*Eternal Starling by Angela Corbett Book Blast and Giveaway*

Eternal Starling is the first book in the Emblem of Eternity Trilogy. (I'm really excited about this one--the cover is gorgeous, no? Ok, moving on...) 

I'm going to give you a synopsis and author info followed by a super sweet INTL giveaway. :) 

SYNOPSIS

A love so strong, even eternity can’t separate them. Evie Starling has lived a relatively uneventful life hanging out with friends, gossiping about boys, and driving her 1966 Mustang.

All of that changes when she moves to Gunnison, Colorado, to start college and meets two mysterious men. For centuries, Alex Night and Emil Stone have yearned for Evie but they each have their own reasons for wanting to be with her. When both men claim to be her soul mate and tell her about an unbelievable past, Evie learns that she s not the person she thought she was. Soon, Evie finds herself in the middle of an age-old battle between the Amaranthine Society the soul protectors, and the Daevos Resistance the soul destroyers. With a past she doesn t understand, and a future rife with danger, Evie has to decide who she can trust. But Alex and Emil aren t the only ones who want Evie, and her soul is about to become the rope in an eternal tug-of-war.

| Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Book Depository |

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

As a child, Angela Corbett’s most prized possession was a set of read-along books. She used to follow along with the narrator on the stereo and dream of when she would be able to read by herself. Her childhood reading habit led her to consider her future career. However, after consulting with her parents, she realized she had already exceeded hobbit height and since fairies and dragonslayers were tricky jobs to get, she decided she wanted to create worlds of her own. She started writing poetry in elementary school and worked as a journalist in high school and college, but could never leave her love for writing fiction behind.

She is a graduate of Westminster College where she double majored in communication and sociology. She has worked as a journalist, freelance writer, and director of communications and marketing. She loves classic cars, traveling, and escaping in a good book. She lives in Utah with her incredibly supportive husband and their five-pound Pomeranian, Pippin, whose following of fangirls could rival Justin Bieber’s.

Eternal Starling is her debut novel and the first book in the Emblem of Eternity trilogy.

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GIVEAWAY--INTL

7 Winners will receive an E-Book Copy of Eternal Starling.

2 Winners will receive a Signed Copy+Swag of Eternal Starling.

Must be 13+ to Enter

International Giveaway

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~THE PRODIGAL by Michael Hurley *Book Blast, Trailer and Giveaway*~

Hello all :)! Today BNT is featuring The Prodigal by Michael Hurley...and there's a nifty trailer...and (of course) a sweet giveaway. I'm going to show you the trailer and give you a synopsis and author info w/links, and then you can enter the giveaway ^_^. Enjoy! 

Here's the Trailer!

SYNOPSIS

Pride, betrayal, forgiveness . . . and the eternal sea. The Prodigal tells the mystical tale of four people on Ocracoke Island whose destiny is tied to an abandoned schooner, thought to have been lost at sea more than a century ago, that one day drifts ashore. Marcus O’Reilly, a renegade Catholic priest, must confront his inner demons. Ibrahim Joseph, a Bahamian fugitive, must face his past. Aidan Sharpe, a fallen lawyer, struggles with self-doubt and his growing affection for Molly McGregor, a fearless towboat captain who cannot find the courage to love. They will all be drawn into a 2,000-year-old mystery that unfolds with the reappearance of the ship.

You can find out more and/or purchase The Prodigal on....

Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Goodreads

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Hurley lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with his wife Susan. Together they have four children ranging in age from 19 to 23.  Born in Baltimore in 1958, Michael studied English at the University of Maryland and law at St. Louis University. He is licensed to practice law in Texas and North Carolina.  A lifelong sailor, he obtained his captain’s license from the U.S. Coast Guard in 1992 and took six months off from the practice of law to work as a sailboat charter captain in New Bern, North Carolina. Between 1995 and 2003, while practicing law full-time, he also wrote and published Paddle & Portage, a quarterly literary journal on wilderness canoeing enjoyed by more than 10,000 subscribers in 48 states.  When he is not sailing or writing or canoeing, Michael continues a hopeless quest to prove that his piano teachers at Baltimore’s Peabody Institute were wrong about him all along.

Visit him on...

| Michael's Website |

INTL Giveaway

Must be 13+ to enter

1 Winner will get a $50 Gift Card to Amazon

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*Sisters in Love: Snow Sisters by Melissa Foster ~Book Blast~*

Hello everyone! I've signed up for quite a few bookish events this month...so the majority of my posts are going to be bookish!

As usual, I'm going to give the synopsis and information about the author, and then I'm going to invite you to participate in the giveaway! (And provide links. Links...)

SYNOPSIS

Danica Snow has always been the smart, practical, and appropriate sister. As a therapist, she prides herself on making reasonable, conservative choices, even if a bit boring, and as part of the Big Sister Program, she has little time for anything more in her life.

