New Update!

Hello everyone. All of my Reviews, that I have yet to write, will be posted sporadically during the summer. After the end of this summer, I will not be posting on here anymore, as you will see the info on the right side of the blog.
Thanks for your understanding.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Wounded By: Jasinda Wilder *Book Excerpt & Giveaway*



Book Description

War has taken everything from me. My family. My home. My innocence. In a country blasted by war and wracked by economic hardship, a young orphan girl like me has very few options when it comes to survival. Thus, I do what I must to live, to eat, and I try very hard to not consider the cost to my soul. My heart is empty, and my existence brutal.

The one impossibility in my life is love.

And then I meet HIM.

War is hell. It takes a chunk out of a man's very soul to do the kinds of things war demands of you. You live with fear, you live with guilt, and you live with nightmares. If you haven't been through it, there's no understanding it. War leaves no room for love, no room for tenderness or softness. You gotta be hard, closed off, and ready to fight every moment of every day. Lose focus for a split second, and you're dead.

Now the only thing that can save me is HER.





Check Out This Book Excerpt

I have nothing to do but think. Nothing but memory and pain.
Derek is dead. It just hit me. I was too involved in the pain and in the mystery of Rania, but now, alone while she "works," all I have to do is feel the pain. Derek is dead.
God. He was my best friend. My only real friend. My brother. I've killed for him. We've stood over each other's bleeding bodies.
He's gone, but the pain won't let me cry. I can't. I don't know how anymore. After my parents died I wept, alone in a bathroom. I haven't since. Not for anything.
I won't cry for Derek, either. He wouldn't want me to. He'd tell me to get drunk in his memory. Bang a hot chick for him. Of course, none of that will happen now.

The reality of my situation is hitting me. I'm wounded, surrounded by insurgents. There's no sign of my unit. They might eventually come back for me, or at least to find my body. Until then, I'm stuck here. Reliant on this girl, this slip of a thing, this prostitute.
Rania. Her name is music. Her eyes are veiled pools of expression. She hides behind anger, behind toughness. It's all an act. I see the pain. See the fear. See the need. She's lonely. She hates what she does.

I think I confuse her as much as she does me.
She's back, cleaning herself up. It's a familiar pattern now. She returns from the building next door, a half-destroyed mosque, I think it's called. The irony of a prostitute operating in a bombed-out church isn't lost on me.


Author Links


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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles #2) By: Jillian Dodd *Guest Post & Giveaway*



Book Description

Title: Kiss Me (The Keatyn Chronicles, #2)

Author Name:  Jillian Dodd

Release date: November 28, 2012

Genre: Romance

Age Group: Mature Young Adult

Tour organized by: AToMR Tours

I've always written scripts for my perfect life.
But no way could I have ever scripted this.
My life is so far from perfect, it’s not even funny.
All because of a stalker.

I’m at a boarding school where I have to lie about who I am.
I can’t see my family.
I’m tutoring a Hottie God that tortures me with his smile.
The most popular girl already hates me.
But there’s this boy.
This hot, sweet, sexy boy.
So I’m going to stop trying to script my life and just live it.
Because who knows how long I have left.



Guest Post:  Damian
By Jillian Dodd

In the Keatyn Chronicles Addicts Facebook page, they have started referring to the boy that Keatyn ends up with as Moon Boy. In Stalk Me, Keatyn makes a wish on the moon. Asking for her perfect boy. In the KC series, she will get her wish and find that perfect boy. So the question becomes, why could Damian be Moon boy?

Damian is very romantic. He’s a soon-to-be rockstar. What is more Hollywood than a movie star actress and a hot rockstar together? He’s also been her best friend her whole life and is always there for her.

Could Damian be that boy? Here’s some reasons why he could be.

