Showing posts with label Branded. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Branded. Show all posts

Friday, September 26, 2014

4 for Friday Blitz & Giveaway – Presented by Month9Books


4-for-Friday-Banner

Welcome to the 4 for Friday Blitz for Crown of Ice by Vicki L. Weavil, Fire in the Woods by Jennifer M. Eaton, Avian by Nicole Conway, and Branded by Abi Ketner and Missy Kalicicki, presented by Month9Books!
Be sure to enter the giveaway found at the end of the post.



Crown-of-ice-CoverThyra Winther’s seventeen, the Snow Queen, and immortal, but if she can’t reassemble a shattered enchanted mirror by her eighteenth birthday she’s doomed to spend eternity as a wraith.
Armed with magic granted by a ruthless wizard, Thyra schemes to survive with her mind and body intact. Unencumbered by kindness, she kidnaps local boy Kai Thorsen, whose mathematical skills rival her own. Two logical minds, Thyra calculates, are better than one. With time rapidly melting away she needs all the help she can steal.
A cruel lie ensnares Kai in her plan, but three missing mirror shards and Kai’s childhood friend, Gerda, present more formidable obstacles. Thyra’s willing to do anything – venture into uncharted lands, outwit sorcerers, or battle enchanted beasts — to reconstruct the mirror, yet her most dangerous adversary lies within her breast. Touched by the warmth of a wolf pup’s devotion and the fire of a young man’s desire, the thawing of Thyra’s frozen heart could be her ultimate undoing.
CROWN OF ICE is a YA Fantasy that reinvents Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen” from the perspective of a young woman who discovers that the greatest threat to her survival may be her own humanity.

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

Vicki Weavil 11Vicki Lemp Weavil was raised in a farming community in Virginia, where her life was shaped by a wonderful family, the culture of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and an obsession with reading. Since obtaining her undergraduate degree in Theatre from the University of Virginia, she’s gone on to acquire two masters degrees, living in places as diverse as New York City and rural North Carolina. She’s currently the library director for a performing an visual arts university.  Vicki loves good writing in any genre, and has been known to read seven books in as many days. She enjoys travel, gardening, and the arts. Vicki lives in North Carolina with her husband, son, and some very spoiled cats.




Fire-in-the-Woods-CoverWhen a plane crashes in the woods near Jess’s home, the boy of her dreams falls out of the sky—literally. But David’s not here to find a girlfriend. He’s from another planet, and if Jess can’t help him get back to his ship, he’ll be stuck on Earth with nothing to look forward to but the pointy end of a dissection scalpel. 
But her father runs their house like an army barracks, and with an alien on the loose, Major Dad isn’t too keen on the idea of Jess going anywhere. Ever. So how the heck is she supposed to help the sweetest, strangest, and cutest guy she’s ever met? 
Hiding him in her room probably isn’t the best idea. Especially since her Dad is in charge of the squadron searching for David. That doesn’t mean she won’t do it. It just means she can’t get caught. 
Helping David get home while protecting her heart—that’s gonna be the hard part. After all, she can’t really fall for a guy who’s not exactly from here. 

As they race through the woods with Major Dad and most of the U.S. military one breath behind them, Jess and David grow closer than either of them anticipated. But all is not what it seems. David has a genocide-sized secret, and one betrayal later, they are both in handcuffs as alien warships are positioning themselves around the globe. Time is ticking down to Armageddon, and Jess must think fast if she’s to save the boy she cares about without sacrificing Earth—and everyone on it. 
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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author
Jennifer M. EatonCorporate Team Leader by day, and Ranting Writer by night. Jennifer M. Eaton calls the East Coast of the USA home, where she lives with her husband, three energetic boys, and a pepped up poodle.
Jennifer hosts an informational blog “A Reference of Writing Rants for Writers (or Learn from My Mistakes)” aimed at helping all writers be the best they can be.
Beyond writing and motivating others, she also enjoys teaching her dog to jump through hoops—literally.

Jennifer’s perfect day includes long hikes in the woods, bicycling, swimming, snorkeling, and snuggling up by the fire with a great book; but her greatest joy is using her over-active imagination constructively… creating new worlds for everyone to enjoy.




