Audiobook Tour: Darkside Blues

Hello all! Today we have a real treat for you; an audiobook tour! Be sure to enter the giveaway and listen to the previews we have for you! Without further ado, here it is!

Author: Ambrose Ibsen

Narrator: Jake Urry

Length: 5 hours 43 minutes

Publisher: Ambrose Ibsen⎮2017

Series: The Ulrich Files

Genre: Horror

Synopsis:

"Ghosts don't simply latch onto places, investigator. People can become haunted, too."

A missing person. A city plunged into unforgiving winter. A dangerous spirit.

Though enjoying an increase in business following his last case, life isn't all roses for private investigator Harlan Ulrich. His newest job, another missing person's case, is unlike any other he's ever taken on.

Local businessman Michael Poole hires Ulrich to find his estranged daughter.

The problem?

She's been dead for a decade.

Join Ulrich on a trip into the darkness, into the frostbitten underworld, as he seeks out a hateful phantom with only a cat and a thermos of good coffee on his side.

Buy on Audible⎮Amazon

Limited copies of the first two installments of The Ulrich Files audiobook are available for interested reviewers on The Audiobookworm's Adopt-An-Audiobook page.

About the Author

Once upon a time, a young Ambrose Ibsen discovered a collection of ghost stories on his father's bookshelf. He was never the same again.

Apart from horror fiction, he enjoys good coffee, brewed strong.

Ambrose Ibsen has penned numerous horror and thriller titles, including The Ulrich Files, Transmission, The Demon-Hearted Series and the Winthrop House Series.

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About the Narrator:

Jake Urry has been narrating and producing Audiobooks since February 2016, and in that time has released 17 titles, including The Cryptic Lines by Richard Storry, White is the Coldest Colour by John Nicholl, and the PI Harlan Ulrich series by Ambrose Ibsen. His narration work is often dark and suspenseful, and he developing a reputation for Mysteries, Thrillers and Horrors. In 2017 Jake will be working on more work by John Nicholl and Richard Storry, along with a sprinkling of Fantasy adventures.

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Audio Excerpt: 




Giveaway:



Darkside Blues


Did you like the post? Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more content!

May 31: Reading for the Stars and Moon (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Audio Audits (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)

Jun. 1: Book Lover's Life (Review & Giveaway)

Jun. 2: Lomeraniel (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Seitenwinde (Review & Giveaway)

Jun. 3: Dab of Darkness (Review & Giveaway)

Jun. 4: Ronelle Antoinette (Spotlight & Giveaway)

Jun. 5: CGB Blog Tours (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt)

Jun. 6: Blogger Nicole (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)

Jun. 7: A Book and A Latte (Review)

Jun. 8: The Book Addict's Reviews (Review, Spotlight & Audio Excerpt)

Jun. 9: Read Day and Night (Review)

Jun. 10: Ali the Dragon Slayer (Review & Giveaway)

Jun. 11: Spunky-n-Sassy (Spotlight & Audio Excerpt)

Jun. 12: The Autumn Bookshelf (Spotlight + Audio Excerpt, Giveaway)
Shhh I'm Reading (Spotlight & Audio Excerpt)

Jun. 13: Life at 17 (Review)

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Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Love, Your Friends at
The Autumn Bookshelf

Blog Tour: Plains of Sand & Steel

Plains of Sand & Steel by Alisha Klapheke

Released: June 16th 2017
Publisher: Alisha Klapheke
Pages: 325
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Buy links: Amazon, Barnes and Noble

Summary from Goodreads:

A ruler’s young bride with a body to conceal, a mercenary bent on revenge, and the Fire magic that will alter their story forever.

The Wrath and the Dawn meets Truthwitch in the second standalone, full length novel of the Uncommon World series.

When her new royal husband dies at the beginning of an invasion, Seren must hide his body and use the visions the Holy Fire gives her to save the Empire from itself and its enemies. But if the high-ranking general who hates her discovers her secret, he’ll have her put to death.

When invaders slaughter Ona’s family and shatter her artist life, she joins Lucca, an experienced mercenary and her exact opposite, and heads into war. She just knows the “chanting” she can do—imposing one’s will on the world and watching it come to life—will break the invaders and give her sweet vengeance.

Both want to save the Empire but with tangled histories and new passions swirling around them, their divided motivations turn a possible victory into a deadly storm.

Join the battle today!

Make sure to grab the companion novels in the Uncommon World Series!

WATERS OF SALT AND SIN
Amazon | B&N | TBD

                                         FEVER

                                         Amazon 

About Alisha: 
Award-winning author Alisha Klapheke wants to infuse your life with unique magic, far-flung fantasy settings, and romance. Her inspiration springs from medieval art and artifacts, the world travel she enjoys with her husband, and the fantasy she grew up reading when she was supposed to be doing her math homework. 
When she's not writing, Alisha teaches Thai kickboxing, Brazilian jiu jitsu, and krav maga at her family's dojo just outside of Nashville. That may be why writing fight scenes is her favorite.
​
Kathleen Rushall of Andrea Brown Literary Agency represents Alisha in all things books.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram


And now to the guest post!

What is the role that female empowerment plays in your novel? What were the challenges of writing a feminist narrative in a fantasy land ruled by a patriarchal society?

Hello and thanks for having me!

So you asked about the role of female empowerment in Plains of Sand and Steel. In the story, Seren and Ona are both powerful, albeit in very different ways.