1.  She loves him. He is her very best friend.
2.  He’s always been there for her since they were little.
3.   He’s a romantic guy.
4.  He wrote a song about her eyes.
5.  He likes everything about her. How she’ll dance on stage with him one minute and surf with him the next.
6.  He understands her love of the spotlight.
7.  He understands Hollywood and its unique set of pressures.
8.  She confides in him.
9.  He is able to comfort her when no one else can.

Why he might not be Moonboy.

1.   He is in the friend zone.
2.   The song he wrote about her eyes, was about how they look in love with another guy.
3.  He’s friends with Brooklyn, her ex.
4.  They’re more like brother and sister than future lovers.

Why he’s not good for her right now.
1.   He’s out on tour.
2.   She can’t see him because of the stalker.




About The Author
Jillian Dodd grew up on a farm in Nebraska, where she developed a love for Midwestern boys and Nebraska football. She has drank from a keg in a cornfield, attended the University of Nebraska, got to pass her candle, and did have a boy ask her to marry him in a bar. She met her own prince in college, and they have two amazing children, a Maltese named Sugar Bear, and two Labrador puppies named Camber Lacy and Cali Lucy.
She is the author of the That Boy Trilogy and The Keatyn Chronicles Series.



Her Social Media Links









Check Out These Two Giveaways :)





Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Fields of Elysium By: A.B. Whelan *Book Blast*


Fields of Elysium by A.B. Whelan

How can love mend a heart full of hate?

Small town girl, Molly Bennett, moves to Los Angeles where she becomes an outsider while attending Beverly Hills High School. It seems life cannot be any more dreadful. Then one day after school, something magical happens. On a secluded hike in the Hollywood Hills, Molly chases her disobedient mutt and only friend into a hidden cavern. She stumbles upon a strange glimmering gateway that transports her to Arkana, a planet that is the cradle of an advanced human race. There, teenagers navigate amazing flying vehicles, compete in perilous games for glory, and possess supernatural powers. While Molly tries to wrap her mind around this unbelievable discovery, she meets the alluring and mysterious Victor Sorren. He is a Sentinel Apprentice, whose hatred toward people from Earth is beyond understanding. Yet every time Victor unpredictably saves Molly's life, his heart draws closer to hers, no matter how much he tries to fight against it. It further complicates things that their growing friendship is strictly forbidden. Earth people are prohibited in Arkana, yet Molly continues to cross through the portal to Arkana to see Victor. Torn between their double lives, they go down a dangerous path, from where there is no return and multiple endings.

Fields of Elysium is a suspenseful, romantic tale full of forbidden secrets, unimaginable danger, deception, and the never-ending fight for true love.




PRAISE

"The novel's take on otherworldly travel is a compelling one, and the romantic plot will likely appeal to Twilight fans." - Kirkus Reviews

"I expected a good love story with a paranormal twist. I got so much more. I think you should take the chance and read it. Let this book take you on the adventure, fall in love." - Young Adult and Teen Readers

"Fields of Elysium is a fabulous read. ... Whelan paints her faith into the fabric of her story with deft, light brushstrokes, making her work accessible to all, no matter their spiritual beliefs or background." - Readers Favorite

"I escaped into this fantasy world, author, A.B.Whelan, created and I didn’t want Molly to go. From detailed descriptions, to sweet romance, and to all the twist and turns in the story, it had me captivated from page one." - Mary Ting, author of the Crossroads Saga

"Whelan's writing is very vivid and descriptive. It's more formal than the average YA novel, but I enjoyed the lyrical and mesmerizing quality to it. I thought the overall story read like a fairy tale--very sweet." - Megan Thomason, author of Daynight







Author A.B. Whelan

A.B.Whelan is a Hungarian born, American writer. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Southern California.
While growing up in a wealthy Eastern European family, she had a chance to travel Europe. Later as an adult, she visited Africa and the Middle East and lived in Ecuador and in Crete.









Tour Schedule





$50 Book Blast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash plus a gift bag of one signed copy of Fields of Elysium, a scrabble-tile pendant with a butterfly image on a chain necklace, and a fridge magnet.

