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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Guest post by Devri Walls

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Hello lovelies! So today I have Devri visiting Xpresso Reads to share a fantastic and especially amusing excerpt of her debut novel, Wings of Arian.

Wings of Arian
Devri Walls
Series:Wings of Arian, #1
Release date: April 24th, 2012
by Stonehouse Ink

Goodreads / Purchase

Kiora thought she had never heard a lie until she was sixteen. But she was wrong. Her entire existence was based on nothing but. She thought that evil did not exist. Lie. That magic was not real. Lie. And that the land of Meros was all there was. One more lie.

With Aleric telling her that evil is knocking on the door and that she is the only one who can stop them she has a choice to make. Refuse, or start the wildest most painful ride of her life.
She reluctantly dips her toe into her new existence of magic and threads, dragons and shapeshifters, and the person who wants to take control of it all: the evil Dralazar.

However, this journey was never meant to be hers alone. She will be accompanied by a Protector. To her disbelief, and utter irritation they name the hotheaded, stubborn, non -magical, (albeit gorgeous) Prince Emane. They will have to trust each other with their lives, but right now Kiora would settle for a non hostile conversation.

And now it comes down to this, If you had never heard a lie, would you know when you heard one? Is knowing good from evil innate? Kiora finds herself having to decide who lives and who dies on those very questions.

