Book Release Blitz: Wolf by Wolf

I am so excited that WOLF BY WOLF by Ryan Graudin releases today and that I get to share the news, along with an awesome giveaway!

If you haven’t yet heard about this wonderful book by Ryan, be sure to check out all the details below.

This blitz also includes a giveaway for a signed finished copy of the book with a special WOLF BY WOLF pin! US only. So if you’d like a chance to win, enter in the Rafflecopter at the bottom of this post.

A special intro from the author:

"Once upon a different time, there was a girl who lived in a kingdom of death. Wolves howled up her arm. A whole pack of them--made of tattoo ink and pain, memory and loss. It was the only thing about her that ever stayed the same.

Her story begins on a train."

And so begins the story of Yael, a girl who can change her appearance to mimic any other female. A girl who must win a 20,000 kilometer cross-continental motorcycle race from Germania to Tokyo so that she can have an audience with Adolf Hitler. A girl who has every intention of killing him.

Whenever I describe the premise of WOLF BY WOLF to people, the reactions I get are quite similar. It's the "are-you-insane-or-are-you-onto-something" face: dropped jaw, squiggly eyebrows. I must admit, I felt many of those same feelings when I first started penning Yael's story. Alternate history + sci-fi + epic motorcycle journey felt like a strange recipe for a novel. But I pushed through my fears and kept writing, and I couldn't be happier with the result. I, for one, don't think I'm insane, but I'll let you, dear reader, come up with your own conclusion.

Happy reading!

Ryan Graudin

About The Book:

Title: WOLF BY WOLF

Author: Ryan Graudin

Release Date: October 20, 2015

Pages: 400

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Find it: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks

Code Name Verity meets Inglourious Basterds in this fast-paced novel from the author of The Walled City.

The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?

About Ryan:

Ryan Graudin grew up in Charleston and graduated from the College of Charleston with a degree in Creative Writing in 2009. She is the author of All That Glows and The Walled City. She resides near Charleston with her husband and wolf-dog. You can find her online at www.ryangraudin.com.

Website | Twitter |Tumblr | Goodreads | Pinterest | Blog

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Release + Giveaway" A Rebel in Jericho

Join the Resistance!

The first book in a new historical romance series, A REBEL IN JERICHO, is a suspenseful Wild West adventure with an abduction, border battles and Mexican saloons! Check out this novel from debut author Mimi Milan where two people learn that love, courage and faith are all they need to face the trials of the West.

To learn more about Mimi Milan check out her website!

Giveaway:

Grand Prize: 1 Winner will win a $25 gift card to Amazon

Rafflecopter

About A REBAL IN JERICHO

After years of preparing for marriage, Catalina Santé is interested in little more than making a good match. And why not? She’s young, beautiful, educated… everything a wealthy man should want. However, a tragic accident will leave her with less than a marriage proposal—she’s fighting for her very life!

Matthew Martin spends most of his time just trying to fit into American society. It’s one of the reasons he became a deputy. Willing to risk it all in order to protect Catalina, he can’t imagine what that entails… until she’s abducted and sold to a Mexican saloon, where a border battle rages between two towns.

Can love and faith survive in such a harsh place? Will Matthew even be able to save Catalina?

On Sale in Digital Now:

Amazon

See what other readers are saying about A REBEL IN JERICHO:

“Romance, intrigue and danger! It’s an exciting adventure as the reader joins Catalina on her perilous journey through the underbelly of Mexico’s dark side.” – Patricia Highton

“A delightful blend of drama, romance, and self-discovery.” – Tiffany Matus

Excerpt:

