Saturday, June 29, 2013

Book Review ~ "Skin Deep" by T.G. Ayer

Skin Deep (DarkWorld, #1)Skin Deep by T.G. Ayer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received from author to review
Genre: Paranormal (shifters)

Book Description:  Panther Shape-shifter Kailin Odel just wants to be normal. Leaving her clan, and her Alpha responsibilities, to live with her grandmother in Chicago had been the best thing for her. Only then did she discover her ability to track and kill the soul sucking undead creatures called Wraiths. Now she protected the humans, and had something to be proud of.
But, when she discovers the body of a murdered shape shifter, Kailin has to come to terms with the reality that her own kind are just as vulnerable as the humans. 
The closer Kailin gets to the killer the more she has to face the intricacies of her people. When the time comes can she accept who and what her real purpose is?



My thoughts:  Kailin Odel is a panther shape-shifter. She lives in Chicago, works as a youth counselor, and hunts wraiths. She believes in what she does, she loves to help the youth and she loves to save humans from the wraiths. She is full of confidence and attitude.

She witnesses the dumping of a murder victim and is pulled into the middle of a paranormal investigation. Unfortunately, she is the target of the killers. As part of the investigation she meets Logan and Jess. Logan is the paranormal cop who she has immediate interest in when she first meets him. It's the same for him, and their touch is sizzling (literally). I am intrigued by Jess. She only showed up a few times, but I really would like to know more of her and her abilities.

T.G. does a fantastic job of writing and mapping a story. She has the ability to draw you into her creation. Her characters are well developed and she is wonderful at creating a character you feel empathy for and interest in.

My only caution for this book would be the amount of violence. Kailin is a wraith hunter and the victims of murder are tortured.


Audible book review ~ "Hounded" by Kevin Hearne

Hounded (Iron Druid Chronicles, #1)
Hounded by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Source: Received from Audible to review
Genre: Adult Action/ Mythology

Book Description:  Atticus O’Sullivan, last of the Druids, lives peacefully in Arizona, running an occult bookshop and shape-shifting in his spare time to hunt with his Irish wolfhound. His neighbors and customers think that this handsome, tattooed Irish dude is about twenty-one years old - when in actuality, he’s twenty-one centuries old. Not to mention: He draws his power from the earth, possesses a sharp wit, and wields an even sharper magical sword known as Fragarach, the Answerer.

Unfortunately, a very angry Celtic god wants that sword, and he’s hounded Atticus for centuries. Now the determined deity has tracked him down, and Atticus will need all his power - plus the help of a seductive goddess of death, his vampire and werewolf team of attorneys, a sexy bartender possessed by a Hindu witch, and some good old-fashioned luck of the Irish - to kick some Celtic arse and deliver himself from evil.

My thoughts: This is the first audio book that I have listened to in full. Usually I loose my interest after 30 minutes of listening. This is a very interesting audio book. The narration is done well.

Atticus is a druid who has lived for more than 2000 years. He has lived in Arizona to escape the notice of ancient Celtic Gods. He is the possession of an ancient sword that one God wants.

The world of the ancient God's is full of subterfuge. Are they helping, or are they serving their own interests? He really does not know who he can trust. He has to wade through the muck that they leave in their wake and fight his way out.

I would only recommend this book to adults do to the profanity (including the 'f' bomb) that is found throughout the book and sexual innuendo.



I was recently contacted by audible and invited to try out their products.  As I stated in my review above, I usually have a hard time listening to review books that are narrated.  I usually prefer to read from a book or my kindle.

I needed to clean  my fridge, I can't read and clean at the same time, so I plugged my headphones into my iPhone and used the Audible app to listen to this book.  I have always wanted to be able to multi-task while reading and this gave me the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

I actually was able to follow along and keep up with the story.  I was surprised, because that has never happened before when I tried an audio book.  It may have something to do with the easy pausing that I had with using it on my phone.  It may be that I was using headphones instead of using a CD player.  Whatever it was, it worked for me and I will try out another book.

If you are interested in trying out Audible, they have a free 30 day trial. http://www.audible.com/t1/30DayGoldFT_at.  I also found that you can get Audible Books at Amazon.  While using their app, I liked it to my Amazon account, it was easier than putting in my information at another vending location.

I received the book above for reviewing purposes.  My experience using Audible and my thoughts of the book are my honest opinion and thoughts.  I did not receive money compensation, but I did receive a free copy of the book to review.

 If you are interested in listening to this book, you can try it out with the free trial at the link above.


Friday, June 28, 2013

Sebastian Falls author Celeste Holloway top 10 songs!


