Blood on the Bayou - Review

 

We are absolutely thrilled to bring you the Review/Excerpt Tour for BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham! BLOOD ON THE BAYOU is A Cafferty & Quinn Series Novella brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. It is available now, so grab your copy of this novella today!

 

Amazon eBook ** Amazon Paperback

Review:
I'm going to be totally honest with you guys, I am not typically a fan of novellas, but this one changed  my mind.  It was the perfect quick read that I didn't really want to end. It was so much fun to step into Louisiana and hunt for a rougarou!

From a technical standpoint, it was solid. The characters were intriguing and fully developed (not something you find in all novellas), the storyline was fascinating and kept us wanting more of it, and who doesn't love a little NOLA flair?

So if you are looking for a mystery with a touch of the paranormal, take my advice and pick this one up.
 

Heather Graham’s BLOOD ON THE BAYOU – Review & Excerpt Tour

January 27^th

Bea's Book Nook – Excerpt

What Is That Book About – Excerpt

From the TBR Pile – Review & Excerpt

Read-Love-Blog – Excerpt

January 28^th

Books to Get Lost In – Excerpt

Collector of book boyfriends – Excerpt

Deluged with Books Cafe – Review & Excerpt

Reading Between the Wines Book Club – Excerpt

January 29^th

Brooke Blogs – Excerpt

Extreme Bookaholic's – Excerpt

Only One More Page – Review & Excerpt

Parajunkee's View – Excerpt

January 30^th

Evermore Books – Excerpt

TMBA Corbett Tries to Write – Review & Excerpt

The Consummate Reader – Excerpt

January 31^st

DayReader Reviews – Review & Excerpt

Us Girls & A Book – Review

Romeo &Roo Books – Review

February 1^st

Moonlight Rendezvous – Review & Excerpt

BooksPieAndCoffee – Review

Book-o-Craze – Review & Excerpt

February 2^nd

Write for Your Life! – Review & Excerpt

The Sassy Bookster – Review & Excerpt

Renee Entress's Blog – Excerpt

Books-n-Kisses – Review & Excerpt

February 3^rd

Beneath The Covers Blog – Excerpt

Books Need TLC – Review

Liz's Reading Life – Excerpt

The Two Brains of Book Reviewers – Review & Excerpt

February 4^th

Amazeballs Book Addicts – Review & Excerpt

DRC Promotions – Review

Fictional Reality – Excerpt

Indy Book Fairy – Excerpt

February 5^th

alpha book club – Review & Excerpt

Those Crazy Book Chicks – Excerpt

Love Affair With Fiction – Excerpt

        About BLOOD ON THE BAYOU: A Cafferty & Quinn Novella From New York Times bestseller Heather Graham... It's winter and a chill has settled over New Orleans, binding a stream of blood that leads a tourist to a dead man, face down in the bayou. The man has been done in by a vicious beating, so violent that his skull has been crashed in. It's barely a day before a second victim is found . . . once again so badly thrashed that the water runs red. The city becomes riddled with fear. An old family friend comes to Danni Cafferty, telling her that he's terrified, he's certain that he's received a message from the Blood Bayou killer--It's your turn to pay, blood on the bayou. The two quickly become involved, and--as they all begin to realize that a gruesome local history is being repeated--they find themselves in a fight to save not just a friend, but, perhaps, their very own lives.         About Heather Graham:
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books. Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.  

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | BLOOD ON THE BAYOU on Goodreads

     

The Ascenders - 4-Star Review

Ascenders: High School for the Recently Departed

by C.L. Gaber

Release Date: April 20th 2015

Summary from Goodreads:

Walker Callaghan doesn't know what happened to her. One minute she was living her teenage life in suburban Chicago...and the next minute, she was in a strange place and in a brand new school with absolutely no homework, no rules, and no consequences.

Walker Callaghan, 17, is dead.

She doesn't go to heaven or hell. She lands at The Academy, a middle realm where teenagers have one thing in common: They were the morning announcement at their high schools because they died young.

These high school kids are now caught in a strange “in-between” zone where life hasn’t changed very much. In fact, this special teen limbo looks a lot like life in a quaint Michigan town complete with jocks, popular girls and cliques. "There are even cheerleaders in death," Walker observes. It's not a coincidence that the music teacher is a guy named Kurt who "used to have this band." The drama teacher, Heath, is crush worthy because back in his life, he starred in some superhero movie.

