Monday, December 30, 2013

Angel of Death by Eamonn Hickson

Angel of DeathBook Description:

Tormented by dreams and visions from an early age, Emily Dunhurst battled her way through childhood, missed the excitement of teenage years, yet still managed to arrive in her twenties with some shard of sanity. 

But, when the Angel of Death appears at her grandmother’s bedside, Emily’s world is remolded in pain and worry. Her ability to see otherworldly creatures is the only way to stop the Creator’s Servant—and save her family. 

However, Emily soon finds out that angels are hard to stop.

My Thoughts:
I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy this one or not, but I did.  Emily has always seen demons, shadows, or whatever you want to call them.  The only one who believed her was her Grandmother.  The Angel of Death has had an interesting time himself making enemies and doing a job that was not given to him.  When he meets Emily at her dying Grandmother's bedside, neither of them are the same.  Emily is determined that he won't take anymore of her family but he gets his orders from a higher power...right?
Ok, from the get go, I'm a Christians with specific beliefs about angels, demons, heaven, hell, etc.  That being said, this is a fiction book, and a well written one at that!  The author does a great job of giving us a vivid picture of hell and heaven.  The traitor made me so mad, but so did the lack of thought on the part of some of the angels.  I loved how Emily completely loved her family even if they weren't that supportive of her through her problems.  The demons are creepy!  Angel of Death has a story all his own, but he chose to be good, even when the 'good' weren't good to him.  Overall, a good, original story!
I rate this a 4/5.  I would love to read what the author comes up with next!

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Heart-Shaped Emblor by Alaina Ewing

The Heart-Shaped EmblorBook Description:
For Aislinn Moore, attending college at seventeen isn’t a big deal. Not when compared to the difficulties associated with seeing ethereal beings and having prophetic dreams.

As Aislinn learns to surmount the obstacles of her talents, she awakens something inside herself—an ancient memory, long forgotten. She senses there are reasons for her gifts, but remains unable to understand them.

When Alexander Welch enters her life, she learns of the Ewlishash—the hope bringers—and thinks she may have found her answer. Alexander is sexy, sweet, and his talents are like something straight out of a Sci-Fi flick. Aislinn wonders if she may be like him, but the more she tries to fit his mold, the more her instincts scream that her destiny holds something even greater.

My Thoughts:
Good book!  Aislinn is seventeen and taking college courses.  She is also dating a guy that annoys her but she sees something in him that no one else does, especially her friends!  She has dreams of a dark haired guy whom she has dreamed of for years, but he is just a dream, right?  Oh and she can see ghosts, touching things can make her relive someone else's past event and her dreams can show her the past or the future.  As things progress, she learns more about her talents and that dreams may be a reality after all!
I enjoyed this story.  Aislinn was a good character.  She was beyond her years at times and a typical teenager that you want to smack at times.  Overall though, I liked her.  Alexander was the same way.  He had his issues at times and moments where you just loved him.  The author worked them as perfectly realistic characters.  I loved Hope.  She was the beaming light in the story to me.  All of Aislinn's friends were interesting and had their own role but Hope was original.  I can't say that I liked Aislinn's boyfriend or her other friend very much but that is how the author meant it to be as well.  The story line was original and flowed quite well.
I rate this a 4/5.  I want to read the next book and see where the author takes this!

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book (via My Reading Addiction Tour).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Giveaway!!! Ends 1/3 @ Midnight!

I have a set of 3 books to giveaway!  Here is the info you need:
**To enter, simply leave a comment with your email address (no email address, no entry)
**Giveaway runs from now until midnight on January 3, 2014.
**The winner will be notified and have 24 hours to respond before we move on to the next person in line, and so on.
**US only

Secrets (Glenbrooke #1)The Quarryman's Bride (Land of Shining Water, #2)When Love Blooms



Author Interview with Margo Bond Collins!!!

Displaying MargoBondCollins.jpgAW: Tell us about yourself…
In my other life, I’m a college professor; I teach English courses online. I live in Texas with my
husband and our daughter and a number of thoroughly silly animals. Waking Up Dead is my first
published novel. My second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy forthcoming in 2014
from World Weaver Press. I got the offers to publish the two novels in the same month. That was
officially the best month of my life!

AW: What genre do you write?
I write paranormal mysteries, urban fantasy, and romance. Waking Up Dead is a paranormal
mystery. My second novel, Legally Undead, is an urban fantasy forthcoming in 2014 from
World Weaver Press.


AW: What attracted you to writing a paranormal mystery?
I read tons of urban fantasy and love just about any kind of fiction with a paranormal element;
there was never any doubt that what I wrote would have a supernatural slant. But I didn’t know
that Waking Up Dead was going to be a mystery until I had written the first few chapters—I tend
to start with a character and then see what happens.

AW: Tell us about your book….
In Waking Up Dead, when Dallas resident Callie Taylor died young, she expected to go to
Heaven, or maybe Hell. Instead, when she met her fate early thanks to a creep with a knife and a
mommy complex, she ended up in Alabama. Now she's witnessed another murder, and she's not
about to let this one go. She's determined to help solve it before an innocent man goes to prison.
And to answer the biggest question of all: why the hell did she wake up in Alabama?

