Giveaway, Spotlight: Knight Blindness by Chris Karlsen

Gliterary Girl wants to introduce you to KNIGHT BLINDNESS by Chris Karlsen. 


Synopsis for KNIGHT BLINDNESS

Given a choice between the pleasant life you knew centuries ago or
the possibility of all you want in an uncertain new world, which would you choose?

Two men torn through time find themselves in the modern but alien world.
Old enemies, one hunting the other, one discovering love, both fighting private battles to survive.

Book 3 of The Knights in Time Series

Ready for battle, Medieval English knight, Stephen Palmer, charges into the French enemy’s cavalry line. Heeding a warning given months before, he hesitates as he comes face-to-face with the knight in the warning. Struck down in the year 1356, he finds himself landing in the year 2013. Grievously wounded, he’s taken to a nearby hospital. Confused by the new world surrounding him, he attempts to convince the staff he’s from another time, only to find they think him mad.

Rescued by friends, who, to his surprise, have also come through time, he must find a way to function in this odd modern England. He is quickly enchanted by the kind Esme Crippen, the young woman hired to tutor him. She too is enchanted by him. Tempted to deepen the relationship, she hesitates thinking him adorable, but mad. He must discover the means for getting her to believe the truth, all the while, unknown to him, he didn’t come forward in time alone. The enemy knight has also traveled to 2013.

French noble, Roger Marchand, doesn’t question why the English knight who charged him hesitated. That fraction of a pause gave him the advantage needed and he brought his sword down upon the Englishman’s helmet hard, unhorsing the knight. He moved to finish the Englishman off when the world changed in a rush of sensations as he is ripped through time.

Seeking a reason for the terrible event, he enters a nearby chapel. There, thinking God has chosen him for a quest to turn French defeat that day in 1356 to victory, he sets out to find the English knight. The man he is convinced holds the key to time. If he returns to the day of the battle, he can warn his king of mistakes that snatched victory from them. 



Buy Links

Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Knight-Blindness-Knights-Chris-Karlsen-ebook/dp/B00E2QS488/
Barnes and Nobles - http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/knight-blindness-chris-karlsen/1116277738

Books To Go Now - http://bookstogonow.com/books/knight-blindness/



Bio for Chris Karlsen
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is, Dangerous Waters.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse. 

Social Media Links

Website - http://www.chriskarlsen.com/
Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/chriskarlsen/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/chriskarlsenwriter
Blog - http://chriskarlsenwriter.blogspot.com/
Goodreads - http://www.goodreads.com/author/dashboard


GIVEAWAY

In honor of this celebration, Chris Karlsen would like to gift each blog stop an ebook set of her books HEROES LIVE FOREVER and JOURNEY IN TIME.  Leave a comment and join the blog and the winner will be selected on Wednesday May 28th, 2014

Fire & Ice Blog Tour Guest Post & Giveaway: Second on the Right by Elizabeth Los

y fireandicebooktours

 

I look back on those days with fondness. For me, there was nothing better than playing outdoors. We had video game consoles (Atari and Colecovision) and on occasion we’d sit around and play Pitfall or Defender. But the most fun we had was when we ran wild outside in the front or backyard of our homes. A childhood friend I grew up with had an awesome backyard. It wasn’t typical, with a lawn of grass. Instead, it had a winding sidewalk, which was great for imagining avoiding hot lava.

GUEST BLOG

 

Why I Write Fantasy?

When I was growing up, I had a few select friends in my neighborhood. Nearly every day we’d run between houses or down the street, pretending to be the hero or villain.

Spring and Summer days were my favorite as a child. The longer days of daylight allowed for more outdoor play. Growing up in a neighborhood with nothing but boys was never a problem for me. I was every bit of a tomboy and enjoyed games like cops and robbers. It was thrilling to sneak around houses, hiding behind vegetation, all the while spying for the enemy. Invisible gun in hand, I was prepared for anything.

Even time spent with action figures was a blast. My parents had purchased My Little Pony and Barbie for me, so I often stayed at my friend’s house playing Star Wars or Transformers. He had the Millenium Falcon. If you’ve never had the opportunity to play with that ship, let me tell you it.  was. awesome.