A year after her parents’ death, seventeen-year-old, Meadow Parker, is close to having a grave of her own. Beyond her shrink’s false diagnosis of PTSD, there’s no medical reason for her failing health. Only she knows the cause. But if Meadow told the truth—told them what comes for her at night—they’d lock her in a padded cell. Grasping to help her find closure, Meadow’s best friend, Casey Somner, drags her to the place her parents were obsessed with—the historical landmark that fuels Meadow’s fears and nightmares. This is the last thing she wants to do. But when Casey’s involved, free-will doesn’t exist. Once Meadow steps foot on the hallowed ground, she has a supernatural encounter that leaves her stricken with terror, but charged with power, fulfilling the legendary prophesy about the coming of The Keeper. Both the holy and the unholy have waited over a hundred years for a new Keeper to resurface. Like it or not, Meadow’s destiny as Keeper is sealed, and the battle for her soul begins. A sharp double-edged sword, she will either save the world from Armageddon or fast track its annihilation.




Celeste's Top 10 Songs:


I like to dream about Sebastian Falls becoming a movie and what songs would be on the soundtrack. (don’t all writers do this?) Here are my top 10 picks! 

1.    Whisper-by Evanesence
2.    Pain-by Three Days Grace
3.    Need You Now-by Plumb
4.    Impossible-by Manafest
5.    This Is Your Life-by Switchfoot
6.    Never Alone-by Barlow Girl
7.    Be Still-by The Fray
8.    Take My Life-by Jeremy Camp
9.    Broken-by Lifehouse
10. Your Love-by Shane & Shane


Purchase Links:


About Celeste Holloway:  When Celeste isn’t writing, she might be found snuggled up, kid on one side, cat on the other, trying to read a book, which never works because kid and cat must have her undivided attention. She lives a small town life in Arkansas, but dreams of world travel. If she ever gets rich and famous, her first stop is Rome. A former hairstylist, she recently tossed her scissors to embark on a career as a fulltime writer. It was a huge leap of faith, but she has no regrets. If you’d like to learn more about Celeste, visit her blog, Words Done Write  or send her a friend request on Facebook.

Discover "Greenhorn" by Anna Olswanger

Daniel, a young Holocaust survivor, arrives at a New York yeshiva in
1946 to study and live. He is carrying a small box, his only possession.
Daniel rarely talks, but the story’s narrator, a stutterer taunted
by the other boys, comes to consider Daniel his friend.
What’s in the box is a mystery. Daniel never lets it out of his
sight, but he won’t talk about it, either. The boys at the yeshiva are
impatient with his secret. Only Aaron, the stutterer, reaches out to
Daniel, and through their friendship, Daniel is able to let go of his
box. Together, each boy finds his “voice.”
Based on a true story, Greenhorn gives human dimension to
the Holocaust. It poignantly underscores our flawed humanity and
speaks to the healing value of friendship.

Themes:
Belonging, Self-Discovery, Family, Friendship, Disabilities.



About Anna Olswanger: Anna Olswanger is also the author of Shlemiel Crooks (NewSouth
Books), a Sydney Taylor Honor Book and PJ Library Book. In 2010 a family musical based on Shlemiel Crooks premiered at Lincoln Center’s Merkin Hall in New York. Anna lives in the metropolitan New York area and is a literary agent with Liza Dawson Associates.
Anna’s website is www.olswanger.com.

Purchase Links: 

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Introducing "Perception" by Viviana Ware



Sometimes the difference between fact and fiction is vast... And sometimes it isn't.
In perception, a young woman struggles with survivor's guilt following the death of her father while simultaneously harboring the growing suspicion that something sinister has taken hold of her twin sister.




