Blog Tour: THE DARKEST LIGHT by Vicki-Ann Bush

 

THE DARKEST LIGHT

Vicki-Ann Bush

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GENRE:  Young Adult Paranormal

 

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BLURB:

 

As the star quarterback for his high school football team and local celebrity in the quaint town of Boulder City, Luke Jacob enjoys a charmed life. Everything's going according to plan, that is until the night he spots a mysterious and alluring girl in the crowd. Despite his father's cryptic warning to keep away from her, he's instantly drawn to Mary.

 

The team plans a gathering to celebrate their homecoming win, and Luke decides to invite her. The evening turns dark when the demon Abezethibou appears and threatens them. When Mary steps in to save her peers, Luke sees her for what she truly is, forever changing their future and creating a bond between them.

 

The revelation shatters what Luke believes about himself and forces him to face his destiny.

 

Will Mary stand by Luke in the face of the coming storm, or will she be swayed by the allure of darkness?

 

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Excerpt One:

 

Luke cleaved his chest, his heart dry of blood, he began to shake. A brilliant hue of gold emanated from within, illuminating every inch of his body as it began to rise from the

ground. He looked up at his friends, smears of butterscotch glittered across the atmosphere. He shouted out to Jason as their bodies flopped backward like the rag doll Becca carried with her

as a toddler. Floating closer to the heavens, their will was no longer their own.

 

 

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GUEST POST

What are your main character’s attributes, strengths, and weaknesses?

 

Luke Jacobs is a typical high school football jock. He likes being the star quarterback and shines in the eyes of the small town of Boulder City, Nevada. I think this is his weakness. It gives Luke a weight of responsibility that he extends to things around him. He feels the need to be the protector, which is a difficult burden when you’re just beginning to mature.

 

Shakespeare is quoted as saying, “your greatest strength begets your greatest weakness.” I believe for some, this is true. Especially for Luke. His sense of responsibility can make him vulnerable but it also drives him. It gives him the motivation and courage to perform the difficult tasks that are bestowed on him. It gets him through the dark times with Mary, and the battle to defeat Lucifer. So his need to protect is also his greatest strength.

 

In one scene from the book, Luke befriends a young angel, Josiah. The boy looks up to Luke and wants to be by his side. He finds a way to keep Josiah safe but presents it so that the boy feels important in his position with the other angels. I think this shows compassion. He could have chosen to leave Josiah behind but he didn’t. He understood the young angels admiration and he didn’t let him down. I think Luke also shows humility and loyalty throughout the long journey away from his family and friends. He stands up for what he thinks is right, even if it’s against the archangel Michael. In the end, Luke is a teen who possess qualities that are both admirable and desirable. But that’s not to say he doesn’t make questionable decisions like teens sometimes do. He has his moments.

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Born Vicki-Ann Guidice, on January 14th, 1962, her journey into the realm of the spiritual and supernatural was initiated at birth. Her early years were spent in Queens, New York known for having more people passed on than alive, as well as having several Gothic cemeteries within walking distance of its communities. At the age of 15, she moved to Los Angeles California taking her fertile imagination with her. After meeting her future husband, Ronald Bush, her new homeland became Las Vegas, Nevada.

 

As a mother of two, her first published book in 2008, Winslow Willow the Woodland Fairy, took her love of fantasy and spun it into a heartwarming children’s book. The progression to the young adult literary market took root in her novels that captured the haunting qualities of the Las Vegas desert surrounding her, but it was New York that called her home. Alex McKenna, the main character in the book series first published in 2019, is the embodiment of her Italian-American roots, memories of adolescent outsider status, and the strength it takes to live an authentic life.

    

Ms. Bush is a co-founder of Coffee House Tours, an events-based collaboration between local bookstores and coffee shops allowing authors to represent themselves and their works. Additionally, she is a frequent podcast literary guest and has a special relationship with The Center LGBTQIA+ Las Vegas where Alex McKenna has been an inspirational focus as a transgender Paranormal teen. Now starring in the short film Alex and Margret’s Beginning, inspired by the book series, Ms. Bush is an award winning short screenplay writer and Producer. Bringing her moving and unique storyline and character to a broader audience.

