Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Shannon Review: Book Tour & Giveaway: Flesh by Laura Bickle (YA Horror/ Paranormal/ Fantasy)



Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and I love making decorations for this time of year. Most of the time, I look at the materials I have around the house and think about what I can do with what I already have. 




I dug up an old wreath that’s been sitting in my garage for more than ten years and has seen better days. It’s faded, and a lot of the foliage is dropping from it. I thought about throwing it out, but decided that it could make a fun Halloween project. For this project, I used:

An old wreath
Black spray paint
Three strings of bat LED lights
Two packages of sparkly bat clips
Glue. This isn’t totally necessary – depending on the lights you use, you might not need it, or you could use zip ties or electrical tape to secure the light battery packs.


I had the wreath, the glue, and the spray paint, but found the LED lights and the bat clips at my local dollar store. So I’ve invested about five bucks in this project. I won’t too feel bad if it doesn’t turn out! 

First thing I did was spray paint the wreath black. I started on the back side. When it dried, I turned it over and sprayed the front. As is the case with all spray paint projects, I did it outdoors and painted it from several angles to make sure I got everything. 




Then I added the lights. I used three strands of purple bat lights. I wound them around the foliage and made sure the battery packs were in the back, where I glued the housing down to the sturdiest part of the wreath. If you’re using LED lights with button batteries, you probably wouldn’t need to do this step, since you could tuck a smaller battery pack in the foliage. Zip ties or electrical tape would also work to get those battery housings out of the way. I made sure to add my batteries first and didn’t add glue to spots that would interfere with the operation of the switch or changing out batteries.




I turned my wreath over and was pretty pleased with how it looked so far.




Next, I added my sparkly purple bats! The ones I got had alligator clips on the back, so I could perch them wherever I wanted. A couple were in precarious spots, so I added a bead of glue to make sure they stayed stuck.



And the wreath is finished! I’m pretty pleased with it…I can’t wait to hang it for Halloween!




Flesh
Laura Bickle 

Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal/Fantasy

Book Description:

The dead are easy to talk to. Live people, not so much.

Charlie Sulliven thinks she knows all the secrets of the dead. Raised in a funeral home, she’s the reluctant “Ghoul Girl,” her reputation tied to a disastrous Halloween party. But navigating her life as a high school sophomore is an anxiety-inducing puzzle to her. She haunts the funeral home with her parents, emo older brother, Garth, their pistol-packing Gramma, and the glass-eyeball-devouring dachshund, Lothar.

Chewed human bodies are appearing in her parents’ morgue…and disappearing in the middle of the night. The bodies seem tied to a local legend, Catfish Bob, who has resurfaced in the muddy Milburn river near Charlie’s small town. When one of Charlie’s classmates, Amanda, awakens in the cooler as a flesh-eating ghoul, Charlie must protect her newfound friend and step up to unravel the mystery…and try to avoid becoming lunch meat for the dead.

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Laura Bickle has done a great job with Flesh! What a fun ride! It has all the gore and fear factor we want in a horror tale, but loaded with a ton of humor. The legend and the journey are well worth the read. 

Charlie is a great character, full of all the things teenagers are, and so much more. I loved how the teenagers are teenagers. I think as we get older, we do forget some of what it is to be a teen, but Bickle has done a great job capturing the emotions and thoughts of a young person, like Charlie. 

If you love horror, you will love this book. It's also a great way to cut your teeth if you're a young Adult and wanting to explore horror. 






