{Blog Tour} CAGE OF DARKNESS by Jennifer Anne Davis--Excerpt + Giveaway

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                         ABOUT THE BOOK

CAGE OF DARKNESS 

by Jennifer Anne Davis

While traveling to Fren, Allyssa and Odar are hijacked by a ruthless assassin who divulges a stunning secret that changes everything.

Trying to come to terms with this newfound revelation, Allyssa is taken to Russek and delivered into the hands of a malicious and twisted royal family. She finds herself an unwilling pawn in a risky political game that will either end with her death or the annihilation of her beloved kingdom. Unsure of where the lies end and the truth begins, she must survive the brutal family and escape the fortified castle, all the while coming to grips with her feelings for Odar.

In a kingdom filled with darkness, Allyssa enters a game where one wrong move means death, secrets hide around each corner, and it will take every ounce of cunning she has to survive. 

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Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Book two in the REIGN OF SECRETS series

Title: CAGE OF DARKNESS

Author: Jennifer Anne Davis

Release: April 4, 2017

AVAILABLE ON

Amazon † BN 

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On the exterior, Kerdan appeared every bit as bloodthirsty as the king. However, he was a good man on the inside who would one day be a great leader. He wore masks—just like she did. Just like Odar did. “I understand your concern. But it’s not necessary.”

“You’re wrong. We’re a means to an end. Puppets in this performance.”

“If that’s what it takes to get us out of Russek and stop the war, then so be it.”

“Sometimes, you’re too quick to act and reckless.”

Allyssa stiffened. She hadn’t made the bargain with Kerdan without thinking it through. She wasn’t a fool. “You don’t have to participate in the plan. Go back to Shelene and play the doting fiancé.”

He ignored her outburst, as if he hadn’t heard a word of it. “And you’re loyal beyond belief. You’d walk through fire for those you love.”

“Your point?” she snapped. Once they married, would all their conversations be so heated and exhausting?

He reached up, cupping her cheek. “Both Prince Kerdan and Soma know I care for you. What if they use that against us? All either one has to do is put a knife to your throat, and I’m powerless.”


Allyssa understood his fear—she had it too. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t do for Odar, her parents, or her kingdom. That was how love worked. She knew her heart couldn’t stay locked in a cage, shielded from everything. “It’s not like you can stop loving me just to protect me,” she whispered. “Love doesn’t work that way.” He closed his eyes. “Odar?” she asked, wondering what he was thinking. He wasn’t . . . afraid . . . to love her, was he?

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About Book One:

Sixteen-year-old Allyssa appears to be the ideal princess of Emperion—she’s beautiful, elegant, and refined. She spends her days locked in a suffocating cage, otherwise known as the royal court. But at night, Allyssa uses her secret persona—that of a vigilante—to hunt down criminals and help her people firsthand.

Unfortunately, her nightly escapades will have to wait because the citizens of Emperion may need saving from something much bigger than common criminals. War is encroaching on their kingdom and in order to protect her people, Allyssa may have to sacrifice her heart. Forced to entertain an alliance through marriage with a handsome prince from a neighboring kingdom, she finds herself feeling even more stifled than before. To make matters worse, the prince has stuck his nosy squire, Jarvik, to watch her every move.

Jarvik is infuriating, bossy and unfortunately, the only person she can turn to when she unveils a heinous plot. Together, the unlikely pair will have to work together to stop an enemy that everyone thought was long gone, one with the power to destroy her family and the people of Emperion. Now the cage Allyssa so longed to break free from might just be the one thing she has to fight to keep intact. In order to save her kingdom, she will have to sacrifice her freedom, her heart, and maybe even her life.

Grab your copy today!

Amazon † BN

Check out the series on GoodReads

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Jennifer Anne Davis is the award-winning author of the bestselling TRUE REIGN series. After graduating from the University of San Diego with a degree in English and a teaching credential, she married her high school sweetheart. Jennifer is currently a full-time writer and mother of three highly energetic children. Her days are spent living in imaginary worlds and fueling her own kids’ creativity.

