February 12, 2019February 12, 2019 by velarisreads

Events, slacking and inspiration

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blogger, blogging, book signings, book tours, books, bookstagram, events, kod, Leigh bardugo, mental health, reading, romance, Sarah glenn marsh, update, velarisreads, writing
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Hello fellow readers, bloggers and writers!

I realize that I have been very quiet (again) and it has nothing to do with my personal health, thank God. I have been kind of busy these past two weeks. One week, I traveled to Virginia to (finally!) see my friend Sarah Glenn Marsh and to celebrate the release of her novel Song of the Dead. By the way, if you haven’t picked up her series yet, please do. It was a lot of fun visiting One More Page bookstore for the first time and getting to meet new people and eat wonderful food! It was my first even of 2019 so I had a great time and it brought back my inspiration for reading and writing. Naturally, though, I worried that feeling would go away like it always does.

The next week, I went to see Leigh Bardugo in Atlanta. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go because it was Super Bowl and I couldn’t find a place to stay. Luckily, my uncle let me stay in his apartment in Atlanta. I met up with my friend Brenn and we waited outside of the library for a little over an hour. The weather wasn’t too bad, but my feet were killing me. I had a party after the event and I was wearing heels. Bad idea…

My inspiration for writing was fueled heavily by Brenn. I had shown her a snippet of my KOD draft and her reaction was one that every author loves: utter betrayal. She urged me to write more and offered to look at my work if I ever needed feedback. To be honest, I haven’t touched KOD in a few months. I was actually going to shelve it because I had found an old manuscript with completed dialogue. But, now I think I might work on both. I don’t know. My inspiration for writing is still with me right now, so at least it’s not gone. Maybe it’s still with me because I’m so much happier lately. Other times, it will go away because I will be terribly depressed.

I’ve been slacking with reading lately and I can’t figure out why, exactly. I’ve been stuck reading The Gilded Wolves. You guys know how much I love Roshani’s work. But, I’ve been reading this one book for over a month. I will take breaks and, when I pick it back up, I will have no idea what is happening because I forget. I have heard on and off things about this book, but I don’t want to DNF it. I’ve been craving romance more than fantasy lately. Maybe that’s what I need to fuel my goal again. I picked up I Wish You All the Best again after putting it down for a while. I’ve got some free time today before my night class, so I’ll read as much as I can.

I’m not feeling stressed or sad anymore. I guess I just feel stuck on where to begin with some things. I’m itching to write down some words and turn some pages. I wish I had more blog tours, but the month of February is completely free. I have two blog tours in late March that I’m excited about. It’s strange, though, to not have a lot on my plate. For once, I actually want a busy schedule. But, maybe it’s a good thing that I’m slowing down with reviews and scheduling tours. I don’t like that my bookstagram is quiet. I’d like to post more, but it’s becoming hard lately to find the time or right place to photograph my books. I’ve been taking photos of the same books for too long and I need variety. What I need to do is tackle my TBR, which is filled with old ARCs and hardcovers. As springtime rolls around, too, I’ll have more opportunities for locations since I love to use flowers and warm weather for my pictures.

Anyway, I’m happy. I’m discovering myself lately, who I am in this world. 2019 has definitely been a journey so far and I’m holding on tight.

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Only a Breath Apart Blog Tour | Exclusive Excerpt

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Hello, readers! I’m happy to give you an exclusive excerpt to Katie McGarry’s new book, Only a Breath Apart, as a part of the official blog tour for the new book which is on shelves now!

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Would you dare to defy destiny? Are our destinies written in stone? Do we become nothing more than the self-fulfilling prophesies of other people’s opinions? Or can we dare to become who we believe we were born to be?

“A gorgeous, heartfelt journey of redemption and love” (Wendy Higgins), ONLY A BREATH APART is a young adult contemporary novel from critically acclaimed Katie McGarry. “Haunting, authentic, and ultimately hopeful” (Tammara Webber), ONLY A BREATH APART is now available!

About ONLY A BREATH APART:

They say your destiny is carved in stone. But some destinies are meant to be broken.