Ends 3/11/13

Gift Bag open to US only.  If winner is international they will receive only the gift card or paypal cash.
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.


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Blog Tour Stop: Omega Penton Vampire Legacy, Book 3 By: Susannah Sandlin *Interview, Reviews & Giveaways*




First...Check Out My Interview With
The Author :)



Tell us a little about you : )
I’m a Southern girl who’s lived in Alabama, Texas, and Louisiana—plus three odd years in northern Illinois thrown in for variety, where everyone made fun of my accent. (What accent?) My “day-job” career is in university magazine work. Let’s see…I hate to cook, have an unholy addiction to Diet Coke, work too many hours, and have two elderly furkids, Shane and Tanker.

What inspired you to write Omega?
I’d always envisioned the story arc for the Penton Legacy series culminating with Omega, where my town of peaceful vampires and humans is literally forced underground in order to survive. It’s kind of an apocalyptic scenario, and an interesting setting for the love story between the hero and heroine, who each have to fight their way out from behind the walls they’ve put up even as they’re fighting their way out of this underground prison they’ve made for themselves. I also wanted to write a paranormal romance where the story didn’t play second-fiddle to the romance. They’re equal partners.

How long did it take to write?
Omega was written on a very tight deadline, in about two months. Four months is a good pace for me for a full-length novel; three is doable. Two was insane!

Do you mostly write during the day or night? Or whenever?
Since I do have a pretty demanding full-time day job, I keep to a very rigid writing schedule at night. Usually 7-11 p.m. seven nights a week, plus an extra four-eight hours on Saturday and Sunday.

In general, how do you come up with your story ideas?
They usually come to me when I’m not actively trying to think of them. I read magazines that are my “idea incubators”—Science News, National Geographic, Smithsonian. When I read an article, I look to see if it has potential for a paranormal spin.

Which character(s) were the most fun writing?
I always fall in love with my characters at some point in the writing. Mirren and Glory (the hero and heroine of Absolution) were probably the most fun to write because they’re such polar opposites. He’s this big, short-tempered grouch of a vampire with a violent past; she’s a human chatterbox who isn’t intimidated by him in the least. And that equals fireworks.  

Did you have to research, and if yes, how was that process?
I do quite a bit of research as I write. Even though I’m writing a paranormal romance, I want the details to be as right as I can make them. I’m working with a couple of attorney friends right now to ensure a legal detail about my work in progress is right. I want to know how buckshot could be laced with poison to damage a vampire. How much a 17th-century Scottish battle sword weighs (Mirren’s weapon of choice) and how it’s wielded. All kinds of research! Fortunately, the Internet has made research much, much easier.

What do you want readers to get from your story?
I always seem to come back to the same themes in my writing, whether it’s this series or the urban fantasy series I write under another name: real family has nothing to do with DNA; own your feelings; forgiveness.

When did you first realize that you wanted to become a writer?
I was on a pre-med track in high school, but in my senior year I got really interested in writing (bad) poetry and co-founded my school’s literary magazine. I ended up with college degrees in English lit because I loved it and journalism because it would make me employable. Which is pretty much how it worked out.

How long have you been writing?
I’ve been working as a journalist for a long time, but only began writing fiction in 2009. I was living in New Orleans at the time of Hurricane Katrina, and decided to try my hand at an urban fantasy novel set in the city during that time. I caught the fiction-writing bug big-time and was fortunate to find an agent and a publisher for that book, Royal Street, which became the first in an urban fantasy series.

Is there a place you especially like to write? Ultimate place to write?
I can write anywhere, but ideally I’m in my home office on my own laptop with my iTunes cranked up. I stayed at a cottage in Cedar Key, Florida, last year that has become my dream writing spot. I’d like to rent it for three or four months and just write and watch the birds and wildlife.

