Saturday 30 December 2017

Best Reads of 2017 plus Giveaway!


Welcome to my Best Reads of 2017. I've been extremely lucky this year, in regards the books I've read, and have found some truly amazing reads!! The books I've chosen were ones that stayed with me this year and were all 5 star reads. I'm also doing a giveaway where you can win an eCopy of any of the ones featured!! 

But first, here are my stats according to Goodreads!! 

I read 57,351 pages across 225 books
SHORTEST BOOK was 8 pages and LONGEST BOOK was 756 pages
AVERAGE LENGTH was 255 pages
MY AVERAGE RATING FOR 2017 4.4 STARS

The choices below are in no particular order, but I will name my absolute favourite first!! It's not even a single book, but a series I started this year and absolutely devoured, and even read twice! So without further ado, my top favourite this year is......

The Extinction Horizon Series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith!! 

Extinction Horizon (The Extinction Cycle, #1)  Extinction Edge (The Extinction Cycle, #2)  Extinction Age (The Extinction Cycle, #3)  Extinction Evolution (The Extinction Cycle, #4)  Extinction End (The Extinction Cycle, #5)  Extinction Aftermath (The Extinction Cycle, #6)  Extinction War (The Extinction Cycle #7)

Click the images to go to the Amazon Page. This series blew my mind! I had the first book on my kindle for ages, but I had a credit and decided to try the first book on Audible. Right from the start, I was hooked and got all the rest on Audible through the Whispersync option. Brilliant books!!!

The rest of the choices are in no order....Clink the book name to be taken to Amazon, click the picture to read my review. 

Dweller by Jeff Strand: 


Dweller
When Toby Floren was eight years old, he discovered a monster living in the woods behind his house. A ghastly, frightening creature with claws, fangs, and a taste for human flesh. As he ran out of the forest, Toby felt that he'd been lucky to escape with his life.

Years later, Toby finds comfort with the creature. It's his own special secret--something that nobody else in the world knows about. Somebody to talk to. Somebody to confide in. Sure, Toby has concerns about his own sanity, but really, what boy wouldn't want to be best friends with a monster in the woods, especially if he's being tormented by bullies? The creature, who he names Owen, may be the answer to his problems...

From Jeff Strand, the author of PRESSURE, comes the story of a macabre, decades-long friendship. A relationship that will last their entire lives, through times of happiness, tragedy, love, loss, madness, and complete darkness.

DWELLER. The lifetime story of a boy and his monster.


Heaven's Door by John G. Hartness:

Heaven's Door (Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter Book 6)AWARD-WINNING DARK FANTASY TO READ WITH THE LIGHTS ON 

He's finally found something to care about after a century of searching, but will he lose it all at the hands of his most dangerous foe yet? 

Seven years ago, Quincy Harker vanquished the demon Orobas and saved the city of Charlotte, NC from his evil plans. Or so he thought. Now the half-divine Nephilim are turning up dead in the Queen City, and it looks like Orobas is back to finish the job. 

Can Harker stop Orobas, or will the bloodthirsty demon unleash Hell on Earth? 

Who is behind these horrible murders, and why do they seem to be calling Harker out? 

Will this be the battle that finally ends the long life of Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter? 

Find out when Harker, his girlfriend Detective Rebecca Flynn, his guardian angel Glory, and his uncle, the legendary Count Dracula bring the battle of the diving and demonic right to HEAVEN’S DOOR. 

He's the immortal magic-wielding child of Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray from the classic novel Dracula. But to him it's not a story, it's family history. Quincy Harker is what you'd get if Constantine were renewed by HBO and taken to the darkest of dark sides. When things go bump in the night, he bumps right back. 

Heaven's Door is Book 6 of the best-selling Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter series. Book 1 of the series, Raising Hell, was awarded the 2016 Manly Wade Wellman Award by the NC Speculative Fiction Foundation.


The Cryptic Lines by Richard Storry 

The Cryptic LinesIn a remote, crumbling, gothic mansion the aged Lord Alfred Willoughby writes his Last Will and Testament, and deliberates over what is to become of his vast fortune after his passing. The obvious thing is to leave it to his only son, Matthew, but the boy has grown up to become a wastrel, unable to hold down a job and constantly relying on hand-outs from his father. So what to do? He finds himself torn. His head tells him to leave Matthew nothing at all; but his heart feels differently. After all, he is still his son... 