Displaying Waking Up Dead2.jpgAW: What was your inspiration for this book?
I wrote Waking Up Dead when I lived in Alabama for a few years. I remember driving to work
one morning (I’m a college professor in my other life) and seeing just a wisp of fog move across
the statue in the middle of the town square. The statue was of some Civil War figure, and thought
that it looked oddly ghostly. In between teaching classes that day, I started writing Callie’s story.

AW: Do you have a favorite character and why that one?
I tend to love most of my characters—even the horrible ones, just for being so perfectly
terrible. The feisty grandmother Maw-Maw in Waking Up Dead is actually largely based on a
combination of my own grandmother and great-grandmother--the only real difference is that
they were white and from Texas rather than black and from Alabama. Otherwise, she talks like
them and acts like them. It's my great-grandmother's voice I hear in my head when I write her
dialogue, my grandmother's movements I see when I picture her walking around. Physically, I
imagine her looking a bit like Ruby Dee in the television movie version of The Stand. But her
attitude? That's straight from my own family!

AW: Did you find anything particularly difficult in writing this book?
Figuring out the plot. About halfway through I realized that I was going to need to solve the
mystery before the characters did! So at that point I decided where I was headed, generally—but
the characters took me where I needed to go.

AW: What project(s) are you currently working on?
Piles of projects! I’m currently doing a round of edits to Legally Undead, the first of the
Vampirarchy urban fantasy series coming out from World Weaver Press in 2014. I’m working
on the sequels to Waking Up Dead and Legally Undead. I’m working on a contemporary
romance novel. I’m editing a number of academic projects, too—mostly collections of essays
about science fiction and fantasy televisions series like Farscape, The Vampire Diaries, and
Supernatural.

AW: Do you have any advice for writers out there?
The very best advice I ever got was just this: keep writing new things. Always have a work in
progress. Finish writing a piece, do a quick edit, and submit it somewhere for publication. Then
move on to the next project. Don’t wait to hear back—that way lies madness! If it’s rejected (and
often it will be; that’s the nature of writing for publication), don’t let it get you down. Just send it
out again and go back to your work in progress.

AW: Where can we find you?
Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/margobondcollins
Email: MargoBondCollins@gmail.com
Website: http://www.MargoBondCollins.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MargoBondCollin @MargoBondCollin
Google+: https://plus.google.com/116484555448104519902
Goodreads Author Page: http://www.goodreads.com/vampirarchy
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/MargoBondCollins
Facebook Novel Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Waking-Up-Dead/502076076537575
Tumblr: http://vampirarchybooks.tumblr.com/
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/mbondcollins/

AW: And of course we have to know, where can we find your book? (your website, publisher,
amazon, etc)
Buy Waking Up Dead on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Waking-Up-Dead-ebook/dp/
B00FOXWLM8/
Be sure to add Waking Up Dead to your Goodreads bookshelves: http://www.goodreads.com/
book/show/18428064-waking-up-dead

Watch the Book Trailers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j_TmvpxxBw
http://youtu.be/KUBg83s4BOU

Friday, December 27, 2013

The Flight of The Griffin by CM Gray

The Flight of the Griffin (The Flight of the Griffin, #1)Book Description:
Living in their old boat ‘The Griffin’ four young characters and their guide become the unlikely heroes at the end of time when a burglary sets them on the path to finish the ‘Last great Spell’ - a spell to stop the balance of the World tipping into Chaos...

They become the Magician, Thief, Priest and Fighter when a magical book guides them upon a quest that pits them against magic, demons and ‘The Hawk,’ an evil hunter of men.

Join a race against time to find three crystal skulls that must be brought together, while all the forces of Chaos try everything to stop them!

My Thoughts:
This was a good YA book.  Pardigan never imagined what his late night theft would begin an adventure.  Now he and three friends, oh and a shape-shifting cat/girl/bird, are on a quest for Order.  The boys are all orphans and live on a boat (the Griffin).  The book and knife Pardigan stole lead them on their journey and Mahra (the girl/cat) helps them along the way.  Their adversary is the Hawk and he has his own 'helpers' to stop the quest!
This book had great adventures, magic, and never hit a stall!  I think the Hidden were my favorite characters!  Each of the boys has their own strengths and weaknesses, making them believable.  At the same time it is a fantasy book that has many magical creatures and a world all its own.  Mahra was both young and old, while in human form she was a girl and had some funny moments, but at the same time she was a 'wise old soul' guiding them.  I really liked how each of our heroes has their own role...fighter, thief, priest,  and magician.  I enjoyed the author's style and can't wait to see what he does next.
I rate this a 4/5.  It is great for YA but I enjoyed it as well!
Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book (via Pump Up Your Book).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Monday, December 23, 2013

NIV Ragamuffin Bible: Meditations for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up & Brokenhearted

NIV Ragamuffin Bible: Meditations for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and BrokenheartedBible Description:
Do you believe that God not only loves you, but that he also likes you? It's just one of the soul-searching questions posed by bestselling author Brennan Manning who confesses he has been 'John the beloved, Peter the coward, and Thomas the doubter all before the waitress brought the check.' The NIV Ragamuffin Bible offers a collection of Manning's raw, painfully honest, yet grace-filled devotions, meditations, and reflections of his journey limping back to---like the prodigal son---his overjoyed father. When you journey through this Bible, you will likewise find yourself returning to your Heavenly Father, basking in the knowledge that God not only loves you, he delights in you. Features: * Complete text of the world's most popular modern-English Bible, the NIV* 104 Devotions guide you into a deeper connection to God and his Word * 250 Reflections help you understand what it means to be a child of God* 150 Quotes offer short but thoughtful insights into God's kingdom.