What are you currently working on?
I’m working on a serial novel that’s a loose spinoff of Omega, although it doesn’t have any of the same characters. It’s a paranormal-romantic suspence novel called Storm Force, and it will be released initially in episodes as a Kindle serial beginning March 19, and in July will be released as a complete novel. For the serial, you “subscribe” for $1.99 and every two weeks get a new episode at no extra charge delivered to your Kindle. The first episode comes out on March 19. Or you can wait until July and buy the complete novel in print, digital or audio just like any other book. It’s an interesting process!

For aspiring writers, do you have any advice for them?
I’ve said this a lot, and I don’t think anyone really believes me—LOL. And that’s that you really need to decide how badly you want to pursue writing as a career rather than a hobby. It takes a lot of sacrifice, long hours, and hard work. Chances are good that you will struggle. You will likely not get rich or be able to support yourself on your writing alone. People are always waiting in the wings to tear down your work, so develop a thick hide. If you can handle all that, the rewards are amazing.

What are your favorite genres to read?
I’m really a promiscuous reader. I tend toward urban fantasy and paranormal romance, but I also love dystopian fiction, and read a good bit of nonfiction as well.

What are you currently reading?
Currently, I’m reading a romantic suspense novel (see, I told you I was promiscuous), Blank Slate by Tiffany Snow, one of my fellow authors at Montlake Romance. I started reading it to see how it was organized since it’s also coming out as a serial, and then got hooked.

All time favorite film that you can see endlessly, and you have practically memorized all the lines?
(Spoken in imperious, deep voice) You. Shall. Not. Pass! Yes, it’s Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Beautiful movies that I could watch forever and still not see everything.  

Favorite guilty pleasure television show?
Currently, I’m obsessed with a show on Animal Planet called Gator Boys. Yes, I’m a reality-show geek.

Location of place you have never visited, but really want to go to someday?
Alaska! I find it fascinating and am forever watching all those “Last Frontier” shows. Outside the U.S., Scotland. I really, really need to go to Scotland. Really.

- Fall or Winter?
Fall—summers are so hot in the south that the first cool breeze of fall is invigorating. And then we’re wusses when cold weather comes.

- Hot Chocolate, Tea or Coffee?
Coffee. I love my coffee.

- Mac or PC?
I’m bilingual. I use Mac at the day job and a PC at home. I’d probably go all-Mac if they weren’t so expensive.

- England or Scotland? : )
About 90 percent of my ancestors were from Scotland and there are some of the old Sandilands (Sandlin) castles still standing near Edinburgh. So I really, really do need to go to Scotland!

- Print or E-Book?
Both. Until a friend gave me a Kindle for Christmas a few years ago I said I’d never want an ereader. Now, I actually prefer it, although for authors or books I really like, I want print.

- Middle Earth or Hogwarts?
I can only choose one? Sigh. I love Middle Earth, but I’d probably choose Hogwarts. I want a Room of Requirement.

- Frozen Yogurt or Ice Cream?
Ice cream. Preferably, Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla.

- Sunny or Rainy Weather?
Depends on whether I have to go anywhere. If I’m writing or hanging out at home, I like a rainy day.

- Christmas or New Years?
Christmas. I’m a total loser on New Year’s. I spent it writing this year, and protecting my dogs from fireworks, which they were convinced were gunshots. 


Book Descriptions (1-3)
REDEMPTION
Book One Penton Legacy series
By Susannah Sandlin

Following a worldwide pandemic whose vaccine left human blood deadly to vampires, the vampire community is on the verge of starvation and panic. Some have fanned into rural areas, where the vaccine was less prevalent, and are taking unsuspecting humans as blood slaves. Others are simply starving, which for a vampire is worse than death—a raging hunger in a creature too weak to feed.