Finally, he settles on the solution: In one last-ditch attempt to show his son that nothing worth having is gained without effort he sets a series of enigmatic puzzles. If Matthew can successfully solve them he will inherit the entire estate. If he fails, he receives nothing. 

However, it emerges that Matthew is not the only interested party. The mansion hides many secrets, and things are not at all as they first appear...


Raptor Apocalypse (The Raptor Apocalypse #1)


*Second Edition 
Small-town Deputy Sheriff A.J. “Jesse” Prieo led a comfortable life with his wife and daughter by his side. All that changed in an instant when genetically engineered creatures—terrifyingly similar to velociraptors—were set loose on an unsuspecting world. 

In the post-apocalyptic aftermath, pockets of civilization endure, but they are few and far between. 

Helped by a sword-wielding former radical, a woman of shifting loyalties, and a mysterious lost child, Jesse must do whatever it takes to lay his ghosts to rest and survive long enough to uncover the twisted secrets behind the Raptor Apocalypse. 




Sanford Hospital (Berkley Street #4)Sanford Hospital. A Victorianesque monstrosity with creeping ivy and the infamous Ward E, home of the soon-to-be-dead. This is where ghost hunter, Shane Ryan, ends up for his burn treatments. Courtesy of the Veterans Administration system, the ex-marine is cut off from his private doctors and thrust into the arms of a hospital with one special nurse from hell; Nurse Ruth Williamson, who is as dead as they come. 

The Nurse is a whole new breed of undead. She has a cadre of helpers who are loyal to the grave. Her twisted sense of mercy is death to the dying … and the living if they get in her way. And Shane Ryan is in her way. 

Gathering his new friends and a few ghostly comrades, Shane takes up arms against the unholy regiment to fight the good fight. He can’t allow the Nurse to continue her killing spree. She is not God and her legacy of death must be stopped. Although she has a few more tricks up her sleeve, Shane’s mission is clear. The Nurse must die. And stay dead. Once and for all.




Heaven Help Us (Quincy Harker, Demon Hunter Book 7)AWARD-WINNING DARK FANTASY STRAIGHT FROM THE PAGES OF DRACULA! 

He’s Quincy Harker, the unaging son of Jonathan Harker and Mina Murray. His guardian angel calls him “Q.” Dracula calls him “nephew.” His bosses call him a pain in the ass. Demons call him The Reaper. 

On the run and reeling from his bloody battle with the demon Orobas, all Harker wants to do is lie low in Lockton, Ohio for a few months and let his physical and spiritual wounds heal. But there are werewolves in the diner, and magically-talented teenagers disappearing all over town. Now Harker’s hip-deep in demons again, but this time he’s got no backup. 

Meanwhile. Detective Rebecca Gayle Flynn and the rest of Harker’s team are back home in Charlotte, NC, trying to prove his innocence and figure out Orobas’ next move. But no one knows how corrupt Homeland Security or the police department are, or how high the scandal runs. And now some guy shows up claiming to be the great-great-grandson of Doctor Watson (yeah, that Dr. Watson) offering to help? 

Will Harker survive a battle with Hell in a small town all on his own? 

Can Flynn and Uncle Luke find the proof they need to bring Harker home? 

Will they stop Orobas’ master plan before he unleashes Hell on Earth? 

Who is this mysterious Shadow Council, and what do they want? 

When all else fails on Earth, will Heaven Help Us? 




To Beat the Devil (The Technomancer Novels, #1)175 years have passed since God quit on mankind. Without his blessing, Hell itself, along with the ancient power of The Deep, were unleashed upon the world. Two world wars and oceans of blood later, a balance was reached. Demonkind took its place as the ruling aristocracy. Mankind, thanks to its ability to create, fell to the position of working proletariat. Alive, but not living. 

Lucky Us. 

Welcome to New Golgotha, the East Coast supercity. In it you will find sins and cyborgs, magic and mystery, vices without virtue and hell without the hope of heaven. In the middle of it all is Salem, smuggler extraordinaire and recluse immortal, who has lived and fought through the last two centuries, but his biggest battle is just beginning. 

