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Kimberly’s review of Hunting the Shadows by Alexis Reed

Hunting The Shadows
AUTHOR: Alexia Reed
PUBLICATION DATE:   05/07/12
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
Amy has spent her life in isolation. Locked away in the Centre, a secret government facility where children with extraordinary abilities are raised as highly skilled fighters, she longs for a normal life. A life where being around people doesn’t overload her sensitive telepathic mind. A life where she can’t see through the eyes of a murderer as he hunts down his next victim…

J.C. Nikolaiev was a top researcher, but when his conscience got the better of him, he tried to destroy his work and free his subjects—and was imprisoned as a traitor. To save himself and prevent more people from dying, J.C. must catch the serial killer stalking the halls of the facility. But his only leads come from a woman whose thoughts have invaded his mind…

Finally out of the psych ward, Amy joins forces with J.C. to find the killer before he closes in on them. Can their growing attraction withstand the truths they uncover?

REVIEW:
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. This seems to be the first book by this author and I was not sure what to expect but this book had the feel of Christine Feehan’s “GhostWalkers” series. At first when I read the synopsis I wondered if it was going to be a take off of Feehan’s books but this book really stands alone and while it has the same feel to it the fact is this book can only be compared to “GhostWalkers” because it is set in an institution and there is telepathy being used. That being said if you enjoy the “GhostWalkers” series you can not miss this book. I can imagine Reed’s writing evolving to become a very well known name in the paranormal world. This book had excitement, romance and suspense. I did not want to miss a word of it. Yes, I do believe Reed has some work to do to reach the pinnacle of say someone like Feehan but I believe she could do it in time.

The character of Amy is simplistic and yet intriguing. She has so many talents and yet has been locked away her whole life so while she can kill a man with her mind she has never touched grass and the joy she gets from doing that is endearing. J.C. is an interesting character. While you can sense how he feels for Amy there are a number of times you wonder if he really is on her side or is he just being “a company man” and doing what he has to do. I would have been happier to if I had met more of the background players and they had been given more of a storyline since I found it easy to identify the killer pretty early. I enjoyed the intimate communication between Amy and J.C. very much and wish there had been a little more of it in the personal setting and not just in time of stress but the few times we heard the personal conversations I feel it brought more connection to the couple.

This is a really good book and if you like romantic suspense then you will really like this book. I look forward to watching the growth of this author and can’t wait to see where she takes her career.

4 Hearts


REVIEWED BY: Kimberly

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The Guardian Angelinos Series by Roxanne St. Claire

Taken to the Edge (The Guardian Angelinos 0.5)

Prequel for the first installment of The Guaradian Angelinos series, Edge of Sight.

Librarian’s Note: this is a free novella offered by Roxanne St. Claire on her website.
ebook, 23 pages Find Free read HERE

Edge of Sight

The Guardian Angelinos #1

The killer she can’t escape . . .
The heartbreak she can’t forget . . .
The one man who can stop them both.

When Samantha Fairchild witnesses a murder in the wine cellar of the restaurant where she works, the Harvard-bound law student becomes the next target of a professional assassin. Desperate for protection the authorities won’t provide, Sam seeks help from Vivi Angelino, an investigative reporter who recruits her brother, Zach, to protect Samantha. A Special Forces vet with the scars to prove he’s equally fearless and flawed, Zach takes the job, despite the fact that he and Sam once shared a lusty interlude that ended when he left for war and disappeared from her life. Now, as they crack a conspiracy that leads to Boston’s darkest corners, Sam and Zach must face their fears, desires, and doubts, before a hired killer gets a second shot..

Shiver of Fear

The Guardian Angelinos #2

The legacy that haunts her . . .

The mystery she must solve . . .

A man who threatens to reveal her secrets . . .

and break her heart.

