Even though I did not get nearly as many books as some (many?) of the attendees, I decided to do my Book Bonanza '18 Book Haul post separate from my experience post, in part because I just like creating book haul posts in general because it's a fun way for me to kind of catalogue all the books I own. I have separated my haul into three categories: Bookworm Box Books (which includes books received in my swag bag), Preordered Books, and Purchased Books.
Bookworm Box Books
Each swag bag came with two books inside, and on the second day of the event, they were selling the extra swag bags in the Bookworm Box shop on site, so I decided to buy a second one. And I got the chance to meet Dylan Allen in the Bookworm Box shop on the first day, so my copy of Release is personalized but the proceeds all went to the Bookworm Box (I believe).
If You Leave by Courtney Cole
Synopsis
Ex-Army Ranger Gabriel Vincent is a badass hero. Or he used to be. Home from Afghanistan, Gabe can't stop thinking about that one horrible night on the battlefield, a night that changed his life forever. He knows he's messed up, but with the help of a little beer and a lot more women, he's keeping it together. Until he meets Madison Hill.
Madison is happily single-or so she thinks. After the tragic death of her parents, she took on the responsibility of running the family restaurant, and that's just about all she has time to worry about. Until she meets Gabriel Vincent.
Though they don't realize it at first, Gabe and Maddy will soon develop a weakness: each other. But Gabe has a secret, a hidden monster that he's afraid Maddy could never overcome. And Maddy is dealing with issues she fears Gabe won't understand. They quickly realize they need each other to be whole, but they have demons to fight-and the problem with demons is that they never die quietly. Can they find a way to heal the past . . . before they lose each other?
See Through Heart by Amie Knight
Synopsis
Ainsley came into my life in a flurry of vibrant colors, lighting my world up when all seemed lost.
It wasn’t our quiet nights by the creek or stolen kisses surrounded by a sea of cotton that saved me.
It was her.
She was my comfort when life threw one ugly tragedy after another at me.
Until she dealt me the greatest blow.
Now, abandonment, betrayal, and death darken every corner of my life. Anger and hurt burn bright where love and trust once lived.
But, now, she’s back. Sure, she’s changed, but I see through it—straight to her heart.
Untouched Perfection by Kristen Mayer
Synopsis
They say a soulmate only comes along once. I believe it, too. I had my chance, but it slipped away. Each day a little more of myself dies, but I pretend I’m fine.
That is until I see him—the man who makes me feel alive—Garrick Shaw.
Something within me changes. It’s unavoidable and unlike anything I’ve ever known. And it scares me, terrifies me.
But there’s another danger lurking around the corner. Someone is conspiring to take it all away.
Who are they?
What do they want?
Why are they after me?
Only time will reveal what’s really going on. Hopefully, Garrick and I survive the fallout.
Release by Dylan Allen
Synopsis
I’m here for pleasure.
And in paradise, I don’t have a past.
I don’t have pain, my secrets don't haunt me and I can be anyone I want.
He’s here for business.
Harry's intoxicatingly handsome, rich, and also the biggest jerk I've ever met.
So, it's inconvenient that sparks fly every time our eyes meet.
Indulging in an affair wasn't on my agenda.
But fate isn't a mistress to our intentions;
And what starts as a strike of lightning on a moonlit beach ignites a fire between us that will span continents.
Meeting again in the unlikeliest of circumstances feels written in the heavens.
And I'll need the courage of the gods to tell him the truth.
They say the truth will set you free...
But what if it destroys you first?
Worth Fighting For by Kirsty Moseley
Synopsis
Sometimes in life you have to walk away . . .
Leaving Jamie Cole was the hardest thing Ellie Pearce ever had to do. Somehow, she moved on. She made a new life in a new city with a new man. So when a family tragedy calls Ellie back home, she believes all her old feelings for Jamie-the hunger, the heat, the heartbreak-are safely behind her. But the second she lays eyes on him, the intensity of their connection is as strong as ever.
Sometimes you stay and fight . . .