Excerpt:
“Amanda, I…Oh.”
I don’t know what else to say. My brain just shuts down.
She is wearing the sheet, wound around her like a toga. It trails behind her bare feet, sort of like a painting about Greek goddesses I’ve seen in art books. She’s leaning over another body stored in the cooler unit on a cart. Her back is to me, and I can only see her pale skin and her burgundy-black hair shuddering.
“Amanda.”
She turns at the sound of my voice, seeming only to hear me for the first time. Her face is covered in dark blood. In her hand, she’s holding a big chunk of purple flesh. Her eyes are half-closed. The autopsy incision on the elderly body below her has been ripped open, and I’m pretty sure that what she’s holding is a lung.
“So hungry…” she murmurs.
I retreat until my back presses against the cold door. A whimper escapes my lips, and I drop the laundry basket with a sharp crack of plastic on the tile floor. This has to be a dream. A screwed-up anxiety dream that I’ll wake up from any moment now…
Amanda’s black eyes snap open. She stares at the chunk of flesh in her hand. “I…Agh…What’s going on?”
Lothar waddles over to her and begins to beg. Bile rises in my throat. “That’s Mrs. Canner,” I manage to answer. “She’s seventy-two and died of surgery complications for varicose veins. Deep vein thrombosis, I think. I don’t remember.” I’m babbling, trying to keep the bile down.
Amanda drops the lung with a wet splat. Lothar scrambles to it and begins scarfing it down. Her hands are trembling. She presses them to her temples. “I don’t understand. I don’t understand.”
I nudge the laundry basket closer to her with my foot. “I brought you some clothes. And, um. Food. You should get dressed.”
I think I should be afraid. I think I really ought to be. But Amanda seems genuinely confused. She reaches for the clothes I’ve brought her. To be polite, I know that I should really look away. But I can’t move. I am not turning my back on her. My heart pounds, and I struggle to take deep, uneven breaths.
Amanda unwinds the sheet and slips into my clothes. Though I avert my eyes, I see that her shoulder and side are still torn open. But my mother hasn’t begun the autopsy yet, so there is no Y-incision across her chest and abdomen.
“Do you remember what happened to you?” I manage to ask. I congratulate myself for having a rational thought. Woot.
Her voice is halting, and her brow wrinkles as she struggles to button my jeans. “I remember…something was chasing me. Jesus, it hurt…” Her hand comes up to her neck, and she seems to remember, fingering the edges of the wound. “Am I in a hospital?” she asks again.
I suck in a breath. “No. You’re at my house.” It’s not a lie. Not really.
She scans the room, as if registering the sight of the cadavers. “You’re the girl whose parents run the funeral home. The Ghoul Girl.”
“It’s gonna be okay,” I tell her.
“Why am I here?” Her breath makes ghosts in the cold air.
“The Sheriff found you, alongside the road.” That’s true also, even if not the whole truth. “I think we should get you upstairs, so you can talk to my parents…”
She shakes her head, and her dark hair slaps across her face. “No. I…Oh my god. I’m here because…somebody thought I was dead?”
I swallow hard. “Yeah.”
Her hands press to the wound on her side. “But I’m not dead!”
“I…uh…I think we need to get you to the hospital.” I tentatively reach toward her, to grasp her arm and guide her upstairs, toward the light of the much more civilized parlor and rational discussion. This is so far over my head, and I need my parents to handle it.
She shakes her head. “No. No. No.”
I hold her elbow gently, trying to keep her calm until I can get her upstairs to my parents. Her skin radiates cold through the sweatshirt, and I can see that the edges of her neck wound are dry, not seeping so much as a hint of blood. “Come with me.” I open the door and gently lead her into the lab, as if I’m herding a frightened cat. She gazes at the stainless-steel equipment. “I was here. I remember being here.”
“Come upstairs,” I urge, struggling to keep my composure. I use all the empathy that I’ve learned, dealing with grieving family members, trying to understand the shock and lead her away from the Body Shop.
She squints up at the buzzing light. “You were here, weren’t you? You and that woman. Looking at me.”
“My mother,” I say. I’m thinking crap crap crap. I’ve heard of cases of people whose vitals have dropped far beyond detection, who have awoken in hospital morgues. This has never happened to us. Not ever. Oh shit. The other body. Maybe it the same thing…
“The woman with that knife…” Her fingers go to her sternum, where my mother’s scalpel had rested. All of a sudden, Amanda becomes rooted in place, as immovable as a mountain.
“No one’s going to hurt you,” I promise. “Let me make you some coffee.”
She shakes her head, and I feel her trembling. Her eyes slide to the back door.
She slips from my grip. Before I can stop her, she rushes to the back door. She slams it open with a sound like a gunshot and plunges into the darkness.


About the Author:

Laura Bickle grew up in rural Ohio, reading entirely too many comic books out loud to her favorite Wonder Woman doll. After graduating with an MA in Sociology-Criminology from Ohio State University and an MLIS in Library Science from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, she patrolled the stacks at the public library and worked with data systems in criminal justice. She now dreams up stories about the monsters under the stairs. Her work has been included in the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project 2013 reading list and the State Library of Ohio’s Choose to Read Ohio reading list for 2015-2016.