My Thoughts:
While reading through this Bible, I really liked the quotes/reflections/stories that went with the verses.  Some are uplifting, some make you think, and all are well placed in the Bible.  The verses themselves are easy to read and have the same basic meaning as the verses I learned growing up, just with different wording.  So overall, I thought the Bible was a good and uplifting version.  My only complaint with it it that Song of Solomon was entitled Song of Songs.  I dislike the changing of Book names in the Bible.  I agree that it is a book of songs but changing the title was just too far for me.
I rate this a 3/5.  I would recommend several other Bibles to others before this one.
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book.  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

#ReadOn Dec21 4pm EST Chat with @bloggerESP, @DocJolley, @AuthorSherry, @AmberSkyeF, @MGraybosch {Hosted} @crossroadreview @wtfareyoureadin

@bloggerESP

E.S.P.

Being the daughter of an accomplished author, E.S.P. grew up listening to stories and telling her own to classmates. After writing for several years and even publishing some short works, she finally decided to take the plunge to write (plus finish!)a full length novel. Thus, Dawn of the Apocalypse was born. When she's not writing, she's either reading books, blogging at whoistheserialreader.blogspot.com, or watching eighties movies.

Dawn of the Apocalypse
January 1, 2000.
May 21, 2011.
December 21, 2012

These are just a few of the days humans prophesied as bringing catastrophic events that would end the world. We predicted nuclear warfare. Drastic climate change. A call from God.

We were wrong. 

Cue the gargoyle invasion—laboratory bred mutants designed to slaughter humans. When the government goes AWOL and gargoyles are swarming by the hundreds, it's up to the citizens of the United States to regroup and save themselves. 

Meet Cliff Matthews, a teenage boy separated from his entire family with the exception of his younger sister, whom he is desperate to keep alive. Along the quest to save their lives, he encounters people who aren't all that they seem. Everyday's a battle, but if he can't trust his own species, where does that leave his family? 

And we can't forget the man who may be willing to sacrifice Cliff's life, if it means world domination.

In terms of doomsday, no one could've seen this coming. The dawn of the apocalypse…

@AuthorSherry

                                                        Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

@DocJolley

                                                        Goodreads | Website | Twitter 

Sherry D. FicklinSherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she's on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

She is the author of The Gods of Fate Trilogy. Book 1, Foresight, book 2, Second Sight, and Book 3, Hindsight, are now available. She is also the author of the adult paranormal novels, The Palmetto Moon series. Book 1, Born of Blood and book 2, Grave Secrets are now available. Her previously self-published novel After Burn: Military Brats has been acquired by Harlequin and will be released in 2014 with a second book in that series to follow.

Tyler JolleyTyler was born in Vernal, UT. He's an author, orthodontist, periodonist, and farmer. His wife and four kids keep him very busy.
Extracted (The Lost Imperials, #1)
Welcome to the war.

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

When Lex’s girlfriend dies during a mission, the only way he can save her is to retrieve the Dox, a piece of tech which allows Rifters to re-enter their own timeline without collapsing the time stream. But the Dox is hidden deep within the Telsa Institute, which means Lex must go into the enemy camp. It’s there he meets Ember, and the past that was stolen from them both comes flooding back.

Now armed with the truth of who they are, Lex and Ember must work together to save the future before the battle for time destroys them both…again.

@AmberSkyeF

                                                           Goodreads | Website | Twitter 
Amber Forbes
Amber Skye Forbes is a dancing writer who prefers pointe shoes over street shoes, leotards over skirts, and ballet buns over hairstyles. She loves striped tights and bows and will edit your face with a Sharpie if she doesn't like your attitude. She lives in Augusta, Georgia where she writes dark fiction that will one day put her in a psychiatric ward...again. But she doesn't care because her cat is a super hero who will break her out.
When Stars Die
“Yet, even when stars die, they leave a lasting impact through their light, their diamond brilliance as they scatter their material to form new stars. When people die, they leave the same impact with the footprints they leave on people’s hearts. Even the ones who feel insignificant go out, leaving behind dust that can nourish the world anew.”

Amelia Gareth's brother is a witch and the only way to save her family from the taint in his blood is to become a professed nun at Cathedral Reims. However, in order to become professed, she must endure trials that all nuns must face.

Surviving these trials is not easy, especially for Amelia, who is being stalked by shadowy beings only she can see. They're searching for people they can physically touch, because only those they can touch can see them. Amelia soon learns why she is being stalked when she accidentally harms her best friend with fire during the third trial. Fire is a witch's signature. The shadows are after witches.