Usually our playtime came easy for us. We both had active imaginations and while I chose Darth Vader, Cobra Commander or Star Screamer, he’d pick Luke, Han Solo or G.I. Joe.

Eventually, I grew apart from my childhood friends as we attended different schools. Outdoor play lessened. But something did take its place: Star Trek: The Next Generation. One of the many things my father gifted to me was the appreciation for Science Fiction. I had seen nearly every episode of The Original Series, so when The Next Generation (TNG) premiered, it was a father-daughter event. Every week, after dinner, we’d watch an episode of TNG without fail. My love for fiction expanded, my love for books grew and my imagination flourished.

It stands to reason that with all of that fantastic play and exposure to Star Trek that my imagination would be a well worked muscle ready for the day when I would begin writing. It started with simple stories. I wasn’t very good at it either, at least in my opinion. I remember writing about a satellite that ended up crossing a black hole into a world of artificial intelligence and ended up gaining its own intelligence in the process. Yeah, I didn’t receive a great grade on that one. However, my article on the Exxon Valdez spill received honorable mention in a writer’s journal. That article was one I enjoyed writing because I chose to combine it with some experimenting of my own. I had purchased several faux fur samples to go along with each plant. Taking some oil from the local refinery (thanks to the patience and support of my mother), I “painted” each fur pallet with the oil. Afterwhich, I washed the oil from each piece with different solvents (Simple Green, Dawn, landry detergent, other dish soap, etc). Each runoff of oil, solvent and water was stored in a baby food jar. And every day, I took that runoff mixture and watered the plants (one plant assigned to a cleaning product). Within a week, it was evident which solvent would work best at removing the oil from the local wildlife while at the same time preserving the vegetation in their environment. If you’re curious, it was Dawn.

While in college, I played around with writing, mainly putting together short fan fiction pieces to entertain a friend. It wasn’t until much later, when I had written a detailed description of a dream I had had, that she noted I should write more. She challenged me to change a villain into a hero and that’s where Second on the Right comes in. I could have written the world of Pan, Hook and Neverland into a more contemporary setting, but honestly, I love the pirates and tall ships. How could I write anything other than fantasy when it comes to Captain Hook? For me, everything led up to this novel and it just seemed to fit naturally.

Spawned from an ancient promise, treachery and intrigue follow the protagonists through our world and one lost to the waves. Bound by an invisible bond, they are thrust into a fantastical world of pirates and demons.

James Benedict is a just man haunted by evil. Pushed to the edge, everything stripped from him, a new man arises . . . a man whose name strikes fear into the hearts of all who hear it: “Captain Hook”.

Eileen Davis was a timid woman. Through a fateful cruise she finds herself in the company of the Captain of the Mistral Thief. With his guidance, and the meddling of the local barista, she eventually finds her inner strength.

Will the two of them unite through time to fulfill the promise of their ancestors or will tempers ignite leading all to failure?

The night grew its darkest, just before dawn, when every man aboard the Mistral Thief heard a strange triumphant crow. Benedict shot up with a start.  Recognizing the familiar sound, he grabbed hold of his sword and burst out onto the deck. He could make out the figure of the boy, Peter.

He heard the sound of his crew, spooked by the noise of what shouldn’t be on board a ship. They scurried to light the deck lamps. As the light grew stronger, Benedict could see more clearly a petite figure on the mast, hands on hips, weapon at the side. Glancing back to the deck, he saw James coming from below. Benedict decided to hold off on approaching the figure, knowing of James’ desire for revenge. He kept a watchful eye, fully aware of James’ tendency to act on impulse.

“Peter,” James said in a low growl. “Show yourself!” he shouted.

“That crow. I’ve heard that before,” Benedict commented.

Peter alighted onto the railing with such ease and grace it irritated James. He gave a slight bow, as if observing the niceties. Pulling one of two bags from his belt, he held it up in his hand. James held the sheath of his sword with his hook, struggling only momentarily to hurriedly unsheathe it.

Peter laughed and shook his bag, “Need a hand?” He laughed even more, causing chills to run through James.

