Blog Tour, Excerpt & Giveaway – Shadows of Nightshade by Lyla Oweds.

Shadows of Nightshade tour banner

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 book cover
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

Excerpt 1: I wasn’t sure why he thought he deserved any special rights to my time, but it was obvious that he believed he could do whatever he wanted. How did he become so arrogant? I opened my mouth to respond—which would probably have ended with me embarrassing myself—but nothing escaped. I stared at him, my heart racing, as I stood speechless. Then laughter—close enough for me to pick up—drifted over from the next row. The sound shattered the enchantment cast over me—how could I have forgotten our position—and my face burst with heat. How would this scene appear to anyone passing by? Damen’s eyes glinted mischievously. He must have had the same realization. “Let me go,” I hissed. But my whispered venom only encouraged him, and he smiled. My traitorous heart began to beat faster. “Someone might see us!” “Really?” His grin grew wider. This was the expression he’d had when we first met. “Then it’s fine if we don’t get caught? Consider it noted.” “No!” I was internally screaming, even though my words were a weak protest. “You can’t play around with students anyway.” Not that it mattered there’d be no games between us—ever. “You’re basically a professor.” “Ah.” He ran his finger down my cheek and I shivered. “But you’re not my student. I can’t help it.” His lips dipped slightly, and he tilted his head as his gaze continued to hold mine. “You’ve taken root in my mind.” How idiotic. I would bet my shoes that he said that to everyone. “Why are you so annoying?” I gritted out. Plus, what even was that line? It sounded like something from a cheesy romance novel. I’d be shocked if that ever worked for him in the past. Finn’s stupid, horny brother. He could go flirt with someone else. I didn’t even remember why I wanted his help anymore, because no matter how much I wanted to lean into his touch or melt under his scorching gaze, I wanted to poke him in the eyes that much more. What a quandary.
Shadows of Nightshade graphic


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

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 https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js


Shadows of Nightshade tour banner


Lola's Blog Tours graphic
Advertisement

Blog Tour – The Dinner Club by Helen Aitchison.

About the Book…

Five people.

Five secrets.

Each needing healing, support and acceptance.

Derek’s life has changed suddenly. His wife of the past few decades has left him, unable to live with his secret anymore. Inspired by a TV show, he decides to start a dinner club to make new friends, the kind that might accept him if he can be brave enough to tell them the truth.

Eddie is grieving, a widower, struggling as a single parent. The void in his life slowly destroying him and his relationship with his young daughter.

Florence, supported by her carer Jessie, craves one more adventure to round off the last 80 odd years.

Violet needs a focus, a new identity, until she has the confidence to escape her grim reality with abusive husband, Ben.

Cara is lost, with nowhere to call home and no one to go home to, now she’s aged out of the care system.

Will this mishmash group fill each other’s souls as well as their plates?

My thoughts…

The Dinner Club follows five people, each of them with secrets and needing healing, support and acceptance.  It begins with Derek who’s wife has left him and has decided to start a dinner club to make new friends, the kind that will accept him. This is a charming, heartwarming story, with a wonderful cast of characters.  The five main characters are genuine and relatable and each of them found something they needed, and something they could give back, once they joined The Dinner Club.

The Dinner Club is brilliantly written, diverse and a coming together for the love of food and friends.  The characters stay with you and you find yourself rooting for them the whole way.  It is a brilliant story about the power of friendship and a touching story of human connection.  I really enjoyed this beautiful story of love and friendship.  It is full of humour, heartache, joy and hope and I would highly recommend it.

My Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

About the Author…

Helen Aitchison is an author from North East England. She has a variety of short pieces published and The Dinner Club is her first full-length, published novel. Her writing is inspired by life events and 20 years working in the health and social care field. She is the director of a Community Interest Company, Write on the Tyne, which provides creative writing courses and mentoring with a focus on engaging marginalised people. Helen is a freelance writer for StoryTerrace and an on-line journalist for Radio Gateshead. She enjoys travel, exercise, reading and spending time with her rescue cat, Eric, in her spare time.

http://www.helenaitchisonwrites.com

Follow the Blog Tour…

Blog Tour, Review & Giveaway- Olly & The Spores of Oak Hill by Glenn Somodi.

Book Details: Glen Somodi
November 9, 2022
Published by Glen Somodi
271 pages

Book Summary: 

Olly and his new friend, Ember, fight off school bullies, greedy mall developers, and nosey townspeople to protect their secret – that there’s a community of nature-loving creatures that have peacefully lived under Oak Hill for hundreds of years.

When Oliver (Olly) Appleton’s grandfather dies in a suspicious accident, his family decides to move to Littleton, Massachusetts, to care for the family estate. Once there, they discover they need to protect their land from a greedy mall developer, Henry Dalton.

Sitting atop Oak Hill, the estate sits in an enchanted wooded sanctuary known for unusual activities and superstitions involving mythical creatures – rumors passed down since the Nipmuc people roamed the land.

When Olly and his new friend, Ember, run into trouble with school bullies, the creatures known as Spores step in to protect them. Through their adventures, Olly and Ember build friendships with members of the Spore community and discover a common goal. They must work together quickly to protect Oak Hill from Henry Dalton or lose their homes forever.