“A penny for your thoughts?” Catalina regretted asking almost as soon as the words were out. The less she knew about him, the better. Right?   Continuing to lean against the side, Matthew gave her a once-over.   He decided to have a little fun with her.   “Only a penny? Is that what people are charging nowadays? Not me. My thoughts are worth a whole nickel.” The laughter in his tone danced in his playful eyes, their brilliance shining like blue gems. A slow, infectious grin spread across Matthew’s face. He looked like a mischievous little boy who was trying to buy his way out of trouble after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.   Catalina bit her lip in a desperate attempt to remain serious, but it was of little use. Charmed by her softened features, Matthew took a slow step towards her. He raised a tentative hand and pushed back a curl that had worked its way loose. Catalina’s breath stilled as the light touch of his fingers slowly trailed along her cheek. Her beautiful eyes and full mouth were almost irresistible, and he wondered if she tasted as sweet as she looked. Unasked questions blazed from his eyes, making the cage that she was trying to construct around her heart unhinge. The sudden attraction hit her hard. She forced herself to look away and break the spell. Falling for her escort was not part of the plan. “Look!” Catalina pointed towards the bank. “We’re just about there.” “Then I guess we best get back to the car.” Disappointment laced his words. She didn’t have any romantic notions about him, so he best leave it at just friends. No more goo-goo eyes. “It shouldn’t take too long to get it started.” He picked up the conversation again as he paced back to the car with a determined step. “It’s warm out. So she doesn’t need to be cranked or anything.” Catalina questioned his sudden change in mood. She was grateful at the flow of normal conversation between them. Still, it felt like something was suddenly missing. “Well, I suppose that’s a good thing.” She plodded along behind him, dissatisfied when they reached the Model T. He took her hand and helped her up and into the front seat. “Shouldn’t I ride in the—” “You’ll get a better view of things while we’re driving from up here.” He cut her off, patting the hood of the car for emphasis – a friendly grin that promised an exciting ride. After all, it was a long trip to Nogales. “Besides, it’ll be more fun.” More fun? Hmmm...more trouble maybe. Definitely more dangerous.

Add A REBEL IN JERICHO to your TBR pile on Goodreads!

Author Bio:

Mimi Milan spent two decades scribbling away in notebooks before realizing that her life’s calling was to write. So she returned from Mexico and attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Film. She currently resides in the suburbs of Charlotte, making time for God, family and imaginary friends.

Connect with Mimi: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

Book Review: Don't Call Me Kit Kat

Title: Don't Call Me Kit Kat

Author: KJ Farnham

Genre: Contemporary YA

Reviewer: Aly

Book Blurb: 

Junior high is where things really start to happen. Cliques form and break apart. Couples are made and destroyed. And a reputation is solidified that you won’t ever be able to escape. Everything you do and say, and everyone you spend your time with, matters.

Katie Mills knows that. She gets it. That’s why she tried so hard to get in with the cool girls at school. And why she was so devastated when those efforts found her detained for shoplifting and laughed out of cheer squad tryouts.

But Katie has more to worry about than just fitting in. Her parents are divorced and always fighting. Her sister never has time for her. And her friends all seem to be drifting apart. Even worse? The boy she has a crush on is dating the mean girl at school.

Everything is a mess, and Katie doesn’t feel like she has control over any of it. Certainly not over her weight, which has always topped out at slightly pudgier than normal—at least, according to her mother.

So when she happens to catch one of the popular girls throwing up in the bathroom one day, it sparks an idea. A match that quickly engulfs her life in flames.

Is there any going back once she gets started down this path?

And would she even want to if she could?

Review:

Don’t Call Me Kit Kat deals with some real issues that are in play in this day and age. It deals with body image and bulimia. Not to mention some of the daily struggles that teenagers may face today. The main character is struggling to fit in, and find out who she is. And then on top of that she’s having trouble with the other teenagers at school. It’s a situation that anyone can and might face when entering junior high or high school.

It was certainly a painful experience seeing her experience everything she is and what she chooses to use to try to make things better. Not to mention that she’s withdrawing from her friends

and everyone who loves her. Seeing the things she went through and how she tried to hide it not to mention how she is forced into a facility in order to help her get a bit better was difficult but at the same time it was great to see her finding out things about herself and finding out what was part of the cause of her Bulimia.

The plot of this book was beautiful and the writing was well done. Hearing the thoughts that she is struggling with really made this book come to life. There were no errors that I noticed and the words flowed so that you could follow the story without losing track of things or finding yourself jolted out of the book.

K.J. Farnham has created a book that deals with the difficulties of body image, and junior high. It’s a realistic book that doesn’t make things overdramatic. It was a great story and if you’re looking to take a walk back to junior high and seeing the difficulties that you might not have faced but others may have then this is certainly the book to do so.

