Saturday, November 4, 2017

Promo Tour: Romance


Magic of Books Promotions hosted its first tour during the month of November three years ago.

The company was created from the passion and desire of its owner, Tami Adams, because of her experiences as an author. From her struggles to have her books viewed and appreciated she knew there had to be another way.

Three years later Tami no longer writes but is determined to show the world the magic that lies within the pages of all books.

The following authors are helping Magic of Books to celebrate its birthday. Enjoy.

Message from Tami:

The last three years have been an incredible journey. I've made so many friends who began as bloggers, readers, and authors. I have been privileged to present and showcase new and old books from seasoned and new authors. I've learned so much I didn't even realize I should know prior to getting into this business. And after three years I can honestly say I'm still learning, I'm still growing, and I'm still making friends. I love and appreciate all of you who have supported my little slice of heaven. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

✯ ✯ ✯ ✯

ROMANCE

Romance in traditional literary terms is a narration of the extraordinary exploits of heroes, often in exotic or mysterious settings. The term romance has also been used for stories of mysterious adventures, not necessarily of heroes. These adventure romances usually are set in distant places.

Please enjoy these books that focus on romance and all the sub-genres. The list is available in alphabetically order by title.

Don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter.

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Contemporary Romance

Air Force Captain Stephanie Tyler's sole duty is to fly overseas to war torn areas of the world to retrieve and escort the bodies of fallen soldiers back home to the United States. It is a tough and emotional job but she is honored for the privilege. Her duty also helps her to escape her past and her failed marriage.

But those flights have become increasingly more dangerous and she is forced to have a partner accompany her. Much to Stephanie's surprise and dismay, she is partnered up with her ex-husband, Captain Douglas 'DA' Aston.

From the moment DA enters the scene, he irritates her. It could have something to do with the fact he slept with her best friend while she and DA were married. As they go on several missions together, Stephanie is forced to be courteous and professional with DA even though the very sight of him irritates her beyond comprehension.

Then, Stephanie's cheating, husband stealing, ex-best friend is killed in Afghanistan and Stephanie and DA must escort her body home. While executing this difficult duty, a myriad of conflicting emotions makes Stephanie ponder how short life really is . . . and to question her own ability to forgive.


Contemporary Romance

Under the guise of saving her best friend’s marriage, Annie Harper catches the red-eye out of LAX to Oahu. Less than twenty-four hours after hearing Marissa wanted to kiss their old high school crush, Annie sails away with the handsome owner of the Erika Rose excursion boat. She only meant to keep Terence Javier from locking lips with Marissa, but the moment she learns his little girl needs an advocate, Annie brings her friend back into the fray and destroys the remnants of Marissa’s vacation.

Caught between two women from the mainland, Terence Javier finds himself at a crossroad. Ten years ago, he had the dubious honor of having his high school photograph drooled on by Annie and Marissa’s choir class. If not for his daughter and the ensuing custody battle, he wouldn’t have given either woman more than an appreciative glance. When Marissa’s credentials check out, he has little choice but to accept the savvy lawyer’s offer of help. Knowing he’s walking a tightrope, Terence prays he can purge the beautiful Annie from his mind and keep the balled fist of Marissa’s jealous husband away from his nose.


Contemporary Romance

Luis Serrano, the unwanted love child of a hotel construction magnate, is determined to reach his father’s level of success. When Luis finds himself pitted against his half-brother for control over their ailing father's company, sibling rivalry comes to a head. The stakes are high. The brother who best completes their portion of the Caribbean construction project will gain control over the entire company. To win, Luis hires an interior design firm. But the firm will have to perform difficult work under serious time constraints.

Melanie Merritt is used to sibling rivalry. She’s always been second best to her older sister, the "golden child" of their parents' interior design firm. Melanie's desire is to be an artist. She works for her family to appease them. Her newest task is to implement a complex project for Luis Serrano under an impossibly short deadline. If she fails, her family’s company may go bankrupt. But Melanie can’t keep her too-creative ideas away from her family, and the client.

Completing work on time won't be easy. Especially when dual sibling rivalries threaten to destroy the project, and a passion hotter than the Caribbean.


Contemporary Romance

This book can be read as a standalone.