Book Links:

Amazon

Goodreads

Barnes & Noble

Bookshop

Audiobook Links: 

Barnes & Noble

Google Play

Kobo

My thoughts…

Olly & The Spores of Oak Hill follows Olly Appleton and his new friend Ember as they try to protect a secret community of nature-loving creatures that have lived under Oak Hill for hundreds of years.  They are under threat from school bullies, greedy mall developers and nosey townspeople.

This is a fantastic fantasy for all ages and I found it an enchanting and entertaining read.  It takes you on an adventure and you find yourself taking the journey with the characters and rooting for Olly and his friends as they discover a common goal and a cause to stand up for.

The book is well-written with great character introduction and development, a creative storyline and each chapter keeps you entertained.  I loved the characters and found them genuine and relatable.

I really enjoyed the journey with Olly, Ember and the Spores.  I was totally engrossed with the story and didn’t want it to end.  It took me back to my childhood and brought back memories of the books that started my wonderful reading journey.  It is a great book and a fun read for everyone no matter your age and I didn’t want it to end.  

Olly & The Spores of Oak Hill is definitely worth the read and I absolutely recommend it!

My Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Author Links: 

https://glennsomodi.com/

Amazon

Goodreads

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

HTML for blogs: Olly & The Spores of Oak Hill Giveawayhttps://cdn.woorise.com/e.js

Blog Tour, Excerpt and Giveaway – Shadowed Seats by Marguerite Ashton.

Shadowed Seats
Marguerite Ashton
(Oliana Mercer, #1)
Publication date: August 21st 2017
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult

Oliana knows that every family has a secret, but she never expected hers to come from the grave.

High school senior Oliana Mercer dreams of attending the prestigious Reyersen Drama Academy and pursuing her acting career. But when tragedy strikes, Oliana discovers secrets hidden from her by her adopted parents, dimming the lights on her perfect world. As the sins of the past surface, Oliana finds herself caught up in a tug-of-war between two families while the love for her boyfriend is tested. Determined to find some form of happiness in life, Oliana becomes student director in the high school’s senior play. When her best friend, Devin Worthy, dies during dress rehearsal, Oliana is re-cast as the lead. Everyone thinks the death was a suicide, except Oliana, whose search for clues may be enough motive for the killer to murder again.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo


“Numbness held me in place as I closed the notebook and tucked it inside the wig. What did this mean? Is the Oliana mentioned in the notebook me? It had to be. But what was this about being set free? My bio parents died in a car accident.

      For a second, I felt like I was standing next to a furnace, smoldering in its waves of heat. I hurried out of the attic and stood outside, trying to catch my breath.

      Rain pelted my face as I glanced up at my parents’ window on the second floor, then at the driveway where Mom’s minivan and Dad’s pickup were parked. Inside the house, the lights were on in the kitchen. Probably doing what they always do together, cooking dinner.

      Grief hollowed my insides. Now was not the time to confront them about what I found. Besides what was I going to do? Tell Mom, I was snooping and found something that freaked me out?  The problem was I wanted to go in there and disturb their happiness, so I could get answers about what I’d read. Answers about the handwritten note to Mom by the woman I believed was my birth mother.”

Excerpt From

Shadowed Seats: Oliana Mercer Series

Marguerite Ashton

Author Bio:

When Marguerite Ashton was in her twenties, she took up acting but realized she preferred to work behind the camera, writing crime fiction. A few years later, she married an IT Geek and settled down with her role as wife, mom, and writer!

Her blog, Criminal Lines: Settled Writer Past 40 is her outlet while building dollhouses and plotting out her next book.

Marguerite lives in Wisconsin and enjoys RVing.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter


GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js


Blog Tour and Giveaway – Pretty Evil by Zoe Rosi.

Pretty Evil
Zoe Rosi
Publication date: January 17th 2023
Genres: Adult, Thriller

You’ve done a bad thing. She has you in her sights. Now you’re going to pay.

Meet Camilla Black: an affluent, respected, influential fashion magazine editor, who lives it up in her beautiful Mayfair apartment. But Camilla’s glamorous life is a lie. Behind her poised exterior beats the cold dark heart of a vigilante killer, a murderer hell-bent on wreaking vengeance upon bad men.

Camilla expects to get away with murder. She’s careful. And anyway, it’s worth the risk. She’s making the world a better place with each predator she kills. But when one of her victims’ bodies is unexpectedly found, his gruesome death is splashed all over the papers.

To make matters worse, she’s now being pursued by Detective Wheelan, a new addition to the Met with laser-sharp focus and a worrying habit of solving impossible crimes…

She knows she should stop, but she can’t. Some men just deserve to die. Will Camilla’s insatiable appetite for justice be her downfall, or can she outsmart the police?

Revised edition: Previously published as Predator, this edition of Pretty Evil includes editorial revisions.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Blackwell’s


Author Bio:

Zoe Rosi has a background in journalism and copywriting. She worked as a reporter for local and national newspapers before moving into the fashion industry as a copywriter. Zoe had four romantic comedies published before writing her debut thriller. It was while working as a fashion copywriter that Zoe had the idea for Pretty Evil, which she describes as The Devil Wears Prada meets American Psycho.

Author links: 

https://www.zoerosi.com/

https://twitter.com/zoerosiauthor

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js