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Guns & Smoke Blog Tour: Fabulous and Brunette (Guest Post)

Please be sure to check out the original post here!

Hey, lovelies!! It gives me great pleasure today to host Lauren Sevier and A. Smith aka Abbie Smith and their new book, “Guns & Smoke,” here on FAB!! For other stops on their Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!! Also, come back daily to interact with Lauren and Abbie and to increase your chances of winning!!

Thanks for stopping by!! Wishing you all lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!!

Guns & Smoke

by Lauren Sevier and A. Smith

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GENRE: Dystopian/Western Romance

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BLURB:

In a world where safety is a luxury and honor is found only among outlaws, two people attempt to outrun danger lurking around each corner and the tragedies that define them.

Bonnie is an outlaw on the run. Beautiful but dangerous; her dark past stalks her like the crater beasts that roam the desert. As the notoriously cruel outlaw Jones sends his henchmen to track her down and retrieve the gun she stole from him, Bonnie hopes she can stay one step ahead. Because if he catches her, a fate worse than death awaits.

Jesse always dreamed of leaving the farm to explore the ruins of the big cities. He just never imagined he’d be forced to flee after strange men burned down his rural mountain town and murdered everyone he loved. Responsible for his kid brother and searching for an uncle he’s never met before, he isn’t sure he can navigate the perils of life among con artists and thieves long enough to find him.

Their two paths collide as they find themselves thrown together on the adventure of a lifetime.

Together, they may just discover that life is about more than just surviving.

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EXCERPT ONE:

One small change in position and now each of my soft curves was pressed intimately against the tall, hard length of his unyielding body. His blue eyes blazed in the dim light of the alley, reading something on my face that urged him on. This was supposed to be my trap.

His hands were buried in my hair now, a thumb tracing over my cheek to land on my bottom lip. I knew what he wanted. Parting my mouth, I wrapped my lips around the pad of his thumb, my tongue flicking against it before sucking softly. A deep thunderous sound rumbled through his chest to shake me down to my bones. His hand in my hair slid to the back of my head, pulling my mouth closer to his. He wanted me to kiss him. He wanted this to be more than a transaction. He wanted me to want him back.

I brushed my nose against his, and he stilled. All other motion and sensation forgotten as his eyes landed on my mouth, inching closer to his. I drank in the taste of his breath, a faint echo of the taste of his lips from before. My head tilted to the side, and he brushed the hair away from my face to see me more clearly as I angled toward him. He swallowed down whatever desperate words were on the tip of his tongue, and I took his chin in my hand, mouths open and millimeters apart.

Click.

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TWO GUEST POSTS:

Check out these intriguing guest posts that both authors, A. Smith aka Abbie and Lauren wrote exclusively for FAB to promote their new book, Guns & Smoke!!!

Making It Believable: Writing Romantic and Intimate Scenes

From Abbie:

Writing romantic and intimate scenes can be a very tricky thing to do. Because I am a woman writing a male character, I wanted to spend a lot of time developing Jesse into the type of man I think a majority of women would be able to relate to. When writing Guns & Smoke, one of the biggest things I pushed to have was consent. I have read a lot of romance novels where consent is not always clear and given. I wanted Jesse to be a character that women wanted to be romantically involved with, sure, but I also wanted to be clear that he respected the boundaries of those women. That unless there is an explicit yes given, the answer is always no. Jesse was taught to be respectful by his parents. Given the astronomical number of women who have been victims of abuse and sexual assault, I always want to ensure that consent is freely given between the characters that I write. I also try not to focus on all the minute details of the action between the characters during intimate scenes. I feel that focusing on the emotions, and what the character is feeling, is far more important and impactful than writing detailed love scenes.

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From Lauren:

For Bonnie, a victim of sexual abuse, it was really important for me to portray her correctly in intimate scenes. When we first meet her, she’s confident, sexually promiscuous, and pretty clear that she doesn’t get attached to sexual partners. This, at least for her, is a coping mechanism. Due to trauma from her past that she’s never really gotten over, she’s afraid to get emotionally close to anyone. That if she gets close to them, they have the potential to hurt her. And even though she’s a very strong-willed, independent character, she’s afraid that she won’t know how to handle that kind of hurt. For Bonnie, it was about the little moments. The moments where Jesse shows that she can trust him, the way he listens to her and makes her feel heard, challenging her worldview time and again, how he’s willing to stick his neck out for her even when she feels she doesn’t deserve it. Until she feels safe with him in a way she’d never allowed herself to feel safe with anyone else. So, when they finally do have intimate scenes it was about capturing those moments, not about the graphic nature of sex. But of human connection, the breaking down of barriers, making promises to each other. Things that last much longer than just one night.

