COVER REVEAL plus GIVEAWAY - Lion's Share by Rachel Vincent

I am delighted to be part of the cover reveal for Lion's Share by Rachel Vincent. I loved the Shifters series and can't wait to read this spin off.

So without futher ado, here be the cover!

Pretty and very different from the Shifters covers, which is obviously good. I can only assume that's Abby and Jace on the cover.

INFO

Lion’s Share by Rachel Vincent
(Wildcats #1)
Publication date: February 23rd 2015
Genres: New Adult, Paranormal

SYNOPSIS

Abby Wade has a dangerous secret.

Two months ago, she disobeyed an order, but instead of kicking her out of the Pride, Jace offered her a job. Since then, she's been battling a completely inappropriate crush on the young, hot Alpha. But when accepting his job offer seems like the only way to keep her skeletons safely in their closet, Abby doesn't hesitate.

Jace Hammond has a big problem.

A rogue is slaughtering humans in his territory, and he must eliminate the threat before the entire shifter species is exposed. There could not be a worse time for Abby to accept a job he only offered as a boost to her confidence. Abby is smart, beautiful, and resilient — more than enough to distract any man from the mission. Unfortunately, she may just be the worst enforcer ever to hold the title.

As they hunt the killer, Abby's secret becomes a threat to Jace's authority and to her own life. But the real danger is the grip she has on his twice-shy heart.


Goodreads

Lion's Share was introduced in the short prequel, Hunt. Originally published as part of the Chicks Kick Butt anthology, Hunt is also available to purchase separately on Amazon - Hunt.
Pre-order Lion's Share from Amazon. Unfortunately only the kindle is up for pre-order just now but I'll be keeping an eye out for the paperback.

Rachel Vincent is the author of the Shifters series and the Unbound series for adults, as well as the Soul Screamers series for teens.

Rachel's next young adult book is THE STARS NEVER RISE, coming from Delacorte in June of 2015, and her new series for adults will debut with MENAGERIE, coming from Mira books in the fall of 2015

Rachel Vincent is a former English teacher and an eager champion of the Oxford comma. She shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who's been her # 1 fan from the start. Rachel is older than she looks and younger than she feels, and she remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy--but social media is a close second.


Rachel Vincent's website
Rachel Vincent's Facebook
Rachel Vincent's Twitter
Rachel Vincent's Goodreads

Rachel, being such a lovely author, is hosting a giveaway to celebrate the cover reveal, so feel free to enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway



This reveal was organised by Xpresso Book Tours

Forsaken by Kelley Armstrong **SPOILERS IN BOOK DESCRIPTION FOR PREVIOUS STORYLINES**

Being Alpha of the North American Pack is like being a small-town sheriff — nobody wants the job, but someone's gotta do it.

For the most part, Elena Michaels likes it just fine, even if it means dealing with arrogant misogynists in the werewolf world who are convinced that a woman isn't up to the job.

That she could handle. What she never expected was a deadly threat to her eight-year-old twins. That her little girl could go missing in the night.

The enemy thought he was dealing with a hysterical mother.

Mother, yes. Hysterical, no.

Elena was Alpha for a reason. And nothing would stop her from getting her child back.

Elena is missing the start of her annual family holiday because she's in London trying to make a misogynistic Pack leader see sense. When she gets home, it's to a missing daughter and the possibility of a major Pack threat being back.

Now, a review of a Kelley Armstrong book is always going to be glowing from me because I love the woman and all the words that come from her fingertips. Forsaken is no different.

It's set after all the other Otherworld books (latest in series), I think Goodreads has it listed as 13.4. Since we're not getting full length novels any more, the Sub Press novellas are the only way to get my Otherworld fix (well, besides re-reading the series but in this case I mean a new fix). As I've stated in the title, so much has happened in the series that even a blurb isn't spoiler free anymore.

Elena is having to prove herself as Alpha to all other Alphas since they think it's just a ploy and either she and Clay are co-Alphas or Clay is the real Alpha and they're just using her as a figurehead to prove something. I'm loving the different side of Clay and Elena as parents that we're getting in these novellas. I'm also loving seeing Logan and Kate grow up, they're both so different but so like their parents.

As sad as I am about the Otherworld hiatus, I'm so grateful for these novellas being released because I like seeing my favourite characters age and grow up and mature in their own way.

What I don't love is that this ended in such a way that I'm now impatiently waiting for the announcement of the next novella to see what happens. Armstrong writes such exciting stories that you just want to stay in her world all the time. If I didn't need to sleep, work and eat I'd happily just read her world constantly.

Her work also has the added bonus of pulling me out a reading funk and making me want to dive into books again. Although it's her books I want to read right now and not the huge pile of TBRs I have to tackle.


Amazon UK: Forsaken
Subterranean Press: Forsaken

20 Questions

So I was nominated by the ladies over at Bea's Book Nook to answer 20 questions.
These questions are all inane and nonsensical and will allow you to find out very little information about me. So let's plow on!

1. How tall are you?
Umm, about 5' 4" -ish?

2. Do you have a hidden talent? If so, what?
If I do, it's hidden even to me! Lol

3. What is your biggest blog-related pet peeve?
I'm going to agree with the BBN ladies and say Rafflecopters that have a ton of work attached to them. Too many things to do makes me click away.