Principal King explains the rules -- there are none. Why? You can't die twice.

There is no homework.
No tests.
No SATS.
You're just there to learn because the human brain isn't fully formed until you're 24.

By the way, you can't get hurt physically, so race your Harley off that hillside. But falling in love is the most dangerous thing you can do ...because no one knows how long you'll stay in this realm or what's next.

"Losing someone you love would be like dying twice," Walker says.

* * * * * *
Walker Callaghan has just arrived at the Academy after a tragic car accident. “Is this heaven or is this high school?” she asks.

She finds out her new life is a bit of both as she falls in love with tat-covered, bad boy Daniel Reid who is about to break the only sacred rule of this place. He's looking for a portal to return back to the living realm.

He needs just one hour to retrieve his younger brother who strangely never arrived at The Academy. Bobby is an Earth Bound Spirit, stuck at a plane crash site that took both of their lives as their rich father piloted his private jet nose-first into a cornfield on Christmas Eve.

Walker loves Daniel and risks it all to go with him.

Have they learned enough to outsmart dangerous forces while transporting a young child with them? Can their love survive the fragmented evil parts of themselves that are now hunting them down as they try to find a way back to the middle?

At the Academy, you learn the lessons of an after-lifetime. 

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links:

Amazon│Kindle│iTunes

Romeo's Review:

The Ascenders was a pleasant surprise! As soon as I read the Goodreads blurb saying that the book was about a high school for the afterlife, I was interested.  There are so may places that a story like that could go, and the Ascenders hit them all.  

Without giving too much away, here is the overview of the Ascenders plot.  In the beginning, Walker is trying to come to terms with the fact that she has died and is now living an after-life. Then she starts to build a new life at her new school and makes new friends.  One of these new friends is already preparing for a quest of their own and Walker decides to join them on this quest that will lead them both to break all the rules and put themselves in immeasurable danger.

The story is well written and has a crew of interesting characters that give the story a lot of depth that will keep you reading until the last page, and wanting even more.

Come on Ascenders Book 2!

About the Author

C.L. Gaber is the author of the ASCENDERS SAGA and co author of Jex Malone. A well known entertainment journalist, she lives in Nevada with her husband Ron, bonus daughter Sabrina and two unruly dogs. ASCENDERS 2 is due out in early 2016. 

Author Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

GIVEAWAY:

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Book Tour Organized by:

YA Bound Book Tours

Release Day - Blood on the Bayou

 

We are so excited to bring you the Release Day Launch for BLOOD ON THE BAYOU by Heather Graham! BLOOD ON THE BAYOU is A Cafferty & Quinn Series Novella brought to you by 1001 Dark Nights. Grab your copy of this sexy novella today!

 

Amazon eBook ** Amazon Paperback

  Excerpt: Michael Quinn heard the hysterical crying the minute he entered the police station. The young woman creating the commotion was inside Detective Jake Larue’s office. Someone else was trying to soothe her while not becoming hysterical herself. “This one is right up your alley,” Larue told him as he approached. “My alley?” “That young woman is certain she saw a rougarou. She was on a bayou tour in Honey Swamp last night.” He smiled. No kid grew up in Southern Louisiana without hearing about the rougarou. Every region of the world had their own particular brand of monster. The rougarou belonged to the Cajun region of Southern Louisiana, stretching right into the city. “Honey Swamp?” he asked. “Doesn’t a problem in that area go to the Pearl River police?” “Yep,” Larue said. “But she’s here because she believes the rougarou followed her home, showing up in the window of her hotel last night.” He arched a brow at the ridiculousness of the statement. “I’m assuming there’s more.” “A dead man in the swamp. Head bashed in, throat ripped.” Which grabbed his attention. “I want you to talk to them,” Larue said. “I told them that you’re a rougarou expert and that you’ll get to the bottom of things. They were out on some night ghost tour in the bayou and their boat came upon the dead man. Right now, she’s so hysterical that she’s not making sense. But you rougarouexperts are used to dealing with that.” He shook his head at Larue’s sarcasm. He was no more a rougarou expert than someone was a ghost expert. Once upon a time, he’d worked with Larue as partners in the NYPD. Before that, Quinn’s life had been anything but normal. He’d actually been a pretty horrible person, not as in deadly or criminal, but as in vain and egotistical. His prowess in sports had led to excess, which eventually led to him being declared legally dead. Which changed everything.     About BLOOD ON THE BAYOU: A Cafferty & Quinn Novella From New York Times bestseller Heather Graham... It's winter and a chill has settled over New Orleans, binding a stream of blood that leads a tourist to a dead man, face down in the bayou. The man has been done in by a vicious beating, so violent that his skull has been crashed in. It's barely a day before a second victim is found . . . once again so badly thrashed that the water runs red. The city becomes riddled with fear. An old family friend comes to Danni Cafferty, telling her that he's terrified, he's certain that he's received a message from the Blood Bayou killer--It's your turn to pay, blood on the bayou. The two quickly become involved, and--as they all begin to realize that a gruesome local history is being repeated--they find themselves in a fight to save not just a friend, but, perhaps, their very own lives.     About Heather Graham: New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell’s Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette’s Shadows, and for Harlequin’s mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books. Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children’s charity. She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards from Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.  