Love can be stronger than friendship, but what happens when love takes an unpredictable turn?

Valerie Lee has left Seattle, including everyone she knows and loves, to join long-time boyfriend John Maverick at the University of Boston. Fast forward a year later to graduation. Val is excited about heading back to her hometown, but John wants to stay and climb his way to the top in Boston. She doesn’t agree with the change of plans so takes matters into her own hands. When she leaves like a thief in the night, there will be a lot to explain.

The night before her big future-changing step, she meets country singer Miles Kent. Worried about her state of being for his own personal reasons, he extracts a promise from Val to keep in touch until she arrives at her destination.

Jobless and homeless, Val arrives unprepared to face her friends and family, so spends her first night in a cheap hotel. It doesn’t take long for word to spread that she’s back in town. A call to her old friend Nix, and things don’t seem quite so impossible anymore. Will her friends support her decision? Will she regret leaving John and their life in Boston? Or will her hometown, and new adventures, bring her the happiness she’s hoped for?


Contemporary Romance

Two lawyers on opposite sides of the aisle despise one another...at first.

When Jude Crandall fights for justice, she is a formidable opponent. Malik Moore may hate his job as an attorney for a prestigious Chicago law firm, but he stands up to the force of prosecutor Jude in the battle of opposites.

They disagree on most everything, except the love they both feel for their dogs, a Boston terrier and a Jack Russell terrier. When Jude's Italian mother and Malik's Iranian mother decide they are a great match, Jude and Malik are thrown together out of the courtroom. Both dogs and mothers fight to bring the two sides together.

But his Persian heritage and her father's political-aspirations throw the biggest barrier of all between them. Their dogs, Clyde and Suzanne, show them how to love. It's up to the two lawyers to overcome culture, religion, and their families to find happiness.

Love on Trial is the first book in the Rivals in Love contemporary romance series set in Chicago. The six Crandall siblings find success in their careers, but sustaining a relationship eludes all six of them.Their father, a U.S. senator, demands perfection, and their mother, heiress to a Chicago meat-packing conglomerate, only wants grandchildren to fill her empty nest. A lawyer, a pilot, an actress, a race car driver, a cable news anchor,and a chef--over-achievers all--discover there is more to life than a career.


Contemporary Romance

**2017 Texas Association of Authors 1st Place: Romance Series** 

**2016 Reader's Favorite Award Winner in Women's Fiction** 

Olivia Petersen thought her life ended the day her husband walked out. Little did she know, it had only just begun.

A good woman, mother, and wife, she's got it made. She didn't expect anything to change, but of course it does...

Swept from her perfect paper-doll life in Houston, Olivia finds herself in Chicago, alone, betrayed, and far from home. Soon everything she thought she knew about herself and her life will be challenged.

Ash Harper is the man who has everything--everything except healing from the losses of a lifetime and a dark family secret.

What happens when the married woman and the sexy handsome widower are thrown together by fate?

Out of the Box Awakening is a women's seasoned contemporary romance about second chances, shared passion and shared joy. Jennifer Theriot has written a compelling series about what happens when two people over the age of forty find new life and new love for themselves.

Recommended for readers over the age of 18. This book contains adult language and situations.


Romantic Mystery/Suspense

When Cara Lee Greene finds that the glitz and glitter of casino life isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be, she divorces the Lake’s self-proclaimed King of Tahoe, and tries to separate herself from the rich and powerful Alexander family. In her quest for a new life, Cara is able to reconnect with some old friends. She finds a new home, a new love and a new piece of jewelry around her ankle. Under house arrest and accused of a crime she didn’t commit, Cara must rely on a funky group of misfits to uncover the truth and set her free.

Believing himself above society’s mores, Duncan Alexander doesn’t know what he has until his beautiful college professor wife walks in and finds him in bed with another woman. Losing Cara is not an option and Duncan will do anything to get her back. With a family whose wealth was built on profiteering during the Prohibition years, Duncan is not above doing what he deems necessary to retrieve his queen. His family sits on the sidelines. They have given Duncan free rein, but in the end will Duncan be able to retain his throne?

