Cover Reveal & Sneak Peek: Thrall by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish

Thrall by Avon Gale and Roan Parrish
Publisher: Philtre Press
Release Date (Print & Ebook): September 27th, 2018
Subgenre: Mystery

Synopsis:

Dating Sucks & Love Bites

Happy couple Mina Murray and Lucy Westenra have begun to garner national attention for their quirky New Orleans true-crime podcast, Shadowcast. When Lucy’s brother Harker disappears while researching the popular new dating app Thrall, they’re thrown into a real-life mystery. Aided by their social media expert, Arthur, and Harker’s professor, Van Helsing, they follow the trail, hoping to find Harker before it’s too late.

When their investigation crosses the path of a possible serial killer, the line between fantasy and reality begins to blur. And as they race against the app’s countdown clock, so does the line between friendship and love. What starts as a flirtatious rivalry between computer-savvy Arthur and techno-averse Van Helsing becomes much more, and Mina and Lucy’s relationship is tested in the fires of social media.

As they get down to the wire, the group discovers that nothing on their screens is as it seems—including their enemy.

A modern retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

Order here:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2NNhs8v

All other vendors: https://www.books2read.com/u/bazLN6

Sneak Peek of Thrall:

A. Van Helsing

I…no. You know you’re young enough to be one of my graduate students? Though much better dressed. But if your flirting is sincere, then I welcome it. I can't deny that I felt something between us this morning. 
Arthur Quincey

I, uh, definitely felt something

Ugh, sorry, that was a terrible joke—you should be impressed, I never get this nervous. but seriously, so did I. It's definitely sincere. 
A. Van Helsing

I am also nervous. I…I suppose I don't quite know what to say next. I've never attempted to flirt on a—what is this, chat?

Arthur Quincey

OMG, Gus. (I'm…look, that name reminds me of the musical Cats, which I loathe so can I call you Van?)

It's kind of hot you just said you were nervous btw (and yeah, it's chat) 
A. Van Helsing

I got the feeling you were calling me Professor on purpose, no? Yes, I suppose I can suffer through Van, if you must.

Ah, well, I'm very gratified you think so. 
Arthur Quincey

Yeah, because I like it. The professor thing is totally a turn-on. And I like the idea of making you like that name, Van. Just because no one else has.

About the Authors:

Avon Gale 
Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon, JRPGs and yelling at hockey. She's a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and she never gets tired of people and their stories -- either real or the ones she makes up in her head.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary Agency. 

Connect with Avon: Twitter | Facebook | Newsletter | Instagram | Website

Roan Parrish 
Roan Parrish lives in Philadelphia, where she is gradually attempting to write love stories in every genre.

When not writing, she can usually be found cutting her friends’ hair, meandering through whatever city she’s in while listening to torch songs and melodic death metal, or cooking overly elaborate meals. She loves bonfires, winter beaches, minor chord harmonies, and self-tattooing. One time she may or may not have baked a six-layer chocolate cake and then thrown it out the window in a fit of pique. 

Connect with Roan: Parrish or Perish FB Group | Twitter | Instagram | BookBub | Newsletter

ARC Review:Off the Ice (Hat Trick Series #1) by Avon Gale & Piper Vaughn

Tristan Holt is nothing if not pragmatic. Despite a flourishing career as a defenseman for the Atlanta Venom, Tristan knows he can’t play hockey forever. One day he’ll retire—if an injury doesn’t force him to hang up his skates first. His backup plan? Finishing his business degree. But he doesn’t count on a very inappropriate attraction to his standoffish sociology professor, Sebastian Cruz.

Sebastian is on the bottom rung of the Sociology Department at Georgia State. He has his sights set on tenure, and he can’t afford to be distracted, especially not by a sexy student with a body straight out of Sebastian’s dreams. No matter how much Tristan tempts him, that’s one line Sebastian won’t cross. At least not until summer classes end. After that, everything is fair game.

But Sebastian lives loud and proud, and Tristan is terrified of being the first out player in the NHL. Neither of them can afford to risk their hearts when they can’t imagine a happily ever after. The problem is, unlike hockey, when it comes to love, there are no rules.

Add to Goodreads

Buy Links

Riptide Publishing | Amazon | Kobo | iBooks 

What I thought about Off the Ice

In this coming out tale, Tristan and his professor Sebastian have a good spark between them, and once they are no longer in any academic relationship, Sebastian and Tristan hook up. 

What was a physical attraction turns into more over the months they are together. They really are cute and fit each other quite well.  But there's one sticking point -- Sebastian is out and Tristan isn't. This becomes a source of conflict between them, and it isn't going away.

I liked the exploration of the dilemma Tristan faces in Off the Ice. And since I really liked Tristan and Sebastian together, I felt his pain too.  There weren't any real surprises here, so it was the interaction between the two main characters that kept me reading.  

There's a definite dominant/submissive flavor to Tristan and Sebastian's relationship and their love scenes weren't the usual fare in M/M and I liked that too.  


Overall, no big surprises, interesting characters and dynamics, in a fairly typical sports-themed M/M.  

An ARC was provided for review.
 

About Avon Gale

Avon Gale wrote her first story at the age of seven, about a “Space Hat” hanging on a rack and waiting for that special person to come along and purchase it — even if it was a bit weirder than the other, more normal hats. Like all of Avon’s characters, the space hat did get its happily ever after — though she’s pretty sure it was with a unicorn. She likes to think her vocabulary has improved since then, but the theme of quirky people waiting for their perfect match is still one of her favorites.

Avon grew up in the southern United States, and now lives with her very patient husband in a liberal midwestern college town. When she’s not writing, she’s either doing some kind of craft project that makes a huge mess, reading, watching horror movies, listening to music or yelling at her favorite hockey team to get it together, already. Avon is always up for a road trip, adores Kentucky bourbon, thinks nothing is as stress relieving as a good rock concert and will never say no to candy.