More information about Laura’s work can be found at 




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Tuesday, October 30, 2018

Release Tour & Giveaway: Not So Wicked - An Underlayes YA by T.A. Moorman (YA Paranormal/ Urban Fantasy)




Not So Wicked by T. A. Moorman

Published October 30, 2018 by GothicMoms Studios

YA Paranormal/Urban Fantasy

Synopsis:

Caught in a realm they know next to nothing about, in a time where they're hated for not what they are but how they look, these supernatural teens may find it harder to curve their bloodlust than they thought.

Like most teens, even those with supernatural powers and abilities, Elvira thinks that her days at Be Prepared High are a colossal waste of time. Especially Feeding 101, since she's a cursed vampire that was born without fangs. She and her friends view most of the classes as useless since they never plan on venturing to the human realm. Why would they when Underlayes was made specifically for every factions' safety, where they could roam free day or night with not a care in the worlds.

But just like her parents always told her, sometimes you're put into situations you can't control.

Elvira's life takes an unexpected turn when a wizard hell bent on misplaced revenge kidnaps her and several of her friends. Not only does she send them with a one-way ticket to Detroit, Michigan, she sends them to a time when the tension amongst the races is at its highest. And having to deal with race issues is the one thing that has never even been so much as a thought to any of them and is the one course not on the roster.

But will everything they've learned in school be enough to keep them alive? What will they all do when racism stares them in the face? Most importantly, how will they get back home?



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TBFsQA6NAM&feature=youtu.be

Chapter 1

Once upon a time... Really? I'm not starting my story off with that lame ass cliché. Fat chance. Not when my story is anything but classic. You can think of this as the life and times of a teenage vampire. A real one, not one that sparkles as though we were sprinkled with some type of fairy dust. Oh! And we’re born, not made by just being bitten, consuming blood from another vampire, or any other legend you may have researched somewhere. The bitten one is the most ridiculous theory any of us have ever heard of. I mean really, think about it, if everyone ever bitten by a vampire were to turn into one how could they ever go back for seconds on the same victim, er donor? Could you imagine how large the vampire population would be? Anyway, you wanna hear my story? Just sit back, grab a pint of blood, or milk, and have a listen.
First off, I don't live in your dimension, I live in a separate one called Underlayes. Where the things that go bump in the night – werewolves, vampires, mermaids, sirens, witches, and so much more – truly are real. Underlayes has regular neighborhoods just like Earth does, we don’t live in a ton of dug out caves, or cryptic looking castles; besides the royals anyway. We used to live amongst you guys, but that was way before my time, and a story way too long and boring for me to bother with repeating. Just know that we all truly do exist and a very few of our number walk alongside you still. So, you may want to think about that before you lay down at night after bullying the school nerd or your shy co-worker. If they're the silent and quiet type they're more than possibly plotting your untimely demise and deciding what side-dish you'd go best with. Or what curse to place on you. Something my Mom should have thought about a long, long time ago.