Read an Excerpt:  
********************
GENESIS

In the beginning, there was a single doe. It lay on an asphalt tree-lined road, its fragile body losing breath as quickly as the day had lost its light. Its black eyes, unfathomably deep, took in the sight of its surroundings- of the world it was born unto.
The stars and the moon that lit all of the nights before this, the windblown trees that shaded the warmest of days, the sharp green blades of grass and smooth scarlet skins of berries that fed the doe from birth ‘til now; all these things, the doe understood. All these things, it had come to cherish.
But on this night, there were other things present that the doe had no understanding of. Firstly, the pool of red spreading around it, warm and sticky and smelling of pine. Secondly, the mass of crushed metal and glass, glinting on the asphalt a little ways away. Thirdly, the girl looking back at it, meeting its black eyes with hers.
In the beginning, there was a single doe. But it was not alone. There was a girl. She lay on the asphalt tree-lined road, her broken body losing heat as quickly as the car had lost control. Her frosted sapphire eyes, incomparably hollow, watched the doe as its chest stopped half-rise. She could almost sense its spirit leave, slip out its mouth with its last breath.
As she laid there, her skin going cold and body going numb, she could hear nothing but the crickets. See nothing but the dim glare of the headlights fading into the night as the car battery neared death too.
She was next. She could feel it. The drifting, the sliding. The veil of darkness melting over her. She had never considered the feel of death, but she never thought it would feel like this. Nauseous, glacial.
For a moment, a long unending one, everything went silent, not even the murmur of her heartbeat to be heard. Then, as her eyes fell closed and the blackness of the inside of her lids painted over the blackness of the night, she heard it: her name whispered into the crisp air of the early spring night.
Like a gust of wind before a storm, a surge of momentarily silent crickets, birds, squirrels, bees, owls, wolves- the entirety of the woods it seemed- echoed to her all at once as her consciousness came sweeping back.
The girl’s eyes flickered open, slowly sliding across the asphalt to the pool of red where the doe had been laying breathlessly. It lay unblinking, its black eyes appearing reflective copper in what remained of the faint headlights; the same as they had been in front of the car before the halting collision.
The girl, laying there on the cold abandon asphalt road, blinked away tears as the heat in her body began to climb.  She had been afraid, terrified that she had been on the brink of death or that she had died altogether. But looking upon the doe, she saw what true death looked like. The girl was not dead. She was alive, slowly finding her breath again.

That girl- alone in the darkness on that cold spring night, hearing no sirens in the distance yet breathing more steadily with every passing moment- she was you.

********************

Note from publisher : This book contains some strong language and may not be suitable for younger teens.

Book Review ~"The Chronicles of Egg: New Lands" by Geoff Rodkey

The Chronicles of Egg: New Lands by Geoff Rodkey

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Source:  ARC~Received to Review
Genre: Middle Grade Action/Adventure

Book Description:  This highly anticipated sequel to Rodkey's much-praised debut is funny, heartfelt, and action-packed. Don't miss it! 
After a narrow escape from Deadweather Island, Egg and his slightly deranged partner Guts head for the remote New Lands. They’re in search of the lost Okalu tribe, who hold the key to the mysterious treasure map that Egg can't decipher. 
But the ruthless Roger Pembroke is hard on Egg's trail, and the New Lands are full of new enemies — against which our heroes only weapons are their brains, their courage...and the two dozen swear words Guts just memorized in the local tongue. 
They're going to need help. 
But who can they trust? 
Is Kira, the beautiful and heavily armed Okalu refugee, their ally…or their enemy? Is Pembroke's daughter Millicent on Egg's side…or her father's? Why on earth is the notorious pirate Burn Healy being so nice to them? And the biggest question of all: what shocking secret is Egg about to discover in the shadow of an ancient Okalu temple?


Beka's Thoughts:  The book New Lands is a continuation of the adventures of the 13-year-old boy named Egg.  Egg and his friend, named Guts, travel to a distant land supposedly filled to the brim with savages that would rip out your heart and ask questions later.  While searching for someone to translate the map that Egg's family was killed over, they meet many friends and enemies, even some friends that are enemies in disguise.  Adventure awaits and secrets are revealed in the second installment of the Chronicles of Egg.

The book was written for young teens.  Besides from some made-up foreign swear words, courtesy of Guts, the books contains no profanity.  It is very clean and well written.  Over all, I give the book 3.5 stars out of 5.





Apocalypse Cult Book Blast! (giveaway)






Apocalypse CultAPOCALYPSE CULT is the first book in the Gray Spear Society series. They are God's secret warriors, His henchmen, His assassins cloaked in shadows. When lives and souls are at risk, He sends the Gray Spear Society to save mankind. This time the enemy is the Church of One Soul, a cult that intends to kill thousands of unsuspecting tourists in Chicago. But this is merely the first step in plunging the world into a devastating war. The Society has only a few days to destroy their elusive foe, despite interference by overzealous federal agents.