Drop by on July 2nd for my blog tour stop!
Guest post by Devri Walls

Welcome to a teaser from Wings of Arian! Since it’s a bit long you wont be hearing much from me. I am sure you are all heartbroken! The one thing you need to know for this scene is that Kiora is the Solus, the one chosen to stop evil. And as such, she has the ability for magic. An ability her Protector, Emane, is lacking. I hope you find this scene as entertaining as I do!
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Emane came to Kiora after dinner with two swords and handed her one.
“What is this for?” She asked as the weight of the sword jerked her arm to the ground.
“I have decided you need to learn how to fight,” he said, laying his blade across his hand, examining it.
“You have, have you?” She grunted trying to wrench the sword back up.
“Well, Aleric and I decided.” Emane shrugged, dropping the sword back to his side. “If I do get separated from you and you happen to run out of magic, you need to be able to defend yourself. I have already spoken to the Guardians and they have promised to make you a sword that is your size. But for now, we will practice with these.”
“Emane, I don’t even know how to hold one of these things.”
“Lesson number one, it is called a sword.”
“Alright, a sword,” she said placing a hand on her hip. “Problem number two, I can’t lift it.”
“Try,” he said jerking his head towards her sword.
Rolling her eyes she grabbed the hilt, struggling under the weight of it, managing to pull it up a few inches before the weight dragged her back down to the ground. Emane burst out into laughter, taking it out of her hands.
“Well worth it!” he grinned, shouldering her sword. When she looked at him confused, Emane leaned forward as if telling her a secret, “I really just wanted to watch you not be able to do something.”
“Are you serious,” she sputtered. “You gave me that sword just to laugh at me? Did you even talk to Aleric?” Her face flushed.
“Of course I talked to Aleric.” Emane was trying to stifle his laughter but it wasn’t working. “And I am going to teach you to fight.” He buried the swords into the ground so that they were standing straight up. “But we normally don’t start with those. He pulled out two wooden swords he had stashed behind a tree. “Normally we start training with these,” he said, spinning them around in an arc before presenting her with the much smaller, much lighter wooden sword.
She snatched it out of his hand. “You really are a jerk you know.”
“Hmmm,” he said smirking, tossing his sword from one hand to the other. “I’m happy with jerk. It’s much nicer than what you used to call me.”
 “You’re that too,” she half grinned.
“Nope, we have downgraded to jerk and I am keeping it.” He started circling around her. “First things first, you need to protect yourself. I will try to get past your guard. If you block me, you win. If I get past your guard, I win. And,” he drug out, “I will expect to be paid with a kiss.”
“What do I get if I win?” she asked.
Emane took advantage of the question and jabbed in quickly, connecting with her arm. “One kiss for me,” he winked, backing out again.
“That was cheating!” she objected. Emane swung around the blade, lightly connecting the flat side of the sword between her shoulder blades.
“Two kisses for me.”
“Oohhh,” Kiora growled. “You are an arrogant horse’s ass!” She took a protective stance and blocked the next blow.
“Nice job.” He danced around her and connected with her opposite shoulder. “Three kisses for the horse’s ass,” he gloated. “Come on, Kiora you have to move your feet.” His eyes glinted mischievously.
She started to move and circle, following his lead. She blocked blow after blow, but missed at least one out of every three. “Come on, Emane,” she complained, “take it easy on me. It’s my first day.”
“I am taking it easy on you,” he laughed. “You’re terrible!”
“Thanks a lot,” she said trying to force a glare at him. “You’re not exactly encouraging.” Kiora lifted her sword to block another shot.
Pushing his sword down over hers he leaned in, “I actually like the fact that you’re terrible, more kisses for me.”
Kiora heard a few snickers from behind her and noticed that the camp was turning up to watch the training session. Pushing back, Emane jabbed in and caught her in the stomach.
“HEY!” she yelled, doubling over.
“That’s at least 15 kisses, I am losing count.” Spinning in a wide lazy circle he asked the spectators, “Anyone want to keep track for me?”
“You… are such a …”
“Uh uh,” he said shaking his finger at her, “we have little ears amongst us, watch your language.”
“JERK!” she yelled.
“That’s better.” Emane swung again and she soundly blocked. It went on like this for longer than she had wanted. The crowd cheered when she blocked a shot and they counted kisses when Emane made it past her guard. And they laughed at every joke he made, which only encouraged him on.
“Please,” she gasped. “I am dying, can’t we take a break?”
“Breaks are for girls!” He taunted her, dancing around her with the stupid, albeit gorgeous grin, plastered on his face.
“I am a girl, Emane.” He moved in to take another shot, which she barely blocked. “I mean it, Emane, I am going to cheat if we don’t stop.” He raised his sword over his head. With a flick of her wrist she swept his feet out from under him. He reached for his sword, but with another flick of the wrist, the sword slid across the ground out of his reach. She dropped to her knees, putting her sword to his neck, “Do you yield?”
The crowd was in hysterics. Emane stretched his neck looking around. “How many kisses am I owed?” he shouted to the crowd.
“Seventy-two,” the answer came.
“Hmmm, seventy-two kisses,” he put both arms behind his head. “That should be enough. Yes, I yield.”
“Thank heavens!” Kiora collapsed on the ground next to Emane as the crowd cheered and laughed with approval.
Emane rolled over and leaned on his elbow, looking down at her through half open lids. “I think the Lady should pay up.” He leaned down and kissed her “One down, seventy-one more to go.” Emane jumped to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Alright folks, that’s it for today.” There were some moans and groans as the crowd dispersed.
“You are shameless, you know that?” she said, brushing off her pants.
“So you tell me.” He threw his arm over her shoulder. “Let’s go get something to drink.”

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If you would like to read more, Wings of Arian is available on Amazon. You can also read an enormous sneak peak there as well, I believe my publisher included all the way to chapter three! Thanks so much to Giselle for having me over today! I could write a whole blog post on her awesome sauciness… but I think you all already know!


Thanks so much, Devri! YOUR awesome sauciness definitely shows in this excerpt and I’m especially looking forward to reading the whole thing! Emane sounds sexy!

 Devri’s Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Devri Walls lives in Kuna Idaho with her husband and two kids. She has worked as a music teacher and currently, a preschool teacher. She majored in theater and her love of a story still drives her today. Thankfully, she has finally found an outlet for all the voices in her head. Her first novel, Wings of Arian, will be released on Amazon May of 2012.

Wings of Arian is only 2.99 for Kindle!

Until I Die Tour Stop

Posted by on 05/08/2012 • 38 Comments

Today I’m happy to be a part of the blog  tour for Until I Die, the second book in the Revenants series which is a great paranormal series set in beautiful Paris, plus they have the most gorgeous covers. So  today I have Amy here for a guest post, then I have a couple of giveaways for you, but first we’ve got my review:

Until I DieAmy PlumSeries: Revenants, #2Release date: May 8th, 2012by HarperCollins

Goodreads / Purchase

Kate and Vincent have overcome the odds and at last they are together in Paris, the city of lights and love.