Jamie knows pain. He's felt it fighting in the streets, and he felt it fighting to survive in prison. Yet nothing he's experienced has been as painful as the day Ellie left-until the moment she came back. This time Jamie is determined to hold on to Ellie forever. But as much as she still loves him, she can't ignore the dark world he's now a part of. Jamie has enemies. Dangerous ones. And after seeing Jamie with Ellie, they know exactly how to take him out . . .
Preordered Books
Because I had a goal to get mine and Bekah the Awesome's copies of the Cocktales Anthology signed by all of the attending authors, I did not place very many preorders. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it to all the authors I may have wanted to preorder from, but I did have a couple I just needed to hit up.
Roar by Cora Carmack
Synopsis
In a land ruled and shaped by violent magical storms, power lies with those who control them.
Aurora Pavan comes from one of the oldest Stormling families in existence. Long ago, the ungifted pledged fealty and service to her family in exchange for safe haven, and a kingdom was carved out from the wildlands and sustained by magic capable of repelling the world’s deadliest foes. As the sole heir of Pavan, Aurora's been groomed to be the perfect queen. She’s intelligent and brave and honorable. But she’s yet to show any trace of the magic she’ll need to protect her people.
To keep her secret and save her crown, Aurora’s mother arranges for her to marry a dark and brooding Stormling prince from another kingdom. At first, the prince seems like the perfect solution to all her problems. He’ll guarantee her spot as the next queen and be the champion her people need to remain safe. But the more secrets Aurora uncovers about him, the more a future with him frightens her. When she dons a disguise and sneaks out of the palace one night to spy on him, she stumbles upon a black market dealing in the very thing she lacks—storm magic. And the people selling it? They’re not Stormlings. They’re storm hunters.
Legend says that her ancestors first gained their magic by facing a storm and stealing part of its essence. And when a handsome young storm hunter reveals he was born without magic, but possesses it now, Aurora realizes there’s a third option for her future besides ruin or marriage.
She might not have magic now, but she can steal it if she’s brave enough.
Challenge a tempest. Survive it. And you become its master.
Hades by Elda Lore (L.B. Dunbar)
Synopsis
“Welcome to Hell.”
Persephone Fields is just an average girl: beloved daughter and loyal friend. One night decides her Fate, when the prince of The Underworld becomes her savior and her kidnapper.
Hades has lived centuries in darkness and sin. When he decides to save the blonde goddess, he doesn’t consider the ramifications of his decision to bring her into his realm.
Two worlds divided struggle to find friendship in a history of family discord beyond their control. When attraction blurs the line, questions result in choices of love or loyalty.
A modern twist of the classic myth: Hades and Persephone, this version incorporates the sensual tension of opposites divided by contemporary humanity and mythical underworlds. Also reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, this is a love story ripe with desire.
+++++++++++++++++
Author’s note: This book contains scenes of sexual intimacy.
Mature YA/NA Paranormal Romance
Solis by Elda Lore (L.B. Dunbar)
Synopsis
Veva Matron is a feisty girl raging with suppressed anger and distrust of men.
Solis Cronus is a blindingly beautiful, Greek god of a guy, who likes to play women.
An electric hatred thunders through each of them about the other until one night, lightning strikes. A world of secrets reveals the destiny of two at odds with one another, and clouds the line between love and hate. Can a lively girl find calm in the stormy tension of a boy made of sunshine and sin?
The mythical tale of Zeus and Hera reignites in this modern interpretation of enemies to lovers. Full of flirty sexual angst and teasing temptation, Solis might be the one man who can extinguish Veva’s angry fire and ignite a different sort of flame: desire.
Heph by Elda Lore (L.B. Dunbar)
Synopsis
Phyre has a haunting past. The girl without a last name and fire in her hands burns with a history of destruction to save herself. Solace is finally found in the cozy comfort of Hestia’s Home, a place for women who need hiding. Just like her five surrogate sisters-in-solitude, Phyre yearns to extinguish memories and rekindle her spirit. Her plan blazes forward until he arrives.