James advanced towards him, but stopped short. Peter had reached into the bag he had been holding and had removed a rotting hand, with fingers missing. It was all too familiar to James: his right hand. James and Benedict cringed, disgusted at the sight.

Peter tossed it at James, who jumped back in disgusted. The splat of soft, wet flesh hit the wood, matching the feeling in the pit of their stomachs. Laughing, Peter spun up in flight, and landed back down on the deck, retrieving the hand. Pieces had been left behind from its initial fall.

“No? Much happier with a hook, are we? You’re welcome,” he sneered. “There’s one who would appreciate a hand, yours, in fact.” He floated to the railing to glance at the waters below. “Come, take a look. I promise I won’t bite,” he grinned, taking several steps away to allow James to draw near.

James and Benedict cautiously took a glimpse. What they saw was the shadowy shape of an enormous crocodile.

James said to him, “Impossible.  They can’t grow that large, can they?”

Benedict had no response. He had never seen one that large. In the water, the crocodile, nearly twenty meters long, ticked and hissed. The sounds were eerily similar to a clock.

Benedict and James peered down again at the beast. The crocodile thrashed and clawed its way partially up the side of the Mistral Thief. Sweat dampened James’ brow. Benedict looked at Peter, who was now dangling the remaining portion of what he assumed was James’ right hand over the side of the ship. The crocodile leapt from the water, greatly desiring either the hand of James or James himself.

Both James and Benedict cringed, though it was James that moved away from the railing. The scratching of the crocodile’s claws on the side of the ship seemed to make him tremble. Peter laughed maniacally, and tossed James’ hand to the crocodile.

“You’ve been using it for bait?” James looked at Peter, horror and disgust evident on his face. “This is all a game to you.”

Pan. He hasn’t aged. Should I tell James? Benedict thought. His eyes shifted in James’ direction. He needs to know.

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Elizabeth uses writing as therapy, her release from everyday stress. At night, after work and once the children are finally tucked in bed, for the fifth time, she sits at her laptop and lets her imagination flow.

Elizabeth has produced short stories, one of which will be published in an anthology. She’s had fun writing a Sherlock Holmes fan fiction story, A Case of Need, based on the BBC’s Sherlock. By July 2011, her first novel, Second on the Right, had been completed. She spent several years polishing the story in order to provide a high quality product to the public. Second on the Right is her first professional novel.

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Author Elizabeth Los is hosting a huge giveaway! Enter to win a print copy of Second on the Right at Goodreads. Then enter to win one of the following through Rafflecopter! The Rafflecopter giveaway is restricted to residents of the USA and UK and will run 5/9/14 – 5/23/14.

Rafflecopter Prizes:

Amazon $10 Gift Card (1)

Scottish Dirk (1)

Pirate Medallion Pendants (5)

Tall Ship charm bookmarks (20)

Second on the Right car decal (2)

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Sunday Review: Wrecked by Priscilla West

Title Wrecked

Author Priscilla West

Published December 16, 2013

Source Net Galley in exchange for an honest review

Purchase Links Amazon  B & N

Blurb

A New Adult Romance Novel by USA Today Bestselling Author Priscilla West

“There would be no happy ending for us. He was too damaged. I was too broken.”

Two years ago, Lorrie’s mother was murdered. But that wasn’t the end of it. Reeling from the tragedy, Lorrie’s father spiraled into alcohol, depression, and finally suicide.

The two most important people in Lorrie’s life are both gone but she’s still alive.

Trying to recover from the tragedy, Lorrie returns to campus, ready to pick up the pieces of her life. All Lorrie wants is to get back to “normal.”

Then she meets Hunter. The man, the legend, “The Hammer.”

Hunter is a cage fighter who takes on every fight like he’s got nothing to lose. His life is a tangled mess of girls, booze, and fist fights. And while it may seem like he’s got a devil-may-care attitude, he’s fighting a private cage-match with a monster he can’t defeat.

Lorrie knows that Hunter is exactly the type of guy she should stay away from, especially in her fragile state, but Hunter has other ideas.