  Purchase Apocalypse Cult: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks



About Alex Siegel

Alex Siegel Alex Siegel grew up a math and computer geek. At the age of twenty-five, he received a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Cornell. He continues to make a good living as a software developer in Chicago. In his late twenties, he took up creative writing as a serious pastime with the intention of eventually making it his career. This goal has been elusive, but failure is not an option. In 2001, his wife gave birth to triplet boys. People often ask him how he still finds time to write. In 2009, he began the Gray Spear Society series, and he hopes it will be his key to literary fame.
  Follow the Author: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest

Join us July 11 9PM - 10 PM EST Twitter HashTag #ApocalypseCultBookTour
July 19 Pinterest Event
 July 23 Video Chat on Literary Addicts July 31 - August 2 for our Social Media Event on Facebook. Come learn More about the author and win prizes Follow the Tour The author will be offering a $50 Amazon Gft Card to the giveaway winner. Fill out the form below to enter. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Blog Tour ~ "The Forgotten Ones" by Laura Howard (review/giveaway)



The Forgotten Ones (The Danaan Trilogy, #1)The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Received to review for this blog tour from  AToMR Tours
Genre:  New Adult Fairy/Fantasy

 Book Description: Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.


My thoughts: Allison lives with her schizophrenic mother and her grandparents. Her plans for her future are to take care of her mother and graduate from college. She prefers a solitary existence, a good book and time to herself and she is content.

Her bubble is burst when her long lost father shows up at her doorstep. Her mother has pined for him for 22 years, loosing herself in her mind. She learns of the Tuatha de Danaan. Her father is part of that world and the reason for her mother's mental state.

He tells her that he thinks he can help her mother become herself again. The only problem is that there is a very bad fay who is controlling the means for him to release her mother.

This book has intrigue, action, adventure, and a little bit of romance. I would like to see more of the relationship between Allison and Ethan, and I'm sure that will be the case in future books. Their relationship was just right for this book and gives me something to look forward to.

Laura Howard did a great job of creating her environment in both the human realm as well as the Daanan realm. I enjoyed her characters. She was able to pull me in to the story and leave me wanting to learn more.

The book is suitable for 16+. While there isn't any intimate situations, there is innuendo.









Purchase Links:  Barnes & Noble Amazon



About the Author:  Laura Howard lives in New Hampshire with her husband and four children. Her  obsession with books began at the age of 6 when she got her first library card. Nancy Drew, Sweet Valley High and other girly novels were routinely devoured in single sittings. Books took a backseat to diapers when she had her first child. It wasn’t until the release of a little novel called Twilight, 8 years later, that she rediscovered her love of fiction. Soon after, her own characters began to make themselves known. The Forgotten Ones is her first published novel.




Giveaway:  This giveaway is through AToMR Tours.  I am posting the information on the blog, but not running it.  All prizes and notifications will be coming from another source.

(1)   eBook copies of The Forgotten Ones – mobi format – International
(1)   $25 Amazon Gift Card – open to countries able to accept Amazon Gift Cards
(2)   Swag Pack: includes keychain, bookmark, and postcard



Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Introducing ~ "Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire" by Paul Ramey (giveaway)


The picturesque, historic town of St. Edmund has a secret... 

Tourism is a cut-throat business, as eccentric teen tour guide Edgar Wilde discovers. Even as he researches the town archive for dark tidbits, the two elderly birds on the local historical society are obstructing and threatening him. Is there something he should know?

Together with schoolmate Shelby Emerson, an unexpectedly witty "cool girl", and Anglophile cemetery caretaker Corinthian Harknell, Edgar embarks on a tantalizing quest involving centuries-old secrets, a forgotten witch trial, and a mysterious book of spells — the Lost Grimoire — that promises unimaginable power to the one who wields it.

$1.99 at both online stores!




About the Author:  Paul Ramey is a writer, graphic artist, musician, and unrepentant cemetery buff. He has just published his first novel, "Edgar Wilde and the Lost Grimoire." Other recently published works include a two-CD goth/rock musical album, "Veil & Subdue," and "Zen Salvador," a limited-edition book of zen-styled dog wisdom. He has also had numerous tourism-related articles published in Courier, the official magazine of the National Tour Association. Originally from Frankfort, Kentucky, Paul now lives in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife and child.


This giveaway is being handled through the publisher.  They will be notifying the winner and distributing the prizes.
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"My Own Mr Darcy" Cover Reveal







After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough.

Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place.


Add it to your goodreads to read list!





Karey White grew up in Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and Missouri. She attended Ricks College and Brigham Young University. Her first novel, Gifted, was a Whitney Award Finalist.

She loves to travel, read, bake treats, and spend time with family and friends. She and her husband are the parents of four great children. She teaches summer creative writing courses to young people and is currently working on her next book.

