Now Amelia must decide what to do: should she continue on her path to profession knowing there is no redemption, or should she give up on her dream and turn away from Cathedral Reims in order to stop the shadows who plan to destroy everything she loves?

@MGraybosch

Matthew Graybosch
According to official records maintained by the state of New York, Matthew Graybosch was born on Long Island in 1978. Urban legends in New York suggest he might be Rosemary’s Baby, the result of top-secret DOD attempts to continue Nazi experiments combining human technology and black magic, or that he sprang fully grown from his father’s forehead with a sledgehammer in one hand and a copy of The C Programming Language in the other — and has given the poor man headaches ever since.

The truth is more prosaic. Matthew Graybosch is a novelist from New York who lives in central Pennsylvania. He is also an avid reader, a long-haired metalhead, and an unrepentant nerd. He is the author of the Starbreaker series, and is working with Curiosity Quills Press to publish the first volume, Without Bloodshed , later this year.
Without Bloodshed
"All who threaten me die."

These words made Morgan Stormrider's reputation as one of the Phoenix Society's deadliest IRD officers. He served with distinction as the Society's avenger, and specialized in hunting down anybody who dared kill an Adversary in the line of duty. After a decade spent living by the sword, Morgan wants to bid a farewell to arms and make a new life with his friends and his music.

Despite his faltering faith, the Phoenix Society has a final mission for Morgan Stormrider. A dictator's public accusations made Morgan a liability to his organization. He must put everything aside, make his way to Boston, and put down Alexander Liebenthal's coup while taking him alive to prove he is not the Society's assassin.

Despite the gravity of his task, Morgan cannot put aside his ex-girlfriend's murder, or efforts to frame him and his closest friends for the crime. He cannot ignore a request from a trusted friend to investigate the theft of designs for a weapon before which even gods stand defenseless. He cannot disregard the corruption implied in the Phoenix Society's willingness to make him a scapegoat should he fail to resolve the crisis in Boston without bloodshed.

However, the words with which he forged his reputation haunt him still.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.
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Friday, December 20, 2013

The Final Cut by Catherine Coulter and J.T. Ellison

The Final CutBook Description:
Scotland Yard’s new chief inspector Nicholas Drummond is on the first flight to New York when he learns his colleague, Elaine York, the "minder" of the Crown Jewels for the "Jewel of the Lion" exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, was found murdered. Then the centerpiece of the exhibit, the infamous Koh-i-Noor Diamond, is stolen from the Queen Mother’s crown. Drummond, American-born but raised in the UK, is a dark, dangerous, fast-rising star in the Yard who never backs down. And this case is no exception.
Special Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich from Coulter’s bestselling FBI series don’t hesitate to help Drummond find the cunning international thief known as the Fox. Nonstop action and high stakes intensify as the chase gets deadly. The Fox will stop at nothing to deliver the Koh-i-Noor to the man who believes in its deadly prophecy.  Nicholas Drummond, along with his partner, FBI Special Agent Mike Caine, lay it on the line to retrieve the diamond for Queen and country.

My Thoughts:
Awesome book!  When he found out Elaine, had been murdered, Nicholas was on the first flight to New York.  She was his friend, colleague, and more, so against orders he is going to find answers.  His uncle is head of security for the museum where Elaine was working and the Diamond from the Crown Jewels has been stolen.  Dillon and Lacey were in New York when everything happens and now they are on the case as well.  Finding the Fox is his first mission to find answers!
I loved Nicholas from the start.  His dropping everything to go against orders and investigate Elaine's murder was what people want in a friend.  He is so certain about Elaine that it is just wonderful.  No matter what everyone else believes or the evidence points to, he knows Elaine.  The back story of the diamonds is interesting and I love the story line. It was so great to see Dillon and Sherlock again.  Michaela is a great addition and I can't wait to see where the stories go from here with her.
I rate this a 4/5.  Such a good read and cannot wait to read more!

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via LibraryThing).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Texas K-9 Unit Christmas by Shirlee McCoy and Terri Reed

Book Description:
CHRISTMAS COMES WRAPPED IN DANGER…
Holiday Hero by Shirlee McCoy
Emma Fairchild never expected to find trouble in sleepy Sagebrush, Texas. But when she's attacked and left for dead in her own diner, her childhood friend turned K-9 cop Lucas Harwood offers a chance at justice—and love.
Rescuing Christmas by Terri Reed
She escaped a kidnapper, but now a killer has set his sights on K-9 dog trainer Lily Anderson. When fellow officer Jarrod Evans appoints himself her bodyguard, Lily knows more than her life is at risk—so is her heart.
Texas K-9 Unit: These lawmen solve the toughest cases with the help of their brave canine partners