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AUTHOR BIOS:

Lauren Sevier & A. Smith are long time friends and co-authors from southern Louisiana. Guns & Smoke, their first joint publication, began as a “short” story after having too much wine on girl’s night. Nine years later it is now the first novel in a Dystopian/Western Romance series. The duo has plans to publish several series together in the future. A. Smith spends her time with her two rescue dogs and rescue cat surrounding herself with books and Labyrinth paraphernalia. Lauren Sevier collects antique tea cups and tries to stay sane, though as the mother of a toddler she fails brilliantly most days. She also has a growing collection of crowns and tiaras and likes to act silly on TikTok. Look for more thrilling novels from The Fools Adventure series in the future!

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CONNECT WITH LAUREN SEVIER:

Website:

Facebook:

Twitter:

Instagram:

YouTube:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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CONNECT WITH ABBIE:

Website:

Newsletter:

Twitter:


Instagram:

TikTok:

Goodreads Author Page:

Goodreads Book Page:

Amazon Author Page:

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

Amazon Paperback:

Barnes and Noble NOOK eBook:

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

The Book Depository Paperback:

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

Kobo eBook:

 
 

Book Review: Mystic Bonds by C.C. Solomon


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Mage Amina Langston thought surviving the supernatural apocalypse, which killed fifty percent of humankind and changed most of the surviving population into paranormal beings, were the biggest challenges in her life. That is, until she and her brother go on the run from non-gifted humans who want to steal their magical blood to make a power-giving serum. Now she’s in search of a handsome stranger who keeps appearing in her dreams and a secret paranormal city to help free those still held in captivity for their blood. During her journey, Amina befriends several other magical beings also searching for the mysterious town, including a sexy were-jackal who distracts her from locating the man of her proverbial dreams. However, when the group finds the city, it’s filled with dangerous magic and a barbaric were-pack. Facing these new troubles, will Amina take down her human pursuers and save the other paranormals she left behind or end up in greater peril?

For transparency purposes, I received a free audiobook copy of Mystic Bonds.

That being said, I wanted to like this book. It had everything that I normally like. Dystopian, magical powers, love triangles. Sadly, it didn't quite deliver. The premise was great, but the further I got into it, it felt like a cheap knock off of Alexandra Bracken's The Darkest Minds. This book was supposed to be in the New Adult genre, but it felt very YA.

Also, I'm not much of an audiobook person. I find it hard to focus on the story at times, but I really gave this one a good try. I don't think the issue is the audiobook, I think it's the writing. Honestly, if you've read The Darkest Minds, this one truly feels like a knock off, and I hate feeling that way because this is an indie author.

Firstly, this story is almost all tell. I don't ever get to the point where I feel the characters' emotions or get fully wrapped into the story. There are very few descriptions of places, so I quite often felt like they were in a black box.

Secondly, this definitely falls into the YA trope of reluctant chosen one. While I don't hate the trope, I definitely expected to see a new twist on it, but I didn't get it. The main character has all of these powers, but we know very little of them. They seem to be randomly given to the character. One power is mind control, another is shooting fire. I just didn't understand how the magic system worked at all.

Because of my low rating, I won't be posting this review on goodreads out of respect for the author, but if you're looking for a dystopian story with magical elements: read The Darkest Minds. Alex Bracken is one of my favorite authors.

Sadly, I cannot recommend this story.

★

Thanks for reading, Abbie

 
 

Guns & Smoke Blog Tour: All the Ups and Downs (Guest Post)

Please be sure to check out the original post here!

Welcome to my stop on the NBtM virtual book tour for Guns & Smoke by Lauren Sevier and A. Smith. This book tour was organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book as well as a helpful guest post from the authors. There’s also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a $20 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card. Be sure to follow the rest of the stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!–