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Friday, November 3, 2017

VBT: Snakes Can't  Run



BLURB

Set in New York City in 1976, Snakes Can't Run finds NYPD detective Robert Chow still haunted by the horrors of his past and relegated to tedious undercover work. When the bodies of two undocumented Chinese men are found under the Brooklyn Bridge underpass, Chow is drawn into the case. Most of the officers in his precinct are concerned with a terrorist group targeting the police, but Chow's investigation puts him on the trail of a ring of ruthless human smugglers who call themselves the snakeheads. As Chow gets closer to solving the murder, dangerous truths about his own family's past begin to emerge. Steeped in retro urban attitude, and ripe with commentary on minorities' roles in American society, this gritty procedural will appeal to fans of George Pelecanos and S.J. Rozan.



An Excerpt 
The mind is a funny thing. After I got on the wagon and fell in love with a girl, I started seeing my father out in the streets. I didn't literally see his ghost walking around, but I'd see his nose in profile on another guy's face. Sometimes I'd be walking behind someone who had his slouchy shuffle, his spotted ears, or the back of the head that looked like an elderly porcupine with spikes gone soft and white.

One time, a hand reached out to my shoulder and touched me exactly where he used to touch me from his chair after dinner to ask me to get him a beer from the fridge.

Of course it wasn't my father. It was an older guy who wanted to know if I was the guy whose pictures used to be in all the Chinese newspapers. The man was almost completely bald and had two light brown spots on the top right of his head that looked like an imprint from a woman's high-heeled shoe.

He called me the Sheriff of Chinatown. I tried to get away from him as soon as possible, but he was one of those people who liked to say good-bye and then ask another question just when you're about to part. The guy ended up grabbing both of my hands twice before I was able to make the corner and get away. I checked that my wallet was still in my pocket, though, just in case he had been working me with a partner. I guess he was genuinely glad to meet me.







About the Author 


Ed Lin, a native New Yorker of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, is the first author to win three Asian American Literary Awards and is an all-around standup kinda guy. His books include Waylaid and This Is a Bust, both published by Kaya Press in 2002 and 2007, respectively. Snakes Can't Run and One Red Bastard, which both continue the story of Robert Chow set in This Is a Bust, were published by Minotaur Books. His latest book, Ghost Month, a Taipei-based mystery, was published by Soho Crime in July 2014. Lin lives in Brooklyn with his wife, actress Cindy Cheung, and son.


The Interview 
Did you use any of your own experience as inspiration?
Definitely. I was born in New York City but we moved to Jersey when I still small. However, we did go into Chinatown pretty frequently for shopping and events. One time we went to a Buddhist funeral. There must’ve been 50 guests or so. We had a vegetarian meal but while I was eating, I found a bone. I showed it to a priest, who determined that it was a toothpick. This boy, said the priest, will be very lucky.

On average, how long does the writing process take?
Writing a book takes at least a year. I’m not able to work straight. Short stories sometimes intrude and I have to write them before I can get back on track. I’m also the father of a very active preschooler, so life is constantly crashing into me. Or is it the other way around?

When did you realize you wanted a career in writing?
I don’t know if I would call it a career. I feel incredibly compelled to write. It soothes the beast in me to do so. If I weren’t able to write, I would be a raving lunatic, unhappy in life because I never found the thing that I love to do.

If you weren’t an author, what other career paths would you have taken?
Well, I took a career/personality survey in high school that said I should be a minister or a college professor. Nothing else was close.

Out of the characters that you created, who is your favorite?
I know this is a copout, but I love them all, even the “bad” ones. I can’t choose among them because I see them as an ensemble cast to the story. Every one is essential.

What advice would you give to someone looking to be a writer?
Simply write. Yes, that sounds obvious, but so many people talk about it and then immediately cut themselves down by saying they don’t have the time. Make the time. Make the effort. Make the book. There is no excuse. If you want to write, then do it. Otherwise, you don’t really want to.

What kind of research (if any) was required for any of your books?
I restricted myself to media from the 1970s. You can’t trust what you read on the Internet, so I bought newspapers and magazines from that time on eBay. I watched shows and films from that time. Music, too. Stevie Wonder’s Innervisions is genius. I also interviewed two Chinese Americans who were cops in that era.

How long after you finish a book do you start another one?
I start writing the next book before I’m done. Right now I’m writing the third book in my Taipei mystery series with Soho Crime. It’s the sequel to Ghost Month and Incensed.