The only curse Jesse Lachlin believes in is his grandmother’s will: in order to inherit his family farm he must win the approval of his childhood best friend, the girl he froze out his freshman year.

A fortuneteller tells Scarlett she’s psychic, but what is real is Scarlett’s father’s controlling attitude and the dark secrets at home. She may be able to escape, but only if she can rely on the one boy who broke her heart.

Each midnight meeting pushes Jesse and Scarlett to confront their secrets and their feelings, but as love blooms, the curse rears its ugly head…

You can purchase the book TODAY at these retailers: Amazon Kobo Google Play BAM Barnes & Noble Apple Books

Don’t forget to add it on Goodreads!

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Want more? Check out this exclusive excerpt from Scarlett’s POV!

SCARLETT

A scraping of a chair, a tray full of food and I glance over with my practiced smile in welcome. It’s not Camila, Evangeline, or anyone else from the group. It’s green eyes, red hair, a familiar mischievous smile that used to be reserved only for me, and my blood pounds with excitement as if someone lit a sparkler in my chest. Then I frown because I’m not supposed to feel this way. Not with him. Not with anyone.

Jesse Lachlin winks at me as he sits across from me like no time has passed from when we climbed trees together. “What’s up, Tink?”

Another thrill runs through me but then my muscles tighten. Stupid, antiquated reaction belonging to a dead past. “What are you doing here?”

Jesse pops a fry into his mouth, chews, then picks up another as if he has no intention of answering. I scan the cafeteria. Several people are watching us, curious as to why Jesse Lachlin is sitting with me, or is event at lunch, or even at school.

From the lunch line, Camila’s and Evangeline’s eyes are bugging out of their heads.

What is going on? Camila mouths.

I raise my eyebrows to inform her I have no idea. Jesse digs into his corn with his fork and that’s crossing a line. “Maybe you didn’t hear me, but I asked what you’re doing here.”

He lifts his eyes to meet mine and there’s a glimmer in them that causes my lips to flatten. Fantastic. He’s here to make my life a living hell.

“It seems obvious,” he says.

If he remembers anything about me, he should recall I was never known for my patience and that he should be speaking, and speaking soon. “Just answer the question.”

“I’m eating lunch.”

I honest to God groan in frustration. “There’s no room at the inn.”

He surveys the table, takes in the empty seats, my books, and then gives me a good look. A slow look. As if he’s trying to memorize every inch he’s drinking in. My cheeks redden because that somehow feels a little too intimate for lunch. Feels a little too intimate for someone I’m no longer friends with. It feels too intimate if we were friends.

I glance away, but I sense him still staring at me. God help me, I want to stare back.

Oh my God. Katie’s books are notorious for making me swoon and that chapter is enough to give me familiar butterflies. I can’t wait to dive in!

BONUS: Want a $50 Amazon gift card so you can buy the book for yourself among other bookish pleasures? Follow this link to the giveaway and enter!

Make sure to check out the other participating blogs for reviews and more excerpts!

January 21^st

@booksniffer7 – Review

Bickering Book Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Book Ballistic – Excerpt

Book Hoarder Mom – Review

Brittany and Elizabeth’s Book Boutique – Review & Excerpt

Celindareyesblog – Excerpt

Cinta Garcia de la Rosa – Excerpt

Crystal’s Book World – Excerpt

Do You Dog-ear? – Review & Excerpt

Little Shop of Readers – Excerpt

Novel Addiction – Excerpt

Resch Reads & Reviews – Review

Sister Sister Book Blog – Excerpt

This Jabberwocky Eats Books – Excerpt

Writing My Own Fairy Tale – Review

January 22^nd

A Book Lovers Playlist – Excerpt

Beware Of The Reader – Excerpt

Beyourselfbebhaltair – Review & Excerpt

Booknerd1107 – Review

CeliaMoontown – Review & Excerpt

Crazy Chaotic Book Babes – Review & Excerpt

Echoing Books – Excerpt

Gata Leitora – Excerpt

Its a mun thing – Excerpt

Mean Girls Luv Books – Review & Excerpt

Mythical Books – Excerpt

The Whispers | Blog Tour | Book Review

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The Whispers

Author: Greg Howard

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Pages: 256

Age Group: 11+

Purchase: Amazon Penguin Random House Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Goodreads Synopsis:

A middle grade debut that’s a heartrending coming-of-age tale, perfect for fans of Bridge to Terabithia and Counting By 7s .