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed these two novellas.  Emma came home to Sagebrush to take care of her aunt.  She is none to happy about it because she left the town to get away from everyone.  When she is attacked, Lucas comes to her rescue.  Though they haven't seen each other in years, the two of them are still connected and Lucas will do anything to keep Emma Safe.
I loved all the characters in this one.  Emma was stuck on not being happy in Sagebrush, but at the same time it was home.  Lucas came home after everything that happened to him.  He is happy to be there and never expected to find love again.  I really liked Emma's aunt.  Though she is going through a lot, and losing her mind, she is a spunky woman!  The town was also great in how everyone came together to help.  I really wanted this story to be longer because I enjoyed the characters so much!
Lily is trainer of the K-9 partners.  Jarrod is coming to get Max trained by the best, Lily.  When he finds her in the middle of the road, running from someone, his protective instinct goes into overdrive.  Though he doesn't know Lily, he feels he does and the same is true for her.  Now they have to determine if it is her past coming back to find her or something different and even more deadly.
I liked Lily and Jarrod.  The connection they had, almost instantly was rare.  There was some wishy-washy on their feelings that finally got worked out but overall, they were a good match.  Jarrod was protective and not going to let anyone get to Lily if he could stop them.  Lily trying to keep her past and relationships quiet could have been her undoing.  
I rate these a 4/5.  They are really good, quick reads.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Saturday, December 14, 2013

{ReadOn} 19 Dec. 14~4pm EST for Q & A with @Adrianna_James @Elizatilton @KrystalWade @RPWeston



Join us today while we have a great Q and A with these authors! And don't forget to enter to win!


Adrianne James

Adrianne James

@Adrianne_James

Growing up, Adrianne couldn't get her hands on enough books to satisfy her need for the make believe. If she finished a novel and didn't have a new one ready and waiting for her, she began to create her own tales of magic and wonder. Now, as an adult, books still make up majority of her free time, and now her tales get written down to be shared with the world.

During the day, Adrianne uses her camera to capture life's stories for clients of all ages and at night, after her two children are tucked in bed; she devotes herself to her written work. Adrianne is living the life she always wanted, surrounded by art and beauty, the written word and a loving family.

As a young adult and new adult author, Adrianne James has plans to bring stories of growing characters, a little romance, and perhaps a little magic and mythology down the line for her readers to enjoy.
Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website
Overexposed
In the tiny town of Willowspring, just about nothing ever happens except for layoffs, hockey games, and your average melodramatic teenage angst.

But that was before.

Vi, Ashley, and Macy are just trying to make it through the school year without one more humiliation when they team up for a simple photography assignment: create a story through a series of photographs. Can't be too much trouble, right?

Wrong.

The shutterbugs happen upon Willowspring High School's darkest secret. When everything around them starts to crumble after trying to do the right thing, their only hope is to stick together.(

5Stars
This one I couldn't wait to read!  I found out that the cover was made by the author!  So surprised!  Going into this book I wasn't sure what I was going to get.  But, I was surprised not only by the cover! But, by what lay within the pages! It is wonderful, great, knock your socks off interesting! I finished this one in half a day as I couldn't stop reading it! The plot was wonderful and the characters and story were so real.  Vi is such a great character with a love of photography I instantly loved her. Her passion to get real shocking news on film just made her a great main character in this book.  For a stand alone this book would also make a great series! Cant wait to get this in print! 


Eliza Tilton

Eliza Tilton

@ElizaTilton

Eliza graduated from Dowling College with a BS in Visual Communications. When she’s not arguing with excel at her day job, or playing Dragon Age 2, again, she’s writing. Her stories hold a bit of the fantastical and there’s always a romance. She resides on Long Island with her husband, two kids and one very snuggly pit bull.
 Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Website




Broken Forest
Hopeless he'll never be more than the boy who didn't save his brother, 17-year-old Avikar accepts his life as the family stable boy, trying to forget the past. But when his sister, Jeslyn, is kidnapped, the thought of losing another sibling catapults him on a desperate quest. With his best friend by his side, and using the tracking skills he learned from his father, he discovers Jeslyn has been taken, kidnapped by one Lucino, the young lord of Daath, a mystical place thought only to exist in fables. 

And Lucino has plans for Jeslyn.

His shape-shifting brethren feed off the auras of humans, and Jeslyn's golden hue is exactly what Lucino needs to increase his power. The longer it takes Avikar to reach her, the more entranced she becomes with Lucino's world, and the harder it will be for Avikar to set her free.

He failed his family once. He won't fail again.
5 STARS
This one was a fast paced fantasy novel. And it was great!  From action to action and yes to more action this one will keep you on the edge of your seat until you read the last page.  This book is filled with shape-shifting, Auras, and more! And is deff for those who love fantasy!

Krystal Wade

Krystal Wade

@KrystalWade

Krystal Wade can be found in the sluglines outside Washington D.C. every morning, Monday through Friday. With coffee in hand, iPod plugged in, and strangers - who sometimes snore, smell, or have incredibly bad gas - sitting next to her, she zones out and thinks of fantastical worlds for you and me to read.

How else can she cope with a fifty mile commute?

Good thing she has her husband and three kids to go home to. They keep her sane.

Wilde's Meadow (Darkness Falls, #3)
Happy endings are hard to find, and even though Katriona is in the middle of a war with someone who’s already stolen more than she can replace, she aches for a positive future with her Draíochtans.

Armed with hope, confidence in her abilities, and a strange new gift from her mother, Kate ventures into the Darkness to defeat a fallen god.

Losses add up, and new obstacles rise to stand in the way. Is the one determined to bring Encardia light strong enough to keep fighting, or will all the sacrifices to stop those who seek domination be for nothing?