Website † Facebook † Twitter † Instagram † GoodReads


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GIVEAWAY
a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Follow along with the tour for daily entries to Jennifer Anne Davis' awesome giveaway!

CAGE OF DARKNESS Blog Tour Schedule:

April 3rd

Books, Dreams, Life - http://staceyschneller06.wordpress.com – Book Highlight & Giveaway

Reading for the Stars and Moon - http://readingforthestarsmoon.blogspot.com/ - Review & Giveaway

Good Choice Reading – www.goodchoicereading.com – Review/Excerpt & Giveaway

A Perfection Called Books - http://aperfectioncalledbooks.blogspot.com/ - Review & Giveaway

April 4th

She Dreams in Fiction - http://www.shedreamsinfiction.com – Teaser & Giveaway

Desert Divas Book Addiction - http://desertdivasbookaddiction.wordpress.com – Review & Giveaway

Mundie Moms - http://www.mundiemoms.com – Review & Giveaway

April 5th

A Leisure Moment - http://www.aleisuremoment.com – Review & Giveaway

Fishing for Books - http://libraryofbooksblog.wordpress.com – Excerpt & Giveaway

Jrsbookreviews - http://www.jrsbookreviews.wordpress.com – Review & Giveaway

April 6th

A Dream Within A Dream - http://adreamwithindream.blogspot.com – Teaser & Giveaway

Books of Love - http://gracebooksoflove.blogspot.com – Review & Giveaway

BA Harding: Writer - http://www.baharding.com – Excerpt & Giveaway

April 7th

Avid Reader – http://avdreader.wordpress.com – Teaser & Giveaway

The Genre Minx Book Reviews - http://www.thegenreminx.com – Review & Giveaway

A Backwards Story - http://abackwardsstory.blogspot.com – Review & Giveaway

April 10th

Gizmos Reviews – http://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com – Review & Giveaway

Wishful Endings - http://www.wishfulendings.com/ - Excerpt & Giveaway

Book Briefs - http://bookbriefs.net – Review & Giveaway

April 11th

NovelKnight - http://novelknight.com – Review & Giveaway

Taylor Fenner's Bookish World - http://taylorfenner.blogspot.com –  ̶R̶e̶v̶i̶e̶w̶  Excerpt & Giveaway

U.S. - Brazil Book Review - http://www.usbrazilbookreview.blogspot.com – Excerpt & Giveaway

April 12th

Kindle and Me - www.kindleandme.com – Review & Giveaway

Tales of a Ravenous Reader - http://talesoftheravenousreader.com – Excerpt

Lovely Reads Publishing - http://serenityslovelyreads.blogspot.com/ - Review & Giveaway

April 13th

Zach's YA Reviews - http://www.zachsyareviews.com – Review & Giveaway

Emily Reads Everything - www.emilyreadseverything.com – Review & Giveaway

Positively Book Crazy (PBC) - http://www.positivelybookcrazy.com – Excerpt & Giveaway

April 14th

The Lovely Books - http://thelovelybooksbookblog.blogspot.com – Review & Giveaway

Reader Girls - http://www.readergirlsblog.com – Review & Giveaway

Bookwyrming Thoughts - http://www.bookwyrmingthoughts.com – Review & Giveaway

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Thank you for stopping by! Happy Reading ❤️

Cover Reveal: Bloodbound by Amalie Howard

This Tuesday I have a beautiful cover reveal to share with you and a teaser for Amalie Howard's upcoming Cruentus Curse Novella, BLOODBOUND! I've wanted to read the Bloodspell books for a long time, I've heard great things about them and this novella sounds amazing! 

So, who is ready for some gorgeous cover artwork? 

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BLOODBOUND 

by Amalie Howard

Hardcover, 384 pages

Expected publication: March

Love or freedom…the choice is hers.

VIENNA, AUSTRIA, 1892. Lady Leandra Von Kurzberg is a hellion. Raised with seven older brothers, there is only one thing Lena fears: marriage. She has no desire to give up her freedom to be any lord’s broodmare.