Eleven-year-old Riley believes in the whispers, magical fairies that will grant you wishes if you leave them tributes. Riley has a lot of wishes. He wishes bullies at school would stop picking on him. He wishes Dylan, his 8th grade crush, liked him, and Riley wishes he would stop wetting the bed. But most of all, Riley wishes for his mom to come back home. She disappeared a few months ago, and Riley is determined to crack the case. He even meets with a detective, Frank, to go over his witness statement time and time again.

Frustrated with the lack of progress in the investigation, Riley decides to take matters into his own hands. So he goes on a camping trip with his friend Gary to find the whispers and ask them to bring his mom back home. But Riley doesn’t realize the trip will shake the foundation of everything that he believes in forever.

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Thoughts

I’d like to thank Penguin Random House for including me in the blog tour for Greg’s new release. My review is completely honest.

Riley is a little boy that believes in magic, especially the Whispers. They are fairies that will grant wishes, just as long as you leave tributes. Naturally, as a young boy, he has a lot of wishes. What he wants is his mom back. She’s been gone for too long and he believes they are the only ones that can help him.

The one thing that shocked me about this book is that Riley is a gay character, especially at his young age. In my opinion, there is not enough of that in children’s literature, so it was nice and refreshing to see Riley’s character like this. He is an exceptional child and I absolutely loved his character growth and his imagination.

Riley lives in a religious town in South Carolina and he is still trying to figure himself out. He is surrounded by homophobic comments, bullying and lack of inclusion. This is that typical town you might read about way back when that prefers a certain type of person. Riley stands above that in his own way. He has his own point of view and I just loved his mind.

His adventure is from the viewpoint of his mind and it’s fascinating watching the adventure in this way. I had fun and I felt somewhat emotional reading this story. I don’t think it’s easy to find children’s literature like this nowadays. Especially back when I was growing up. What’s really a relief is that we are seeing a new evolution of children’s literature and I do feel like Greg’s new work will help bring children’s literature into a new light.

As for young readers alone with this story, it might take some urging to get them interested in the story. However, from personal experience, young readers are getting smarter and The Whispers is a book that I’m sure they’ll pick up instantly.

5 stars

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About the Author

greg howard

Greg Howard grew up near the coast of South Carolina. His hometown of Georgetown is known as the “Ghost Capital of the South” (seriously…there’s a sign), and was always a great source of material for his overactive imagination. Raised in a staunchly religious home, Greg escaped into the arts: singing, playing piano, acting, writing songs, and making up stories. Currently, Greg resides in Nashville, Tennessee, with his husband, Steve, and their three rescued fur babies Molly, Toby, and Riley.

January 16, 2019 by velarisreads

For Every One | Book Review

Blog, Reviews
atheneum books, blogger, blogging, book, book review, book reviews, bookish, bookish blog, books, bookstagram, for every one, jason reynolds, reading, Simon and schuster, velarisreads, verse
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For Every One

Author: Jason Reynolds

Publisher: Atheneum

Pages: 112

Age Group: any

Purchase: Amazon Simon & Schuster Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Goodreads Synopsis:

Originally performed at the Kennedy Center for the unveiling of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, and later as a tribute to Walter Dean Myers, this stirring and inspirational poem is New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award finalist Jason Reynolds’s rallying cry to the dreamers of the world.

