, and jacket. He seemed to blend into the dark hall behind him as he leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. There was a wickedly sinful smirk on his face that made Henley want to blush. She did her best to suppress the urge. 

“I saw that sad attempt,” he said, nodding toward the kitchen where Nick was still lingering. “You didn’t even make it out of the living room.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Victor’s knowing grin proved otherwise. “If you say so. But he’ll never notice you. You should know that by now. The prince isn’t the type to be drawn to girls like you.” He paused and looked her over from head to toe. “No matter how attractive you are.” 

Henley couldn’t stop the shiver she felt under Victor’s intense gaze. When he swept his eyes over her, he seemed to almost be…absorbing her. Every hair on her body stood at attention. On one hand, she felt violated by his gaze and wanted to slap him for it. On the other hand, she secretly enjoyed the attention. 

“Why do you call him that? Prince?” 

“Well, that should be easy to decipher. Nicholas Grayson is Cyper City royalty, in every way that counts, isn’t he? Son of the city’s white knight and best at everything he does. Sounds like a fairytale Prince Charming to me.” 

“You must read some pretty shitty fairytales, Victor.” 

This drew a genuine smile from his face. “You know my name?” 

“I know everyone’s name.” Henley was clearly bluffing, but it seemed like a good retort at the time. She wasn’t sure why she was even talking to this boy, but she couldn’t make herself walk away. “And if you hate the prince so much, why come to his party?” 

“Oh, that’s an easy one. I have to work, after all.” 

Henley wanted to ask him what he meant by that but she saw movement out of the corner of her eye and noticed that the prince in question was walking toward her. She froze. But Nick immediately turned down a different hallway, leading away from her. A second later, he was gone from view. 

Victor chuckled beside her, then held his hand up and dangled a vial of bright yellow liquid in front of her face. “Want to talk to the prince? This will give you the nerve to do it.” 

“What in the hell is that?” Henley stepped away from him, studying the vial with the same scrutiny she would give a giant tarantula. 

“Just something to take the edge off. You can call it…courage in a bottle.” 

“That’s a vial, not a bottle.” 

He rolled his eyes but held the container steady. “Last chance, beautiful. You want it or not?” 

“How much?” Henley couldn’t believe those words had just left her lips. She had never once considered using drugs. Sure, she had snuck a drink or two, but this was something that could lead to dire consequences, addiction…even death. Yet, the longer she stared at the sparkling liquid, the faster her worry began to fade. This was just a one-time deal. Surely, she could survive one hit. People did drugs at parties all of the time, right? 

“For you?” Victor lowered the vial and placed it into Henley’s hand. “It’s on the house.” He leaned closer and whispered into her ear, “But when you grow tired of the prince, you should come find me. I’ll show you a much better time and I won’t ever ignore you.” 

Henley closed her eyes as he spoke. His voice was smooth and low, and sent a chill down her spine. She felt herself sway off-balance and her eyes flew open to find the hallway empty. Victor was gone, but the vial of courage was still in her hand. Before she could convince herself otherwise, she pulled the stopper out and gulped the contents down.



J.D. Wright's Top 10 Favorite Superheroes
10.  Superman. Wonder why he isn’t further up the list? Because this dude tends to clash with my favorite superhero so I just can’t find it in myself to like Superman the way most do. Sorry Clark Kent.
9. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. What? They totally count. They’re mutants who protect their turf from villains so I get to include them. Now if you asked me to pick a favorite turtle, I’d probably cry. Does anyone else remember that one time the turtles were in a rock band and played a concert? I sure do. Turtle power!
8. Iron Man. No, he isn’t my favorite in regards to being a hero, but he is one of the most entertaining. And I just love Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of the character in the movies. He brings the heap of metal to life. I can dig it.
7. Sailor Moon. Sometimes superheroes come from the place you least expect. In this case, Japanese manga and anime. If they ever turn this into a live-action movie one day, I just might cosplay the heck out of it. Then again, after further inspection of those skimpy costumes… yeah, never mind.
6. Thor. Now, if I’m being completely honest, Loki outshines Thor for me. But you wanted to know my favorite heroes and not villains. And my villain list is way longer. Still, Thor brings something else I love to the table and that’s a dose of mythology. But if you asked me who my favorite figures of mythology were, we’d be here all night.
5. Black Widow. She’s gorgeous and lethal, all at the same time. Although, the spider does scare me just a tiny bit more than the woman. For good reason. *shivers just thinking about it*
4. Wonder Woman. She barely edges out Black Widow and that’s mostly just because I really loved the new movie that just came out. If I hadn’t seen it, I probably wouldn’t have even included her in this list. But I did and it was amazing. Props to Diana.
3. Robin. This guy is so underrated. I blame it on his supersuit. He gets to hang with Batman for crying out loud! His suit should not be the colors of a preschool bathroom. Just no. I am still holding out hope that he will be reinvented in film in the future and get the spotlight he deserves.
2. The Power Rangers. Now, don’t hate. They’re superheroes too. And I grew up with these guys and gals in my life. I even dressed up as the pink ranger for Halloween. I’m such a fan that I took my children out of school early just to go watch the new movie on release day. #badparenting or maybe #awesomeparenting ?
1. Batman. Do I really need to explain why? It should be pretty obvious since he’s just plain awesome! Because even though he doesn’t have a supernatural power, he still breaks his back to protect his city. And he looks good doing it too. *wink*
Bonus Favorite Anti-Hero: Deadpool. Because… Well, Deadpool.

Character Bios

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**About the Author**
J.D. Wright is a military wife, mother of four, and author of paranormal and fantasy romance books filled with strong-willed heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, and sprinkled with humor and adventure. J.D. creates artistry in many ways, as a baker and cake artist by day and author by night. You can usually find her typing away at the computer or covered in frosting.

Since discovering she has a knack for writing, J.D. has so far written and self-published eight books of the Everealm and Songs of Everealm Series and is now venturing into the world of paranormal with her new superhero-themed series. She is an avid reader and lover of all things romance so she always includes a good love story in her paranormal and fantasy novels.

Stay connected with J.D. Wright
      

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***The Giveaway***


Blog Tour Organized by