Immune to these struggles—at first—is Penton, a tiny community in rural Chambers County, Alabama, an abandoned cotton mill town that has been repopulated by charismatic vampire Aidan Murphy, his scathe of 50 vampires, and their willingly bonded humans. Aidan has recruited his people carefully, believing in a peaceful community where the humans are respected and the vampires retain a bit of their humanity.

But an unresolved family feud and the paranoia of the Vampire Tribunal descend on Penton in the form of Aidan’s brother, Owen Murphy. Owen has been issued a death warrant that can only be commuted if he destroys Penton—and Aidan, against whom he’s held a grudge since both were turned vampire in 17th-century Ireland.  Owen begins a systematic attack on the town, first killing its doctor, then attacking one of Aidan’s own human familiars

To protect his people, Aidan is forced to go against his principles and kidnap an unvaccinated human doctor—and finds himself falling in love for the first time since the death of his wife in Ireland centuries ago. 

Dr. Krystal Harris, forced into a world she never knew existed, must face up to her own abusive past to learn if the feelings she’s developing for her kidnapper are real—or just a warped, supernatural kind of Stockholm Syndrome in which she’s allowing herself to become a victim yet again.

Susannah Sandlin’s REDEMPTION is the first in the Penton Legacy series. Book two, ABSOLUTION, will be out September 18, and book three, OMEGA, on December 18.




ABSOLUTION
The Penton Legacy, Book 2
By Susannah Sandlin

Release date: October 9, 2012
Publisher: Montlake Romance

Book Description:

With the vampire world on the brink of civil war over the scarcity of untainted human blood, battle lines are being drawn between the once peaceful vampire and human enclave of Penton, Alabama, and the powerful Vampire Tribunal.

A Scottish gallowglass warrior turned vampire in the early 17th century, Mirren Kincaid once served the Tribunal as its most creative and ruthless executioner—a time when he was known as the Slayer. But when assigned a killing he found questionable, Mirren abandoned the Tribunal’s political machinations and disappeared—only to resurface two centuries later as the protector and second-in-command of Penton. Now the Tribunal wants him back on their side—or dead.

To break their rogue agent, they capture Glory Cummings, the descendant of a shaman, and send her to restore Mirren’s bloodthirsty nature. But instead of a monster, Glory sees a man burdened by the weight of his past. Could her magic touch—meant by the tribunal to bring out a violent killer—actually help Mirren break his bonds and discover the love he doesn’t believe he deserves?

It’s a town under siege, a powerful warrior in a battle with his past, and one woman who can make the earth move—literally—as the Penton Legacy continues.




Omega
Penton Vampire Legacy, Book 3
Susannah Sandlin

Genre: Paranormal Romance

Publisher: Montlake Romance

Date of Publication: February 5, 2013

ISBN: 978-1612183596
ASIN: B0073XV3L2

Number of pages: 328
Word Count: approx. 88,000

Amazon        Barnes & Noble        Book Depository

Book Description:

The bloody war between the Vampire Tribunal and the defiant scathe of Penton, Alabama, rages on, forcing its residents and their bonded humans to retreat into the underground fortress of last resort: Omega. There, Will Ludlam is charged with the care of Penton's humans, though he longs to fight alongside his vampire brethren. He knows the risks: as the renegade son of the Tribunal's vicious leader, Will's capture could doom the resistance.

Yet he is determined to prove his worth to his adopted scathe, to his vengeful father and to former US Army officer Randa Thomas, his beautiful, reluctant partner. Randa has little faith that a former member of the vampire elite has what it takes to fight a war. But as their enemies descend upon Omega, Will's polished charm and Randa's guarded heart finally give way to the warrior within.

Fans of Susannah Sandlin's Penton Legacy are sure to devour this long-awaited third installment of the steamy paranormal series.          


About The Author

Susannah Sandlin is the author of paranormal romance set in the Deep South, where there are always things that go bump in the night. A journalist by day, Susannah grew up in Alabama reading the gothic novels of Susan Howatch and the horror fantasy of Stephen King. (Um…it is fantasy, right?) The combination of Howatch and King probably explains a lot. Currently a resident of Auburn, Alabama, Susannah has also lived in Illinois, Texas, California, and Louisiana.