To Beat The Devil: A technomancer Novel is an incredible adventure full of cyborgs and demons, gods, magic, guns, puns and whiskey, humor and heart. Follow Salem as he embarks to discover the meaning of the very nature of what mankind is: our souls. And, who is trying to steal them.




HuntedOn any given day, Chief Carrie Stewart has her hands full, between meth cooks, pot farmers, drunk and disorderly calls, and the ever-present day to day hassles of running an underfunded police department. 

But when first livestock and then people start dying, it will take the help of a mysterious man and all her resources to discover the truth. 

Is she the hunter, or the hunted?









Slave (Slave #1)
There is no sun. There is no moon. There is only gray—the smog belched from coal-fueled factories. The Workers silently shuffle to their assigned posts. The Outcasts watch from the alley walls. On every corner, a Watcher stands stone-faced, a rifle in hand. This is the only life that exists. Beyond the mountains is a dream. But dreams are foolish in a place like this.

Hannah has spent nineteen years dodging Watchers and doing as she is told.

"Do not look Watchers in the eye. Don't give them a reason to notice you."

But when she wakes to the valley exploding in revolution, Hannah is forced onto a dangerous path, where nothing is what she believed. Suddenly freedom is in her grasp, and the way there requires working with the men she once feared.
 




Solitude (Dimension Space #1)From the Bestselling Author of the Sector 64 Series!

I Am Legend meets Gravity and The Martian when Earth's last man discovers that the last woman is stranded alone aboard the International Space Station. If you like action-packed, page-turning novels, you'll love the electrifying action in this apocalyptic thriller.
Can Humanity's Last Two Unite?
Separated by the gulf of space, the last man and woman of the human race struggle against astronomical odds to survive and unite.
Army Aviator Vaughn Singleton is a highly intelligent, lazy man. After a last-ditch effort to reignite his failing military career ends horribly, Vaughn becomes the only human left on Earth.
Stranded alone on the International Space Station, Commander Angela Brown watches an odd wave of light sweep across the planet. Over the next weeks and then months, Angela struggles to contact someone on the surface, but as she fights to survive aboard a deteriorating space station, the commander glimpses the dark underpinnings of humanity's demise.
After months alone, Vaughn discovers there is another. Racing against time, he must cross a land ravaged by the consequences of humankind's sudden departure.
Can Vaughn find a path to space and back? Can Angela—the only person with clues to the mystery behind humanity's disappearance—survive until he does?

Villains Rule (The Shadow Master #1)


Hi, how are you? 

Yes, I am talking to you, the reader of the this book’s description. It’s rude not to answer a person when they ask you a question. OK, I get it, 4th wall breaking is overdone. Get over it. This book, Villains Rule, is a fantasy action-comedy which you have to read. Not because it redefines the genre, far from it. But rather for what it contains. A villain’s tale. 

How often do you get to read a story where the villain is the protagonist? No, not an anti-hero, or a brooding monster, nor a hero thinly disguised as a villain. And not evil. If you want evil, take that nonsense to therapy. No, I mean a villain’s villain. The ones who use their power because they can, while morality is only a philosopher’s complex. 

This is the story of Jackson Blackwell, the Shadow Master and the top villain adviser. Sadly, even the top villain occasionally gets double-crossed. Trapped in one of the fantasy realms, Jackson has to use his skill and wits to exploit the rules, points out the genre flaws, undermine godly authority, and win the day. 

Because, that is what villains should do, shouldn’t they? Read this book, have a few laughs, and find out.




Trackers (Trackers #1) The Hunted (Trackers #2) The Storm (Trackers #3)


36 Hours (Blackout #1) Zero Hour (Blackout #2) Turning Point (Blackout #3) Shiloh Ranch: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 4) Hornet's Nest: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 5) Devil's Homecoming: A Post Apocalyptic EMP Survival Fiction Series (The Blackout Series Book 6)


The Sick House (The Ulrich Files #1) Medicine For The Dead (The Ulrich Files #2) Darkside Blues: An Occult Thriller (The Ulrich Files Book 3)




So that's it. They are the cream of the crop!!! I could pick out a load more but I had to be strict and only pick the ones I absolutely loved!! Enter the rafflecopter below to win an eCopy of any of the ones featured! Or you can pick any other book by the featured author. 

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Thursday 28 December 2017

A Harmless Little Game by Meli Raine Book Blitz and Giveaway!