Thursday, November 2, 2017

Spotlight: Wyoming Winter



The Blurb
Cultivating his vast Wyoming ranch is all security expert J. C. Calhoun wants. His land is the only thing the betrayed rancher can trust in after discovering his fiancee was pregnant by another man. But all J.C. holds dear becomes compromised when a lost little girl leads him to Colie Jackson, the woman who destroyed his life.

Colie stops at nothing to protect the people she loves. Years ago she left J.C. for his own good. Now, for the sake of her daughter, she must depend on a hard-hearted man who won't forgive her. As a band of ruthless criminals tracks their every move through the frozen Wyoming winter, Colie and J.C. will be forced to confront the lies that separated them--and the startling truth that will bind them forever...



An Excerpt 
J.C. looked incredibly handsome in a shepherd’s coat, jeans and boots, with snow dusting his thick, black, uncovered hair.
“You never wear a hat,” Colie mused, trying not to let her hands tremble as she took the coat to hang up for him. He was so tall that she had to stand on her tiptoes to pull it back off his shoulders.
“I hate hats,” he remarked. He glanced at her as she put the coat on the rack in the hall, his pale gray eyes narrow and appraising on her slender, sexy body. She dressed like a lady, but he knew all about women who put on their best behavior around company. She was just out of school; college, he was certain, because she had to be at least twenty-two or twenty-three. Catelow had several thousand people, and J.C. didn’t mix with them. He only knew what Rodney told him about his sister. And that wasn’t much.
“I noticed,” Colie said as she turned, smiling.
His eyes flickered down to her pert breasts and he fought down a raging hunger that he hadn’t felt in a long time. He had women, but this one stirred him in a different way. He couldn’t explain how, exactly. It irritated him and he scowled.
“It wasn’t a complaint,” Colie added quickly, not understanding the scowl.
He shrugged. “No problem. What are we eating?”
“Leftover turkey with cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, salad and apple pie.” She hesitated, insecure. “Is that okay?”
He smiled, his perfect white teeth visible under chiseled, sensuous lips. “It’s great. I love turkey.” He chuckled. “I like chicken, too, although I usually get mine in a bucket.”
Her eyes widened. “You put it in a pail, like you milk cows with?” she asked, shocked.
He glowered at her. “There’s this chicken place. They sell you chicken and biscuits and sides…”
She went red as fire. “Oh, gosh, sorry, wasn’t thinking,” she stammered. “Let’s go in! Daddy’s already at the table.”
Rodney went ahead, but J.C. slid a long finger inside the back of Colie’s sweater and gently stopped her. He moved forward, so that she could feel the heat and power of him at her back in a way that made her heart run wild, her knees shiver. “I was teasing,” he whispered right next to her ear. His lips brushed it.
Her intake of breath was visible. Her whole body felt shaky.
His big hands caught her shoulders and held her there while his lips traveled down the side of her throat in a lazy, whispery caress that caused her to melt inside.
“Do you like movies?” he whispered.
“Well, yes…”
“There’s a new comedy at the theater Saturday. Go with me. We’ll have supper at the fish place on the way.”
She turned, shocked. “You…you want to go out with me?” she asked, her green eyes wide and full of delight.
He smiled slowly. “Yes. I want to go out with you.”
“Saturday?”
He nodded.
“What time?”
“We’ll leave about five.”
“That would be lovely,” she said, drowning in his eyes, on fire with the joy he’d just kindled in her with the unexpected invitation.
“Lovely,” he murmured, but he was looking at her mouth.
Copyright © 2017 Wyoming Winter by Diana Palmer

AMAZON ... BARNESANDNOBLE ... KOBO ... ITUNES ... 



About Diana Palmer

Diana Palmer, AKA Susan Spaeth Kyle, was born in 1946 in Cuthbert, Georgia, the eldest daughter of William and Eloise Spaeth. She and her younger sister, Dannis, were raised in Chamblee, where Susan graduated from Chamblee High School in 1964. The family moved to Cornelia, Georgia, in 1965. Susan married James Kyle in 1972. They have a son, Blayne, who is married to the former Christina Clayton. They are both graduates of Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia. They live in Tennessee and have a daughter, Selena Marie Kyle, born in February, 2009.

