Cover Reveal: Beauty from Surrender

Title: Beauty from Surrender (Beauty #2)

Author: Georgia Cates

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Age Group:  Adult

Cover Designer: Georgia Cates

Expected release date: May 30, 2013

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17314410-beauty-from-surrender

Book Description: 

The story of Jack Henry and Laurelyn continues...

How do you move on when he’s every song you sing?

After Laurelyn Prescott walks away from the love of her life, she returns to Nashville to pursue the only dream she has left. Determined to find a distraction from the pain of losing Jack Henry, she immerses herself in her music. But with her old life comes old acquaintances and new expectations. When Laurelyn refuses her record producer’s outrageous demands, she finds herself without a career—until an unforeseen opportunity presents itself. From there it’s a rocket ride straight to the top where Laurelyn finds the success she’s always dreamed of. Will it be enough to bring her the happiness she so deserves, or will the absence of Jack Henry leave her wanting more?

Jack Henry McLachlan never expected to fall in love with Laurelyn Prescott—but he did. After he foolishly let her slip through his fingers, he spends three months searching for her, but their reunion doesn’t come easy. The woman he finds isn’t the same one who drifted away without a goodbye. No longer an insecure girl on an Australian adventure, this Laurelyn is a successful musician with a promising career. Her dreams are becoming a reality, and Jack is terrified his American girl won’t have a place for him in her new life. With only a month to convince her otherwise, will it be enough time to make her visualize a life beyond the glitz and glamour, a life that includes him?

About the Author 

 

Georgia resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before deciding to pursue her dream of becoming an author. Despite the struggle, she has no regrets in her decision to try this crazy life. She can honestly say that she’s living the dream.

Author social media links:

Georgia Cates Blog

Georgia Cates on Facebook

Georgia Cates on Twitter

https://twitter.com/GeorgiaCates

Waiting on Wednesday: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

(Coming August 2013)

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.


After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Throne of Glass, and have been anxiously waiting for the next one. And this one sounds even more exciting than the first!

What are you waiting on?

Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week they post a new topic for all of us to make lists about! This week's theme is...

Top 10 Books I liked More/Less than expected

 

BOOKS I LIKED LESS THAN EXPECTED:

 

 

And that's not to say that I didn't like these books, they just weren't as great as I was expecting and ready for.

BOOKS I LIKED MORE THAN EXPECTED:

 

 

 

 

Some of these came as a great surprise and I was so glad that I took the chance to read them.

 

 

Tuff Girl Legion: Astarte's Wrath by Trisha Wolfe + Giveaway

 

Astarte's Wrath

Kythan Guardian's 0.5

Author: Trisha Wolfe 
Pages: 215 pgs
Genre: NA, Fantsay, Historical Fiction
Release Date: March 2nd 2013
Review Source: Author

A tragic love story.

Two thousand years before Dez Harkly developed her secret powers, Guardian Astarte was vowed to protect by the binds enslaving her to the Egyptian pharaohs. Discover the prophecy that originated from a very different time, and spans generations to link two very different girls.

This is the beginning.

Set against the backdrop of the Battle of Actium, in the city of Alexandria, Star struggles with her guardian duties as her feelings for the newly named pharaoh of Egypt grow deeper. Not only is Caesarion her duty, he’s the son of Cleopatra, and he’s human. All of which makes their love forbidden.

But when a conspiracy linked to Caesar creeps into Alexandria, Star must choose between helping her fellow Kythan free themselves of their servitude, and protecting her charge—the last pharaoh—while Egypt burns around her.

New Adult/Mature YA: sexual content, drinking, drugs, violence, language, death, and other mature content intended for readers 17 and older. Astarte's Wrath is a companion novel to Destiny's Fire, but can be read as a standalone novel.

 First of all, I absolutely love this cover! The makeup on her eyes, the necklace around her neck, even the hieroglyphics in the background give it just the right touch. Gorgeous!

Now, one of the things I really enjoy when reading a book is the world that the author creates, especially if the mythology is brand new and something we get to learn about throughout the book or series. In the Kythan Guardian series we get a little bit of both. The Kythan's are mythological creatures that Trisha made and gave a fascinating history to, especially in this companion novel. We also get a bit of Egyptian lore in Astarte's Wrath as well which only makes it better.

For any regular readers of this blog, you know how much I love mythology and historical fiction. It's always so fascinating to me and to get all of that jam packed into Trisha's newest novel had me practically squeeing with each new page. She delves into the history of the ancient pharaohs, focusing on Cleopatra and her reign and really bringing that world to life.

But I think the best part was Trisha's attention to details. She described the ancient Egyptian city in which they lived, but with a twist of her Kythan characters. She brought to life people we know from the stories and legends, making them her own. I loved it all and hated to see it end.

I know that I'll definitely be checking out more from Trisha. AND, if you'd like to check out a sneak peek from Astarte's Wrath from Xarion's POV then here you go:

Sneak Peek: Bath Scene from Xarion’s POV

Star narrows her eyes at me, her full, bottom lip puckering out the way it does when she’s in serious thought—and though I’m listening to her words, all I want to do is trap that bottom lip between my teeth. Nip it and caress it with my tongue.