4. What is your biggest non-related pet peeve?
People that can't use indicators whilst driving! All cars come with them and they're attached right at the steering wheel!! No excuse but laziness.

5. What's your favourite song?
I don't have favourite songs but right now I'm loving The Devil In I by Slipknot

6. What's your favourite Etsy shop?
I kind of know what Etsy is (sort of ebay-ish but all made stuff, right?) but I've never used it

7. What's your favourite way to spend your free time when you're alone?
Netflix, YouTube, reading - any of these choices

8. What's your favourite junk food?
Ooooh, that's a toughie. I have a huge sweet tooth so generally anything chocolately will make me happy.

9. Do you have pets?
Yes. One collie/whippet called Tasia. One collie/who-knows called Taco. And one domestic long haired cat called Tinkerballa (Tink for short).

10. What are your favourite fiction and non-fiction books?
Fiction - Probably Bitten by Kelley Armstrong. Non-fiction - I'm not a huge non-fiction reader so I don't really have a favourite.

11. What's your favourite beauty product?
I don't use anything beauty product wise. Oooh, does toothpaste count??

12. When were you last embarrassed?
Last week. I was involved in a multi-car accident on some black ice and managed to stop unscathed and with minimal damage to my car but as I was exiting my car (with everyone else involved now staring at me), I instantly slid on ice and decked it.

13. If you could drink one beverage for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Irn-Bru.

14. What's your favourite movie?
Another toughie. I watch a lot of movies and have lots that I adore so I'd find it difficult to pick just one favourite.

15. What were you in high school? Prom queen, nerd, cheerleader, jock, valedictorian, band geek, loner, artist, etc?
I have no idea, lol. My friends and I were the goth/skater/mosher crowd.

16. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live?
I'd probably say Canada so I could be near my friends.

17. PC or Mac?
PC.

18. Last romantic gesture from a crush, date, boyfriend/girlfriend?
Hmmm, neither me or my husband are big on romantic gestures but the last thing he did that made me go "aaw" was when he came home with a huge box of my favourite chocolates for me. I didn't buy them for myself 'cos they cost more than I'm usually willing to spend on chocolates. He does plenty of little things for me but I don't think they'd be considered romantic.

19. Favourite celeb?
I love Chris Pratt and Anna Faris. They seem like such a down to earth couple and aren't in the news all the time so obviously don't go out of their way to go to every event or at least don't go out of their way to be photographed at every event.

20. Which blogger do you secretly want to be best friends with?
And this is where I tell you that I don't know any blogger apart from the 3 ladies of Bea's Book Nook and of course I'd love to meet all 3 of them (technically I've already met Steph but it was so long ago now it should be repeated).





I'm supposed to nominate people but, like I stated above, I don't really know other bloggers so if you're reading this and have a blog feel free to keep it going.

Wolves' Bane Review and Blog Tour Giveaway

Every day is Halloween for author Angela Addams. Enthralled by the paranormal at an early age, Angela spends most of her time thinking up new story ideas that involve supernatural creatures in everyday situations. She believes that the written word is an amazing tool for crafting the most erotic of scenarios.
She is an avid tattoo collector, a total book hoarder and loves anything covered in chocolate…except for bugs.

She lives in Ontario, Canada in an old, creaky house, with her husband and children.

Website: Angela Addams
Twitter: @angelaaddams
Facebook: Angela Addams
Goodreads: Angela Addams

Her destiny is etched in his skin ... and carved in her heart.

Order of the Wolf, Book 3

Morgan Stills is a woman without a future. At least, that's what the carnival psychic tells her. Love is foretold as well, but too bad. She's already been marked for death.

She no sooner flees the psychic's tent when she's confronted by the biggest wolf she's ever seen. A wolf that talks to her — right before she's enveloped in a black cloak and dragged away.

Caleb was born for one purpose: follow the burning of his tattoo to find and protect his destined mate, the Huntress. When he rescues her from Lazarus, the king of beasts, what thanks does he get? A swift kick in his tender parts that leaves him writhing in a ball of pain.

Morgan quickly realises her destiny lies with the Order of the Wolf. The only catch — she must choose between two sworn enemies who vie for her body, heart, and soul. Marked as a Huntress, thrust into an ancient feud between werewolf and Hunter, she must pick up a sword or die. And somehow learn to live without the man she is destined to kill.


BEWARE OF SLIGHT SPOILERS TO THE FIRST TWO BOOKS IN THE SERIES


This is the 3rd book in The Order Of The Wolf series following Cursed and Wolf Slayer, this one is different in that it doesn't follow the band like the first two, it follows what we've come to think of as the bad guys.

The Order of the Wolf are a group with the sole purpose of hunting and killing werewolves, to do so they need to find their huntresses - the only living being with the magic and power to actually kill a werewolf. Each huntress is destined for a wolf and a hunter mate, who she chooses decided her life. So far we've only met huntresses that choose their wolves, Morgan is the first one that sways to the side of the Order.