A Harmless Little Game
Meli Raine
(Harmless, #1)
Publication date: October 18th 2016
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Four years ago I lost my virginity on live, streaming television.
Too bad I wasn’t awake for it.
The video went viral. Of course it would. A Senator’s daughter on camera? Wouldn’t you click “share”? Besides, that’s what three of the four guys in the video did.
Share.
They shared me.
But that fourth guy? The nondescript one in the background in the upper left corner of the screen, just sitting on the couch? The only one who did nothing?
Not one single thing.
That was my boyfriend, Drew.
And that was the last time I saw him.
Until today, when my father—now on a path to the White House—hired him as head of security for my new team as I return home after four years of “recovering” in an undisclosed location that involved white lab coats, needles, pills and damage control.
You see, the other three guys never went to jail. Never had charges pressed.
Never faced consequences.
Until today.
Game on.
* * *
A Harmless Little Game is the first in this political thriller/romantic suspense trilogy by USA Today bestselling author Meli Raine.

FREE for a limited time only!

EXCERPT:

Short, clipped chestnut hair. Brown eyes the color of well-worn leather, eyes that blaze with intelligence and a guardedness no one could ever breach. He’s bigger than the last time I saw him, four years ago. Broader. More muscular. He’s a controlled, contained man who has a James Bond air to him.
And he’s looking at me right now with eyes so cold they might as well be icebergs.
“Lindsay, let me introduce you to Andrew,” Stacia starts.
Drew. Oh, God, it’s true.
“Andrew Foster will be your new security specialist. He and his team will keep you safe.”
I snort.
He stares.
Stacia’s eyes leap from Drew to me and back. “Is there a problem?” she asks, brows turning down. That’s more emotion than I’ve seen in her for four years. Her gaze darts between me and Drew, assessing the situation. No matter what, I lose if she decides something’s going sour here.
Even if Drew is the one gone bad.
“No.” Drew and I say the word at the exact same moment, in the same tone of voice. It sounds like a sharp clap, a single sound that shatters noise.
“You two know each other?” Stacia asks, her fingers caressing the paper. Without that discharge form, I can’t leave. If Drew ruins this for me, it will be the second time in my life he’s fucked up.
The first time was four years ago when he let three of our friends rape me.



Author Bio:
Meli Raine writes romantic suspense with hot bikers, intense undercover DEA agents, bad boys turned good, and Special Ops heroes — and the women who love them.
Meli rode her first motorcycle when she was five years old, but she played in the ocean long before that. She lives in New England with her family.

GIVEAWAY!
Blitz-wide giveaway (INTL)
  • $25 Amazon gift card

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Wednesday 27 December 2017

#DebutAuthorBash: Darcy Miller Feature and Giveaway! #17DABash



Hi  guys, welcome to another Debut Author Feature!! Today I'm featuring debut author Darcy Miller and her book Roll. Darcy is doing a guest post for us, so please welcome her to the blog!

Title: Roll
Pages: 224
Published: May 25th 2017 by HarperCollins

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When Lauren (but call him “Ren,” pretty please) Hall sees birds falling from the sky, he knows something is wrong. But just as he’s starting to worry, he realizes that the birds are plummeting toward the ground on purpose. Turns out they’re Birmingham Roller Pigeons, and his new neighbor Sutton is training them for a competition. Sure, it’s strange, but Ren’s best and only friend Aiden has picked this summer to start hanging with the popular kids. So Ren starts training pigeons with Sutton—what’s the worst that could happen? A bird falls on his head?