Title:Guns & Smoke Series:The Fool’s Adventure #1 Authors: Lauren Sevier & A. Smith Publication Date: July 10th 2021 Print Length: 374 pages Genre: Dystopian Western Romance ~In a world where safety is a luxury and honor is found only among outlaws, two people attempt to outrun danger lurking around each corner and the tragedies that define them. Bonnie is an outlaw on the run. Beautiful but dangerous; her dark past stalks her like the crater beasts that roam the desert. As the notoriously cruel outlaw Jones sends his henchmen to track her down and retrieve the gun she stole from him, Bonnie hopes she can stay one step ahead. Because if he catches her, a fate worse than death awaits. Jesse always dreamed of leaving the farm to explore the ruins of the big cities. He just never imagined he’d be forced to flee after strange men burned down his rural mountain town and murdered everyone he loved. Responsible for his kid brother and searching for an uncle he’s never met before, he isn’t sure he can navigate the perils of life among con artists and thieves long enough to find him. Their two paths collide as they find themselves thrown together on the adventure of a lifetime. Together, they may just discover that life is about more than just surviving. Goodreads * Amazon * Apple Books *Barnes & Noble * Book Depository *Books-A-Million * Bookshop *Half Price Books *IndieBound * Kobo BOOK TRAILER: Watch the book trailer below or by clicking here!


EXCERPT:“I didn’t mean what I said earlier, about turning you over to Sixgun. I was just…” He struggled for the words. “Hurt?” I offered, and he nodded. “I know. I have a talent for pushing people away.” “I still shouldn’t have said it,” he muttered near my ear, his arm tightening around my shoulders to hold me closer. “Do you really think I’m stupid?” I asked. “No, I think you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met,” he said, with all the conviction with which he said everything else. I smiled against his shirt. “Did you really climb into my bed because you thought I was upset about the train?” “No,” I croaked, hiding my face as best I could. “I don’t have nightmares when you hold me.” “I don’t have nightmares when I hold you either,” he admitted. So I let him. I let him hold me all night. We didn’t speak, we just leaned against each other until the sky began to lighten and the shadows of our pasts seemed to fade into the distance.

—ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

Lauren Sevier & A. Smith are long time friends and co-authors from southern Louisiana. Guns & Smoke, their first joint publication, began as a “short” story after having too much wine on girl’s night. Nine years later it is now the first novel in a Dystopian/Western Romance series. The duo has plans to publish several series together in the future. A. Smith spends her time with her two rescue dogs and rescue cat surrounding herself with books and Labyrinth paraphernalia. Lauren Sevier collects antique tea cups and tries to stay sane, though as the mother of a toddler she fails brilliantly most days. She also has a growing collection of crowns and tiaras and likes to act silly on TikTok. Look for more thrilling novels from The Fools Adventure series in the future! LAUREN SEVIER’S LINKS: Website * Amazon * Facebook *Goodreads * Instagram * Twitter * YouTube A. SMITH’S LINKS: Website * Amazon * Goodreads *Instagram * TikTok * Twitter

—GUEST POST:– Share writing advice to aspiring authors – what are three things you wish someone would have told you? Abbie: Read. Read read read. Read everything that you can get your hands on. Read every single book that you can think of, because you never know what you will learn from it. This doesn’t apply only to fiction, but also non-fiction. Find craft books! I’ve read more craft books in the last year than I ever have in my life and it has definitely made a difference in my work. Remember to give yourself a little grace in everything. You are only one person, and this business can get incredibly overwhelming. Be sure you’re taking time for yourself, and that you allow yourself the chance to breathe. I get very overwhelmed at times, and I just have to remember that it’s okay if I need to take a step back. Don’t write to the market. The market is always changing. Something you write right now may not be popular in a year or two by market standards. Write stories that you love, that you are passionate about, that set your soul on fire. Guns & Smoke is a dystopian that we started when dystopian was super popular, but it’s the story and the characters that have kept us connected, and why we chose to publish it, regardless of what the market says is popular.- Lauren: I love this question! I think the first thing I would tell aspiring authors is that Imposter Syndrome is a myth. It doesn’t exist. Well, not really. See, the reason we get ‘imposter syndrome’ is because we care so much about getting our books exactly right. We get in our own heads about not being good enough, original enough, technically brilliant enough and start to feel like an ‘imposter’. *whispers* But I have a secret. Imposters don’t feel that way. They fake it. They don’t do the work or agonize over comma placement or plot points. So ‘imposter syndrome’ is only felt by people who are categorically not imposters. When I realized that I was able to finally finish my first solo book and gain so much confidence in myself that I pursued publication, and I’m not ever going back. The second piece of advice I have is that comparison is the enemy of success. There are tons of stories that are similar thematically, in execution, or structurally, but what makes them special is the unique voice that story is told in. Lastly, don’t ever lose the joy of it. If this is a business to you, I understand. But the minute something goes from being art to being a job, it’s really easy to lose the joy of creation and artistic expression. Make sure you take the time to slow down and enjoy the process. It’s beautiful and I hope you never forget that.

 
 
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