At one point, Avon was the mayor of both Jazzercise and Lollicup on Foursquare. This tells you basically all you need to know about her as a person.

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary Agency.

Connect with Avon:
Website | Twitter | Facebook | FB Group | Newsletter | Goodreads

 About Piper Vaughn

Piper Vaughn wrote her first love story at eleven and never looked back. Since then, she’s known that writing in some form was exactly what she wanted to do. A reader at the core, Piper loves nothing more than getting lost in a great book—fantasy, young adult, romance, she loves them all (and has a two-thousand-book library to prove it!). She grew up in Chicago, in an ethnically diverse neighborhood, and loves to put faces and characters of every ethnicity in her stories, so her fictional worlds are as colorful as the real one. Above all, she believes that everyone needs a little true love in their life…even if it’s only in a book.

Represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan of Handspun Literary.

 

Release Day Blitz & Giveaway: The Love Song of Sawyer Bell by Avon Gale

Title and cover: The Love Song of Sawyer Bell
Series: Tour Dates (#1)
Publisher: Riptide
Release Date: September 25, 2017
Length (Print & Ebook): 234 pages
Subgenre: Contemporary romance, f/f, musicians

Buy link:
https://riptidepublishing.com/titles/the-love-song-of-sawyer-bell

Book Blurb: Victoria “Vix” Vincent has only two weeks to find a replacement fiddle player for her band’s summer tour. When classically trained violinist Sawyer Bell shows up for an audition, Vix is thrilled. Sawyer is talented, gorgeous, funny, and excited about playing indie rock instead of Beethoven. Their friendship soon blossoms into romance, even though Vix tries to remember that Sawyer’s presence is only temporary.

Sawyer’s parents think she’s spending the summer months touring Europe with a chamber ensemble. But Sawyer is in dire need of a break from the competitiveness of Juilliard, and desperately wants to rediscover her love of music. Going on tour with her secret high school crush is just an added bonus. Especially when Vix kisses her one night after a show, and they discover that the stage isn’t the only place they have chemistry.

But the tour won’t last forever, and as the summer winds down, Sawyer has to make a tough decision about her future—and what it means to follow her heart.

Quotes from Avon Gale about the book: 

Writing Sawyer and Vix’s love story was such a joy – I loved writing two passionate, determined women coming together as friends and eventually lovers, set amongst my favorite musical genre and on the open road. It’s a road trip romance, a friends-to-lovers romance and a story about loving who you are, what you do, and the people who speak to your heart.

Excerpt

     The girl who walked in for the next audition looked like she'd gotten lost on the way to band practice, with her summer dress; long, straight brown hair worn past her shoulders; and perfect-length fringe bangs. Vix envied girls who could pull off bangs. She looked like she was ten when she tried having them, even with the purple hair.
     "What's your name?" Vix thought that the girl looked vaguely familiar—but that might be because she looked wholesome enough to be in a soap commercial, or maybe a Cover Girl poster at Target.
     "Sawyer Bell," she said.
     "Cool name," said Vix. "Nice to meet y'all." Sawyer cleared her throat and held up the violin case. "Should I play?"
     "Wait, you do understand this tour runs through August, right?" Vix asked, because in addition to looking like she should be working at Ann Taylor LOFT, Sawyer had to be a college student.
      Sawyer nodded. "I don't have to be back at school until September."
     "Where do you go to school? University of Tennessee?" That was where Vix assumed people from around here went to college. Most everyone she'd gone to high school with had moved from Germantown to Knoxville, if they'd done the whole college thing.
     "Um." The girl ducked her head like she was embarrassed. "Juilliard, actually."
     Juilliard . . . as in, the performing arts school? Whoa. Vix waved her on. "Okay, well, show us what you've got."
     Sawyer opened the violin case and took out her instrument, which was a lot nicer than anyone else's—including Bryant's. The wood on the body was shined to perfection, gorgeous in the flickering fluorescent light of the basement. Sawyer moved so she was standing in the little audition space they'd arranged by moving the furniture. "Any requests?"
     "Something good?" Connor offered, and Vix snorted a laugh.
     "Whatever," said Vix. She didn't want to get too excited. Just because Sawyer was talented enough to get into Juilliard, didn't mean she'd be any good at playing their kind of music. Okay, no, it probably did, but damn it. Vix didn't want to get her hopes up that this sweet, polite girl was somehow also a violin virtuoso.
     Except she totally was. Sawyer started to play, and it became quickly apparent that she was not only better than everyone else who'd shown up to audition by a country mile . . . she was better than their actual fiddle player. Sure, she was playing something classical and boring, but the technique was undeniable. She had that spark too; the one that said, I know music, I love music, and I will play the shit out of it.
     Not only that, but performing turned Sawyer from a shy girl with too-long hair and a summer dress into . . . well, a musician. She closed her eyes and swayed with the notes, her body falling into the rhythm of the bow moving across the strings. The music was pulled out of her in the same way Vix felt when she was singing, when all the words tumbled from her like a storm. Sawyer bit her bottom lip between her teeth as if losing herself in the music, and it was beautiful.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Author Bio: Avon Gale was once the mayor on Foursquare of Jazzercise and Lollicup, which should tell you all you need to know about her as a person. She likes road trips, rock concerts, drinking Kentucky bourbon and yelling at hockey. She’s a displaced southerner living in a liberal midwestern college town, and she never gets tired of people and their stories—either real or the ones she makes up in her head. 

Avon is represented by Courtney Miller-Callihan at Handspun Literary Agency. 

Connect with Avon: 

  
Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Newsletter 

 Instagram  |  Website