Tuesday, August 31, 2021

JASMINE's THOUGHTS on Have You Seen Me? by Alexandrea Weis

Genre:
Young Adult
Horror/Mystery/Thriller
Series:
Waverly Prep, #1
Publish Date:
August 17, 2021
Publisher:

Synopsis:
SOME SECRETS CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE ... FOREVER.

Lindsey Gillett is missing.

And she's not the first girl at Waverly Prep to vanish without a trace.

To help cope with the tragedy, new history teacher Aubrey LeRoux organizes a small student investigation team. But when the members start turning up dead across campus, Aubrey suspects there's more going on than anyone is willing to admit.

The murdered students all had something in common with Lindsey. They shared a secret. And what they uncovered could threaten the future of the historic school.

At Waverly Prep, someone wants to keep the past buried—along with anyone who gets in their way.


      
  


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Praise for Have You Seen Me?

“A fast-paced thriller that will engage readers with great characters and a chilling mystery! I was sucked in and fully invested in finding the killer!!”
~Gretchen Hall, Barnes and Noble, Houston, TX

"Alexandrea Weis addresses cultural issues such as class systems, race, and bullying all the while providing chilling and spooky imagery that is sure to have all readers begging the question: "Who will be next?” A thrilling spine-tingling novel, Have You Seen Me? had my heart racing on every page."
~Tanya Roberts @bookswihtanya, CER at Indigo Books, Québec Canada

“Riveting, fast paced thriller wrapped up in a mystery. Is history repeating itself or is it a coincidence? Alexandrea Weis slowly peels away layer after layer to reveal the truth. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it even if you don’t usually read thrillers.”
~Erin E. Forys, Barnes and Noble, Williamsburg, VA

“With atmosphere, mercurial threats, and intrigue, Alexandrea Weis excels in probing the psychological undertones of a prep school and a new teacher’s return to her past. She also does a fine job of evolving the plot that connects students and teachers to an unpredictable truth. As school and local history are revealed by the determined team, readers receive an eerie feel of inevitable disaster much in the manner of the classic film 'Picnic at Hanging Rock'. The buildup that leads to the truth about the killer's identity makes for a fine story that will reach from young adult to adult audiences with a winning exploration of prep school pressures, politics, and the special interests that lead to murder. Very nicely done.” ~Midwest Book Review




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**About the Author**
Alexandrea Weis, RN-CS, PhD, is a international bestselling, multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, advanced practice registered nurse, and historian who was born and raised in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Having grown up in the motion picture industry as the daughter of a director, she learned to tell stories from a different perspective. Infusing the rich tapestry of her hometown into her novels, she believes that creating vivid characters makes a story moving and memorable. A member of the Horror Writers Association and International Thriller Writers Association, Weis writes supernatural, horror, mystery, and thrillers. She lives with her husband and pets in New Orleans where she is a permitted/certified wildlife rehabber with the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries and rescues orphaned and injured animals.

Stay connected with Alexandrea Weis
      

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*My Thoughts*

Note: This review contains NO spoilers

🤯 Whoa! This is not the first thriller I have read by Alexandrea Weis. Oh no... So far, I am continually left "at the edge of my seat" with the hairs on my arm standing with chills going down my spine after reading her thrillers. Oh yeah, Have You Seen Me? did just that. I was kept "at the edge my seat" and "bated breath" with each turn of the page. The suspense was like a "slow burn" that kept climbing until the dramatic, chilling twist of an end. Not only that, this story was very reminiscent of those teen slasher movies like Scream, Prom Night, Friday the 13th, and so many more, I have enjoyed watching.

I also liked that there was a side romance developing. Yes, there was a bit of some romantic attraction happening with these characters. It was subtle and well-written which did not take away from the main genre of horror/mystery/thriller.

But, oh that twist-y cliffhanger of an ending... Ha! I was like "oh dang! I didn't expect that in the ending." The mystery and suspense was so well done that I was surprised at who was who in the story, especially the killer. 😨 Dayum! That end left open for more "adventures" for these characters. And, I do want to read more please.

I would definitely recommend this read to fans of this genre and/or teen slasher movies.

My rating:


BLOG TOUR: Tempest by C.J. Campbell

 

Welcome to the Official Blog Tour for C.J. Campbell's Tempest, the first title in the Veil Chronicles! Today, on our tour stop, we have an exclusive excerpt AND a tour-wide giveaway to share! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your copy now! Follow the tour, HERE.

Genre:
Young Adult
Fantasy Romance
Series:
Veil Chronicles, #1
Publish Date:
August 31, 2021
Publisher:

Synopsis:
To unearth the truth, she must embrace the legend within.