Burned by a failed marriage, former FBI agent Marc Rossi wants back in the investigation game with no emotional strings attached. Taking an assignment for his enterprising Angelino cousins, he heads to Northern Ireland to pry a key piece of evidence from a missing socialite-any way he can. But when the ice queen turns out to be warm, beautiful, and on a secret mission of her own, the job becomes a passionate reminder of what happens when duty and desire mix. The daughter of an infamous fugitive, Devyn Sterling has survived betrayal only to find that her mother has mysteriously disappeared. When her search uncovers secrets, lies, and threats, Devyn and Marc must trust each other when every instinct says they can’t . . . and a terrorist wants to make sure they won’t live to try

Face of Danger

The Guardian Angelinos #3

Private investigator Vivi Angelino loves living life on the edge, but stepping into the shoes of a movie starlet to bait a serial killer isn’t just a thrill . . . it’s a ticket to the big time for her fledgling security firm. That is, as long as a certain risk-averse FBI agent stays out of her way-and out of her fantasies.

Assistant Special Agent in Charge Colton Lang isn’t above using his well-worn rulebook to stop Vivi’s latest walk on the wild side. But when they learn her client is involved in something far more insidious than bad acting, Vivi and Colt must work together despite the electrifying attraction arcing between them. For each new clue is bringing them closer to a high-profile crime with a dark and deadly truth at its core . . . and a cold, calculating murderer with nothing left to lose.

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Review of Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution by Daniel Armand

Adam Orser: The Chronicles of Evolution
by Daniel Armand
Paperback
Publisher: Two Harbors Press
Price: $17.95
ISBN: 9781937928100
Pages: 312
Release: April 2, 2012

Amazon buy link | Barnes&Noble.com buy link

Adam Orser seems to be a regular guy, leading a fairly successful life in Toronto as a psychologist with a loving girlfriend, Jazmin.

But there is nothing ordinary about Adam.

Fate interrupts his planned marriage proposal, and a serious car accident thrusts him into a metaphysical reality behind a deep coma that holds his physical body in check. Through an advanced system of training and evolution created by the celestial realm, Adam is called to a dangerous mission with profound implications for the world he knows, and life and death consequences for one missing nine-year old girl, who is no ordinary kidnapped child. Fantastical forces are at work on both sides of the veil between the world we recognize and those yet to be discovered.

Destiny compels Adam to freely choose the part he will play in a no-limits competition between good and evil. Questions of existence, causality, and truth converge as Adam struggles to find his way back to Jazmin and a life that will never be the same.

Review by Brooke Marie

This book starts out with just a simple scene and soon develops around a funny character named Adam Orser, a funny man who doubles as a smart psychologist. This book flips between multiple characters but they are all connected within a web, they all tie back to Adam. When a kidnapping case evolves in the story needing his experience with the criminal pychi, Adam is called away at a tender moment with his beloved Jazmin. On the way Adam is in a terrible car accident that leaves him in a coma. While he is in the coma he finds out the truth behind many things while the outside world waits for his return. Adam learns this isn’t the first life he lead. He learns this from what he recognizes as angels. When a young man, an ex-lover of Jazmin’s, shows up at the hospital where Jazmin is waiting for Adam to awaken, he tells Jazmin that Adam will wake up different then before-knowing things that he shouldn’t know, being able to change and do things that no one should be able to. Jazmin doesn’t believe him at first but much to her surprise, this young man spoke truth. Why is Adam at the center of the web? How does he learn these amazing things from his dream angels? Find out in Daniel Armand’s “Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution.’

Just like everything in the world this is only an opinion, some might love or hate this book and that is up to you. Though I found this book enjoyable, but confusing. This was a very good book, with a very interesting idea that has yet to be overdone. Adam starts out as a very funny, out-spoken person, and we watch him slowly learn and become something far greater. Adam becomes knowledgeable. This book was well written but if you are looking for an easy read I don’t believe this is the book for you. While reading you need to be very focused because the book changes stories and characters and you aren’t always able to pick up the change into much later. So in that the book could have been clearer, but then pieces you read are very good, riddle-like.  After a while you start to get the rhythm of the changes but it still can be confusing at times. Nonetheless this was a good book, you grow to want more-connect the web if you will.