Avian-CoverWhat kind of power is lurking inside him?
 After a year of training to become a dragonrider, Jaevid Broadfeather has been sent home to rest during a three-month interlude. But when he returns to find the king drake has chosen Beckah Derrick as his new rider, Jaevid realizes something big is about to happen. Every fiber of his being is pushed to the breaking point as Jaevid battles through his avian year, preparing for the final graduation test of the battle scenario. But there is more standing in his way than a few pushups and fancy sword moves.
Jaevid must face a new fear as he is tormented by a gruesome nightmare of a mysterious gray elf warrior murdering the royal family of Maldobar. It seems obvious to him that this is some kind of message about how the war started long ago—until Felix assures him the king is very much alive. With his strange powers growing stronger by the day, and that violent dream replaying in his mind every night, Jaevid no longer wonders if he will pass his avian year or not . . . he wonders if he will even survive it. 

The truth will soon be set loose.

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author

NicoleConwayPhotoNicole is the author of the children’s fantasy series, THE DRAGONRIDER CHRONICLES, about a young boy’s journey into manhood as he trains to become a dragonrider. She has completed the first two books in the series, and is now working on the third and final book.
Originally from a small town in North Alabama, Nicole moves frequently due to her husband’s career as a pilot for the United States Air Force. She received a B.A. in English with a concentration in Classics from Auburn University, and will soon attend graduate school. 
She has previously worked as a freelance and graphic artist for promotional companies, but has now embraced writing as a full-time occupation. 

Nicole enjoys hiking, camping, shopping, cooking, and spending time with her family and friends. She also loves watching children’s movies and collecting books. She lives at home with her husband, two cats, and dog.




Branded-CoverFifty years ago The Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. 
To punish the guilty, he created the Hole, a place where sinners are branded according to their sins. Sinners are forced to live a less than human existence in deplorable conditions, under the watchful eye of guards who are ready to kill anyone who steps out of line.
Now, LUST wraps around my neck like thick, blue fingers, threatening to choke the life out of me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit, and the Hole is my new home.
Constant darkness.
Brutal and savage violence.
Excruciating pain. 
Every day is a fight for survival. 
But I won’t let them win. I will not die in the Hole. 

I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

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Chapter-by-Chapter-header---About-the-Author


Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.
Chapter-by-Chapter-header---Giveaway
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Saturday, May 31, 2014

Blog Tour ~ BRANDED (A Sinners Series) by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki ~ Excerpt


Branded 
by Abi Ketner & Missy Kalicicki
A Sinners Series

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. 
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home. 

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain. 

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.

The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. 
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. 
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.



~Excerpt~

I turn on the faucet for a long while only to discover ice-cold water rushing out. The water never warms and I begin to understand. The Commander thinks he can wash away my soul by freezing me to death. He thinks he can destroy me by stripping away my possessions. But he can’t and I won’t let him take my memories, my ambition, and my pride.
He thinks I’m so easily broken.
The Commander doesn’t know anything about me, what I grew up with, what I endured—the father I lost, the mother I hate, the brother who walked out of my life, and the stepfather I was forced to accept. He thinks since I was rich, making me poor will cause me to give up. What he doesn’t understand is that, after my father passed away, I grew up behind walls of hatred. I had nothing, but had everything at the same time. I owned expensive clothes, enjoyed good schooling, and lived in a nice home. But my body was just a shell protecting an empty, desperate heart. My life was a colorful façade.
I had so much time to sit and think. I spent the majority of my life between four walls. I was abandoned, neglected, starved, betrayed, and abused. I’ve already been treated like the scum of the earth, so the Hole is nothing new. He wants to erase every sign of my existence on this earth, but I won’t let that happen. He can strip me naked, but he’ll never reach my soul.
It’s personal, completely personal.





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~About Abi and Missy ~


Abi and Missy met in the summer of 1999 at college orientation and have been best friends ever since. After college, they added jobs, husbands and kids to their lives, but they still found time for their friendship. Instead of hanging out on weekends, they went to dinner once a month and reviewed books. What started out as an enjoyable hobby has now become an incredible adventure.