 

Website: https://www.vickiannbush.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/vickiannbush

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@authorvickiannbush

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/VickiAnn.Bush.Author/

 

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Darkest-Light-Vicki-Ann-Bush/dp/1956183442

 

 

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GIVEAWAY

 

. Vicki-Ann Bush will award a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Blog Tour: SEA GLASS AND FIREFLIES by Kate Ellington

Sea Glass And Fireflies

by Kate Ellington

 

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GENRE:   Romance

 

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BLURB:

 

Elsie Hayward moves into her uncle's seaside estate on what should have been her wedding day. All she wants is peace and quiet, and to escape the guilt that's haunted her since her betrothed was lost at sea. Any hope of tranquility is dashed, however, when Charles Rockingham arrives in town. A lifetime ago they'd been best friends and almost more. If there's one person she can't hide her feelings from, it's him. Charles hasn't received a letter from Elsie in over a year. He returns home hoping to recapture the deep bond they once shared, but shadows of the past stand between them. One last secret must be revealed before they can find their way back to each other.

 

 

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Excerpt One:

 

As they got up to leave, Charles took her hand to help steady her over the slippery rocks, and a warm glow rippled through her. Instead of letting go when they reached the grassy bank, she laced her fingers through his, her heart racing as fast as the stream. He looked at her and his eyes held something like tenderness. She almost tripped over her dress.

 

The sky was softening to the faintest hint of dusk. She wished it was morning so they could begin their day together all over again. They continued down the trail and turned onto a narrow path that came out behind Max’s stables, then walked up the lawn to the front of the house. An unfamiliar motorcar was parked in the drive.

            

“Who’s here, Mr. Anderson?” Elsie asked when he opened the front door.

 

“An associate of Mr. Lambert’s.”

 

Charles's fingers slipped out of hers as they stepped inside. Elsie removed her hat and dropped it on the table.

 

“Let’s go see who it is,” she said to Charles, tugging on his jacket sleeve.

 

From the dining room came the sound of laughter: two gravelly chortles and one tinkling, delicate giggle.

 

Charles stopped in his tracks. Elsie looked up at him. The color had drained from his face. She opened her mouth to ask what was wrong, but Max called out: “Don’t hang about in the doorway, you two. Come see what the cat dragged in.”

 

 

 

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Review: To forget the wedding she should have had and mend her broken heart, Elsie goes off to stay with her uncle. Soon, she unexpectedly runs into an old childhood friend with whom she shared a romantic moment that slipped away.

The scenes were depicted in lovely and lush tones. The narrative was nice and well-written for the most part, but it was very languid and a bit daunting at times. The read was a bit too long for my liking, too. It just seemed like the story was busier describing the scenery than actually telling the story of these two characters. The literary prose was certainly sweet and sentimental, but it was much too long and time-consuming for my taste. Secrets do come to light as you read on, but it does take a while to get to them. This could be pretty good if you invest the time in it. A fairly nice read overall.

Rating: 3 stars

 

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

Kate Ellington grew up in a woodsy New England town where summer days at the lake seemed to last forever. She read her first historical romance at age eleven when a teacher challenged her to find a book in the library written by an author she’d never heard of. Thus began a life-long love of love stories.

After graduating from college with an art degree she settled in the Pacific Northwest, where she currently resides with her family.

Kate wrote her first romance when she was sixteen, then set her pen down for years until another story floated into her head out of the clear blue sky. She jotted it down, just for fun, but soon it took on a life of its own.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Sea-Glass-Fireflies-Kate-Ellington/dp/1509248803/

 

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sea-glass-and-fireflies-kate-ellington/1143071596

 

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/29720924.Kate_Ellington

 

https://www.kateellington.com/

 

https://www.facebook.com/kateellingtonauthor

 

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GIVEAWAY :

 

Kate Ellington will award a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.

a Rafflecopter giveaway