Claps for Mr. Daniel Armand’s “Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution.”

 

 

Daniel Armand Bio:

Daniel Armand lives in Toronto, Ontario. His inspiration behind Adam Orser: Chronicles of Evolution originated during the summer of 1983, after a near death encounter offered an incredible insight into the obscured aspects of life, love, and the progression of the human spirit.

Daniel is currently working on the next novel of the Adam Orser saga. “I truly hope this novel will help inspire readers all over the globe, to embrace their spirituality. It is through clarity of mind and understanding that we may one day ‘bloom’ into harmony and unlock our limitless potential.”

 

Two Harbors Press website | Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook |  Adam Orser: The Chronicles of Evolution blog tour site 

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Interview with Annette Gisby

Can you please share with us a little about yourself
I grew up in a small town in Northern Ireland and moved to London with my family when I was seventeen. It was a lot different to small town life. My family moved back, but I’d already met and fallen in love with my soon-to-be husband, John, so I stayed in London. We lived in London for quite a while after we were married, but recently we moved to the outskirts of Basingstoke in Hamsphire. It has the best of both worlds, we don’t have to travel too far for shops, cinema or theatre and the countryside is only minutes away as well. Our house is overflowing with books (mostly read by me) and music (mostly listened to by John). We have enough books and CDs to open a small shop.

 Have you always wanted to be an author?

I’ve always wanted to tell stories. When I was a little girl, I made up stories in my head an used my dolls to act them out. As I got older, I started writing them down so that I would always have something to read later. In the small town I grew up in, there were no bookshops and a small library. It didn’t take me long to go through the library’s selection!

Who are some of your favorite writers? Who do you feel has influenced your writing?

As a teenager I read a lot of Stephen King’s books. I wouldn’t say his stories had a big influence on me, as I don’t write a lot of horror, but his author’s notes and his non-fiction book, ‘On Writing’ did. Reading that book was like reading about myself. At the moment some of my favourite writers are Carol Berg and Lynn Flewelling for fantasy, S. J. Bolton, Phil Rickman and Sarah Rayne for thrillers, some of which have a supernatural bent as well. I also like Elizabeth Chadwick for her medieval historical.

How did you get into writing in this specific genre?  Have you ever thought about writing in a different genre?

I knew I wanted The Chosen to be either fantasy or with a fairy-tale element, but it becoming a male/male romance happened a bit my accident. I wanted to write a fairy tale for adults. I had the prince, Severin, and I thought he needed a princess to rescue. I could picture Severin quite clearly, but I couldn’t get a feel for the princess at all. Instead, I kept being haunted by a handsome slave called Havyn. That’s who Severin wanted to rescue, not a princess. Once I’d finally figured out that Severin was gay, the story flowed much better.

I have written other genres, I never think of a book’s genre as I’m writing it. I let the characters tell their stories and worry about what genre it might be later. Genres don’t define my writing, the characters do. I’ve written mysteries, suspense, erotica, romance, science-fiction, paranormal and everything in between.

What are some of your writing rituals?

I use a kitchen timer that I set for an hour or two at a time and during that time I do nothing but write. No checking emails, no browsing the web. If I really need to research something, I just leave a note in the text and carry on writing. Then I can go back and fill in the bit that I needed to research. It’s amazing how much you get done without any distractions.

Can you please tell us about your latest book(s)?

The Chosen is a male/male fantasy romance. Here is the blurb:

Love or duty – which would you choose?

Prince Severin has been brought up to put duty before all else. Now, his duty is to marry and produce an heir. He has his choice of princesses. Unfortunately, his passion is for princes.

Havyn has been a slave all his life. When his powers are discovered, he finds himself purchased and freed by a Prince and apprenticed to the royal wizard, Ildar. His duty is to stay chaste to keep his powers strong. Unfortunately, his passion is for Severin.