5 STARS
This was one of the first series that I had gotten in print by the author.  I got to give away an entire set of signed copies.  I was then very happy to receive a signed set for myself. From some giveaway.  So I was over joyed when the author decided to come on our show.  This series is amazing! Its a story of finding your true self and standing up for those in need.  Its also a very nice romance between two people that were worlds apart.  This is a deff must read series!! For those who love fantasy and the old war of Good vs. Evil!
Robert Paul Weston

Robert Paul Weston

@RPWeston


Ahoy. This is my small, oddly-shaped island in the GoodReads archipelago. You're welcome to surf, swim in the lagoon, or stroll along the pier (where they sell prawns and whelks by the cupful). If you'd like to keep things topical—as well as tropical—head down to the beach and sling yourself in a hammock with a good book. One of these, perhaps...

My first novel, ZORGAMAZOO, won the 2011 California Young Reader Medal, the 2010 Silver Birch Award, and the 2009 Children’s Choice Award. If you've had a bit too much sun and crave something darker, try my hardboiled fairy tale, DUST CITY. It was shortlisted for the 2011 Edgar Alan Poe Award and the 2011 Sunburst Award. My newest novel-in-verse, PRINCE PUGGLY OF SPUD AND THE KINGDOM OF SPIFF, is out now from Penguin/Razorbill and THE CREATURE DEPARTMENT emerges from its secret underground lair in November 2013.

I live in London, England, which is also on an island. 


The Creature DepartmentA hidden laboratory…

A brilliant invention…

A team of quite unusual creatures…

But can they save the department?

Elliot Von Doppler and his friend Leslie think nothing ever happens in Bickleburgh, except inside the gleaming headquarters of DENKi-3000—the world’s fifth-largest electronics factory.

Beneath the glass towers and glittering skywalks, there's a rambling old mansion from which all the company’s amazing inventions spring forth. And no one except Uncle Archie knows what’s behind the second-to-last door at the end of the hall.

Until Elliot and Leslie are invited to take a glimpse inside.

They find stooped, troll-like creatures with jutting jaws and broken teeth; tiny winged things that sparkle as they fly; and huge, hulking, hairy nonhumans (with horns). It is unlike anything they’ve ever seen!

But when Chuck Brickweather threatens to shut down the DENKi-3000 factory if a new product isn’t presented soon, the creatures know they are in danger. And when Uncle Archie vanishes, it’s up to Elliot, Leslie, and every one of the unusual, er, "employees" to create an invention so astonishing it will save The Creature Department.

5 STARS
Well for this one my daughter was glad to see come in the mail.  I guess she had heard about it from school.  So when she seen it she grabbed it and I didn't see it for three days.  She read it and shared it with her class.  I finally got a hold of it and I was blown away!  From the cover to the creative art work on the pages this story and plot will grab any child's imagination.

"*I received a copies of these books for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Disclaimer: Thanks to Goodreads and Amazon for the book cover, about the book, and author information.
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Friday, December 13, 2013

Safe by the Marshal's Side by Shirlee McCoy

Safe by the Marshal's SideBook Description:
HER LIFE IS ON THE LINE

For a year, U.S. marshal Hunter Davis has protected witness Annie Delacorte and her toddler daughter. But now, someone is determined to stop Annie from testifying against the men who killed her husband. To guard Annie, by-the-book Hunter will have to break a promise to himself: to not get emotionally involved. After all, he already cares more deeply than he ever imagined for the sweet family of two; a family he'll do anything to keep safe and sound by his side.

Witness Protection: Hiding in plain sight

My Thoughts:
This was a good quick read.  Annie is feeling suffocated.  She and her young daughter have been in witness protection since she witnessed two men murder her husband.  Now, the trial is getting close and she is having to be guarded much more closely and with much less freedom.  Hunter has been the Marshal over her protection detail since she entered the program, but he has always seemed aloof and cold.  Being in close proximity to him is making her notice that he is a man and not just a Marshal.  Hunter is used to keeping things professional but with Annie and her daughter it is much more difficult, especially when they are in danger!
I did love Hunter.  I thought he was a great character.  He is thought of as an icy professional when in reality he 'feels' more than any of them imagine.  With Annie and her baby, he feels protective and like something in his life that was missing is now there.  He can't overstep his professional boundaries just because he is attracted to her.  Annie is determined to testify.  She wants her husband's killers to be brought to justice, even if he wasn't the man she thought him to be.  Her daughter is the center of her world and she will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.  As the danger gets closer, Hunter and Annie do too.  Hunter has more at stake than losing a witness if something happens to Annie, he may just lose his future happiness. I rate this a 3/5.  It was a good read but some of the things just didn't ring true for me.  It really was a good story line though!

Thank you to the publisher for providing the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Christmas Cover-Up by Lynette Eason

Christmas Cover-UpBook Description:

HER STOLEN SISTER 

Seven-year-old Lucy Randall had been kidnapped in broad daylight fourteen years ago, and now Detective Katie Randall is determined to solve her sister's case. Her only option is to team up with the man whose family hates her. Former FBI agent Jordan Grey knows the beautiful cop isn't to blame for his brother's death, but he can't risk causing his parents more pain by falling for Katie. He'll have to focus on finding Lucy. But when Katie and Jordan uncover the truth, will this kidnapper turn killer? 