For eighteen-year-old Lexi, freedom is a luxury. She’s spent her life evading capture for a genetic gift that feels more like a curse. Her bulletproof immunity and monstrous disfigurement is of great interest to a secret organization, but they aren’t the only ones. A cryptic tip alerts Lexi that something else hunts her–something darker.

Desperate to enjoy her life before it’s too late, Lexi leaves the protective cocoon her parents created for her and signs up for art classes at her local college. There she meets Conner, who is confined to a wheelchair, and they become friends who are willing to share each other’s secrets. But a chance encounter with Connor’s foster brother Killian changes everything.

Killian shares the same mysterious secret within his blood as Lexi. Their fateful meeting sets off a chain reaction of catastrophic events that exposes the terrifying truth–Lexi is a celestial queen of a bygone race. Connor is their last royal heir, and Killian is a half-breed abomination hated for his very existence. With Connor kidnapped by an ancient god determined to rid the world of the stain of humanity, Lexi and Killian find themselves under the protection of the secretive Order of Kings.

Lexi believes she’s been thrown into a world of myths and legends, but things are not as they seem. Lexi becomes convinced the Order is keeping dangerous secrets that threaten not just her but all of mankind.


      
  
*FREE  on Kindle Unlimited*

*Excerpt*

I don’t wait to see the true extent of the damage. I’m too much of a coward for that. Instead, I take the stairs and flee the scene of my crime. 


Terrified of the wrath brewing inside me, I run like the wind, streaking through the hallways like a watery shadow. The castle’s many servants cower as I blow past, the horror etched on their pale faces plain to see. Only a monster causes those reactions. Maybe I deserve to be locked up, chained to iron, and kept in a tower.


Skidding to a halt by the double doors to my suite, I throw them back and retreat inside. I try to ignore the terrified voices echoing in the hallways. I cover my ears and claw at my hair. I do everything, but the terror never quells. Not in me and not in them.


A shrill squawk from behind startles me. I spin to find Kes beating her golden wings at me, talons exposed. One look at the alarm in her eyes, and I scream in frustration. She has to leave. She’s not safe.


Without thought, I raise a hand and catch her about her breast. The strike sends her flailing across the room. She crashes through the doors in a plume of feathers and terrified twittering. 


The glass windows shudder with each of my ragged breaths. Consumed by the rage in me, I can only watch, unable to breathe, unable to think, unable to stop it. 


Another growling exhale brings on the sickening sound of glass cracking. I let out a terrified cry, then cover my ears. 


The windows shatter before I can fully protect my head. A few shards scratch the skin of my cheek. The wind circulates through the now broken windows, but it doesn’t matter how much I gulp down the air, I still can’t breathe. 


Wind howls, furniture scatters, things smash against the walls, but all I can do is hold desperately to the barest shred of my sanity . . . to my humanity . . . if I even have any of that left. It’s just as much an illusion as everything else in this twisted story.


“Is this what you want? Is this what I am?” I scream into the chaos, unsure whom I actually address. “Make it stop! Please, make it stop.”


But it doesn’t stop, and I can’t figure out how to make it. They’ll have to take me out, like a crazed animal. But maybe I deserve that.


“Lexi!”


That voice. It means something.


Arms wrap around me, one secure around my waist, the other across my chest. A solid and unmovable force melds against my spine. It holds against me. It gives me form, and suddenly, I’m not spinning out of control in a dark abyss. 


“It’s okay, Lexi.” The voice, soothing, masculine, trickles through the roar in my ears. The command authoritative but not controlling. I listen like my life depends on it. Truthfully, it probably does. 


“I’ve got you. Don’t be afraid. You’ve got this, sweetheart.”


Killian.


I want to shout his name, but I still can’t find my breath. I’m choking on the pain, but he holds me tighter still.


He gives me a firm shake. “Breathe, Lexi, just breathe.” His lips scrape at my ear, his breath hot on my neck. His stubble grazes my cheek. His lengths of hair tickle me. 


I trust all those little things. 


He is real. He won’t let me go.


Killian’s palm spreads across my chest, the gentle force pushing me against his so I feel his steady breath. It rises and falls, unfazed and entirely unlike the erratic pattern of my own. I breathe in deep, matching the pressure of his hand on my chest, and like magic, my lungs open and fill with calming air. 


I focus on nothing but the steady rise and fall of Killian’s chest. The perfectly rooted sound of his beating heart creating a calm rhythm that makes everything slow down.