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Newsletter Sign Up | BLOOD ON THE BAYOU on Goodreads

   

Please Ignore My Internet Search History - T.H. Hernandez Guest Post

Every book requires research, some more than others. Part of the fun of setting your book in the future, an alternate universe, or a fantasy world, is that you get to make up a good part of your story world. This reduces the amount of research required over, say, historical fiction or a contemporary thriller.

Even though my novel is set in a fictional future, I still wanted as much authenticity as possible, meaning I needed to do my research. Not only did I need to research what technology is currently available, but where technology is likely heading, and how much the collapse of the world’s largest economy might impact technological advancement.

Those were the safe searches I conducted, the ones unlikely to raise any red flags if the NSA is monitoring my internet usage. But The Uprising is about a counter-revolution, war, hand-to-hand combat, shootings, and blowing stuff up. In order to make sure my plot remained plausible, I had to research where someone would could get their hands on black-market weapons, how to set explosives, and a few other things I won’t mention to avoid spoiling anything, but you get the idea.

My editor posted the above image on my Facebook page, saying we both needed a coffee mug with that on it. I know why I needed it, but wasn’t sure why she did until she informed me she always does her own research to make sure what I’ve written is accurate.

I had no idea she went to such lengths. It’s one thing to put your own future freedom on the line for the sake of craft, but it’s above and beyond the call of duty to take that risk for a client, even if said client is also family. At least if they come for me, I’ll have someone I know to hang out with. Plus, we both know a few cool new skills thanks to some scary internet searches.

The Uprising

Goodreads | Amazon

Synopsis:

Recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound, eighteen-year-old Evan Taylor must find a way to stop the Uprising, an underground movement committed to destroying the Union, before her homeland is attacked.

After spending the last four months in the Ruins trying to get back to the only girl he's ever loved, nineteen-year-old Cyrus needs to get past his jealousy over Evan's involvement with Bryce or risk losing her again.

Together, Evan and Cyrus join with their friends to devise a plan to save both the Ruins and the Union, but when the pressure's on, bickering and infighting threaten to undermine their goals. New information revealing a weakness in the Uprising is uncovered, forcing them to ask quickly or risk losing everything.

With the help of old friends and new allies they set out to make history, but it might just take a miracle for everyone to make it out alive.

THE UPRISING is the third book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventures set in the near future.

Catch up on the series:

The Union:

Goodreads | Amazon

The Ruins:

Goodreads | Amazon

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

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T.H. Hernandez Bio

When not visiting imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California ,with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog.  In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they're still figuring out life.

When I'm not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I'm obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers.

Links:

Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Author Amazon Page

The Uprising - Release Day!

It's release day for The Uprising by T. H. Hernandez! I am so excited for this, the third book in The Union Series. T.H. Hernandez is sharing an excerpt and giveaway with us to celebrate her release, so check it all out! The Uprising Synopsis:
 Recovering from a near-fatal gunshot wound, eighteen-year-old Evan Taylor must find a way to stop the Uprising, an underground movement committed to destroying the Union, before her homeland is attacked. After spending the last four months in the Ruins trying to get back to the only girl he's ever loved, nineteen-year-old Cyrus needs to get past his jealousy over Evan's involvement with Bryce or risk losing her again. Together, Evan and Cyrus join with their friends to devise a plan to save both the Ruins and the Union, but when the pressure’s on, bickering and infighting threaten to undermine their goals. New information revealing a weakness in the Uprising is uncovered, forcing them to act quickly or risk losing everything. With the help of old friends and new allies they set out to make history, but it might just take a miracle for everyone to make it out alive. THE UPRISING is the third book in THE UNION series, a young adult romantic adventure set in the near future.