Hephaestus Cronus considers himself an ugly man. A near-death accident left him disabled but not without heart. His gratitude lies with the protection of his foster mother, Hestia. Running from a failed relationship, Heph only desires the familiar fires of the hearth at her home. Burned from the heartache, Heph never expected to spark a new flame in the rose-bud-cherry-haired girl missing a name.
This modern tale of Hephaestus, the metal working god, rights the wrong of a crippled man failed at love. Here the flaming passion he deserved as an under-recognized god is written in a new fashion with the fiery spirit of a woman who ignites true love between these twin flames.
Purchased Books
Then there was one author who I had intended to preorder from, I was just waiting to have the money available in my PayPal account, and then life happened and the preorder form closed while I was out of town unexpectedly. Which meant he was one of my first stops so I could ensure that I got the books I wanted from him.
Outlier: Rebellion
Synopsis
"Join the Rebellion."
The world is destroyed, save for the Last City Of Atlas where every citizen is born with a unique, special ability and, for some unknown reason, humans no longer sleep or dream. Poor, starved, and armed with only their lowly powers, an unlikely crew of slum-born form a secret rebel group with the sole purpose of assassinating the Banshee King, who rules from the Lifted City above where those born rich - and with great powers - live in luxury. When all seems hopeless, the rebellion discovers that their newest member, a boy who CAN sleep and dream, just might be the key to their victory.
Outlier: Legacy
Synopsis
"You don't need ALL the power in the world. You only need ENOUGH."
In the second installment of the OUTLIER series, rebels armed with unique and fantastic abilities called Legacies continue to shake the Last City of Atlas from below, rising against the majestic, high-tech Lifted City and its cruel Banshee King, who can annihilate an army with just one scream. Friendships are made and broken as loyalties change. Love is ignited ... and savagely avenged. Can peace ever hope to be found? Will lost loved ones reunite? Unlikely alliances form and incredible new powers are discovered in the wake of the coming war between slum and sky. Weapons find your hand ... It is time to discover your Legacy.
Outlier: Reign of Madness
Synopsis
"I am the Madness."
It has been two months since the Madness took over.
In the third installment of the OUTLIER series, our band of unlikely heroes — both slum-born and sky — survive in a very changed, volatile world. The slums ignite with chaos. Ancient powers awaken. Doomsday is on everyone’s heels as the Mad King entertains himself, casting his red “Finger Of Madness” down upon the slums below, destroying any in its fiery path.
But the slum-born are not silent. Alliances are forged even as the fires rain down upon them, and dire actions are taken to preserve their future — no matter the cost. Our brave heroes will fight to survive the Madness one sleepless day at a time.
Be the ghost ... Stop the thing ... Let it rain ... Make it fly, Shye.
The Slum Queen
Synopsis
In the Last City Of Atlas, there lived a girl from the slums named Atricia Sunsong who became Queen with one little lie.
Underneath the selfishness and riches and countless young men who shared her bed was a lonely woman desperately trying to fill the hole in her heart left by a certain slum boy from her childhood. When an uprising threatens to take away her throne and all that she has gained, she must do the unthinkable to save her Queenship before it is too late.
* This is a companion novella to the OUTLIER series *
The Twice King
Synopsis
Before the Last City of Atlas existed, there was born a curious boy named Aardgar who could see the history of things with just a single touch.
He never realized his simple gift would take him on a perilous adventure spanning over a thousand years.
In his fateful quest to save the only world he knows, young King Aardgar - a boy no longer - must contend with an onslaught of savage rebels, a jealous Goddess, and even Time itself.
Take the journey with the Twice King and discover the hidden secrets and origins of the vast world of OUTLIER.
* This is a companion novella to the OUTLIER series *
So there you have it. My not so massive Book Bonanza book haul. I have a feeling next time I attend a book signing, I will leave with far more books. Granted next time I should have more than just a few months to budget and prepare too. - Katie
