Thursday, September 30, 2021

COVER REVEAL: Heart of a Witch by Rebecca L. Garcia

We have a Cover Reveal to share for Heart of a Witch, the second standalone title in the Embraced by Darkness Collection, by Rebecca L. Garcia. So... Check out that magical cover and pre-order your copy now!

Genre:
New Adult
Dark Fantasy/Horror Romance
Series:
Embraced by Darkness Collection, #2
Publish Date:
December 14, 2021

Synopsis:
A vengeful fantasy standalone romance perfect for fans of The Bridge Kingdom and A Touch of Darkness

I’d never particularly liked humans, but I’d never wanted to kill one. Until now.

Hidden in a kingdom that hates witches, I’m forced to hide what I am. With my sister working in a secret dark magic club, and our family’s shop gaining unwanted attention, things couldn’t be worse when the notorious witch hunter, Damian Shaw, comes to town.

When my sister shows up dead, and my family’s name is called into question, we’re forced to adopt new aliases and leave the home we cherished. As I watch my life fall apart, I vow to destroy the hunter responsible, but his punishment would not be swift. Death was too easy.

Redforest is a quaint town, with a church, pretty shops, and like any good town, a dark past. When my family and I move in, I set my sights on the Shaw family, quickly learning everything I can about them. Damian’s son, Elijah, is the hunter’s greatest pride. His heir. His confidante. The only family he trusts.

I come up with a plan. I am going to shatter every good thing in Damian’s life, ending with his son. My goal: make Elijah Shaw fall in love with me, twist him into the very thing his father hates, then kill him.

With my heart challenged, the attraction growing, I find myself trapped in a deadly game. In a twist of fate, Elijah might just end up being the death of me.

Embraced by Darkness is a collection of standalone books set in the same world without an overarching plot, which means you can start with any books in the series and pick and choose which ones you want to read. This collection of novels follows different couples as they go from enemies to friends to lovers, while facing dangerous obstacles in a world split between humans, shifters, witches and gods, set in two kingdoms that separate them.


     
  


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Embraced by Darkness Collection:
 
(cover link to Goodreads)

         

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**About the Author**
Rebecca L. Garcia lives in San Antonio, Texas, with her husband and son. Originally from England, you can find her drinking tea, writing new worlds, and designing covers. She writes YA and NA fantasy. She devoured every book she was given and fell in love with magical worlds, and when she got older, her imagination grew with her.

When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, you can find her traveling, and hosting book signings with Spellbinding Events.

Stay connected with Rebecca L. Garcia
       
 



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Wednesday, September 29, 2021

MARIAH's THOUGHTS on Freaky (2020)

Genre:
Horror/Thriller/Comedy
Rating:
R
Release Date:
November 13, 2020
Run Time:
1 hr 42 mins

Directed by:
Christopher Landon

Executive Producers:
Couper Samuelson, Jeanette Volturno 

Producer:
Jason Blum

Production Co.:
Blumhouse Productions
Divide/Conquer

Distribution Co.:
Universal Pictures

Social Media:
 

Cast:
Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Celeste O’Connor, Misha Osherovich, Uriah Shelton, Dana Drori, Katie Finneran, Alan Ruck

Plot Summary:
Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries.

When The Butcher’s mystical ancient dagger causes him and Millie to wake up in each other’s bodies, Millie learns that she has just 24 hours to get her body back before the switch becomes permanent and she’s trapped in the form of a middle-aged maniac forever. The only problem is she now looks like a towering psychopath who’s the target of a city-wide manhunt while The Butcher looks like her and has brought his appetite for carnage to Homecoming.

With some help from her friends—ultra-woke Nyla (Celeste O’Connor, Ghostbusters: Afterlife), ultra-fabulous Joshua (Misha Osherovich, The Goldfinch) and her crush Booker (Uriah Shelton, Enter the Warriors Gate)—Millie races against the clock to reverse the curse while The Butcher discovers that having a female teen body is the perfect cover for a little Homecoming killing spree.


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*My Thoughts*

The film starts with four teens being brutally slaughtered by a man in a mask, the Blissfield Butcher played by Vince Vaughn. It seems like an upfront slasher film, but the more you watch the more you will see the teen quips. Freaky (2020) plays on jump scares, teen screams, and stereotypes. The story is set in the small town of Blissfield where Kathryn Newton plays a shy teenager named Millie. She has two friends, Josh Detmer and Nyla Chones, who carry the comedy of the movie with their exaggerated expressions and screams while Millie is often cowering behind her anxiety or fears. The Butcher doesn’t make life any easier by causing everyone to go into high alert and a citywide curfew. From Millie’s encounter with the Butcher and subsequent body switch, she grows into someone openly affectionate and confident. Throughout the film, Millie and her friends try to stop the Butcher in Millie’s body and switch their spirits back into the correct body.

It’s a little cliché, but Freaky (2020) plays very well into it. There’s the stereotypical shy girl, the drama kids, a mean girl who ends up dead, and a teenage romance with a football player. While watching the film, Millie and her friends are self-aware of the situation they are in with Josh commenting how Nyla and himself were more than likely to die in a horror movie due to being a black girl and gay boy. Vince Vaugh playing an awkward teenage girl trying to stop a killer is entertaining due to the attitude he portrays in every piece of sass and squeal. Freaky (2020) makes for a nice date night option if you’re looking for something that isn’t too serious.