Buy Links: Amazon 

Catch up on the series: 

The Union: Goodreads | Amazon 

 The Ruins: Goodreads | Amazon

Exclusive Excerpt Hot showers, beds that conform to my body, soft clothes, public transportation — there’s a shitload of stuff to love about the Union, but by far my favorite is the beach. I never tire of watching the ocean, struggling to understand it, the way it seems to go on forever. Standing here, feeling the coarse sand beneath my feet and the cool mist on exposed skin, helps me think. Like an idiot, I figured nothing else mattered as long as Evan and I were together, but every damn thing matters. It’s not safe to stay here, and it’s not safe to return to the Ruins. Not that she’d even agree to that. Hell, I don’t know what she wants. We barely talk and I know that’s mostly on me. I can’t pretend her sleeping with that douche doesn’t piss me off. I want to punch something every time I see him, which is pretty much every fucking day. “Figured I’d find you here,” Rainey’s raspy voice comes from behind me. I grit my teeth and turn to face her. “Hey.” “It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” “Yeah. Never thought I’d see the ocean, now I can’t seem to leave.” She’s quiet for a few moments, staring out at the crashing waves. I’ve stared at them for plenty of hours myself, now I stare at her. She’s pretty, in a rough sort of way. The scar running from her ear to her jaw only enhances her looks. But she’s not someone you’d ever want to mess with. “Quit staring at me.” I turn back to the water. “Sorry.” “Colin went with her. You know, in case you were wondering.” “Not really.” I wasn’t, only because I chose not to think about it. But if it’d been Bryce, I’d have needed to pound something. “Are you going to punish her forever?” Dragging my gaze away from the surf, I glare at her. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” Her eyebrows go up. “Really? You two were this sappy sweet, gag-inducing couple until her ex showed up. Now you’re always in a foul mood, and you barely talk to the girl you supposedly gave up everything to follow.” “Fine, I don’t like the guy, never have. Why the hell is he here again?” “We need everyone if we have any hope of doing what you’re planning. We can’t send him packing because he got naked and horizontal with your girl.” If Rainey wasn’t a girl, I’d have no problem decking her, but she is, so I walk down to the water to get away from her. Whatever went on between Evan and the douchebag was before she joined the Uprising, but it’s more than that. It’s everything. She had no idea what she was getting herself into and no plan to get out. She nearly got herself killed. She’s impulsive and reckless, and I don’t know if I can deal with that. 

  T.H. Hernandez Bio:

When not visiting the imaginary worlds inside my head, I live in San Diego, California, with one husband, three children, two cats, and one dog. In addition to my day job as a technical writer and editor, I write young adult fiction. I love the intensity of teen emotions and the way they're still figuring out life. When I'm not writing, you can find me with my nose in a book, hanging out with family and friends, hiking, or knitting. I'm obsessed with Facebook, young adult novels, bad lip reading videos, pumpkin spice lattes, microbrewed beers, and the San Diego Chargers. 

  Links: Goodreads | Website | Twitter | Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram | Enter T.H. Hernandez’s Giveaway: a Rafflecopter giveaway   Follow along with the blog tour:

Blog Tour Schedule:

January 20th

Typical Distractions Review

LuLo Fangirl Review

January 21st

Romeo & Roo Books Guest Post from T.H. Hernandez***

Star-Crossed Book Blog Review

January 22nd

I Read Indie Playlist

January 23rd

Jax's Book Magic Excerpt

January 24th

Fictional Reality Book Playlist***

January 25th

Renee Entress's Blog Excerpt

January 26th

Love Affair with Fiction Guest Post

Nerdy Soul Review

January 27th

Reading Addict Guest Post

January 28th

Red Moon (Silence Is Read) Excerpt

SnoopyDoo's Boook Reviews Excerpt

January 29th

Evermore Books Playlist

BookCrushin Review Only

January 30th

Extreme Bookaholic's Excerpt

January 31st

Alpha Fangirl Book Blog Excerpt

February 1st

Ceres Books World Review Only

February 2nd

Cover2Cover Dreamcast

February 3rd

Collector of book boyfriends Dreamcast

G & T's Indie Café Excerpt

Alpha Book Club Excerpt