Blake Carter is a player. He never gets bored of conquering women, and with his sexy good looks and successful lifestyle, he has no trouble finding willing participants. When his friend and business partner dies in a tragic accident, he suddenly, desperately, wants to change his ways. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to stop doing what he does best.

When Blake walks into Danica’s office, the attraction between them is white hot, but Danica isn't the type to give into the heat and risk her career. Danica’s desire sets her on a path of self-discovery, where she begins to question every decision she’s ever made. Just this once, Danica wants to indulge in the pleasures of life she’s been so willingly ignoring, but with her Little Sister in turmoil and her biological sister’s promiscuousness weighing heavily on her heart, she isn’t sure it’s the right time to set her desires free.

SISTERS IN LOVE is a light, uplifting work of women's fiction and will resonate with readers who enjoy emotional journeys of the heart with strong heroines and sexy, lovable heroes. Readers of books by Jane Porter and Beth Kendrick will enjoy Danica and Blake's story.

You can find Sisters in Love on...

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes and Noble

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Foster is the award-winning author of four International bestselling novels. Her books have been recommended by USA Today’s book blog, Hagerstown Magazine, The Patriot, and several other print venues. She is the founder of the Women’s Nest, a social and support community for women, the World Literary Café. When she’s not writing, Melissa helps authors navigate the publishing industry through her author training programs on  Fostering Success. Melissa is also a community builder for the Alliance for Independent Authors. She has been published in Calgary’s Child Magazine, the Huffington Post, and Women Business Owners magazine.

Melissa hosts an annual Aspiring Authors contest for children and has painted and donated several murals to The Hospital for Sick Children in Washington, DC. Melissa lives in Maryland with her family.

Visit Melissa on The Women’s Nest, Fostering Success, or World Lit Cafe. Join Melissa and the YaYa Writer Girls at their annual in-person event. Melissa enjoys discussing her books with book clubs and reader groups, and welcomes an invitation to your event.

Get connected with Melissa on...

Her Website | Twitter

INTL Giveaway

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~DEAD GIRLS DON'T LIE by Jennifer Shaw Wolf *Trailer Blast* and Giveaway!~

Jennifer Wolf has put together a nifty trailer for her novel, Dead Girls Don't Lie...and today it's open to the public for the first time ^_^! Check it out:

So, what do you think? 

As for the rest of the blast, I'm going to give you a synopsis, present a giveaway, and give you some author info (and lots of links :3).

SYNOPSIS

Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.

Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.

In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.

PRE-ORDER IT NOW :)!

AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BARNES AND NOBLE

Onto the Giveaway!

One winner will get a signed copy of DEAD GIRLS DON’T LIE

One winner will get a signed copy of BREAKING BEAUTIFUL

Shipping of physical items in US Only – Must be 13+ to Enter

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jennifer Shaw Wolf grew up on a farm in the tiny town of St. Anthony, Idaho. She spent cold Idaho mornings milking cows in the dark and attended a school where Hunter’s Education was part of the sixth grade curriculum. She’s always been a writer, whether it was sewing together books to read to her little brothers or starting an underground newspaper in sixth grade. She met the love of her life at Ricks College, (now BYU Idaho), after he dropped her on her head. She graduated from Ricks and then Brigham Young University, Provo with a degree in Broadcast Communications. Now she lives in beautiful, green, (rainy) Lacey, Washington with her husband and four kids. She loves to produce videos, ski, ride horses, and read, but really all she has time for is chasing kids and writing.

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Are They Really Striving *Against* Destiny?

Legend of Dragoon screenshot on the Moon, text added.

When characters say things like, “We’re going to make our own destiny” or “We’re deciding our own fate now”, the first conclusion that used to flit through my mind was this: they are striving against destiny. These characters don’t want the destiny or fate that’s already been chosen for them; they want something better, more meaningful—or they simply want an end result in which they (or those close to them) are still alive.

But when characters find themselves 'striving against destiny'--preventing the prophetic end of the world, or fully defeating Sin (FFX)--are they honestly striving  against  destiny, or  for  it?

I used to think the idea of striving against destiny was a good one. I mean, the way many video games and novels make it sound, it’s the ONLY path to choose. Choosing anything else would be downright dumb. Or crazy.

Now that I’m a Christian, though, the idea grieves me because when characters reject their fate, they are choosing to strive against God, a Higher Power, a Creator, etc. (which is the point). Of course it bothers me when they, thinking they understand the basic tenets of the universe and the threads of connectivity better than their creator, rebel against him/her/it…but it’s more than that.

It bothers me that they assume the destiny they were given was the real one.

Characters don’t ever seem to consider the possibility that the destiny they’ve been told they must fulfill is a false one. It’s possible, isn’t it?

It’s possible that their true destiny is beyond the false one, and that maybe, just maybe, the false destiny is simply a source of motivation to reach the true one. So really, they could’ve always been destined to ‘save the world’ or ‘defeat sin’…and if it weren’t for the motivation, perhaps their true destiny could not have been obtained.