My rating:


MARIAH's THOUGHTS on How to Keep a Mummy (2018)

Genre:
Animation/Comedy/Fantasy
Series:
How to Keep a Mummy
Season:
1
Rating:
TV-14
Episodes:
12
Run Time:
24 minutes/episode
Aired:
Jan 12, 2018 to Mar 30, 2018

Plot Summary:
High school student Sora Kashiwagi is accustomed to receiving bizarre presents from his father, who is on an expedition around the world. Unfortunately, these gifts have been nothing but nightmares. As a result, when his father sends him a huge package from Egypt, Sora prepares himself for the worst, only to be greeted by Mii-kun—a cute, pint-sized mummy! While initially wary, Sora soon learns that Mii-kun is harmless, a delicate creature yearning for attention.

Throughout their amusing day-to-day lives, the unlikely pair meet other people with unique pets, while also strengthening their bond together. Although keeping a pet is a difficult task, Sora is set on caring for the lovable Mii-kun.

Cast:
Mutsumi Tamura, Keisuke Komoto, Ai Kayano, Himika Akaneya, Seiichiro Yamashita


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*My Thoughts*

Everything must be cute.

How to Keep a Mummy the anime is a short feel-good anime with the cutest supernatural companions. The plot follows Sora Kashiwagi, a high school student, who is a pleasant character. Sora is friendly, considerate, optimistic, and most importantly open-minded. He frequently receives strange and borderline dangerous gifts from his traveling father to the point that he is unphased by them, albeit bracing himself for any possible danger. The tiny mummy, Mii-kun, and main attraction of this anime is subsequently welcomed into Sora’s home with little convincing. Mii-kun is shy, sweet, and clingy like a tiny kitten. He’s endlessly adorable and if anything bad were to happen to him, I would commit arson.

How to Keep a Mummy is a short twelve-episode anime that can be binged in a few hours, which leaves character development much to be desired, but what we do get are short escapades that show you how close Sora is to his friends. Sora is helpful to his friends who end up attracting other little creatures of their own such as a baby oni or ogre-like demon, a baby dragon, and a friendly baku that eats nightmares. Sora’s friend group consist of Sora’s best friend from childhood is Tazuki, Asa a very cheerful girl, and their last addition Daichi. This group of four do their best to babysit their respective creatures, keep them hidden from those unwitting to the supernatural, and spend their days together as summer break approaches. They hang out at Sora’s home, attend small festivals, and bond over their adorable new friends. It’s a rather refreshing anime where the supernatural is welcomed and formerly imposing monsters are transformed into cute companions.

My rating:


SALE BLITZ: by Mistake by Sigal Ehrlich


Today, we have a Sale Blitz for Bestselling Author Sigal Ehrlich's by Mistake, book one in the Poison & Wine series! For a limited time only, by Mistake ebook is FREE! And, the goodies doesn't end there! We have a blitz-wide giveaway to share celebrating the new cover! So... Be sure to check out this gorgeous new cover and download the ebook now while it is FREE!

What do you do when you meet The One at the most impossibly wrong time?

Genre:
New Adult
Contemporary Romance
Romantic Comedy
Series:
Poison & Wine, #1
Publish Date:
January 21, 2021

Synopsis:
You've Got Mail meets Grey's Anatomy in this sweet slow-burn, virtual meet-cute romance.

There's so much going on in Anna's life. Teaching countless hours at the studio and nurturing the three major relationships of her life - her group of tight-knit friends, all while attempting to not screw up this whole adulthood thing leaves very little time to waste on yet another dating app. At this point, a relationship is off the menu. Being "self-partnered" is more than enough.

A serious relationship has been crossed off Liam Brody's list of goals, at least for the foreseeable future. Completing his residency and becoming a trauma surgeon is his only priority. Casual relationships, his friends, and books are the only things he's willing to lose his precious free time to.

When an accidental email starts a deep online connection, both Liam and Anna dive in with zero concern . . . because there's really no harm in getting close to someone who you'll never meet in real life, right?

Wrong.

When a turn of events brings their "safe" virtual connection to an unexpected face-to-face, Anna and Liam learn their online chemistry pales in comparison to the real deal. A realization that brings along the bazillion-dollar question - what do you do when you meet The One at the most impossibly wrong time?

by Mistake is book 1 in a standalone series with connected characters, but independent storylines.


           


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Poison & Wine series:
 
(cover link to Goodreads)

       
   
***Pre-order book 2, by Chance, today!***
***by Chance cover reveal coming soon!***

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**About the Author**
Sigal Ehrlich is a bestselling author of refreshing, fun, and sweet romance novels. She loves books, cold weather, and the occasional bubbly drink. Living as an expat for most of her life, Sigal has been lucky enough to visit many exotic places and meet some unique people from all corners of the world, while experiencing the sweet triumphs and travails of trying to acclimate to new “homes.” Currently, Sigal calls the Czech Republic home where she lives with her husband and three kids.

Stay connected with Sigal Ehrlich
      
 

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***The Giveaway***

Giveaway Open Internationally
Note: Not Responsible for Lost & Damaged Prizes in Your Mail Box
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sale Blitz Organized by