For Every One is just that: for every one. For every one person. For every one dream. But especially for every one kid. The kids who dream of being better than they are. Kids who dream of doing more than they almost dare to dream. Kids who are like Jason Reynolds, a self-professed dreamer. Jason does not claim to know how to make dreams come true; he has, in fact, been fighting on the front line of his own battle to make his own dreams a reality. He expected to make it when he was sixteen. Then eighteen. Then twenty-five. Now, some of those expectations have been realized. But others, the most important ones, lay ahead, and a lot of them involve kids, how to inspire them. All the kids who are scared to dream, or don’t know how to dream, or don’t dare to dream because they’ve NEVER seen a dream come true. Jason wants kids to know that dreams take time. They involve countless struggles. But no matter how many times a dreamer gets beat down, the drive and the passion and the hope never fully extinguish—because just having the dream is the start you need, or you won’t get anywhere anyway, and that is when you have to take a leap of faith.

A pitch perfect graduation, baby, or love my kid gift.

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Thoughts

I am so glad I finally got the chance to read this lovely book. I’m taking a children’s literature class this semester and, last night, I got the chance to read it since it is on our reading list. Technically, I read it early. The teacher wanted us to analyze some work on the first day and she allowed us to choose some of the books from the reading list. Naturally, I chose For Every One because I have been really eager to read it since it got announced.

It’s basically in the form of a letter and verse. The letter(s) have been compiled throughout nearly the entirety of Jason Reynolds’s life. He talks about how he has dreams and how struggles in life sometimes prevent him from reaching that dream. He has doubts and wonders if he will ever reach that dream.

The number one thing that grabbed at my attention was the emotion behind his words. It honestly broke my heart. As readers, we consider Jason Reynolds incredibly successful. He is a beloved author. Reading his words and visualizing how hard it must have been for him to want his dream will break your heart, but will make you feel proud that he succeeded.

There’s a favorite metaphor of mine. He compares that doubt to a growing flame. The doubt that your dream won’t come true is like a flame and the more you doubt, the more it will grow until it completely envelops you in fire. However, even if you don’t really have doubt, that flame will always be there next to you. It’s frightening, but true.

This book is not for a certain age group. It can be for anybody that has a dream. As Jason emphasizes in his letter, dreams can come true at any age. He makes sure that the reader knows that. Jason is incredibly insightful and speaks to the heart and from the heart. Honestly, he is one of my favorite authors.

Side note, we also get to read Long Way Down in class this semester and you don’t know how excited I am for that. I’ve already read it, but we debate a lot in class already so I’m excited to put in my two cents when the time comes.

5 stars

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January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 by velarisreads

Happy New Year!

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blogger, blogging, book, bookish, bookish blog, bookish goals, books, bookstagram, goodreads, goodreads goal, new year, reading, update, velarisreads, writing
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It’s 2019, y’all!

I hope you guys are as excited as I am for the new year. I always tell myself that I’ll do this or do that and it never really happens. At the end of 2018, things have definitely changed and you know I explained all that in a previous post. This new year, I definitely have goals for myself.

I’ve set a reading goal for exactly 100 books, nothing too crazy like I keep trying to do. I’ve already finished one book for this new year, being White Stag, so I’m off to a great start! That blog tour is linked with the title, by the way, for your convenience!

I’ve also set goals personally for myself. I always push myself too hard and I don’t want to do that anymore because it’s just not healthy. So, I want to focus on just loving myself and being happy on my own. I always try to depend on others to make me happy when that’s definitely something I shouldn’t do. I’ve already started following this mantra late last year and I’ve never felt better about myself. I don’t feel alone anymore, I don’t feel sad, I don’t feel unnecessarily stressed. I just feel good.

If anyone else is struggling with resolutions for the new year, my advice would be to just focus on yourself. Focus on your own happiness.

I’m very excited to get this new year started off right! I’ve got many books under my belt right now, so I can’t say exactly what book I’ll be reviewing next. There’s Gilded Wolves, Lady Smoke, Grave Mercy, Wicked Saints…

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January 2, 2019January 2, 2019 by velarisreads

White Stag (Permafrost, #1) | Blog Tour | ARC Review

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White Stag (Permafrost, #1)

Author: Kara Barbieri

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 368

Age Group: 14+

Purchase: Amazon Wednesday Books Barnes & Noble Book Depository

Goodreads Synopsis:

The first book in a brutally stunning series where a young girl finds herself becoming more monster than human and must uncover dangerous truths about who she is and the place that has become her home.