“It’s okay,” he keeps promising me, a tinge of exhaustion in his voice. “I’m right here. I’ve got you. You’re safe.”


“Don’t let me go.” 


I find I’m trembling when the initial surge of energy ebbs away. It leaves me as weak and listless as the tiny droplets of rain that seep tiredly from the window ledges. It’s rather unnerving how powerful water can be in one moment and how utterly still and ineffectual in the next.


“I’m not letting go, Lexi. I never stopped.” He swears it, but I feel myself slide through his grasp. 


Instead of letting me collapse to the ground in my exhaustion, he keeps his promise. We both fall together, or more so, he guides me to the ground, pillowing my landing. I’m a dead weight in his arms, and he gradually gives way, carefully keeping my head protected on his forearm as I lie pinned beneath him. 


The two of us breathe deeply, our foreheads touching. His beautiful green eyes shine with vibrancy through the darkness of this terrible place, and I register he must’ve expended some power of his own to curtail the chaos of mine. I reach up my fingertips to touch his cheek.


“You didn’t let go,” I say, my voice all horrible and husky. 


“Neither did you,” he says, his voice something above a breathless whisper. 



~~~~~

**About the Author**
Clare is a successful and highly popular author of award winning Fanfiction, with thousands of online fans and over 2 million reads on her Lord of the Rings Fanfic epic. Clare has also won several writing awards within the Fantasy, Inspirational, and Short Story genres. Her story Refuge was a top prize winner and as a direct result published in Faith & Freedom anthology by EA books. She has recently been shortlisted for Writer of the Year 2019.

As well as writing, Clare is an experienced Occupational Therapist, with a passion for enabling people. She has contributed articles for online organizations aimed at highlighting disability as a positive influence in modern literature. Her love of storytelling, merged with her positive messages inspires her to create meaningful narratives that represent diversity, and promote unity.

You can learn more about Clare by visiting www.CJCampbellOfficial.com

Stay connected with C.J. Campbell
      

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally
- ends September 9, 2021
Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box

Blog Tour Organized by

Monday, August 30, 2021

SALE BLITZ: Of The Blood by Cameo Renae


Today, we have a Sale Blitz to share for USA Today Bestselling Author Cameo Renae's Of The Blood (book 1) AND Of Fire and Water (book 2) in the Heir of Blood and Fire series, celebrating the release of Of Earth and Air (book 3)!

FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY, Of The Blood and Of Fire and Water ebooks are on sale now for only US 99¢ and US $1.99, respectively! So... Be sure to check it out and grab your ecopies now! Start the series now!

Genre:
Young Adult
Dark Fantasy
Series:
Heir of Blood and Fire, #1
Publish Date:
May 14, 2020

Blurb by:
The Blurb Doctor

Cover Designed by:
Jay Villalobos

Synopsis:
One malicious prince. Two rival kingdoms. And an innocent girl caught in the crossfire.

Raised in a war-ravaged continent, temptation comes to Calla Caldwell in the form of a charming and mysterious stranger. Giving in to his intimate seduction, her world is forever changed by a single bite.

Calla quickly learns the handsome stranger is vampire prince, Trystan Vladu. His bite was an attempt to claim and save her from a plot of vengeance generations in the making. However, the claws of that ancient vendetta are scraping ever closer.
Thrust into a new nightmare by the Prince of the corrupt kingdom of Morbeth, Calla is captured, tortured, and starved in the dank confines of his dungeon. While in captivity, she takes part in a séance with a witch of light where she contacts a departed relative—a Princess of Incendia—who bequeaths a gift to Calla that will tip the scales of good and evil . . . if she can learn to harness it.

With a dark tapestry of secrets, lies, and murder unraveling around her, Calla must learn to embrace the power roiling through her veins, or be snuffed out by the strangling fist of a malevolent darkness.


      
 
*FREE on Kindle Unlimited*


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Heir of Blood and Fire series!
  
(cover links to Goodreads)

        
*FREE on Kindle Unlimited*

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**About the Author**
Cameo Renae, was born in San Francisco, raised in Maui, Hawaii, and now resides with her husband and children in Las Vegas.

She's a daydreamer, caffeine and peppermint addict, who loves to laugh, and loves to read to escape reality.

One of her greatest joys is creating fantasy worlds filled with adventure and romance and sharing it with others. It is the love of her family and amazing support of her fans that keeps her going.

One day she hopes to find her own magic wardrobe and ride away on her magical unicorn. Until then...she'll keep writing!

Stay connected with Cameo Renae
      
  



Sale Blitz Organized by