It was weird reading from the Order side of things because with the first two books, we've had the werewolves as the heroes therefore we've seen them as the good guys and the Order as the bad guys but this shows us the other side of the story since the werewolf in this one is an actual monster.

Addams creates great worlds and characters in her stories and this one is no different. The chemistry between Caleb and Morgan is instant and undeniable although they both try to fight it at first - Morgan because she doesn't want to believe that she can fall so hard for someone this quickly and Caleb because he doesn't want to love Morgan just to lose her to her wolf mate.

She's slowly creating a back story that still has lots of growing to do and therefore plenty of space for more stories - so yay for us readers. I'm enjoying this series so far and will continue to read it as long as Addams keeps writing it.


Amazon UK: Wolves' Bane
Amazon.com: Wolves Bane
Book Depository: Wolves' Bane
Samhain: Wolves' Bane
Kobo: Wolves' Bane
Nook UK: Wolves' Bane
Barnes and Noble: Wolves' Bane


And if I'm doing this right, there should be a chance to enter a Rafflecopter below to win Cursed, Wolf Slayer and Spell Weaver (which isn't out until April:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Think you want to be a Veterinary Nurse?

I qualified as a Veterinary Nurse in October 2005 after training for 2 and a half years. It was so rewarding to discover I'd passed all my exams and that I could finally call myself a Vet Nurse. What I learned in theory is not always what happens in practice, there are things I learned that I quickly forgot because you just don't use it in practice.

One thing I was never informed of was the low points in nursing - and by this I don't mean the sad parts or the bad parts. Some people think Vet Nurses get to cuddle pets all day - that is NOT true at all. I mean, there are times in first opinion practice where you see puppies and kittens coming for vaccines and you play with them and hold them to get it in their head that the surgery isn't a bad place. But the majority of the time, it's cleaning - be it animals, theatre, yourself or kennels - Vet Nursing involves a lot of cleaning.

Below I will list what I've personally done in my nursing career, if you are considering being a Vet Nurse and think you'd be okay with the same situations then I'd highly recommend visiting the appropriate places and looking into it more.

• At just after midnight one night, I found myself sitting on the floor with a puppy that had eaten a mince pie.  We had just induced emesis and my job was to comfort the poor pup while vomiting (and aim it to the pads rather than on the floor) but also to sift through the vomit and make sure the offending toxin (in this case currants and raisins) had indeed been brought up.  This situation occurred just before my lunch break   YUM!
• At 4am, we discovered a small brown stain in a kennel.  The patient in that kennel was in for vomiting and regurgitation so we had to monitor all episodes of such.  We did not see the stain happening therefore were unsure what it was.  So the only thing to do was get down on my hands and knees and sniff to determine what orifice it came from.
• I've had to bathe bums at numerous points throughout the night if they have diarrhoea.  Not a nice job at any point in the day but when it happens at 2am or 4am, it just seems worse somehow.
• Having a serious discussion with workmates as to what score a patients faeces are.  We score them from 1-7, this helps to see if they are indeed getting better.  Sometimes it doesn't always fit a score option so we use other words to discuss viscosity and texture.  After working with animals for a while, you will come to look at foodstuffs a lot differently - korma consistency is often used.
• I've been licked in the mouth too many times to count.  It's usually a ninja attack that I wasn't expecting but it's always worse when they animal is in with vomiting or diarrhoea.
• I have been covered in every bodily fluid you can think of.  This leads to many mid shift uniform changes.
• Lastly, I've been there for a lot of last visits.  Euthanasia is a daily part of being a Vet Nurse, the majority are pets that have been well loved and the owners have made the decision to end the suffering.  Some are cruelty cases, some are due to the owner not having any money or insurance, even sadder are the ones that are due to the owner just not wanting or having time for their pet anymore.  Euthanasia happens and it can be upsetting so if you really don't think you can handle it, Vet Nursing probably isn't the right choice for you.

As a note on that last point, I've been there for many an animal in its last moments.  Sometimes it's just me and a Vet because the owner can't face seeing their pet be put to sleep.  I personally feel that the last loving act you can do for your pet is to be there in their last moments.  It can be stressful and sad, I understand that having been through it with my own pets, but think of it from your pets point of view.  Their last moments shouldn't have to be with strangers that they don't know.

My dog Tasia has been there for me her entire life.  She loves me unconditionally, she's been my friend and companion.  She's happy as long as she gets fed, walked and loved.  When it finally comes time to put her to sleep, I will be there with her and for her to comfort her as best I can until she falls asleep.  I feel it's the least I can do for her.

So it's not all playing with puppies and hugging kittens.  There's things in that list that I'd never thought I'd be doing at 4 in the morning.

But there's also the good parts:

• Seeing an animal go home that was on death's door when it first came in.
• Helping resuscitate puppies or kittens during a caesarean.
• That moment when an anorexic animal finally starts to eat on its own for you.
• The moment a non-ambulatory dog walks out with its owner.

So it's not all sad and disgusting but it's also not all happiness and love.  I took a break from nursing a few years ago and getting back into it is the best choice I've ever made.  I don't really know what else I'd do with my life, to be honest.

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons

The British Veterinary Nursing Association