As the last child in a family of daughters, seventeen-year-old Janneke was raised to be the male heir. While her sisters were becoming wives and mothers, she was taught to hunt, track, and fight. On the day her village was burned to the ground, Janneke—as the only survivor—was taken captive by the malicious Lydian and eventually sent to work for his nephew Soren.

Janneke’s survival in the court of merciless monsters has come at the cost of her connection to the human world. And when the Goblin King’s death ignites an ancient hunt for the next king, Soren senses an opportunity for her to finally fully accept the ways of the brutal Permafrost. But every action he takes to bring her deeper into his world only shows him that a little humanity isn’t bad—especially when it comes to those you care about.

Through every battle they survive, Janneke’s loyalty to Soren deepens. After dangerous truths are revealed, Janneke must choose between holding on or letting go of her last connections to a world she no longer belongs to. She must make the right choice to save the only thing keeping both worlds from crumbling.

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Press Release

Exclusive Excerpt

Thoughts

I’d like to thank Wednesday Books and Fierce Reads for allowing me to be a part of the White Stag blog tour. My review is spoiler free. Early copy provided by the publisher!

I think what hooked me first with this book was the cover. It’s incredibly stunning and I love seeing new debuts and authors reaching that long-awaited goal of having their own book out in the world. So, I was very excited to get the offer to be a part of the blog tour for this one.

The story is about Janneke. She may be a teenager, but she really isn’t. For the past 100 years, she has been living in the goblin world after her entire family had been destroyed. She doesn’t age physically, but it doesn’t mean she is safe in this world. She has a “friend” in Soren, a goblin. When a new goblin king needs to be chosen, Soren believes this is the moment for Janneke to take advantage of her destiny with the Permafrost and to go deeper into his world.

First of all, a major trigger warning for rape. It’s pretty much implied early on, which definitely did surprise me. It was kind of like a slap in the face that had me like: oh, ok? It’s not a bad element to have, but it might have been a bit too much for my initial taste. Just because I didn’t really expect it to be mentioned more often than I wanted it to.

Janneke’s character was kind of hard to get into. She has her likable moments, but at times, she was kind of weakly written. At the end of it all, it feels like I don’t know much about her as much as I had hoped to. I’m glad this is a series, though, so I hope that her character development and background can grow more. It’s the same with Soren. It just felt like something was missing. There is definitely a hint of romance between the two of them, but the way it builds up is something strange. They have been “friends” for a hundred years and, according to Janneke, nothing has ever really happened. So, it just happens now? It felt like it was out of the blue, but at the end, the potential is there and I’m all for it. I would have liked some more back story with their relationship. Not too much, but just enough details about the previous years.

The storyline itself has great potential. I love dark fantasy just because I find it very beautiful in my mind. I thought the world itself was well created and, I won’t lie. I thought the gruesome scenes were pretty well written, too. Some details were confusing or just a bit too much, like they weren’t really necessary. However, I think the overall best part about this book is the storyline itself.

I understand what Kara is trying to create here and the last time I read a good goblin story was the Wintersong duology. Instantly, when I saw the word Erlking, I got excited. Kara has a unique voice and I do have high hopes for the rest of the series. I’ll definitely be picking up book two when it releases.

3.5 stars

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About the Author

Kara Barbieri

Kara Barbieri is a writer living in the tiny town of Hayward, Wisconsin. An avid fantasy fan, she began writing White Stag at eighteen and posting it to Wattpad soon after under the name of ‘Pandean’. When she’s not writing, you can find her marathoning Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reviving gothic fashion, and jamming to synthpop.

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December 27, 2018December 27, 2018 by velarisreads

Analiese Rising Blog Tour | Exclusive Excerpt

Hello, fellow readers!

I am really excited to be a part of the blog tour for Brenda Drake’s upcoming release from Entangled Teen, Analiese Rising!

About Analiese Rising:

When a stranger gives Analiese Jordan a list of names before he dies, the last thing she expects to see is her own on it. Not. Cool. Her search for answers leads to the man’s grandson, Marek, who has dangerous secrets of his own. Both are determined to unlock the mystery of the list.

