Blog Tour & Giveaway Beneath the Lighthouse- Julieanne Lynch

December 22, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 1 Comment

Welcome to our official tour stop for Beneath the Lighthouse! We have our review and giveaway posted below. Enjoy!!!

SYNOPSIS

SOME SECRETS ARE MADE TO BE UNCOVERED.

Sixteen-year-old Jamie McGuiness’s sister is dead. Sinking into a deep depression, he frequents the lighthouse where her body was discovered, unaware of the sinister forces surrounding him.

When an angry spirit latches onto Jamie, he’s led down a dark and twisted path, one that uncovers old family secrets, destroying everything Jamie ever believed in.

Caught between the world of the living and the vengeful dead, Jamie fights the pull of the other side. It’s up to Jamie to settle old scores or no one will rest in peace—but, first, he has to survive.

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Praise for BENEATH THE LIGHTHOUSE

“Beneath the Lighthouse grabs you by the nether regions from the word go. Then it squeezes. Hard. With a nailed glove … A truly scary ghost story … a powerful ‘coming of age’ drama … a young man growing into adulthood against a backdrop of despair and quite shocking abuse … unpredictable and ever building. Blood and bone revenge, retribution and salvation. The strength of friendship, the power of love. You feel the dread and the underlying fear … not your typical tale. And what a tale it is.” ―EM Faustus

My Review:

“From within the mirror, flesh swam toward him, crawling out of the glass. Her clammy fingers reached for him. Black veins traced over her skin. Her mouth opened in a silent scream. Dark matter dropped from her swollen lips. Her unblinking eyes stared hard into his. She moved closer to him, her dislocated jaw and broken teeth in full view. Without warning, a piercing screech erupted from her mouth and she charged toward him.”

Beneath the Lighthouse was one of those books where I thought I had it all figured out within the first fifty pages. As things progressed, I became shocked as the twist and turns revealed themselves. I was so wrong and I couldn’t be happier. This book was magnificent.

Jamie has quite a rough life. His sister passed away under mysterious circumstances, his Dad is a pisser who can’t control his hands, and he thinks he’s going mad.

Hanging out on the coast where his sister’s body was found, he spots an aspiration and she follows him. She lets her presence be known. She shows him eerie things to open up his eyes to who some people really are and to help set her spirit free.

As things start to spiral out of control, will Jamie be able to help his Mum overcome an abusive relationship and save a ghost to set her free?

This was so much more than a possession book. It was spooky but had a lot of heartbreaking moments but also a little sunshine throughout. It had so many unexpected scenes that I couldn’t stop reading this.

Beneath the Lighthouse is an eerie mystery that will keep you guessing up until the very end. A definite read on a cold and gloomy night. Just look over your shoulder when you feel that sudden coldness…..

Giveaway!!!

Click on the link below to be entered to win!

– 1 Winner will receive a Copy of BENEATH THE LIGHTHOUSE by Julieanne Lynch.

– Winner will receive a $25 Dollar PayPal/Amazon Gift Card.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julieanne Lynch is an author of YA and Adult genre urban fantasy, crime and contemporary romance books. Julieanne was born in Northern Ireland, but spent much of her early life in London, United Kingdom, until her family relocated back to their roots.

Julieanne lives in Northern Ireland, with her husband and five children, where she is a full-time author. She studied English Literature and Creative Writing at The Open University and considered journalism as a career path. Julieanne has several projects optioned for film.

Julieanne is both traditionally and independently published.

PHOTO CONTENT FROM JULIEANNE LYNCH

WEBSITE: http://julieannelynch.com/
TWITTER: @JulieanneLynch
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4721654.Julieanne_Lynch
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJulieanneLynch/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/julieanne_lynch/

Thank you to Jean Book Nerd and Vesuvian Books for letting us be apart of this magnificent blog tour.

Blog Tour Schedule!!