Purchase: Amazon/ Book Depository
Add to Goodreads

10 Things I Wish I Knew About Being an Author I Didn’t Know Before

  • Unfortunately, published authors still have to do laundry. And make dinner. And clean the cat’s litter box. Who knew? 
  • Another thing of which I wasn’t aware? The fact that the title page is the correct place to sign your book! Luckily, a very nice bookseller eventually took me aside and showed me the ropes. In retrospect, it seems so obvious . . . 
  • Speaking of book signings, I perpetually live in fear of spelling someone’s name wrong. Bring a pack of post-it notes to your signings and have people jot their name down for you first! 
  • One huge thing that I didn’t anticipate was how difficult writing my follow-up book was going to be! Literally every debut author I’ve spoken to has had the same problem. So don’t despair! Or at least don’t despair too much.
  • Reading reviews of your book is super fun, until all of a sudden it . . . isn’t. No matter how great your book is, some people are going to hate it. just a fact of life. If you want to make yourself feel better, try googling reviews of famous books! For instance, did you know THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY has over ten thousand one-star reviews on Goodreads?
  • In a similar vein, whatever you do, do not look at your Amazon BookScan numbers. I promise you, they are not reflective of your actual sales. Also, they will most likely plunge you into eternal darkness.
  • I wrote my first book almost exclusively sitting on a wooden bar stool at our kitchen counter. After ROLL came out, I set up a desk and went and bought a new, ergonomic desk chair. It changed my life. Seriously. Go buy a new chair!! I guarantee it will be worth it.
  • Edit letters are tough for everyone, not just first-time authors. Take your time with it, and don’t worry about processing everything at once! And, remember, you wouldn’t even be getting an edit letter if your editor didn’t love your book in the first place.
  • Writing is a marathon, so make sure to pace yourself. Slow is steady and steady is fast! Or at least that’s the rumor . . . 
  • It’s easier to celebrate a friend than it is to be jealous of a stranger. The friendships I’ve made with other YA authors have been one of the best parts about becoming a published author! So make sure to reach out; I promise, you won’t regret it!
About the Author:
Darcy  Miller
Darcy Miller's debut novel, ROLL, released with HarperCollins in 2017. Her next middle grade novel, MARGOT AND MATEO SAVE THE WORLD, releases with HarperCollins in July '18. She lives with her librarian husband and two small children in Wisconsin. Visit her Website: http://darcyamiller.com/
GIVEAWAY:

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Friday 22 December 2017

Tainted Lies by Leona Nation Book Blitz and Giveaway!