Me? The names Elvira, yea, Mom and Pops have a sick and twisted sense of humor. Which when you come to think of it is actually a very good thing, since Mom was dumb enough to piss off a witch when she was preggers with me and my brother, Dracula (yup, again with the humor), Drake for short. During one of her many mood swings dear old Mom went completely off on an already pissed off witch; something about the witch crossing in front of her, and Mom thinking that would make us come out cross eyed (and you thought your mom was superstitious, Ha!). Miss Witch decided to do her one better and really did curse us both. I was granted with the gift of being the only vampire known of with NO FANGS! Since Underlayes doesn't have hospitals bagged blood isn't exactly just lying around. Why not just bite down extra hard you say? Probably because that leaves a big chunk of meat in my mouth and vampires can't digest meat; we have a strictly all liquid diet. Why not just slit someone's wrist and pour it in a cup you ask? If you were on an all liquid diet, would one glass a day keep your hunger pains at bay? NO! And draining someone completely dry doesn't work either, unlike how they portray things in your human movies, blood clots up pretty quickly when it hits air; unless pumped up with nasty anti-coagulants which leave a horrible aftertaste and makes the blood nearly impossible to digest. So the blood shortage on your neck of the veil? Feel free to blame that on us, Mom and Dad had to feed us somehow during the experimental processes of properly bagging and storing the blood the way humans do. But no worries, they haven’t had to raid your neck of the realms in a long time now. The alchemist’s studied the components your scientists used and now have it down pact.  
I'm not really sure if Drake's curse is worst or pretty much just as bad. Him? He goes into a full-blown shock at the very sight of blood; fainting spells, seizures, black outs, the works. Though lucky for him rarely all of those at once. Lucky for Mom and Dad, he could still at least savor the taste and smell of it. But talk about being seriously dependent upon someone else, hard to nourish yourself when you can’t even look at your food. And as a baby? You try putting a blindfold on an infant, especially one with fangs, and let me know how well that works out for you. Ah, but it made for some fangtastic pranks when I was thirteen, which also ended in a lot of punishments. But they were so worth it!
So that’s us, Elvie and Drake, two of the only known vampires forced to live on bagged blood. Though Drake may get lucky one day and be able to savor a neck or two, as long as he keeps his eyes shut tight and doesn’t dribble.
Can’t we just break the curse you ask? Ask Aunt Flo that one. Did I fail to mention the witch in question was, and still is Mom’s best friend? She’s also a witch with more power than she can handle who needs to watch what she says at ALL times. The curse was supposedly never intentional and trying to undo it has proven pretty much impossible.
 Mom, Trinity Alkaev, is a beautiful creature with a body neither skinny nor large, but what one describes as buxom perfection. Also, one of the most patient females you will ever meet, and a truly ferocious beast, fangs and all, when pissed. Dad, Borya Alkaev, is the strong not so silent type, with a chiseled chin and sculpted cheekbones in which I heard would give Michaelangelo a run for his money. Born after the creation of Underlayes, he’s only two hundred years old, so I never understood how he ended up with such a thick accent as if he just left the great Motherland of Russia. The exact opposite of Mom when it comes to patience, but the best dad any set of unorthodox twins could ask for. Neither of them were an only child, but both are the youngest and only surviving children from both of their respective lines. Many died before the dimension of Underlayes was made, some during the move. And Aunt Flo, I’m not even getting into that one. And as far as looks go Drake and I are a perfect combination of the two, with the exception of the fact that I have no fangs.
THUD. CRASH. SCREAM.
What in Hel’s name was that?
“Elvira Esfir Alkaev!” Moms blood-curling screams vibrated through the floorboards, “How many times do I need to tell you not to leave your blood bags lying around? Get down here and help me clean up this mess. And carry your brother to his room!”
Well there you have it, the usual beginning of a day in the house of Alkaev.
“Now young lady!”