With kingdoms at war, the throne hanging in the balance, and magic in the air, can the two men find happiness together, or is duty more important than love?

How did you come with the idea for this story?

I already answered that one above 🙂 Instead, here is a small extract from the book:

“What is going on in here?” demanded Ildar from the doorway. “Severin? What are you doing with my apprentice?”

“Iri and I were just sorting out Havyn’s new wardrobe,” said Severin, waving to Havyn that he could get dressed again. Havyn quickly pulled on the tunic and leggings Ildar had given him on his first night at the palace. A fierce blush heated his cheeks.

“Havyn is my apprentice!” snapped Ildar. “He is my responsibility. Furs and velvets? Silks? A wizard has no need for all of that. I will ensure Havyn gets all the clothing he needs, not you.”

Havyn wondered how the wizard could talk back so forcefully to a prince without worrying about execution. Maybe wizards had no fear of death.

“He’s my responsibility,” protested Severin, his hands on his hips as he stared the wizard down. “I bought him. He’s mine!”

Can you share with us your current work(s) in progress?

Far too many! I get lots of ideas at once and take ages to settle down to one. At the moment there is a murder mystery set at a boarding school (also an m/m romance), a romantic suspense (m/f) that is under consideration at a new publisher since the rights have reverted back to me, and a couple of more m/m romances that are on the back-burner. I have an m/m erotica story, Of Pets and Pleasures, out in an anthology with Excessica Publishing which is also available as a stand-alone short story

What would you be if you were not an author?

Probably a librarian or running a bookshop. It would have to be something to do with books.

What is in your To Read Pile that you are dying to start or upcoming release you can’t wait for?

I am eagerly awaiting Casket of Souls by Lynn Flewelling, the final part of the Nightrunner series. It’ll be a pity to see it end, but once I have the whole set I can re-read them all again.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

My author page is here:

http://annettegisby.blogspot.co.uk/

I have a blog with reviews and interviews here:

http://booksandtales.blogspot.co.uk/

and a goodreads page here:

http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/252221.Annette_Gisby

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Guest blogger: Kathleen Jahs

Why was it important that your main character be a female – how does she retain her femininity in a masculine environment, and why would women readers be drawn to your book?

The situations and challenges that Bridget Donovan and Audrey Richards face in Black Wings are unique to females. Bridget and Audrey are trailblazers at the Naval Academy; they arrive in 1986, only six years after the first women had graduated. Bridget and Audrey continue to tread new ground in the Navy fleet—Bridget as a public affairs officer and Audrey as one of the first female combat pilots. Because of those experiences, it was important that their point of view and perspective as females inform the narrative. The story is universal and intended for male and female readers, but the time period demanded a female voice.

As a 1988 Naval Academy graduate, my experiences of school and the Navy were complicated. Initially, I had no intention of writing about the military. The defense world seemed too foreign to readers, too personal, too difficult to describe. I found I was hiding behind these excuses. Once I started writing fiction in a military setting, I was drawn in fast. I wanted to understand the women and tell their stories. Given the growing numbers of women in the military and the growing involvement of the military in global affairs, understanding the humanity of women (and men) in that world is important to our understanding of people and society.

Throughout Black Wings, Bridget and Audrey work hard to retain their femininity. They are (literally) surrounded by men from the moment they take the oath of enlistment during plebe summer. While immersed in male culture, they are never completely integrated. The separation is both physical–different uniforms/different haircuts, but also mental. With combat exclusion laws in place, women had different choices and different requirements for graduation.

In their attempts to preserve their female self, Audrey is more audacious. She is strong, resolute, and fiercely confident. She takes pride in her auburn hair and sculpted muscles and maintains her grooming and uniforms to highlight her physique. She also refuses to accept any limits to her sex. She wants to fly at any cost. She routinely beats the guys in push-ups, spouts off at her male classmates, and defies the odds and the stereotypes. Along the way this approach causes her some problems. When she’s faced with a uniquely female problem, she’s trapped. She turns to Bridget for help.

