The Retreat {+ Giveaway}

It’s a pleasure to be a participant in the Xpresso Book Tour Blitz for THE RETREAT by Kelly St. Clare, the first installment in her After Trilogy.

As part of the blitz, Kelly is sharing some interesting tidbits, an excerpt from her book and hosting a tour-wide giveaway. You have the chance to win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, plus swag. Please see the end of the post for more giveaway details.

◊THE RETREAT
◊by Kelly St. Clare
◊(The After Trilogy, #1)
◊Publication date: August 30th 2016
◊Genres: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Earth is ruined. Humankind destroyed. And it’s old news.

Romy’s life is simple—for a genetically enhanced space soldier; pick up space junk with her four friends, and stave off the invaders fixated on stealing Planet Earth.

It isn’t much. But it’s temporary—only another 850 years to go, give or take.

When her crew tangles with a gulp-worthy alien mothership, Romy’s return to Earth is brought forwards at hurtling pace.

Strength comes from the unlikeliest of quarters.

As does leadership.

…As does betrayal.

You can find THE RETREAT on Goodreads and it’s available to purchase online at Amazon and Barnesand Noble.

Kelly’s Top 20 Book Heroines of All Time:

(Left to right, top row) #20 - Scout ‘I See More than Most Adults’ Finch, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee; #19 - Ella ‘Screw Being a Lady’ Enchanted, Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine: and #18 - Emma ‘Don’t Settle for Less’ Woodhouse, Emma by Jane Austen; (bottom row) #17 - Belle ‘I’d Rather Read Than Talk to Hot Guys’, Beauty and the Beast by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve; #16 - Claire ‘Swearing Like a Sailor in the 17th Century’ Randall, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; and #15 - Princess ‘The Queen of Playing Hard to Get’ Leia, Star Wars by Alan Dean Foster.

(Left to right, top row) # 14 - Keladry ‘Unwavering Morality’ of Mindelan, Protector of the Small by Tamora Pierce; #13 - Sookie ‘Cute as a Button, Ruthless When Pushed’ Stackhouse, Sookie Stackhouse by Charlene Harris; and #12 - Ginny ‘Sneaky Smarts’ Weasley, Harry Potter by J.K Rowling; (bottom row) #11 - Clary ‘My Parents Have Made Things Rather Difficult’ Fray, The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare; #10 - Brienne ‘Bet the Hound’s Ass’ of Tarth, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin; and #9 - Elizabeth ‘Putting My Happiness First’ Bennet, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

(Left to right, top row) #8 - Ellie ‘Jumping on Trains and Taking Bullets’ Linton, Tomorrow When the War Began by John Marsden; #7 - Eoiwyn ‘My Name is Already Awesome’ Shieldmaiden of Rohan, Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkein; and #6 - Luna ‘Self-Assured and Wise’ Lovegood, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling; and (bottom row) #5 - Cassie ‘Rise to Every Challenge’ Sullivan, The Fifth Wave by Rick Yancey; #4 - Katniss ‘Touch My Family and I’ll End You’ Everdeen, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; and #2 - Daenerys ‘Chh, Polar Bear. I Ride a Dragon to School’ Targaryen, Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin.

(Left to right) #3 - Lyra ‘I Ride an Armored Polar Bear’ Belacqua, The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman and #1 - Hermione ‘Took Voldemort Down Single-Handed’ Granger, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling.

Here’s an excerpt from THE RETREAT for your reading pleasure.

Had they really just been celebrating mere minutes ago? Romy heard the cries of her knot as they were battered relentlessly.

She was going to die. Her knot was going to die.

Metal screeched and the heat was intense as their craft continued to burn. She could feel the heat even through the padding of her suit. Romy pushed back, gripping her harness tightly as she turned her head away from the scorching fire outside.

The keening of buckling alloy was unbearable, overriding all except the peeling heat. Romy was going to melt alive. Eyes streaming, she squinted through the tiniest of gaps in the flames.

Earth.

Her breath caught as she saw it, truly saw it for the first time. How beautiful their world was. The swirl of blues and greens.

All of this could have been theirs, in time.

The battler let out a splintered scream and all the air was crushed from her as she was hurled to one side. A network of cracks splintered the visor of her helmet with the immense pressure. Her head throbbed, a sharpness stinging at her right temple.

Black edged her vision. Where were the others?

          Romy was at the mercy of the descent with no idea of up or down. Her world was blistering pain; her orientation shredded, her calm obliterated. Tears streamed from her eyes until what remained of her sight was blurred beyond use.

Soon it would be over.

Author Kelly St. Clare

When Kelly St Clare is not reading or writing, she is lost in her latest reverie. She can, quite literally, drift past a car accident while in the midst of her day dreams, despite the various police sirens and chaos.

Books have always been magical and mysterious to her. One day she decided to start unravelling this mystery and began writing. Her aim: To write stories she would want to read. As it turns out, this failed miserably. Do you know what it is like to read something you've written? Impossible, that's what. Not to mention, the ending is ruined before you've begun. Never-the-less, Kelly loves it and wishes she had more time to squeeze it in between her day job as a physiotherapist.

Fantasy of Frost, the first title in The Tainted Accords, is her debut novel. It's sequel, Fantasy of Flight, was released on May 24th, 2015. Fantasy of Fire is due for release January 2016!

A New Zealander in origin and in heart, Kelly currently resides in Australia with her soon-to-be husband, a great group of friends, and some huntsman spiders who love to come inside when it rains. Their love is not returned.

Fav quote: Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint on broken glass.

Fav Song: I believe in a thing called love - The Darkness

For more on Kelly and her writing, visit her website and connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and Goodreads.

This blitz-wide giveaway is for a $50 Amazon Gift Card, plus swag. To enter, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient.

Thanks so much for stopping by today during Kelly’s visit. Do you agree with Kelly’s Top 20 Book Heroines of All Time? Who would be your number one Top Book Heroine of All Time and why?

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