Seren is quiet but determined in doing what she believes needs to be done in the Empire. She lets the overbearing figures in her life shout and bluster while she works in the background, nodding and thoroughly ignoring any demands she feels aren’t working toward her people’s good and what she wants.

There is nothing quiet about Ona. She simply refuses to be cowed by the men in her life. Aside from Lucca, she hasn’t met someone strong enough to bend her will in the slightest bit. Ona actually longs for someone like Lucca, but not Lucca, who will challenge her and give her a good argument, a way to sharpen her steel, so to speak. Even Dom, the vicious leader of their mercenary group, can’t quell her drive to do as she sees fit. Ona does occasionally listen to Lucca’s advice, and he to hers, because they have a good, close relationship of mutual respect. He is older and more experienced in their world, and Ona does sometimes take that into consideration. Later in the story, we’ll see changes in Ona, but I don’t want to spoil anything so that’s all I say. :)

In this fantasy version of an ancient world, some women enjoy freedoms most women in the real ancient world did not. In the Uncommon World, women are warriors and leaders in some areas. You see more of this in the first standalone, Waters of Salt and Sin. In Plains of Sand and Steel, the area is more male dominated—influenced by the ruler there and his cohorts. Ona and Seren come up against several overbearing men early on in the story and they bust through the men’s obstacles in their own ways.

I hope the girls and women who read my stories are reminded that no matter what anyone—man or woman—says, their goals and beliefs are valid and deserve full devotion. I also want my readers to see that every person is different and to be sure not to simply judge a person on their sex. Men are just as varied as women. Some are jerks. Some are heroes. Some have days being a bit of both. Just like women. I hope my readers see Seren and Ona (well at some point in their arcs) as examples of women who refuse to let the bullies in their lives ruin their chance at accomplishing their goals.

Giveaway Details: 1 winner will receive signed paperbacks of WATERS OF SALT AND SIN, FEVER, and PLAINS OF SAND AND STEEL & Swag (Stickers & A Signed Map), AND Paperbacks of AIR AWAKENS by Elise Kova & FIRST YEAR by Rachel E. Carter, US Only. 3 winners will receive eBooks of WATERS OF SALT AND SIN, FEVER, and PLAINS OF SAND AND STEEL, International.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

Week One:
6/5/2017- MNBernard Books- Interview
6/5/2017- Pooled Ink- Review

6/6/2017- Rachel's Book Reviews- Review

6/7/2017- Novel Novice- Excerpt
6/7/2017- Hooked To Books- Review

6/8/2017- Taking It One Book at a Time- Review
6/8/2017- Bibliobibuli YA- Review

6/9/2017- Wandering Bark Books- Excerpt
6/9/2017- PC Book Reviews- Guest Post

Week Two:
6/12/2017- Fiction Fare- Guest Post
6/12/2017- What the Cat Read- Review

6/13/2017- Two Chicks on Books- Interview
6/13/2017- Why I Read- Review

6/14/2017- Booklove- Review
6/14/2017- Just Another Bookaholic- Spotlight

6/15/2017- Crystal's Chaotic Confessions- Excerpt
6/15/2017- BookHounds YA- Review

6/16/2017- BookBriefs- Review
6/16/2017- Page Turners Blog- Review

Let us know what you think of the guest post and of the book itself!

Your friends,

The Autumn Bookshelf

Book Review: The Thousandth Floor

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

Released: August 30th 2016
Read: May 2017
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback ARC, 448 pages
Series: The Thousandth Floor No. 1

Summary from Goodreads:

NEW YORK CITY AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE.

A thousand-story tower stretching into the sky. A glittering vision of the future where anything is possible—if you want it enough.

WELCOME TO MANHATTAN, 2118.

A hundred years in the future, New York is a city of innovation and dreams. Everyone there wants something…and everyone has something to lose.

LEDA COLE’s flawless exterior belies a secret addiction—to a drug she never should have tried and a boy she never should have touched.

ERIS DODD-RADSON’s beautiful, carefree life falls to pieces when a heartbreaking betrayal tears her family apart.

RYLIN MYERS’s job on one of the highest floors sweeps her into a world—and a romance—she never imagined…but will this new life cost Rylin her old one?

WATT BAKRADI is a tech genius with a secret: he knows everything about everyone. But when he’s hired to spy for an upper-floor girl, he finds himself caught up in a complicated web of lies.

And living above everyone else on the thousandth floor is AVERY FULLER, the girl genetically designed to be perfect. The girl who seems to have it all—yet is tormented by the one thing she can never have.

Amid breathtaking advancement and high-tech luxury, five teenagers struggle to find their place at the top of the world. But when you're this high up, there's nowhere to go but down....


Review:
Holy shit, this book was super addictive! I couldn't put it down for the life of me! This was a total mystery from start to finish and it was intense. Each character developed in their own way and it was captivating from start to finish. I couldn't wait to find out who the murdered girl was, so I read all day to find out! My favourite character was Rylin, as I am clearly a sucker for a rags to riches/romance from the wrong side of the tracks story. It was so cute to watch her fall in love with the boy above floors. This book was a real thrill ride from start to finish, and I really didn't see many of the twists and turns that came into play. However, I did wish that the soft-core incest was not apart of the plot (possible spoiler? Probably not, since it was revealed pretty early on...).  But regardless, the plot made up for it. I really can't wait until the next book to see what happens with all the characters. 

Favourite Quote:
“If you aren't sure, then you definitely aren't in love.” 
― Katharine McGee, The Thousandth Floor

Rating:
8/10 Stars

Recommended for people who love: futuristic stories, romance, teen drama 

Happy reading,
Mari