About the Author:

When you become a Mom, you begin to put yourself last, and your combat boots begin to collect dust. Going to your child's PTA meetings in full Gothic, especially industrial, regalia is pretty much frowned upon. Especially by your own children, and your teens would die of a heart attack. But, one should not have to completely stop being themselves, uniqueness is greatness. So all of that darkness is put into words in her books, and designs in her jewelry sold in her Gothic Moms Dark Charms shop on Etsy and Rebels Market.

Single mother of five beautiful children, but by far more than just that. T. A. Moorman is an artist, a former violinist, a seamstress, a crafter, a writer, a blogger, a reviewer, a dark confidant and a darkly dangerous, fiercely protective friend. She still hopes to one day find her Dark Knight in shining armor, since Prince Charming would never be able to handle her. And currently broke, so go buy something of hers and tell everyone you know how much you love this book.


Author Links:


Giveaway:

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Monday, October 29, 2018

Blog Tour, Giveaway & Interview: Shifters & Glyphs: Fairy Tales of the Magicorum - Book 2 by Christina Bauer (Paranormal, Young Adult, Fairy Tales)


Shifters and Glyphs
Christina Bauer


(Fairy Tales of the Magicorum #2)
Published by: Monster House Books
Publication date: October 30th 2018
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
“A fun romp for Twilight Fans” – School Library Journal 
After being raised by the meanest fairies in the history of ever, Bryar Rose is now free to live her own life. For the first time, she’s attending West Lake Prep, a regular high school. Well, mostly regular. Some students are actually hidden members of the Magicorum. In other words, they’re really wizards, fairies, or shifters. Bry doesn’t mind, though. She’s thrilled to enjoy all the new experiences of being around normal kids her age, from locker pranks to lunchtime mystery meat. Everything is going along great, except for one thing.
Bry’s dreams about the pyramids of Egypt have gotten darker and more sinister. Every night, she sees her new man Knox and her best friend Elle in danger.
“Exciting and well-conceived” – Kirkus
With no other choice, Bry plans to leave school to explore the pyramids on her own. But her new man Knox discovers the scheme and is having none of it. He wants to stay by her side, no matter what. It’s a good thing too, because Bry must solve the mystery of her attraction to the pyramids and soon. Otherwise, it could cost the lives of those she loves most.
And that means not only Knox, but also her best friend Elle.
“Must-read YA paranormal romance!” – USA Today
Perfect for readers who love young adult books, contemporary fantasy, fairy tales, satire/comedy, paranormal romance, fairies, magic users, shapeshifters, and coming of age stories.

An Interview with Christina Bauer

As part of her launch tour for SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS, RIU recently interviewed series author Christina Bauer…

RIU: Hi, Christina! Welcome to Rising Indies United. Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Thank you for having me here! To give a brief overview of yours truly, I live outside Boston, MA with my husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby. My interests span politics, history, film, and all forms of geekery. And let’s not forget books. Lots of books!

RIU: When did you first begin writing? Did you find it daunting or did you just jump in feet first?
I started writing stories when I was six years old. One of the things I had to discover about writing—or any passion that you decide to follow—is that you’ll hit a point where you suck. Hard. It’s at that moment that you decide whether or not to trust your passion and keep going. I wasn’t the best writer in college; not by a long shot! But I am a persistent one.

RIU: So, SHIFTERS AND GLYPHS is book 2 in your Magicorum series, can you tell us a little about these books, and what inspired you to write them?
When I was a child, I had a copy of the original GRIMM BROTHERS’ FAIRY TALES. Not the Disney version, mind you. I read the stuff where Snow White was a dumbass who just kept buying stuff from the evil queen until she ended up dead from magical shoes. (Yes, that really happened!) As a result, I’ve always wanted to reinterpret fairy tales. Fairy Tales of the Magicorum is set in a modern world where some folks live by a fairy tale life template that they adore, while others feel hampered by it. The stories grow out from there.

RIU: Why Young Adult as opposed to New Adult or Adult?
There’s an old curse that says: “may you live in interesting times.” Well, I had interesting teenage years. I can remember that period really well, and my writing keeps gravitating there. Maybe at some later point I’ll try other genre, but for now? I have a long list of YA ideas.

RIU: You also have two other series, Angelbound and the Dimension Drift books. Can you tell us a little about those?
Angelbound is about a teenage girl who’s part demon and fights evil souls in Purgatory’s arena. Dimension Drift follows a high school science prodigy who falls for a guy who may or may not be an alien. Both voices have plenty of sass, action, adventure, and romance. And kick-assery.

RIU: How have you grown as a writer?
Since my first book, I’ve learned how to trust my inner author and editor. Not sure if this is a girl-thing or a writer-thing, but one of my biggest concerns was always that I wasn’t good enough. Eventually, I thought: “What would I say if I were my best friend?” And I decided that I’d tell me I was awesome and could do it. So that’s what I did and here I am, if that makes sense J

RIU: Who have been your biggest supporters?
I’m forever grateful to my husband and son for their patience and support. I’ve also been very fortunate to work with a great distributor in both INscribe Digital and IPG.

RIU: Is it hard to balance family life and writing? Especially with a semi-insane Golden Retriever. LOL!
The golden retriever part has been awesome, thanks for asking!!! But balancing everything else has been a challenge. For the first five years of my writing, I kept both a day job and a hectic publishing schedule. Basically, I woke up at 4 or 5 am and wrote before work … then once I got home, I’d edit until after midnight. It was tiring. After about book 15, I reached what’s called ‘shelf strength’ which means I had enough run rate that I could ditch the day job. Now, life is MUCH more reasonable for both myself and my family. Ruby is happy as long as she gets treats.

RIU: What do you feel is the hardest part of writing? What is the best part?
The hardest part of writing is always nailing the first third of any manuscript. That’s tough for me because I always think I have that shit DOWN, but then I read everything again the next day and I’m like: DAMN, I have to tear this apart. Once I read for 4-5 days in a row without any major changes, then I know I’m golden. That’s when the best part happens and I just write like I’m taking dictation.