Family Reunions: Bringing loved ones back together

My Thoughts:
I got completely wrapped up in this book.  Katie's little sister disappeared from their front yard when Katie was distracted by helping a neighbor take in her groceries.  Lucy was 7 and that was 14 years ago.  Katie became a detective and has searched endlessly for Lucy.  Hiring a friend's firm to help her, she didn't expect FBI agent Jordan Grey to be the one assigned to Lucy's disappearance.  His family blames her for the death of their youngest son.
Loved the mystery!  It seriously could have been a couple different people and I wasn't sure until the 'big reveal' if I was right or wrong.  Katie is a strong, loving woman whose family was fractured the day Lucy disappeared.  She has been battling with her own conscience and can't forgive herself for Lucy's disappearance or Neil's death.  Jordan knows Katie wasn't responsible for his brother's death, she did everything by the book.  His parents are in the dark about some of the information and completely blame Katie for their son's death.  Both know there is a lot standing in the way of their relationship developing and fight it but the more 'accidents' and murders the closer they become.
I rate this a 5/5.  It is going on my keeper shelf.

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy of this book (via netgalley).  I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

Thursday, December 12, 2013

Savor by Kate Evangelista Book Blitz!!!

Savor Blurb:
Mature and explicit content. Not recommended for readers below 18-years-old. Yup, you’ve got to be that old to read my story. Consider yourself warned.

I’m Dakota Collins, a tough talking, eye patch wearin
g, workaholic photography student. Why am I important? Well, maybe because I get to spend an entire month with Vicious, only the sickest indie rock band out there.

You see, I needed a subject for my Spring Showcase introspective in order to graduate. During a chance encounter at a club I’d been sent to cover for the Daily Gossip, our ironically named college paper, the features writer I usually teamed up with introduced me to the band—by accident, I might add. It involved a run in with a scary, bald bodyguard. Anyway, long story short, I signed a contract to take pictures of Vicious.

I should have known their handsome yet way too serious for his own good bassist, Luka Visraya, wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. He’s gorgeous and all, but the way he smiles spelled trouble with a capital L. I’m in for a long month with him around.

Crazy shit happens and then some. So, if you want the skinny on Vicious and the events revolving around my stay at Lunar Manor, read my story.

Again, refer to the warning above.

Buy Links

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Savor-Vicious-Feast-Kate-Evangelista-ebook/dp/B00H2VSQ0Q/

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/kate-evangelista

The Book Depository: http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/author/Kate-Evangelista

Crescent Moon Press: http://crescentmoonpress.com/books/Savor.html

Author Bio:

When Kate Evangelista was told she had a knack for writing stories, she did the next best thing: entered medical school. After realizing she wasn't going to be the next Doogie Howser, M.D., Kate wandered into the Literature department of her university and never looked back. Today, she is in possession of a piece of paper that says to the world she owns a Literature degree. To make matters worse, she took Master's courses in creative writing. In the end, she realized to be a writer, none of what she had mattered. What really mattered? Writing. Plain and simple, honest to God, sitting in front of her computer, writing. Today, she lives in the Philippines and writes full-time.

Author Links

Website: www.kateevangelista.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/KateEvangelista

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kate-Evangelista/165693410143202

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5752810.Kate_Evangelista

Add Savor to GR link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17159305-savor