PART ONE

DECEMBER 17th MONDAY Sassy Book Lovers
DECEMBER 17th MONDAY TTC Books and More
DECEMBER 18th TUESDAY Stephanie’s Life of Determination
DECEMBER 19th WEDNESDAY Movies, Shows, & Books
DECEMBER 20th THURSDAY A Dream Within A Dream
DECEMBER 21st FRIDAY Insane About BooksPART TWO
DECEMBER 22nd SATURDAY A Court of Coffee and Books
DECEMBER 22nd SATURDAY Sara Is Reading What?
DECEMBER 23rd SUNDAY Oh Hey! Books
DECEMBER 23rd SUNDAY My Book Addiction
DECEMBER 24th MONDAY BookHounds
DECEMBER 25th TUESDAY JeanBookNerd
DECEMBER 26th WEDNESDAY Casia’s Corner
DECEMBER 26th WEDNESDAY Wishful Endings

PART THREE

DECEMBER 27th THURSDAY 100 Pages A Day
DECEMBER 27th THURSDAY Lisa Loves Literature
DECEMBER 28th FRIDAY RhythmicBooktrovert
DECEMBER 28th FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews
DECEMBER 29th SATURDAY My Chaotic Ramblings
DECEMBER 29th SATURDAY Sabrina’s Paranormal Palace
DECEMBER 30th SUNDAY Book Lovers Life

It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?

November 19, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 11 Comments

It’s Monday… again and I can’t wait for my short work week to be over. Two hours into my Library shift and it’s been exhausting. The good thing is that I’ll get to read more due to the four day weekend!!

This week I have some weird book picks and they are all different genres.

What are you going to read this week?

The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding- Alexandra Bracken

I would say it’s a pleasure to meet thee, Prosperity Oceanus Redding, but truly, I only anticipate the delights of destroying thy happiness.

Prosper is the only unexceptional Redding in his old and storied family history — that is, until he discovers the demon living inside him. Turns out Prosper’s great-great-great-great-great-something grandfather made — and then broke — a contract with a malefactor, a demon who exchanges fortune for eternal servitude. And, weirdly enough, four-thousand-year-old Alastor isn’t exactly the forgiving type.

The fiend has reawakened with one purpose — to destroy the family whose success he ensured and who then betrayed him. With only days to break the curse and banish Alastor back to the demon realm, Prosper is playing unwilling host to the fiend, who delights in tormenting him with nasty insults and constant attempts trick him into a contract. Yeah, Prosper will take his future without a side of eternal servitude, thanks.

Little does Prosper know, the malefactor’s control over his body grows stronger with each passing night, and there’s a lot Alastor isn’t telling his dim-witted (but admittedly strong-willed) human host.

Halloween: The Offical Movie Novelization- John Passarella

The official novelization of the highly anticipated revamp of the classic horror film Halloween.

In 1978, Laurie Strode survived an encounter with Michael Myers, a masked figure who killed her friends and terrorized the town of Haddonfield, Illinois on Halloween night. Myers was later gunned down, apprehended and committed to Smith’s Grove State Hospital.

For forty years, memories of that nightmarish ordeal have haunted Laurie and now Myers is back once again on Halloween, having escaped a routine transfer, leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. This time, Laurie is prepared with years of survival training to protect herself, her daughter Karen and her granddaughter Allyson, a teenager separated from her family and enjoying Halloween festivities.

The Kiss Quotient- Helen Hoang

A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there’s not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.

It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can’t afford to turn down Stella’s offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan–from foreplay to more-than-missionary position…

Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic…

Happy Reading!

The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag

October 30, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks Leave a comment

Happy October, everyone! Who is excited for Halloween tomorrow?! Halloween is my favorite time of the year, so I’m, of course, super excited to see everyone in their costumes tomorrow and to hand out some candy!

So, I thought in the spirit of Halloween, I would do another Halloween book tag! Now, I wasn’t tagged in this awesome book tag, but I stumbled across it and thought it was perfect for October (and, of course, Halloween!). Below are the instructions for the Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag:

Instructions:

1. Pick 5 books

2. Turn to a random page

3. The first name you see gets to be on your zombie survival team (yay?)

4. Apply the characters to the 10 situations and types of people in the order you got them

5. Fret over how doomed you are.

So each book gets two characters. For example, the characters I pick from City of Bones will get spots 1 and 2, Caraval will get spots 3 and 4, and so on.

Books I picked:

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Furyborn by Claire Legrand

The Zombie Apocalypse Book Tag:

1. The first person to die: Clary

I am surprisingly not surprised about this. As she’s pretty inexperienced in fighting in City of Bones, I can see why she would be the first to go. She’s a great character, but she gets overwhelmed pretty quickly. Bye-bye, Clary!