RIU: Who has been your biggest influence?
JRR Tolkien and The Lord of The Rings. I read that series in high school, back when there really wasn’t a fantasy genre. It opened my eyes to a different kind of storytelling.

RIU: What is your writing process?
I start with Pinterest boards for inspiration on characters and places. Then I develop the people and worlds with character sheets, which basically list out 100 things you need to set up about something (appearance, history, and so on). After that, I map out how I’ll blow those people apart in three to five books. Once all that work is done, I’ll start the writing process proper. Book 1 in any series is always the hardest.

RIU: What advice would you give a new writer?
It’s okay to suck. Seriously. Even Shakespeare sucked at one time. Keep reading, writing, and believing. The stories in your heart can only be released by you.

RIU: If you could have dinner with any 5 writers (dead or alive) who would they be and why?
1.      Edith Hamilton – wrote my favorite book on Greco-Roman Myth. I would love to talk gods and goddesses with her
2.      Joseph Campbell – wrote my fav series on the hero’s journey. Same thing.
3.      Karl Jung – Created the ideas of archetypes that are threaded through literature and seriously influenced Campbell
4.      JRR Tolkien – would want to talk about how he created his own freaking languages for his books. WTF?
5.      Oscar Wilde – This is one seriously sarcastic dude. I’d just want to sit next to him while he verbally skewered everyone else.

RIU: What can we expect from you in the future?
I’m working on a new YA series called THE PIXIELAND DIARIES. This is going to be all fluff, all fun, all the time.

RIU: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us today, Christina. We wish you much continued Success!
Thank you for inviting me. I had a great time!



Author Bio:
Christina Bauer knows how to tell stories about kick-ass women. In her best selling Angelbound series, the heroine is a part-demon girl who loves to fight in Purgatory’s Arena and falls in love with a part-angel prince. This young adult best seller has driven more than 500,000 ebook downloads and 9,000 reviews on Goodreads and retailers. The first three books in the series are now available as audiobooks on Audible and iTunes.
Bauer has also told the story of the Women’s March on Washington by leading PR efforts for the Massachusetts Chapter. Her pre-event press release—the only one sent out on a major wire service—resulted in more than 19,000 global impressions and redistribution by over 350 different media entities including the Associated Press.
Christina graduated from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with BA’s in English along with Television, Radio, and Film Production. She lives in Newton, MA with her husband, son, and semi-insane golden retriever, Ruby.



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Friday, October 26, 2018

Cover Reveal: All That We Are by Melissa Toppen (Contemporary Romance)

Title: All That We Are
Author: Melissa Toppen
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: November 16, 2018 Cover Design: Pear Perfect Creative Covers




They say everything happens for a reason- that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. For the longest time I didn’t think that was true. I had stumbled around in the dark for so many years that I didn’t think I would ever find my way out. But when I finally did, it came in the most unexpected way.

Miles Hollins had been my brother’s best friend for as long as I could remember. We didn’t like each other much growing up. Or rather, we couldn’t stand each other. But after ten years of being gone, a lot had changed.
He wasn’t the same boy I remembered. I wasn’t the same girl either. So much had happened. 
I moved away and got married.
Miles joined the military.
We both returned home broken in our own way.
I struggled to find my place in my new life. Miles struggled just to get through the day. But together we slowly began to heal. I quieted his demons and he gave me a sense of belonging. For a while that was enough.
But this is real life, and in real life nothing stays perfect forever. In real life not every story ends with a happily ever after. Sometimes the scars we carry are just too deep. 
I promised him I would fight. 
He promised me I would lose. 
I’ll do everything in my power to prove him wrong. Because it’s when you find the one thing you can’t live without, that you truly find yourself.
All That We Are is a standalone contemporary romance.







Melissa Toppen is a Reader's Choice Award Winning and Bestselling Author of New Adult and Contemporary Romance. She is a lover of books and enjoys nothing more than losing herself in a good novel. She has a soft spot for Romance and focuses her writing in that direction; writing what she loves to read. 
Melissa resides in Cincinnati Ohio with her husband and two children, where she writes full time.




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