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Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Book Review ~ Branded by Abi Ketner and Melissa Kalicicki

Branded 
(Sinners #1)
by Abi Ketner, Missy Kalicicki 

Fifty years ago the Commander came into power and murdered all who opposed him. In his warped mind, the seven deadly sins were the downfall of society. He created the Hole where sinners are branded according to their sins and might survive a few years. At best. 
Now LUST wraps around my neck like blue fingers strangling me. I’ve been accused of a crime I didn’t commit and now the Hole is my new home. 

Darkness. Death. Violence. Pain. 

Now every day is a fight for survival. But I won’t die. I won’t let them win.

The Hole can’t keep me. The Hole can’t break me. 
I am more than my brand. I’m a fighter. 
My name is Lexi Hamilton, and this is my story.

Oh. My. Gosh!  Wow - just WOW! If I had to sum to book up in just one word, it would be AWESOME!

The world is a whole different place after the judicial system is revamped creating different classifications of criminals based on the seven sins.  All criminals (whether proven guilty or not) are branded with a different color on their neck depending on what sin they have been accused of.  The branding process is not a fun ordeal, let me tell you! But anyway, I am getting ahead of myself.  All criminals are taken to the ‘Hole’, which is basically hell on earth.  Think concentration camp but 100 times worse, and well, you have the ‘Hole’ in a nutshell.  Not a place you want to visit, let alone live in the rest of your life.

From page one Lexi Hamilton is a girl you really want to pull for.  The story opens with her about to hang herself because she just can’t handle what life is dishing out anymore.  Her dad died when she was younger, and her mother remarried a sadistic bastard who loves to prove his mighty powerful self.   Although he really does not abuse Lexi physically, the mental abuse is by far worse than you can even imagine.  Her brother had run away many years before, so Lexi has no one to turn to. And to top it all off, as if it could get any worse, she has been accused of the sin Lust – turned in by her own mother.  She gets arrested, branded a sinner and taken to the ‘Hole’ – all without a trial because a person is guilty until proven guilty in this fine new world.  Lexi is one tough chick that I really liked.  Although she started out to appear weak, she proves that she can kick some serious butt when necessary!

Lexi gets assigned a guard to be with her 24/7, and this swoon-worthy male is named Cole and is really good looking and comes with a cute sidekick named Zeus.  Cole’s orders are to protect Lexi and keep her alive – no matter what.  Not an easy task when Lexi has basically been branded a whore and every guy wants a piece of her.  Cole has a gut feeling that everything is not as it seems and believes that Lexi is innocent of her crime.  He totally starts to fall in love with Lexi, but there’s a problem with this.  Falling in love with a sinner is forbidden and punishable by an execution style death in front of EVERYONE.  I instantly fell in love with Cole....hard.  Even at the beginning, when he was being his macho guard self, I could really tell that there was a more gentle, protective and sexy side of Cole.  And Zeus.....how can you not like Zeus!  He provided just the right amount of humor when it was needed.

There are other lovable characters that I liked as well that really added to the story and then there were the characters you just can't help but hate. Each one brought their own uniqueness to the story and made it complete.

With forbidden romance, a rebellion in the making and so many twist and turns, this novel had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.  It was impossible to put it down, even for a second.   The authors really know how to draw a reader in with their vivid descriptions and thrilling plot.  I’m not going to lie, there are some very gruesome and bloody scenes, so if you have a queasy stomach, this one may not be for you, but it’s well worth it as the scenes are crucial to the story line.   I would highly recommend Branded to anyone who wants to read a refreshing take on the dystopian genre mixed with a little romance topped off with the humorous antics of one lovable and loyal dog.  I guarantee you will not be disappointed!

Very special thanks to Victory Editing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book to review.  I enjoyed it so much, half way through I purchased my own paperback copy so I can hold and reread whenever my heart desires!  But inquiring minds NEED to know…..when is the next book due to be released?  This reader hopes really soon!

My Rating:  5 out of 5 stars




~Abi Ketner~
Abi Ketner Is a registered nurse with a passion for novels, the beaches of St. John, and her Philadelphia Phillies. A talented singer, Abi loves to go running and spend lots of time with her family. She currently resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania with her husband, triplet daughters and two very spoiled dogs.







~Melissa Kalicicki~
Melissa Kalicicki received her bachelor's degree from Millersville University in 2003. She married, had two boys and currently lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Aside from reading and writing, her interests include running and mixed martial arts. She also remains an avid Cleveland sports fan. 






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