Shadows 0f Nightshade, Excerpt, Review and #Giveaway

This is my post during the blog tour for Shadows of Nightshade by Lyla Oweds. Shadows of Nightshade is a ghost story for romance and tragedy lovers.

This blog tour is organized by Lola's Blog Tours and the tour runs from 13 till 26 March. You can see the tour schedule here.

Shadows of Nightshade (The Garden of Eternal Flowers #1)
By Lyla Oweds
Genre: Paranormal Romance/ Paranormal Horror
Age category: Young Adult/ New Adult
Release Date: 8 March 2023

Blurb:
I dream of a time where I was warm, safe, and loved.

But my waking reality is starkly different.

Anxiety plagues me and spirits haunt the shadows. No matter how fast I run, I can’t seem to escape my past.

The only solace and steady force in my life is my best friend, Finn.

And now… there’s a ghost haunting me. And I’m not certain if it wants help or if it wants to kill me. There’s only one person who can understand: Finn’s brother, Damen.

However, in reaching out, I’m betraying Finn and setting things into motion that cannot be undone.

But nobody ever said that doing the right thing was easy.



The Garden of Eternal Flowers is a re-envisioning of my Grimm Cases series. Eternal Flowers has taken my original vision of Bianca's story and transformed it into something new and beautiful. Some chapters are similar, and some dialogue is the same, as The Grimm Cases, Origins, but overall, about 75% of the book has been entirely revisioned with new plot points, mystery, and interpersonal relationships. Also, unlike Origins (originally a Wattpad release), there is now a clear beginning, climax, and conclusion in each individual novel, which allows them to be read alone or as part of the ongoing series.

I hope that you will enjoy Shadows of Nightshade as much as I enjoyed writing it. Truly, it is an honor to write about Bianca and her boys, and all of these characters are near and dear to my heart.

Trigger Warning: This series deals with the aftermath of severe childhood trauma.

Links:
- Goodreads
- Bookbub
- Amazon
- B&N
- Kobo
- Radish

About the Author:
Lyla Oweds is a paranormal / urban fantasy author who resides in the beautiful Pocono Mountains, Pennsylvania with her husband, children, and animals. While she enjoys all genres of fiction, she has a deep appreciation for fantasy, romance, mystery, crime, and horror. Lyla has a bachelor’s in anthropology and will be completing her master’s in information technology in 2023.

Writing is her moonlighting passion, and she loves having the opportunity to share her perspective as a disabled (profoundly hard of hearing) woman. During the daylight hours, Lyla works as a principal / lead design and development specialist focusing on user experience and accessibility. When not working, Lyla is usually indulging in one of her many hobbies such as amusing her children, gardening, crocheting, interior decorating, baking, cooking, or playing video games.

Author links:
- Website
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Amazon
- Goodreads

EXCERPT:

 “It’s nothing,” Miles muttered. “Just… ghosts.”

 
“Oh.” That was it? Did he not like ghosts? But did he not realize that ghosts were everywhere?
Although, to be fair, I did not like to be around most people. And they were everywhere too. I, too, was exhausted from the overstimulation. 

I could relate.

“Don’t worry.” I squeezed his hand. “We can work together. Okay?”

Miles slowed down, and my chest tightened as the rude nature of my question hit. “I-I don’t want you to do everything for me!” I clarified. “It’s… I thought, maybe if we worked together, we could get finished faster.” His expression remained unchanged, and I added, almost begrudgingly. “I’ll give you some money, obviously.” 

It made sense, if both of us were doing the job, we should share the profit.  

His nose wrinkled in distaste. “I’m not going to take your money.”

“But…” I’d been keeping track of their spending and was working out a payment plan with interest. “I already owe you—”

“I’m not taking any money from you,” Miles interrupted. “Ever. Do you understand?” 

“Okay.” I understood that he believed this, but who knew what the future held? Where there was a will, there’s a way. 

Miles narrowed his eyes. “Why do I feel you don’t actually understand?” 

 He looked at me before his shoulders slumped and he sighed. “I’m too tired to think.” 

He was kind of cute, all disheveled and confused. When he was this vulnerable, it was easy to ignore the rest of the world and focus on him. His arm brushed against mine, and my heart began to beat a little faster. 

There was something horrifying beginning to curl in my stomach.
I could never let him know. Even acknowledging such feelings was unsafe.

Giveaway
There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of Shadows of Nightshade. One winner wins a paperback copy of Shadows of Nightshade.