As Hunter and Lorrie grow closer together, will they be able to overcome their pain and heal each other? Or will they both end up wrecked?

Review

Lorrie and Hunter were fun to read. I enjoyed their 'parenting' of the kittens the most. This is my first story to read by Priscilla West and I really liked her writing style and how everything flowed. It was an easy read, I finished it practically in one sitting.

 There were a few things that bothered me -  One, I felt like Lorrie was a tad bit of a baby when it came to telling Hunter about her past. While the topic IS a big deal, the reality of it wasn't and she was delaying the conversation for childish reasons. My other major issue with the story was the massive giant cliff hanger at the end. I know that people write cliff hangers so they will go read the second book but i don't even feel like this story had a full ARC because of that.

Overall this story is a 3.5 star. It was very enjoyable but I had some issues that really took away from the story. I would deff want to read the next book in the series though.

 

Spotlight: Secret Cravings Author, Eva Lefoy, Rekindling the Flame

Rekindling the Flame by Eva Lefoy (@eva_lefoy) out now from Secret Cravings Publishing

Sometimes love needs a second chance.

Travel and work take a toll on Marcy and Paul’s marriage, bleeding the passion out of a once loving relationship. One day, Paul decides he’s had enough. He takes Marcy on a weekend trip to rekindle their romance and won’t take no for an answer.

Marcy’s sick and tired of Paul’s constant travel and the wedge it drives between them. Depression skyrockets her weight, so she’s surprised when Paul wants between her thighs all weekend – over and over again. Can she put aside her fears and reach for what she wants so badly before this second chance at love slips right out of her hands?

Excerpt:

After hiking a few miles through trees and mud and ferns, he spread out the blanket in a nice soft, secluded spot, laid her on it and plopped down next to her. Rolling onto his side, he kissed her, his tongue delving deep into her mouth. She locked her lips around his tongue and sucked. Down below, her panties grew moist as Paul speared her mouth repeatedly and moaned. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and tugged him closer. God, she’d missed this.

Seconds later, he pulled his lips from hers. “Take your shirt off.”

She gasped “Here? What if somebody sees us?”

Paul raised one eyebrow. “We didn’t see one person on the way in, and besides, I don’t care. I want you. Here, now.” His dark fingers went to work on the buttons of her shirt. When he had them all undone, he spread the material wide. His hands slid below the fabric of her bra to palm her ample breasts.

Marcy was already embarrassed, but somehow the daylight and the unusual circumstance had her sweating bullets. How long had it been since they’d made love with the lights on, much less au natural? She desperately wished she was skinnier. Paul’s hands slid her bra down and she laid her own hands over his, stopping him. “Paul, I’m not sure about this.”

“Shh. I love your breasts this big. Let me see them.” He reached behind, unhooked her bra and slipped it off. Her creamy, large breasts spilled out, the nipples semi-hard. She felt naked, exposed. But when his large hands covered them and squeezed, some of her nervousness ebbed.

He lowered his mouth and sucked on one, then gave it a little bite. The scrape of his teeth tightened the bud and sent tingles from her breast to her pussy. He nibbled again, then gave the other nipple the same attention.

“Paul.” Oh God, her pussy was already wet. She opened her legs and writhed underneath his possessive caress.

“Yes, baby. I want you to touch your breasts. Hold them, squeeze them while I get us undressed.”

She gulped and put her hands on her breasts. “Like this?”

“Yeah. Pinch the nipples. Harder.” Paul took his shirt off and tossed it aside, revealing a taut six-pack stomach. How the hell he kept in such great shape while on the road she didn’t know. Her man was as gorgeous today as the day she’d married him.

Rekindling the Flame is available now at Amazon

Author Bio and Contact:
Eva Lefoy writes and reads all kinds of romance, and is a certified Trekkie. She’s also terribly addicted to chocolate, tea, and hiking. One of these days, she’ll figure out the meaning of life, quit her job, and go travel the galaxy. Until then, she’s writing down all her dirty thoughts for the sake of future explorers.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Eva-Lefoy/344907072265234
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Eva_Lefoy
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/elefoy/
Blog: http://writery.wordpress.com/