Savor Exclusive Excerpt

“Dakota Collins!”
I lowered my camera. The use of my full name never came with good consequences. I blinked my vision back at her even if I wanted to spend the rest of the night taking his picture. Sweat rose over my upper lip. I may just have found my subject for the Spring Showcase.
The only problem?
I had to find a way to convince him to be in my project. Something told me this wouldn’t be easy. By the way my heart beat in my ears, drowning out the music and Silvia having a fit in front of me, I wanted it too much. I wanted him too much.
“This the guy you were saying?” I showed Silvia the picture I’d taken. This seemed to pacify her because she sidled closer, mesmerized like a moth to a flame.
“Luka Visraya,” she said with a moan like she’d just tasted the most luscious chocolate before taking a long gulp of her cocktail. The name didn’t register. Silvia must have noticed my blank expression because she continued. “He’s the bassist for Vicious.”
Still no pings of recognition in my head.
She slapped her thigh. “Where have you been? It’s weird that you haven’t heard of them. Their songs are on the radio like every second.”
Of course I hadn’t heard of them. I liked listening to country and I hardly kept up with current events.
“Name one?” Okay, I had a name. Luka. Exotic. A bassist. Part of a band I should know about. So he’s famous. I slowly felt my chances of asking him to be my subject slip from my grasp. If he was someone famous, fat chance he’d say yes to a graduating photography student like me. I just about deflated when Silvia mentioned one of their songs. “Oh, I know that one!” By accident. It played in the radio of the cab I rode in to Sacrifice. I stared at the picture of him then lifted my gaze to where he sat. “He’s gone.”
“What?” Silvia whipped around in time to come face to face with a wall of man. “Whoa!” She pushed at him. “Watch it, buddy!”
“Give me the camera,” he said in a threatening tone.
Big. Beefy. Bald. The three Bs that made up the quintessential bodyguard.
I clutched my DSLR closer to my chest and looked up at him with my good eye. “And why would I do that?” The patch didn’t seem to intimidate him because he just reached out. So much for my Bond villain aspirations. I moved away from his grubby hand. No one touched my camera but me.
Despite her size, Silvia came between me and the mountain. “We’re here to cover Sacrifice for our college paper. You don’t have the right to take away my colleague’s camera.”
Yeah! You give it to him, Silvy.
Not that I couldn’t take care of myself. But if Silvia wanted to play hero, I wouldn’t stand in her way.
“What seems to be the problem here?” a soft, authoritative voice chimed in.
The bodyguard moved aside to reveal the Gothic Lolita. She stood at just about the same height as Silvia, but she possessed an older aura even if she seemed to be our age.
“She’s been taking pictures,” Baldy said.
Lolita’s kohl eyes landed on me then shifted to my camera.
“As I was saying to the big guy,” Silvia explained. “My colleague and I are covering the opening of Sacrifice.”
“For what paper?” Lolita asked without taking her eyes off me. I clutched my camera like an extra appendage. In some ways it was. After losing half my sight, I relied on my camera like an extra eye, seeing the world through its lens. I would rather die than lose it.
“The Daily Gossip,” I said before Silvia could answer just to relieve some of the awkward tension building in me under her gaze. “We study at Wexler U.”
She tilted her head, crossing her arms.
“Okay,” I quickly stammered out. “I get that the name of our paper sounds like a tabloid, but the Daily Gossip is a cool campus paper.” The last part maybe only I believed since Silvia raised her eyebrow at me, but Lolita and the mountain didn’t have to know that.
No one spoke after that. Even in a noisy club, the silence in our group rang in my ears. Not waiting for the situation to get any more awkward, I plowed forward with my own selfish intensions.
“You know Luka.” I said it more as a statement, but it came out like a question.
Lolita nodded.  
“I’m Dakota Collins and I’m graduating this spring. I was wondering if Luka would be interested in—”
“What would I be interested in?” a smooth voice joined our group.
The walls of my throat closed, chocking the rest of what I had to say. All eyes turned to Luka. Silvia dropped her empty glass. It bounced off the bodyguard’s shoe and landed in a clatter but didn’t break. Even with my height, I still had to look up at him.
“What are you doing here?” Lolita admonished. “You should be backstage.”
One side of his lips came up. God. Without the scowl, his face lit up. I had to stop the urge to lift my camera and start snapping away. And his eyes were piercing blue. The kind that stretched over my mother’s farm in the summer. Damn.
Seeing him up close, I knew I’d give any one of my kidneys for a chance to take his picture in a formal shoot.
“We have five minutes. Chill, Yana.” He tugged at one of her pigtails.
“Luka,” Silvia managed. “I’m a big fan. Will you sign my chest?”
Bypassing my petite colleague, Luka’s intensely blue gaze studied me. He reached out and I flinched back. His fingers almost grazed my patch. What the hell was the matter with him? Trying to touch my eye patch was tantamount to poking a bandage over a wound and asking the person if it hurts.
Gothic Lolita—Yana—yanked Luka’s arm down. “I’m so sorry!” Her whole aura changed. She went from all business to panicky. “My brother sometimes forgets his manners. He didn’t mean anything about touching your…” She bit her lower lip, maybe trying to keep herself from saying the wrong thing.
That little faux pas cleared my head of the Luka haze and spurred me into action. “Luka, will you let me take your picture for my final project?” I didn’t know where my courage came from, but I knew if I didn’t take this chance, I’d regret it. I had to have him as my subject.
Still not removing his gaze from my face, like my patch transfixed him, he tilted his head to one side very much like his sister did earlier.
“Luka, don’t!” Yana said, but from the consideration on Luka’s face, she was too late.
“You’re a photographer?”
“Yes.” I nodded, in case the word wasn’t enough.
“And you’d like me to be the subject of your project?”
God yes! This time, I could only nod. I didn’t want him to see how eager I was. And I couldn’t live with myself if I embarrassed myself further.
I waited with baited breath.
It seemed everyone in our group waited with baited breath for what the golden god had to say about my brazen request. I soon realized when Luka spoke, everyone listened. The way he pronounced every word precisely yet still spoke so smoothly, like butter on warm toast, captured everyone’s attention. To say he captivated us was an understatement. Something in me certainly wanted to hear him keep speaking. He could read from an accounting textbook in that voice and no one would get bored.
“I need to know that you’re good,” he finally said.
Something about his words seemed to hold a different meaning. I must have missed the alcohol in the soda Silvia had given me. Maybe I was drunk and this was all a blackout dream.
“What are you saying?” Yana faced Luka all the way now, her petite form all rigid.
He unleashed a full on megawatt smile my way. I almost had to cover my eye from it. At my side, Silvia gasped. Her long nails dug into my arm. Like staring at the sun, I couldn’t take my gaze away from him no matter how bad it was for me.
“We’re about to perform. I want you to take several pictures then send them to Yana. If she approves, we’ll see about your request.”
Then, like smoke, he disappeared into the crowd.