In 1991, Susan returned to college and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia, in 1995. She continues to work on her master’s degree in history as time permits. Her first novel as Diana Palmer was published in 1979. She has over 115 novels in print. She has written historical novels as well as contemporary romance, and has produced science fiction, with her novel THE MORCAI BATTALION appearing in hardcover in 2007. Two sequels to this book have been released as eBooks. THE MORCAI BATTALION: The Recruit and THE MORCAI BATTALION: Invictus are both available from all eBook retailers now. Her latest hardcover novel is INVINCIBLE by HQN, released in August 2014 and mass market paperback novel is WYOMING STRONG by HQN, released November 2014.

Susan’s hobbies are gardening, knitting, crocheting, astronomy, archaeology, and animals. She has dogs, cats, birds and lizards. She enjoys getting mail from her readers, but is slow to answer it.
WEBSITE ... FACEBOOK ... GOODREADS ... AMAZON ... BOOKBUB

The Givaway
Harlequin is offering one (1) lucky Grand Prize winner a $25 Amazon Gift Card and three (3) Runner Ups a winner's choice eBook from Diana Palmer's HQN backlist! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:


Wednesday, November 1, 2017

Spotlight: Love in Dublin


Synopsis
Single father Colin McKinnon has roots and obligations that have kept him firmly in Dublin his entire life. He once planned to explore the world, but he was bound by duty and gave up on his dreams long ago. When he meets free-spirited American travel writer Maggie in a pub, he’s intrigued. She could help him get a taste of what he lost, rattle the chains of his self-imposed isolation. Instantly drawn to her light, beauty, and sense of adventure, Colin can’t stay away.

Maggie Spencer doesn’t just crave the open road, she needs it to survive. After a harrowing accident and life-changing loss, she rebuilt her life by exploring new places on her own. When she accepts a temporary job writing about day tours in Ireland, she falls in love with Dublin and the man she teaches to explore it. Through their daily adventures, they learn opposites do more than just attract—they can also help each other heal.

But can a man with deep roots keep a woman with wings by his side?


An Excerpt from LOVE IN DUBLIN
Copyright © Jennifer Gracen 2017

As she opened her mouth to say goodbye and thank him for joining her, Colin asked her if she’d have dinner with him.

Her heart skipped a beat. The way he was looking at her… he didn’t want the day to end yet either. Maybe he was ready for more than she thought? “Dinner? But you just spent all weekend with me.” She tossed him a playful grin as she joked, “Aren’t you tired of me by now?”

“No,” he said. The corners of his mouth turned up, a hint of sheepish and a lot of sexy. He stood there patiently, just gazing down at her.

Her heart fluttered. God, he was adorable. A knotted up burly bear with a sweet, kind heart. And lips she was dying to taste. And beautiful blue eyes that showed there was so much more on his mind than the short, polite things he said.

The noises of the city—cars driving, people walking by and talking, horns and shouts on the air—seemed to fade away as she stared back at him.

“I have to admit,” he said quietly, “I do enjoy your company.”

Delight and want made her stomach give a wobbly flip. She finally gave in to the impulse she’d been squelching all day. She dropped her duffel bag to the ground by her feet, placed her hands on his shoulders, and stood on her tiptoes to sweetly brush her lips across his.

“What are you doin’?” he whispered against her mouth, his eyes wide.

“Kissing you in the middle of Dublin.” She pressed her lips to his softly and his breath
hitched. Loving that, she did that again, lips brushing against his with a feather’s touch.
“Confession: I’ve been wanting to kiss you all day.”

“Is that so?” Amazement sparked in his eyes. His hands slowly lifted to her face.

“Mm hmm.” Her heart started racing, adrenaline coursing through her. His fingertips stroked her cheeks as his gaze locked with hers.

She kissed him again, still soft and gentle, still testing, gaging his reactions. His body was tense, holding back, but his eyes revealed how much he wanted her. As usual, there was so much going on in those bright blues… but right now, desire was the winner there, clear as day. It gave her a rush and she shivered from it.

“Actually,” she said, “the full truth is, I’ve been wanting to kiss you for weeks.”