Janessa folded her arms and looked at me for so long I started to squirm. “What?”
“I wish you’d look at yourself. You’re ruining your life with this stupid obsession.”
“I’m not obsessed.” I stood up quickly, nearly tipping my chair over. I rinsed my plate and put it in the dishwasher. I could feel Janessa’s eyes on me the entire time, but I refused to look at her. “And just because I’m not interested in this guy doesn’t mean my life is ruined.”
“Let me guess. Was he blond?”
“Knock it off.”
“Too short?”
“He wasn’t short. I’ve got to go.” I left the kitchen with Janessa on my heels.
“Was he too cheerful?”
“Oh brother. I’m not having this conversation with you.”
Janessa grabbed my arm and turned me toward her. “Yes, you are.”
“I’m going to be late for work.”
“Then we’d better talk fast.”
“I don’t have anything to say,” I said.
“Then I’ll talk. You listen. You have to start giving these guys a chance.”
I folded my arms tightly. “I give them a chance.”
“You give them one date, two at the most. But you’re not really giving them a chance because your mind’s already made up before you even go out.”
I was getting annoyed. “I don’t have time for this conversation again.” Janessa was practically reciting word for word what she’d said after my last date. And the one before that.
“Lizzie. If you don’t want to have the same conversation, do something different. Shake things up a little.” She smiled and did a little shimmy. I refused to smile no matter how silly she looked.
“How do you suggest I do that?”
“If this guy… What’s his name?”
“Chad.”
“If Chad calls you back, go out with him again.”
“I don’t see the point.”
“Did you get a serial killer vibe from him?”
“No, I got a nice-guy-that-doesn’t-deserve-to-be-led-on vibe from him.”
“Nice guys are good. So you’ll say yes, right?”
“If I’m not interested, it wouldn’t be fair to say yes.”
“Oh knock off the baloney. You haven’t been fair to a guy since high school. You’re just afraid if you get to know a guy, you might like him. And wouldn’t that be awful? Was Chad funny?”
“Yes, he was funny.”
“Handsome?”
I sighed. “I don’t know if I’d call him handsome, but he was cute.”
“Cute is good. Especially if he was funny. So go out with him again.”
“You act like it’s all up to me.” I walked to the closet and collected my purse. Like a tiger leaping on her prey, Janessa pounced at the bowl on the entry table and grabbed my car keys. “This isn’t funny, Janessa. I’m going to be late for work.”
“Then let’s make a deal. You agree to go out with him ten times before you toss him aside and I’ll give you your keys.”
“Ten times? No way.”
“That’ll give you time to get to know him.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“I’m serious, Lizzie. Ten is a good number. In that amount of time, you can make a real decision. Instead of one based on a stupid movie.”
Now Janessa was skipping through a minefield. “It’s not a stupid movie and I’ve got to go.”
“It’s the stupidest movie in the world if it ruins your life.”
“Nothing’s ruining my life and I’m going to be late. Give me my keys and we’ll talk about this later.” A little tussle ensued as I tried to rescue my keys from her clutches. I almost had them when she darted to the bathroom and shut the door hard and fast, locking it behind her. “This is real mature.”
“I don’t care about mature. You’re my best friend, Lizzie.  I love you and I’m trying to save you from yourself.”
I banged on the door. “Give me the keys. Now.” My voice had become shrieky.
“I’ll give you the keys as soon as you promise you’ll go out with him ten times.”
“I doubt he’ll ask me out again.”
“Why? Were you a jerk?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
I hesitated, knowing I hadn’t been very good company. “I’m pretty sure.”
“If he doesn’t ask you out, you have to ask him.”
“No way am I asking out a guy ten times. No way!”
“You just have to ask him out once. If he doesn’t return the favor you can move on. But you have to be nice to him and give him a reason to want to ask you out again.”
“This is the dumbest idea you’ve ever had.”
“Listen Liz, I’m doing this for you. Give a guy a chance before you give him the old heave-ho.”
I leaned my head on the door. “Just give me the keys. Please.” Now I was whining.
“You’re the one keeping yourself from your keys. And probably true love.”
I looked at my watch. Now I’d have to risk a speeding ticket or get to work five minutes late. I wasn’t sure which was worse—a ticket from a police officer or a tongue-lashing from Delia.
“Fine. I’ll go out with him again if he asks me.”
“And?”
“If he doesn’t ask me, I’ll ask him?”
“Right. And how many times will you go out with him?”
“Way too many,” I said under my breath.
“I can’t hear you.”
“Ten times. If he asks me.”
The door cracked open. “And you’ll be nice to him?”
“Whatever you say. Now give me the keys.”
Janessa emerged from the bathroom and triumphantly dropped my keys into my outstretched hand.
“You’re an idiot,” I said.
“An idiot that loves you and wants you to be happy,” she said. She turned and headed down the hall. “Someday you’ll thank me,” she sang.
“If I don’t kill you first.” I slammed the door behind me.







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