As their romance deepens there’s one question they can’t ignore: How are they supposed to be together if Vincent can’t resist sacrificing himself to save others? Although Vincent promises that he’ll…

Fresh Batch (May 6th – 12th)

Posted by on 05/05/2012 • 21 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week.

Flavor of the week:

HemlockKathleen PeacockRelease date: May 8th, 2012by HarperCollins

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Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.

Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.

Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.

Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers…

Review: The Breakaway

Posted by on 05/03/2012 • 29 Comments

The BreakawayMichelle Davidson ArgyleRelease date: May 1st, 2012by Rhemalda Publishing

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When Naomi Jensen is kidnapped, it takes her parents two days to realize she’s missing. Escape isn’t high on her list of priorities when all she has to return to is an abusive boyfriend and parents who never paid much attention to her. For the first time in her life she’s part of a family—even if it is a family of criminals. But she’s still a captive. In a desperate attempt to regain some control in her life, Naomi embarks on a dangerous plan to make one of her kidnappers think she’s falling in love with him. The plan works too well, and when faced with the chance to escape, Naomi isn’t sure she wants to…

Siege Tour Stop – Review & Interview

Posted by on 04/23/2012 • 25 Comments

RIGHT? How awesome is today!? I am beyond thrilled to have Rhiannon dropping for the Siege Blog Tour. First you will see my glowing review of Siege, the final book in the As The World Dies trilogy which is my favorite EV-ER. Then I’ve got a super awesome interview with Rhiannon to show you. If you haven’t read this series yet, don’t worry – everything is SPOILER FREE! So you have to read this, and then go get these books because if you don’t, I may cry.

SiegeRhiannon FraterSeries: As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3Release date: April 24th, 2012by Tor BooksGoodreads / Purchase

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and…

Fresh Batch (April 22nd – 28th)

Posted by on 04/21/2012 • 26 Comments

Exclusively titled for Xpresso Reads, Fresh Batch features the hottest releases of this upcoming week. Flavor of the week:

SiegeRhiannon FraterSeries: As the World Dies: A Zombie Trilogy, #3Release date: April 24th, 2012by Tor Books

Goodreads / Purchase

The zombie illness has shattered civilization. The survivors who have found tenuous safety in Texas defend their fort against the walking dead and living bandits.

Katie has made peace with the death of her wife and is pregnant and married to Travis, who has been elected Mayor. Jenni, her stepson, Jason; and Juan—Travis’s righthand man—are a happy family, though Jenni suffers from PTSD. Both women are deadly zombie killers. In Siege, the people of Ashley Oaks are stunned to discover that the vice president of the United States is alive and…

Untouched Tour Stop – Interview & Giveaway

Posted by on 04/18/2012 • 26 Comments

UntouchedJus AccardoSeries: Denazen, #1.5Release date: March 28th, 2012by Entangled Publishing

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Until he met Dez, Kale’s days were filled with violence and death. He was used as a weapon of destruction by the power hungry men of Denazen. He’s a Six. A person with an abnormal ability. Some people call them gifts, but not Kale. Kale’s touch means instant death.

But now there’s Dez, the girl he can touch, and they’re hunting down Sixes and warning them about Denazen. Kale is learning about the world outside captivity and trying to put his dark past behind him. But they underestimated how badly Denazen wanted him back.

When Dez sacrifices herself to save the new Six they’d rescued from falling into the corp’s hands, Kale is lost. Denazen has brought…

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

Posted by on 04/18/2012 • 67 Comments

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine and spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.  My pick this week:

After Dark Emi Gayle Release date: October 31st, 2012 by J. Taylor Publishing Add it to your Goodreads

What eighteen year old Mac Thorne doesn’t know will probably kill her.

In exactly eight months, five days, three hours and thirteen minutes, Mac has to choose what she’ll be for the rest of her life.

She has no choice but to pick. As a Changeling, it’s her birthright. To Mac, it’s a birthchore. Like going to school with humans, interacting with humans, and pretending to be human during the pesky daylight hours.

Once darkness descends, Mac can change into any supernatural form that exists —…