Rating:

Blog Tour: Dancing to an Irish Reel

Title: Dancing to an Irish Reel

Author: Claire Fullerton

Genre: NA fiction

Reviewer: Aly

Book Blurb:

On sabbatical from her job in the LA record business, twenty five year old Hailey Crossan takes a trip to Ireland for the vacation of a lifetime. What she finds is a job offer too good to turn down.

But her new life in Ireland comes with one major complication—Liam Hennessey. He’s a famous Irish musician whose entire live has revolved around performing. And Hailey falls in love with him. Because Liam’s not so sure love can fit into his life, he’s afraid to come closer, but neither can he bring himself to go away.

And so begins Hailey’s journey to a colorful land that changes her life, unites her with friends more colorful than the Irish landscape, and teaches her more about love than she’s ever known before.

Review:

The narration of Dancing to An Irish Reel allows the book to play out like a movie in your head. If you’ve ever seen movies similar to The Princess Bride, that’s sort of how the narration seemed to play in my head. It was almost as if someone was telling the story as the movie was playing. So that was something that set Dancing to an Irish Reel apart from other books I’ve read.

I did find that the plot seemed to be much like she described Ireland. It seemed to move along at a steady pace and you sometimes had a hard time discovering what they were really trying to say. There weren’t any specific “big bang” moments that were high energy and hit suddenly with no warning. Everything seemed to move along at a slow pace and it’s different from the high energy suspense novels.

The story was certainly a nice read. And it was interesting to see a different type of lifestyle from the one that we in North America experience.

The ending was open, never really stating for certain what happened after a certain point. Which was intriguing as it allows the reader to find their favorite ending but still, I Would have liked to know what happened for sure. Not just the numerous possibilities.

Overall, Dancing to An Irish Reel was a good, different read. The author did a good job at creating a story that stands out from other books.

Rating:

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble

About the Author

Claire Fullerton is the author of Paranormal Mystery, “A Portal in Time,” set in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California (Vinspire Publishing) and “Dancing to an Irish Reel,” Fiction, set in Connemara, Ireland, (Vinspire Publishing.) She is a three time award winning essayist, a former newspaper columnist, a contributor to magazines, and a four time contributor to the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book series. Claire hails from Memphis,TN and now lives in Malibu, CA. Currently, Claire is writing her third novel, which is based on her award winning essay in the 2013 San Francisco Writer’s Conference.

Author links:

http://www.clairefullerton.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7388895.Claire_Fullerton

https://www.facebook.com/clairefullertonauthor?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

https://twitter.com/cfullerton3

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Tour+Giveaway: A Matter of Heart

Title: A Matter of Heart

Author: Amy Fellner Dominy

Genre: YA

Book Blurb: 

Readers will happily sink into this emotionally grounded, contemporary young adult novel about the sudden end of one girl's Olympic swimming dreams and the struggles she endures before realizing there are many things that define who we are.

Sixteen-year-old Abby Lipman is on track to win the state swim championships and qualify for the Olympic trials when a fainting incident at a swim meet leads to the diagnosis of a deadly heart condition. Now Abby is forced to discover who she is without the one thing that's defined her entire life.

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes and Noble


The Story in 5 Gifs
(and how do you pronounce that word anyways? "jiff" or "ghiff"?)

You’re sixteen and you’re one of the top swimmers in the country.

You have a hot boyfriend who also swims, an amazing best friend, and you’re three weeks away from making the Olympic trials—your dream since you first jumped into a pool. Life is freaking fantastic. 

And then you faint.

The doctor tells you not to swim. The coach tells you not to swim.

But doctors are wrong. Coaches are overly careful.

How can you quit now?

Your boyfriend is freaked out. Your best friend. Your parents. Your coach.

And the one person who understands poses a different kind of danger to your heart.

If your dream is worth living for, it’s worth dying for…isn’t it?

About the Author

Amy Fellner Dominy worked as a copywriter in the advertising business before leaving to earn her MFA in playwriting. Her plays for adults and children have been staged in various cities around the country. Amy's novels for teens include OyMG (Walker, 2011) and AUDITION & SUBTRACTION (Walker, 2012.) Amy's next book is a contemporary YA coming Spring, 2015 from Random House. It's called A MATTER OF HEART.

Website | Goodreads | Twitter | Facebook

a Rafflecopter giveaway