For a chance to win, enter the rafflecopter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

MY REVIEW

I understand that this is a rewrite of the original series. I have not read the original, which I am quite happy about since it means I came to this version without any preconcieved ideas and was therefore not in the position of being either pleased or disappointed when comparing it with the original.

 

I have to say I found Bianca to be rather annoying. At times she seems indecisive and flighty,  although since she has apparently had severe trauma in her past, which probably accounts for it. At other times though, she shows an inner strength and sensitivity which kept me reading and rooting for her. I enjoyed the world building and the other characters are complex and intriguing.

Despite being somewhat irritated by Bianca, this book still kept me turning the pages, there were so many questions I wanted to be answered, and the story is fast paced and intriguing. However,  I can only give four stars rather than five, since it came to - what to me at least - seemed to be quite an abrubt end. I fully expected there to be another two or three chapters and while I know it is the first of a series, I had expected it to be more of a 'complete' story. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this book as an interesting and enjoyable read, and it left me wanting to read the next book in the series.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A Climate of Revenge - Spotlight and Giveaway

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Tom Riley will be awarding a PDF file of "Writer's Guide to Our Climate Crisis" (International) to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Sarah and JanetM, are a human/Artificial Intelligence pair who do private investigations in the near future where our climate crisis has hit and hit hard. A man with a long dark history tries to hire them but is then killed. His family hires the team to find who killed this man with a thousand enemies in a land with a million problems.

The United Nations IPCC report, “Climate Change 2022, Impacts, Adaption and Vulnerability contains:

C5.3 Enhancing knowledge
A wide range of … processes … can deepen climate knowledge and sharing, including … using the arts … (high confidence).

This can only be read as a clarion call for writers to produce the works that will help our people cope.

 

Read an Excerpt

Q & A

 “I think we still have time for a few questions and answers,” said the chairperson, “You will find a microphone over to the side.  Please say who your question is for.”

Most of the audience were still there and people quickly queued up.

“Question time, question time, question time,” sang JanetM in Sarah’s ear.

“This one is for Sarah.  Why did you not take the case when you were first asked?”

“It was clear to me that Mr. Winestead had a hidden agenda,” said Sarah.  “The story he gave me struck me as a complete fabrication.  To work for someone you have to have some level of trust.  We had not established that trust.  He really did think he was in danger and was interviewing investigators to choose one to have available if he were attacked.  Had he said that clearly, then things might have turned out quite differently, but that was not the story he chose to tell.  He was a paranoid man who had made detailed plans all his life and he was making another, just in case something bad happene

“This one is for you both.  How do you like being a human/AI pair?”

“We are way past liking,” said Sarah.  “We now are who we are and who we are is who you see.  I would not change our relationship for the world, but that does not matter, we cannot go back in time, and I would not if I could.

About the Author:

After an extensive career at NASA as an Instrument Engineer, Tom Riley started a people-based space program, The Big Moon Dig, compatible with the needs of our climate crisis. Our climate crisis clearly must now come first, and that effort needed positive stories of people in action.

iUniverse
Amazon

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.

 

Who do I write like?

  I just inserted two excerpts from the third book in the Destiny Trilogy to find my writing style. Apparently:

I write like

Agatha Christie

 

What's really interesting is that I write Science Fiction/Fantasy Romance. Agatha Christie also wrote romances - but as far as I know, Raymond Chandler only wrote crime novels - and posting a third excerpt from the same book - Beloved Enemy - the programme told me I wrote like him too. Well I've always tried to inject an element of suspense and mystery into my novels,  so hopefully I've succeeded to some extent. I'm keeping my badge in the sidebar, anyway!

(If you want to find out who YOU write like, just click on the badge above.)

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

DRAGON (E) BABY GONE - Spotlight and #Giveaway

 

GENRE: Mystery Fantasy

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

 My guest today is Robert Gainey, with his wonderful mystery/fantasy novel 'Dragon (E) Baby Gone'. (What an intriguing title!) A slight change from the usual romances on this blog, but if you enjoy fantasy with a good helping of mystery, you're sure to enjoy this.