Indie Bound: http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781612183541


Giveaway 1: Tour-Wide



Giveaway 2: On This Blog
(Details & Rules)


- This is an US/INT Giveaway!
- Ends March 3rd!
- The Winner Will Be picked by Rafflecopter!
- Upon who wins, the winner will have the choice of a Print/E-Book/Audio Copy of 1 Book from this Series...but the Print Copy is for one that resides in the US.
- I will be Checking the Entries Regularly, so if there is Cheating, those Entries Will be Disqualified
- As you submit Entries, be sure to use an Email that you use Daily, as that is how I will contact you, if you Win.
- You will have 24 hours to Respond, or I will have to Choose a New Winner!
- And Good Luck! :)

*Come back to this post, when the Giveaway is over, to see who won. I usually do Tweet as well*

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Against My Will By: Benjamin Berkley *Review & Giveaway*


Book Description
(From Goodreads)

Rose is a young girl and has just been liberated from a Nazi death camp. As she is convalescing in the hospital, a nurse hands her a journal and suggests that she records her experience before she forgets. Rose says that she will "never forget." 70 years later, her grand -daughter Danielle discovers the journal entries. Danielle is struggling in an abusive relationship. And the two lives intersect. This is the story of survival, self- discovery, justice, and ultimately about love.



About The Author
(From Goodreads)
“Against My Will” is Benjamin Berkley’s fifth book and debut novel. He is also the author of four self-help books: “My Wishes, Your Plan for Organizing Your Family’s Needs” (Sourcebooks, June, 2006) “The Complete Executor’s Guide” (Sourcebooks, June 2007) “Winning Your Social Security Disability Case” (Sourcebooks, February, 2008) and “Before You Say I Do Again, A Buyer’s Beware Guide to Remarriage.” (Frederick Fell Publishers, September, 2009).

And though writing is his passion, for over 34 years he has conducted a busy law practice in which he has seen many interesting clients come through his door. One in particular, an older woman with white hair, the kindest smile, and an amazing story became the inspiration for one of his characters for “Against My Will.” Berkley lives in southern California with his wife Phyllis and their cat Riley. He has two grown children and is always bragging about his most beautiful grandson and granddaughter.






My Mini Review

Against My Will, was such a good story. There were a lot of interesting and hard real life situations that were issued here, including being in an abusive relationship. The story mainly revolves around Danielle, and she is the one that is in a horrible marriage, but she shows strength, by getting away, and how she does that, was great. She's one that was obedient, doing what she was told, but finally she stands up for herself, and moves away from her husband, her family, to the West Coast, and builds a new life, and finds a love, that just shines the rest of the story. Alongside Danielle's story, we also read journal entries from her great-grandmother, Rose, entries from decades before, and her story is great as well, and those two stories intertwined was written really well, and for me, the story ended on a really wonderful note :)

My Rating: 4/5
Mildly R-Rated (17-18+)


Giveaway Details & Rules

*Read This: 
The book is available for giveaway in print and PDF.  Winners must be in the U.S. or Canada to receive the book in print, but they have their choice of which format, print or PDF. 
International winners will receive the PDF version of the book.


- This Giveaway Ends March 3rd!
- The Winner Will Be picked by Rafflecopter!
- Please Be At Least 17-18, as there is Mature Content!
- I will be Checking the Entries Regularly, so if there is Cheating, those Entries Will be Disqualified
- As you submit Entries, be sure to use an Email that you use Daily, as that is how I will contact you, if you Win.
- You will have 24 hours to Respond, or I will have to Choose a New Winner!
- And Good Luck! :)

*Come back to this post, when the Giveaway is over, to see who won. I usually do Tweet as well*

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