2. The person you trip to get away from the zombies: Dorothea

I’m that terrible person who loves the The Mortal Instruments series, but can’t remember Dorothea for the life of me. I hope she’s evil because then I did the right thing by tripping her. 🙂 If you know who she is, let me know in the comments!

3. The first person to turn into a zombie: Scarlett 😦

Noooo!! I love Scarlett from Caraval, so I am not happy about this! Tella will be destroyed when she finds out what happened to her sister.

4. The person that trips YOU to get away from the zombies: Tella

Okay, so not nice, Tella. She probably tripped me to get away from her zombie sister, not a zombie horde. Which means I could potentially be Scarlett’s first kill. Ugh, not what I had planned for the zombie apocalypse.

5. The idiot of the team: Tamlin

HA! THIS IS SO FREAKING FITTING! And I say it’s fitting because I am in no way a fan of Tamlin. I didn’t like him in the first book, so I for sure will not like him now. He may have a ton of experience in fighting and such, but he’s clueless when it comes to using his brain.

6. The “brains” of the team: Nesta (yeah, I can see this)

This is, by far, the most fitting of this whole zombie apocalypse team. Nesta is a smart individual. She may be slightly headstrong and stubborn, but that may come in handy when deciding the next move. She could very well be why most of the team will survive. Except for Scarlett. And hopefully Tamlin. 🙂

7. The team’s medic: Eliana

She could potentially be the medic, but she’d rather be out fighting the zombies. Eliana is a fighter and if you get injured, she’ll probably still be wondering why you are not fighting. So, she basically may not be the best choice, but she most likely knows first aid. I hope…

8. The weapons expert: Rielle

Actually, I feel like Rielle and Eliana should switch roles. Eliana loves her knives and fighting, so she would enjoy being the weapons expert. And Rielle so badly wants to use her powers for good, so why not be the team’s medic?

9. The brawler: Locke

Are you for real? Locke doesn’t fight; he starts the fights by opening his mouth and starting crap. So, I cannot see him as being the brawler. He’d probably hide behind someone else before stepping into a fight.

10. The Team Captain: Queen Orlagh

I see this as a bad choice, and the fellow readers that have read this book know why. So, if you are curious as to why this is a bad choice (or is it a good choice? Hmm…), check out The Cruel Prince! I don’t think we’d all live with her as the team captain, so knowing me and knowing Nesta, I’d be voting for Nesta as the team captain.

And that’s it! I loved this tag and the books I chose. If you are up for doing a book tag, try this one and tag me so I can see your results!

♥Nikole

Halloween Book Tag

October 26, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 3 Comments

We were tagged by The Scarlet Reader to participate in her new tag.

We’ll be answering a few fun book questions and answer them with books that we currently would love to read.

Something New:

Every Moment After- Joseph Moldover

Something Old:

Flowers In The Attic- V.C. Andrews

A Book With An Orange Cover:

Geek Love- Katherine Dunn

A Scary Book:

The Haunted- Danielle Vega

A Book With Witches:

Half Bad- Sally Green

A Book With Werewolves:

Cycle Of The Werewolf- Stephen King

A Book With Vampires:

Soulless- Gail Carriger

A Book with Your Greatest Fears:

Jaws- Peter Benchley

A Fairy Tale Gone Dark:

The Grim Lovelies- Megan Shepherd

An Edge of Your Seat Thriller:

The Lost Night- Andrea Bartz

Three scary/paranormal/thrilling/magical books you’ll be reading this month!:

What The Woods Keep- Katya De Becerra

Light As A Feather- Zoe Aarsen

The Haunting of Hill House- Shirley Jackson

Happy Halloween!!!

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday SawKill Girls- Claire Legrand

October 16, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 2 Comments

First Chapter First Paragraph is a new meme that we will be trying out. It’s where we post the first paragraph in the book that we are currently reading. I’m so excited about this book and I hope you are too!!

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep.

He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep.

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Awkward and plain, steady and dependable. Weighed down by tragedy and hungry for love she’s sure she’ll never find.

Zoey: the pariah. Luckless and lonely, hurting but hiding it. Aching with grief and dreaming of vanished girls. Maybe she’s broken—or maybe everyone else is.

Val: the queen bee. Gorgeous and privileged, ruthless and regal. Words like silk and eyes like knives, a heart made of secrets and a mouth full of lies.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires.

Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.

“Everyone knows about the island of Sawkill Rock:

The silly old legends of its healing waters, which are impossible to altogether dismiss when one considers the people of Sawkill themsleves- their hard white teeth and supple limbs. The brazen, easy way they walk and shop and love. Their flagrant indifference toward life beyond the Rock, and their deft handling of even the bleakest tragedy: Oh, what a shame that was, they say, and bow their shining heads for a moment before gliding on, untroubled.”

Book Review Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend- Alan Cumyn

October 9, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 3 Comments

Prepare to be blown away—or rather, carried away on huge muscular wings—by this blissfully outlandish, bracingly-smart, tour de force about a teen who has to come to terms with relinquishing control for the first time as she falls for the hot new…pterodactyl…at school. After all, everybody wants him!

Sheils is very pleased with her perfectly controlled life (controlling others while she’s at it). She’s smart, powerful, the Student Body Chair, and she even has a loving boyfriend. What more could a girl ask for?

But everything changes when the first-ever interspecies transfer student, a pterodactyl named Pyke, enrolls at her school. There’s something about him—something primal—that causes the students to lose control whenever he’s around. Even Sheils, the seemingly perfect self-confident girl that she is, can’t keep her mind off of him, despite her doting boyfriend and despite the fact that Pyke immediately starts dating Jocelyn, the school’s fastest runner who Sheils has always discounted as a nobody.

Pyke, hugely popular in a school whose motto is to embrace differences, is asked to join a band, and when his band plays at the Autumn Whirl dance, his preternatural shrieking music sends everyone into a literal frenzy. No one can remember what happened the next day, but Shiels learns that she danced far too long with Pyke, her nose has turned purple, and she may have done something with her boyfriend that she shouldn’t have. Who’s in control now?

Hilarious and relatable (despite the dinosaur), Hot Pterodactyl Boyfriend is about a teen who must come to terms with not being in control of all things at all times, break free of her mundane life, discover who her true self is, and, oh, finding out that going primal isn’t always a bad thing

Review:

“And God said: Thou shalt use a condom because if not, you’ll become rotund with child and become a teenage mother, bottom wiper, and human milk dispenser.”

What in the actual fuck is this? It was so dreadfully awful that I got to forty percent and had to give up. There are so many thoughts zooming around in my head that it actually might explode from this.

To start off with, this started off confusing and it followed its way up until I gave up. It flew from one thing to another so quickly that it gave me whiplash. (Thanks a lot, Pterodactyl….. Asshole!) What I really want to know is that why everyone wanted to bang this prehistoric beast?

This has to be the worst book that I have ever read. I would have had a better time staring at the sun. If you’re tempted by the title, I suggest you run as far away as you can from this. Don’t let his thank you to Libba Bray talk you into anything.

If you feel tempted by this book, I have started a helpline to get you away from this horrible atrocity. No one should have to deal with shitty books.

Blog Tour + Giveaway The Lantern’s Ember – Colleen Houck

September 21, 2018ACourtofCoffeeandBooks 4 Comments

Title: THE LANTERN’S EMBER

Author: Colleen Houck

Pub. Date: September 11, 2018

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 416

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Welcome to a world where nightmarish creatures reign supreme.

Five hundred years ago, Jack made a deal with the devil. It’s difficult for him to remember much about his mortal days. So, he focuses on fulfilling his sentence as a Lantern—one of the watchmen who guard the portals to the Otherworld, a realm crawling with every nightmarish creature imaginable. Jack has spent centuries jumping from town to town, ensuring that nary a mortal—or not-so-mortal—soul slips past him. That is, until he meets beautiful Ember O’Dare.

Seventeen, stubborn, and a natural-born witch, Ember feels a strong pull to the Otherworld. Undeterred by Jack’s warnings, she crosses into the forbidden plane with the help of a mysterious and debonair vampire—and the chase through a dazzling, dangerous world is on. Jack must do everything in his power to get Ember back where she belongs before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

About Colleen:

New York Times Bestselling author Colleen Houck is a lifelong reader whose literary interests include action, adventure, paranormal, science fiction, and romance. When she’s not busy writing, she likes to spend time chatting on the phone with one of her six siblings, watching plays, and shopping online. Colleen has lived in Arizona, Idaho, Utah, California, and North Carolina and is now permanently settled in Salem, Oregon with her husband and a huge assortment of plush tigers.