I do hope you enjoy the post and the excerpt, and don't forget to comment of you have a moment, and enter the competition to win a $50 BN/Amazon Gift Card. Visit the other blogs who are hosting this tour. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:

 https://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2021/06/vbt-dragone-baby-gone-by-robert-gainey.html

 BLURB

Diane Morris is part of the thin line separating a happy, mundane world from all of the horrors of the anomalous. Her federal agency is underfunded, understaffed, and misunderstood, and she’d rather transfer to the boring safety of Logistics than remain a field agent. When a troupe of international thieves make off with a pair of dragon eggs, Diane has no choice but to ally with a demon against the forces looking to leave her city a smoldering crater. Facing down rogue wizards, fiery elementals, and crazed gunmen, it’s a race against to get the precious cargo back before the dragon wakes up and unleashes hell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

 Excerpt

“I have arrived!” Rubin intoned, loud and solemn as he strode into my office. He was every inch a wizard, so long as those inches were from the neck up. A long white beard met with long white hair, both flowing down over his chest and shoulders. White eyebrows heavy enough to act as speed bumps shaded his gray eyes, and the entire magnificently magical appearance was thrown off by the fact that he wore a tweed jacket, khakis, and loafers. He looked like a homeless man applying for a job in a suit donated by another homeless man.

“Rubin, thanks for coming so quickly,” I said, rising and offering a hand. He walked right past me and stood to look out the window.

“Why, woman, have you summoned me to your presence? Do you wish to consult with the power of earth and sky? Do I, and I alone, have the knowledge you require?” I’d almost forgotten what it was like to be this close to him. He smelled very strongly of horseradish and cloves. There was a large patch of fresh char on the elbow of his jacket.

“I certainly hope so,” I said, sitting back down and glaring at his back. This was why he wasn’t on my Christmas card list. That, and I didn’t know where he actually lived. Maybe he slept in the basement, where his little magical laboratory was housed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Robert Gainey is a born and raised Floridian, despite his best efforts. While enrolled at Florida State
University and studying English (a language spoken on a small island near Europe), Robert began volunteering for the campus medical response team, opening up a great new passion in his life. Following graduation, he pursued further training through paramedic and firefighting programs, going on to become a full time professional firefighter in the State of Florida. He currently lives and works in Northeast Florida with his wife and dogs, who make sure he gets walked regularly. Robert writes near-fetched fantasy novels inspired by the madness and courage found in everyday events.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RNGainey

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertngainey/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.gainey

Blog: https://robertgainey.blogspot.com/

Website: robertgainey.com

BUY LINKS:

https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Reports-Department-Intangible-Assets-ebook/dp/B095GNZJCN

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/dragon-robert-gainey/1139526445

https://books.google.com/books/about/Dragon_e_Baby_Gone.html?id=vY17zgEACAAJ

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

GIVEAWAY INFORMATION

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

 

 

For insider news and subscriber-only info, subscribe to my occasional Newsletter. I promise not to spam and your in-box will only see an email from me every 3 or 4 months or so - unless of course I have something really Newsworthy to share! I also promise that I never have and never will share your information or email address with anyone or any organisation.  http://madmimi.com/signups/196357/join

The Bridge of Deaths, by M C V Egan

Things Mysterious - Win an eARC

Roane Publishing is giving away THREE ARCs of Things Mysterious by Matthew Chabin!

Things Mysterious

by Matthew Chabin Release Date: June 22, 2015

Publisher: Roane Publishing

Genre: Romance (Mystery) 

Keywords: Romance, Mystery, Paranormal, Mortality, Literary

Description: Dasan Garret is a disappointed man.  Recently divorced and just returned from a traumatic tour of duty in Iraq, he moves back to his hometown of Portland, Oregon only to find himself unexpectedly alone.  His old friends are all gone, moved away, locked up, or dead.  Women seem to occupy a parallel universe.  With no community and few prospects, he takes a job as a night watchman and withdraws ever deeper into the shadows of his mind.  Until one day when he meets Edenia, and she lights up his world like a bolt of pure energy.  She seems perfect: vibrant, gifted, kind, sexy, a sudden and unlooked-for reprieve from the sad ruin of his life.  And yet there remains a nagging sense that something isn’t right.  Could it be that he is merely slow to trust the happiness she offers him?  Or is there something behind that waver in her laugh, that fleeting look of sadness in her eyes?  

The mystery deepens when one day Edenia disappears.  Dasan believes he must find her in order to go on living.  But to find her again, he will have to confront a devastating truth about her life, and his.

~~~oOo~~~

Roane Publishing is giving away THREE ARC copies to three lucky winners!

You don’t even have to be a blogger.

If you are willing to leave an honest review between the dates June 22nd and July 3rd, you are eligible to enter.

How? Simply fill out the form! You have until Midnight of May 30th when three winners will be chosen by random drawing.