His gaze burned into her. His hands slowly swept along her jaw, then cupped her face.
“Well… if we’re being truthful, I’ve been wantin’ to kiss you for weeks too.”

“Then you should,” she whispered, smiling up at him. “I mean, I already kissed you first…”

Links 
AMAZON ... BARNESANDNOBLE ... KOBO ... IBOOKS


About Jennifer Gracen

Jennifer Gracen hails from Long Island, New York, where she lives with her two sons. After spending her youth writing in private and singing in public, she now only sings in her car and is immersed in her passion for writing. She loves to write contemporary romance for readers who look for authentic characters and satisfying endings. When she isn’t with her kids, doing freelance proofreading, or chatting on Twitter and Facebook, Jennifer writes. She’s already hard at work on her next book.

WEBSITE ... FACEBOOK ... TWITTER ... GOODREADS ... GOOGLE+



One (1) lucky winner will receive a25 Amazon gif card! To enter, simply fill out the Rafflecopter below:

GIVEAWAY

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Review Tour: Entromancy

Entromancy: Book One of the Nightpath Trilogy
by M.S. Farzan

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BLURB

2076 is not a good year to be a special agent. A quarter of the world's power runs on ceridium, a newly discovered element that has had the unintended consequence of spawning a new race of people, and several forms of magic that were once thought to have been forgotten. Eskander Aradowsi is an agent of NIGHT, a paramilitary force created to contain and control this new perceived threat, but he soon learns that not all within his organization is as it seems. A botched mission turns out to be the least of his troubles, when he unearths a plot that threatens the uneasy truce between the aurics and humans of San Francisco, and centers on a form of magic that toys with the very fabric of the universe: Entromancy.



An Excerpt 


I fought to stay calm.  I could hear my pulse pounding in my ears, matching the drumming in my temple, and I kept forgetting to breathe.  I hedged, knowing that I could leave, taking the auric with me for questioning, but I wouldn’t have time to evacuate the people upstairs.  I wasn’t familiar with being unsure of my next course of action, and I didn’t care for the feeling.


I had neither the time to give the defuse protocol another try nor the skillset to hack into the device and do it the hard way.  I synced the timer with my digitab and saw the countdown appear in my lenses.  Pocketing the digitab, I released my knee from the auric’s throat and grabbed him by the collar.


“What’s the code?” I snarled at him.


“What?” he said thickly.  I could see the blood staining his white teeth.


“Don’t play stupid with me,” I said, shaking him.  “What’s the code?”


“The hell, man?  What code?”


I could see that he had no idea what I was talking about.  I glanced back at the bomb and up at the time display.  21:27:24, three minutes and thirty-six seconds.


The auric craned his neck to follow my gaze, then looked at me.  I could see understanding register in his eyes.


“We’re dead?” he queried.


I nodded absently, reaching for another ceridium capsule.  Prying off a glove with my teeth, I reached out towards the device.


The auric’s hand shot up and grabbed weakly at my wrist.  “You’re going to kill us, man!” he protested.


“Probably!”  I looked back towards a side entrance next to the counter.  “Can you open that?”


He hesitated, then nodded slightly.

“Do it,” I said.  He got up slowly and trotted over to the door.



Buy Link 
https://www.amazon.com/Entromancy-Nightpath-Trilogy-Book-1-ebook/dp/B0161VPC90/


About the Author

M. S. Farzan was born in London, UK and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a B.A. in Integrative Biology, M.A. in Religious Leadership for Social Change, and Ph.D. in Cultural and Historical Studies of Religions. He has written and worked for high-profile video game companies and editorial websites such as Electronic Arts, Perfect World Entertainment, and MMORPG.com, and has trained in and taught Japanese martial arts for over ten years. He also enjoys soccer, baseball, and games of all kinds.



My Review
This is the first book by M.S. Farzan that I have read. If you count Hunger Games, this is the second science fiction book I have read.

This was a quick and easy book to read.

Each chapter had a quote at the beginning. I believe the quote made the chapter easier to follow.
The book also contained clever dialogue, use of magic and a character from Michigan. All of which made the book interesting.

I would like to read the next two books in this trilogy.

Rating: 😃😃😃😃😃


The Giveaway
The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon or B/N GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.