When Lena meets the dangerously attractive Devereux twins, she is smitten. Inexplicably drawn to both men, the brothers are polar opposites—as much as Christian is every inch the debonair Duke of D’Avigny, his brother Lucian is a roguish scoundrel bent on hedonism.

But the captivating twins aren’t what they seem…

As frightening truths are unveiled and a one-of-a-kind offer is made, Lena will have to decide whether love is worth the loss of her freedom, or if freedom is worth the ultimate cost…her life.

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     Lena bit her lip as Arabella shot her a naughty wink and ambled off to meet Fabian who had moved to the far side of the room. He handed his blades to the waiting footmen before receiving her. Lena stood, rooted to the spot as Lucian approached after greeting her brother. She half wished she wasn’t wearing a ratty pair of breeches that looked as if they’d been trampled by a herd of angry elephants. 
“Wagner said you would be down here,” Lucian said. “And Arabella who arrived at the same time offered to show me the way.” He paused, his eyes drifting closed for a scant second, a sublime look crossing his face. “You smell…delicious.”
Lena couldn’t help it—she laughed. “You do say the oddest things, my lord. And I assure you, I am as sweaty as a sheep on a hot summer day.”
“Do sheep get sweaty?” he asked without missing a beat. 
“One can imagine they would under all that wool.”
“I suppose,” he said and leaned in slightly as if to scent her. Her pulse soared and Lena fought the urge to move back a step, not because she was afraid, but out of some sudden desire for sheer self-preservation. While Christian had been reserved, she was certain that this brother did not hold himself to the same code. No, Lucian took. He was a man who sought pleasure wherever it was for the taking. It didn’t matter that her brother stood a few feet away, despite being distracted. “Sheep aside, your perfume is delightful.”
“Soap and sweat, my lord.” She expelled a shallow breath. “Nothing more.”
“The purest essence of woman.”
“Why are you here?” she asked, blushing. He made those five words sound like something dirty. She was grateful that Fabian and Arabella were both out of earshot.
Lucian bowed with a flourish. “Why, to prove myself, of course. And what better way than to allow a capable woman the chance to slit my throat.”
“You wish to die, Lord Devereux?”
An unfathomable expression crossed his face, but it was soon eclipsed by a brilliant smile. “Alas, my extraordinary skills preclude that very outcome.”
“Confident, are we?” Lena said and raised her blades. “You do realize that I could defeat you blindfolded.”
Lucian’s gray eyes widened. “Is that a challenge?”
“Only if you want it to be.”
Their clash of wills was interrupted by Fabian and Arabella who announced that they were going to take a stroll in the gardens. Lena rolled her eyes at the bright blush that covered Arabella’s cheeks. An evening stroll was just another way of saying that they were going to do what engaged couples did in secluded gardens. Kissing and whatnot. An unexpected spurt of envy curled through her. Perhaps Lord Devereux would also welcome such a stroll. She slid a glance to him, noting the dissolute turn of his mouth and revised her earlier desire. A stroll in the garden with this man would involve nothing less than complete and utter ruination.

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AMALIE HOWARD grew up in Trinidad & Tobago where she spent most of her childhood with her nose buried in a book or running around barefoot, shimmying up mango trees, and dreaming of adventure. 25 countries, surfing with sharks, and several tattoos later, she has traded in bungee jumping in China for writing the adventures she imagines instead. She isn’t entirely convinced which takes more guts.

An aspiring writer from a young age, Amalie’s poem “The Candle,” written at age twelve, was published by the University of Warwick press. At fifteen, she was  a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society Essay Award (a global youth writing competition). A Colby College graduate, she completed dual Honors Theses in both French and International Studies, and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. At Colby, she was cited for her research contribution to Raffael Scheck’s article, “German Conservatism and Female Political Activism in the Early Weimar Republic,” and his subsequent book, Mothers of the Nation. She also received a distinction in English Literature from the University of Cambridge (A-levels) as well as a postgraduate certificate in French Literature from the Ecole Normale Supérieure in Paris, France. Traveling the globe, she has worked as a research assistant, account executive, and global channel sales director for a Fortune 500 company.