Tainted Lies
Leona Nation
(Dream Walker Division Novel)
Publication date: December 22nd 2017
Genres: Adult, Science Fiction, Thriller
When you’re a spy with special abilities, you do what you must to save the ones you love—even if that means killing. Jade didn’t choose this life, it chose her.
Twelve years ago, Assassins forever changed Jade Saito’s world with flames and bullets. She was saved by the Dream Walker Division, a covert branch of the CIA consisting of people like her—agents with the ability to dream themselves into another’s reality as unseen observers. They also happen to be stronger, faster, and have photographic memories, making them optimal spies.
Now Jade is a field agent for the DWD where she and her unit use their abilities to take down criminal organizations. When DWD leaders start turning up dead, the compound is shaken to its core. If the leaders of the DWD aren’t safe from Assassins, no one is. But the deeper Jade digs the more she realizes not everything is as it seems. Will Jade stop the Assassins before it’s too late? Or will they they murder everyone she loves—again?
Are you a book reviewer?
You can request a review copy here!
EXCERPT:
When fighting, I think about nothing but the moment. There’s no room for obsessing over the Assassins, being depressed over Brooks, or mad at Shea for wanting to leave. There’s only my opponent and me. Defeat or be defeated. I want to drag out the fight, use it as an escape. Some people revert to alcohol and drugs for escape, I use ass-kicking.
“I’ll take you down even with my gimp arm and without using pressure points,” I say.
Shawn’s smile spreads. “Ooohh, them’s fightin’ words. That’s a lot of talk for a buck-ten shorty.”
As I re-wrap my gloves, I gaze at Shawn with a wicked grin. “You forget who you’re talking to.” Shawn might have more muscle in his one bicep than I do in both of mine combined, but I can still beat him. It’s all about physics, about knowing how to use one’s weight to one’s own advantage. This is going to be fun.
I finish strapping on my gear and join Shawn in the ring. Paramore blares through the speakers and the recruits shout encouragement at us. We meet in the center and tap knuckles. Shawn gives me a wink. I laugh.
We dance around each other––backs rounded, chins down, guards up––waiting for the other to strike. Shawn is skilled and with his strength, he could knock me out with one good strike. He’s also much slower than I and tends to tire out faster. Even with working myself harder in warm-up, I have better stamina than him.
He throws a right jab. I easily dodge out of the way, light on my toes. Next he throws a combo: right jab, left hook and round house. I sidestep the jab, knock the hook away and duck under the roundhouse. I take advantage of him being on one leg and sweep his stationary leg out from under him. Shawn falls to his back with a thud, his eyes wide. I let him jump back to his feet. Although I could have, I’m not ready to end it.
Ten minutes later, Shawn’s breathing is labored. We’ve both gotten some hits in, but nothing either of us can’t recover from quickly. I see my next opening when he throws a hook followed with a spinning back kick. Not the smartest move when you’re already winded, so really, he deserves what’s coming.
As soon as Shawn’s back is to me I throw a hard kick to the back of his knee sending him to the floor in mid-kick. I jump on his back and initiate a rear naked choke hold. My arm is wrapped around his neck, under his chin, and secured into place with the other one so I don’t slip off from the sweat. My wound burns like hell, but I refuse to give up. I have him. I push his head into the crook of my arm and squeeze tighter. My arms look like a milky cobra against his dark skin.
“You better tap,” I say, out of breath. “I have no problem putting you to sleep, big guy.”
Shawn grunts, struggling to get free. I add more pressure until he finally taps. I release him and collapse on my back next to him.
“Good workout,” I say, and slap him on the shoulder. “I told you that you had no chance today.”
“Damn, girl,” Shawn says between breaths. “I feel sorry for whoever pissed you off. By the way, you’re bleeding through.”
I look at the bandage on my arm. A red blotch is staining the white cloth.
“Great, probably busted a stitch.”
“I’m trying not to gain any satisfaction from it.” He rubs his head. “If I have to lose, at least I know it’s hard on you.”
My music suddenly stops in the middle of a song. I lift my head to see Shea standing at the radio. Shea and I glare at each other for a moment. Ugh, why can’t she just follow the rules? Yeah it sucks sometimes. Brooks’s hurt eyes flash in my mind and pain explodes in my heart again. Really sucks. But that’s how it is in our world. Breaking the gaze, I get up and peel off my sparring gear.
Shawn whistles a long note, looking from Shea to me and back again. “Now that’s a fight I wouldn’t mind seein’. You all are pissed.” He chuckles. “Chick fights are hot. Can we throw in some mud? Or oil?” He nods his head. “Definitely oil.”
“Shut up, Shawn!” Shea says, rolling her eyes.
“I’m just sayin’. It would make you feel better if you hashed it out.” He spreads his hands and shrugs his large shoulders. “Well, at least it would make me feel better.”
“Shawn,” I warn.
“Can’t blame a brother for tryin’.”
As I grab a bottled water from the gym fridge, Shea and I continue to ignore one another. I head for the door, glancing down at my bleeding arm. After my shower, I’ll need to make a stop at the infirmary. I step out the door and almost run smack into Carol Breakenridge, head of the Europe DWD. She brushes off her jacket like I ruined it. Her blond hair is pulled away from her face, accentuating her angular features and large blue eyes.
I back away from her. “Sorry, ma’am.”
She crosses her arms across her chest. “Yes, you should be,” she says in a clipped tone heavy with a French accent.
“It was an accident,” I reply in a less friendly way. “I didn’t see you.” Head or not, between being ignored earlier and my all-around crappy day, I’m about out of patience.
“I was referring to that display in there,” she says raising her chin at the gym. “Why did you not finish him when you had the chance?” She apparently watched the fight and must have seen when I let Shawn get up. “You should never hold back your strengths. If you do, you may die.”
We were just training, working out. It’s not like we were in a real fight. Even though I’m annoyed with her overreaction, I nod and give her the respect I should. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I would have done better had I known you were watching.”
She drops her voice to a whisper, and raises a perfectly waxed brow, “Dear Jade, you are always being watched,” she smiles slyly. “Analyzed. Your actions may affect more than just you.” She turns and walks away, leaving me with an uneasy feeling. I’ll be more than glad when the Heads leave.



Author Bio:
Leona Nation lives in Chandler, Arizona, with her husband, four kids, cat and dog. Her imagination often got her into trouble in her school years, but she finally realized she could put her imagination to good use by creating worlds of her own. She loves to write, read, travel, bake, binge-watch shows, and anything else she can do to avoid her true nemesis: house cleaning. When she’s not writing, she’s taking kids to football, volleyball, dance, horseback riding, helping with homework assignments (unless it’s math, then she’s useless), and saying the word no way too often—as is the job of a parent. She loves that her husband of seventeen years can still make her heart skip with just a kiss.


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