But the truth is deadly. Analiese is a descendant of the God of Death, known as a Riser, with the power to raise the dead and control them. Finding out she has hidden powers? Cool. Finding out she turns corpses into killers? No, thank you.

Now the trail plants her and Marek in the middle of a war between gods who apparently want to raise an army of the Risen, and Analiese must figure out how to save the world—from herself.

If that summary doesn’t already have you excited for this book, take a glimpse at this exclusive excerpt!

It’s because Dalton coaxed me. He knows how to get me to do stuff. All he has to do is throw down a dare. Been doing that ever since forever.

I glare at him through the plastic goggles. “Just give me a sec.”

He flashes me a smug look. One that says he knows I won’t do it and he’s about to get out of doing the dinner dishes for a month. His eyes are almost the color of the frog’s body—sort of yellowy green, but alive. That movement he always does to get the sand-colored bangs out of his eyes annoys me.

A smirk twitching the corner of his lips, he drums his fingers against the table. A move to make me nervous. Make me give up. I contemplate tugging off one of my latex gloves and slapping his face with it. Challenge him to a duel. Like pistols at dawn.

Behind me, Rod’s goofing off again. Teasing Sofia and Maggie. He’s okay, just has it bad for Sofia. Everyone in school is just okay. Your typical cliques, as in all the schools across America. Dalton and I are like chameleons, morphing into whichever group we feel like hanging out with at the time.

“I’m getting old here.” Frustration sounds in his voice. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m taking so long or because his crush is flirting with the two most popular girls in school.

Analiese Rising releases January 8th, so there is still plenty of time to preorder! You can preorder anywhere books are sold like Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, Amazon and Entangled Teen!

Also, make sure to add the book to your Goodreads!

The excerpt tour is happening until January 7th! Bookmark these lovely bloggers so you can stay updated on more sneak peeks!

Dec. 27- https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com (Excerpt 1)

http://www.velarisreads.wordpress.com (Excerpt 2) this is me, so technically you’ve already seen my excerpt! 😉

Dec. 28- http://thelovelybooksbookblog.blogspot.com (Excerpt 3)

https://indecisiveopinions.blogspot.com (Excerpt 4)

Dec. 29- http://www.ohheybooks.com (Excerpt 5)

http://pagesbetween.blogspot.com (Excerpt 6)

Dec. 30- https://confessionsofayareader.wordpress.com/ (Excerpt 7)

http://chaptersthroughlife.blogspot.co.uk/?m=1 (Excerpt 8)

Dec. 31- http://www.travelsnreads.com (Excerpt 9)

Http://smadasbooksmack.blogspot.com (Excerpt 10)

Jan. 1- https://instagram.com/live.laugh.love.library (Excerpt 11)

http://booksandmakeup.blogspot.com (Excerpt 12)

Jan. 2- http://cantstopwontstopbooks.wordpress.com (Excerpt 13)

http://taylorfenner.blogspot.com (Excerpt 14)

Jan. 3- https://carriesbookreviews.com/ (Excerpt 15)

http://omgreads.com/blog/ (Excerpt 16)

Jan. 4- http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com (Excerpt 17)

https://bookishfriendsandfelinefancies.wordpress.com (Excerpt 18)

Jan. 5- https://booklovinmamas.net (Excerpt 19)

https://twirlingbookprincess.com/ (Excerpt 20)

Jan. 6- http://www.literaryme.net/ (Excerpt 21)

http://www.kindlykatey.com (Excerpt 22)

Jan. 7- https://kristinsbooks.wordpress.com/?ref=spelling (Excerpt 23)

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About Brenda Drake:

Brenda Drake grew up the youngest of three children, an Air Force brat, and the continual new kid at school. Her fondest memories growing up is of her eccentric, Irish grandmother’s animated tales, which gave her a strong love for storytelling. So it was only fitting that she would choose to write stories with a bend toward the fantastical. When she’s not writing or hanging out with her family, she haunts libraries, bookstores, and coffee shops, or reads someplace quiet and not at all exotic (much to her disappointment).

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