She is the award-winning author of several young adult novels critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, SLJ, VOYA, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Spring 2014 Kid’s INDIE NEXT title. Her debut novel, Bloodspell, was a #1 Amazon bestseller, and the sequel, Bloodcraft, was a national silver IPPY medalist and a silver Moonbeam award winner. She is also the co-author of the adult historical romance series, THE LORDS OF ESSEX. As an author of color and a proud supporter of diversity in fiction, her articles on multicultural fiction have appeared in The Portland Book Review and on the popular Diversity in YA blog. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children.

Find Amalie Howard: Website † Twitter † Facebook † Instagram

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Amalie Howard is giving 4 lucky readers (U.S. & INT) a $5 Amazon Gift card. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Out of Darkness Teaser

        For this bonus Good Friday post in my Out of Darkness blog series I'm treating you to a teaser post. In this scene, Lizette and the gang are exploring their abandoned meeting place, but is it truly abandoned? Where are the strange noises coming from? 

Visual Inspiration for the abandoned meeting place: Holy Cross Orphanage, Marquette, Michigan. Photo via "Weburbanist's 'Child's Place: 10 Eerie Abandoned Orphanages'."

Teaser:

        We make our way up the debris covered staircase to the second floor. When we get to the landing we take in the empty hallway, disproving the homeless person theory. “Is someone there?” Keiran calls anyway.

The second floor looks much like the first, patient rooms lined the hall on either side. Thierry takes a tentative step towards the first one and I follow closely. I peer inside around Thierry’s shoulder. Two single beds with bare mattresses are pushed against the walls but otherwise the room is empty. Mold grows in the corners of the ceilings and there are crude drawings scattered on the walls. 

“Did people actually live like this?” Thierry whispers sadly.

“I wonder how they live in the new building next door.” Keiran wonders aloud. 
I shake my head sadly as I turn from the room. Suddenly a loud clanking comes from right behind us. Arianthe screams and we all turn toward the stairs. Sam shines his flashlight toward the stairs and we all relax when we see Delia standing on the landing.

         She winces, “sorry. I was getting freaked out sitting down there alone.” 

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          Out of Darkness will be available in ebook, paperback, and hardcover on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. Out of Darkness is currently available to pre-order in ebook format: 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Kobo

Smashwords

iBooks

TEASER: Finding Elizabeth

Three and a half weeks until Finding Elizabeth's release date! This week's blogpost is part two of my four part blog series ahead of Finding Elizabeth's September 15th release and it's...

TEASER TIME!!! 

You have several preorder options for this book. All preorder information will be at the end of this post. 

This teaser is in modern day Elizabeth's perspective after Nate's friends Darcy and Jake play a cruel trick on her at Nate's family's Christmas Party... 

Enjoy! :)

          I turn to face him. “Go to Hell!” I say harshly as I brush past him.

      

        “I’ve been there,” he says quietly. “Every second away from you is Hell for me.”

           I roll my eyes then begin to turn away. Nate grabs my shoulders and makes me face him again. 

        “How do you explain it then?” He asks; his green-eyed stare boring into me.  “How do you explain our connection to each other despite the fact that we’ve only known each other a short time? How do you explain your weird dreams? Or what about my crystal clear memory of things that happened two hundred years ago? Because I know that it was us back then; that we were in love. Elizabeth, losing you destroyed me.”

         “You’re crazy…” I begin.

        “Then look me in the eye and tell me that you don’t believe. Tell me that you don’t love me.  Because I meant what I said; our love will last for all eternity.

         

         That struck a nerve with me. “Where did you hear that?” I ask quietly.

         “I’m trying to tell you, Lizzie, I’m not making this up.” He replies. 

Add Finding Elizabeth on Goodreads

PREORDER LINKS: 

Amazon Kindle US / Amazon Kindle UK / Kobo