            “I knew you’d say that,” she says. “And that is precisely why I didn’t want you to know.” She raises her hand from my chest and swipes the wet hair from my forehead. Her body subtly moves against me with this action, and it drives me wild. “A possible retaliation by the guardians is just one more weighted burden on top of the many you already carry. You don’t need the added strain. Let me deal with Candra and the Kythan. They’re my kindred. As long as I’m their equal—in both power and status—I can protect you.”

            This woman—the woman I’ve loved my entire life—is my protector. She not only guards against physical threats, but watches over my mental wellbeing. But I cannot allow her to carry all my problems alone anymore. I want to be her guardian, to be the one to comfort her when she’s fearful, and protect her against this world.

            I tilt my head and suck in a deep breath. “This is why you won’t be with me.” I want her to admit it. If she finally confesses that our titles and her battle with the right course of action have been the only reasons for her kept affections, then by Gods…help me from laying her out on this tile and taking her—making her mine. I won’t stop.

            She nods.

“This is the only reason.” She nods again, and that is all the conformation I need. “Then I refuse to let them keep us apart for one more moment.” I grasp her face between my hands and claim her lips with mine.

            Her lips are soft and warm as I achingly coax them into a fevered kiss, unable to hold back my desire for her. I had planned for our first kiss many times, imagined it over and over. The way I would caress her lips slowly and lovingly, conveying my affections. But every emotion I have ever felt for Star rushes to the surface all at once, and I can’t slow. I won’t. I won’t allow her a moment to question our actions, to reconsider us. I’m going to kiss her senseless—kiss the reason right out of her infuriatingly rational head.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Help Trisha and the Tuff Girl Legion get to 50 reviews on Amazon for the full scene release of the “Bath Scene” on Trisha’s blog! You can bookmark the bonus material here!

 

Bio: Trisha Wolfe is the author of the YA Steampunk DESTINY'S FIRE (Omnific Publishing), the NA Historical/Supernatural ASTARTE'S WRATH, and the upcoming YA Utopian FIREBLOOD from Spencer Hill Press, October 2013. Her NA Dark Fantasy OF SILVER AND BEASTS available May 2013.

She’s the creator of YA Bound, a promotional site for the Young Adult genre. Also a member of SCWW and The Apocalypsies. Check out www.TrishaWolfe.com for more on her books and bonus material. Follow Trisha on Twitter @TrishWolfe and like her Facebook page for updates.  

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

Blog Tour: The Prelude by KaSonndra Leigh + Giveaway

 

Thanks to AToMR for hosting this tour. To follow the rest you can check it out HERE.

The Prelude

A Musical Interlude 1

Author: KaSonndra Leigh 
Pages: 328 pgs
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: March 31st 2013
Review Source: Author

After finishing design school six months ago, Erin Angelo left her tragic past behind in the States and started a new life in Milan, Italy. Burying the grief, silencing her demons, and living a life without any real attachments has worked well for her so far. But when Erin secures her first real job as a budding clothing designer, her controlled world is shaken to its core by the mysteriously sexy director of the local symphony.

Alek Dostov is a man who knows what he wants and how to get it. He’s successful, hot, the son of a millionaire, and women all over the world flock to see one of his performances. For Alek, Erin represents the ultimate challenge: sexy, smart, and unaffected by his charms…or so she thinks. Just like Erin, Alek avoids attachments that leave him emotionally vulnerable. But unlike Erin, his pursuit of all things pleasurable is ruthless.

Knowing how wary they both are concerning any kind of committed relationship, Alek finds a way to pursue Erin, satisfying the intense attraction between them without sacrificing the freedom they both enjoy. Sometimes the deepest passion brings out the darkest emotions. And Erin finds herself completely unprepared for the forbidden world of the young maestro and his truths and even his secrets, as she struggles to deal with her own.

Music, passion, betrayal and forbidden love spun together in one of the most romantic cities in the world.

This novel contains sexual situations and mature language. It is intended for an audience at 17+ years of age.

 This was the first book by KaSonndra Leigh that I got the chance to read and definitely a pleasant surprise. It was sweet, fun, and not what I was expecting.

For one the story alternates points of view between Erin and Alek, so we get to see what's going on in each of their heads. I really liked getting to know each of them through their narrated chapters and view them through the others eyes. Some author's prefer to do that in third person, but I liked the fact that KaSonndra maintained first person for both.

Now, this may be just me, but I loved the fact that KaSonndra added in little pieces here and there to show the foreign backgrounds of her characters. Messing up certain sayings and skipping words in sentences to show their accent. It showed to me that she really understood her characters and that she understood how someone from another country would handle it.

KaSonndra also gave us a good story. Yes, there's romance and two character's that you want to see together, but there's also pieces that come together that I definitely didn't see coming. She kept my interest in wanting to find out where it was all headed and allowed the story to unfold naturally.

I'm definitely interested to find out what else is in store for this series.

GIVEAWAY:

 

(3) Print copies of THE PRELUDE – US Only and (3) eBook copies – International

  
US Only Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

International Only Code: a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
About the Author

I live in the City of Alchemy and Medicine, North Carolina. I write about people doing fantastical things in magical worlds. Sometimes they fall for each other and make sacrifices for their friends. Oh, and sometimes they love music and nature too. I live with my two sons,a guinea pig, a cat, and two dogs. Now that I have completed my MFA in creative writing, I find that I have a little extra time to play CLUE more often. I live in an L-shaped house dedicated to my grandmother. It has a secret library complete with fairies, venetian plastered walls, and a desk made out of clear blue glass.

KaSondra Leigh
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