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of THE LANTERN’S EMBER, US Only.

My Review

“Do not let fear of the unknown prevent you from discovery, vampire; otherwise, the story of your life will be a dull tale indeed.”

The Lantern’s Ember is the perfect book for Halloween. As Halloween is my favorite holiday, I could not pass up this book, nor could I pass up another book by Colleen Houck. I loved the wonderful take on Halloween and how it came to be. This unique story will grab you from the first line and won’t let go. As the reader, I wanted to know what would happen to Ember when she crossed into the Otherworld. And there was no way I was missing any scenes with Jack (he’s a fascinating and beautiful character). Trust me, if you love the fall time and/or Halloween, you are not going to want to miss this book!

Adventure mixed with paranormal and romance is what you will find in Colleen Houck’s newest book. Ember, the main character, is a powerful witch who wants to venture into the Otherworld, a place filled with magic and lore. The only problem: Jack, the lantern that guards the bridge to the Otherworld, won’t let her pass. The whole aspect of this book was fascinating and so different from Halloween books I have read. I loved that it was more focused on navigating through the Otherworld and building relationships than the horror (which, might I add, is not present in the story, so this is perfect for those who prefer to steer clear from the horror genre).

My favorite part about The Lantern’s Ember was the world building. Most of the book is spent in the Otherworld, where vampires, werewolves, goblins, and more creatures reign supreme. Ember is introduced to so many aspects of the Otherworld, and it’s quite amazing to see it all. The world itself has a steampunk feeling to it, something that is very different and unique. The Otherworld is ruled by the Lord of the Underworld; however, the world is powered by Witchlight, a power the High witch tries to maintain. The world was so distinctive and beautifully crafted; I loved Houck’s writing that brought this world to life. All in all, the world was haunting and perfect for all those Halloween creatures.

Ember is a spunk of a witch, and I loved that. She’s full of sass and refuses to be told she can’t do something (which is what leads her to the Otherworld in the first place). She’s someone I would want as a friend; Ember is a fighter and a protector, especially when it comes to Finney, her best friend (who is exceptionally smart and a trustworthy companion). Whereas Ember has her witch power, Finney has his brain and his instruments. Ember is overall a character that refuses to give up and fights for what she wants, which is something I resonate with and love to read about.

I also enjoyed the relationships Ember has with Jack, Finney, and Dev. Ember has a somewhat playful yet romantic relationship with Jack, once she finally meets him. He’s protective of her but lets Ember be her own person, which makes for a great relationship. And then there’s Dev. Oh, the mysterious and alluring vampire Dev. I loved Dev’s personality and how he acted around Ember (most of the time). On the page, he lures the reader in with his style and his captivating presence. Though I loved Jack, I loved Dev’s character almost as much.

My overall reaction toward The Lantern’s Ember is positive, and it’s definitely a story I won’t forget any time soon. The story line is mesmerizing and so are the characters. The story itself read more like a middle grade novel than a Young Adult; however, I was still able to resonate with the characters. If you are looking for a book with a rich storyline and world building filled with lore, then The Lantern’s Ember is for you!

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

9/3/2018- Captivated Reading– Review

9/4/2018- Jrsbookreviews– Review

9/5/2018- Portrait of a Book– Review

9/6/2018- YA Books Central– Interview

9/7/2018- Zach’s YA Reviews– Review

Week Two:

9/10/2018- Such A Novel Idea– Review

9/11/2018- Lisa Loves Literature– Review

9/12/2018- Wishful Endings– Interview

9/13/2018- The Bookish Libra– Review

9/14/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review

Week Three:

9/17/2018- The Desert Bibliophile– Review

9/18/2018- Smada’s Book Smack– Review

9/19/2018- Book-Keeping– Review

9/20/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Review

9/21/2018- A Court of Coffee and Books– Review (You’re Here!)

Week Four:

9/24/2018- Do You Dog-ear?– Review

9/25/2018- Savings in Seconds– Review

9/26/2018- Book Briefs– Review

9/27/2018- Pacific Northwest Bookworm– Review

9/28/2018- Two Chicks on Books– Excerpt

Thank you Rockstar Book Tours for hosting this amazing book blog tour! I loved being part of this tour!

A Court Of Coffee And Books

Saving the world… One book at a time

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