Bridget retains her femininity in different ways. She feels the separation and is aware that she is not and never will be “one of the guys,” but she doesn’t fight it. She hangs out with guys, maintains relationships, busies herself with her studies and continues to ask questions and search for answers.

I’ve been told from female readers that they enjoy Black Wings because of the chance to look behind the walls of the US Naval Academy and be immersed in the world of Navy aviation. Only 100 or so women enroll in the US Naval Academy each year and fewer than that graduate. Black Wings delves into those experiences but also speaks to universal choices, feelings, hurts and friendship struggles all women face.

 
Black Wings
ISBN: 9780984141272
Pages: 314
Release: December 2011
Price: $19.95 paperback, $9.99 ebook

Amazon paperback buy link | Amazon Kindle buy link | Barnes&Noble.com Nook buy link | Fuze Publishing paperback buy link

Summary:

LT Bridget Donovan suspects the worst when her former Naval Academy roommate, Audrey Richards, perishes in a botched take-off from an aircraft carrier. The Navy says it’s an accident, but facts don’t add up. Could it be suicide, or murder? Donovan’s unofficial investigation into what really happened, both during their past Academy days and in Richards’ final hours, forces her to examine the concepts of honor, justice and the role of loyalty in pursuit of those ideals.

Kathleen Toomey Jabs’ Bio:

Kathleen Toomey Jabs is a 1988 graduate of the United States Naval Academy. She served on active duty for six years and is currently a Captain in the Navy Reserve. She holds an MA from the University of New Hampshire and an MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University. Her stories have been published in a number of literary journals and received several prizes, including selection in the National Public Radio Selected Shorts program. She lives with her husband and two children in Virginia.

Kathleen Toomey Jabs’ Facebook | Black Wings GoodReads page | Fuze Publishing’s Facebook | Fuze Publishing’s Twitter | Fuze Publishing’s Website | Fuze Publishing’s Blog | Black Wings Blog Tour Site | Tribute Books Blog Tours Facebook |

YouTube Video Book Trailer:

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Interview with Kaye Brand from Erin Kellison’s Fire Kissed

Kaye Brand, the heroine from Fire Kissed is here today to talk about the secret world of the mages. Be forewarned: Magekind suffers no information about themselves to become public. Kaye, however, is not about to be told what to do, and certainly not by the very people who tried to kill her when she was a teen.

Kaye, considering the danger involved, why did you agree to this interview?

Short answer? I blame Jack Bastian. Damn angel gets under my skin with his “Ms. Brand this, Ms. Brand that.” And he phrases what he wants from me like a dare—as if I can’t see right through him. <Eyeroll> He used to try to appeal to my conscience, but he of all people should know that I don’t have a soul. Why should I feel bad for humanity when the world is going dark? Not my problem. And it’s inevitable anyway. My talent—fire, by the way—is best used elsewhere. But okay, if a little information helps all the moms and dads keep their children safe, then fine. I was a kid once, and no one protected me.

Ugh. That’s not really the truth either. <Damn Bastian to hell.> Another angel helped me once. But he was kind and good when he didn’t have to be. Which is the only reason I bother with Bastian today, because of the other one. Who died for me. I’ve got him stuck inside and I can’t very well go shopping, or whatever, with the memory of the first angel aching within.

So I put up with Bastian and his “Ms. Brands” – Of course it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes. Not that I’m interested <ha! imagine!> I just appreciate beautiful things.

He’s an angel, you say? Do you mean that figuratively?

I wish. No, Bastian and the one before him are the real deal. Angels. Beautiful, but in general, enemies of magekind. Angels don’t like Shadow and the trouble that comes with it. And there’s a whole lot of Shadow coming into the world.

Kaye, for our readers, what is Shadow? and what is a mage?

<SIGH> You should know about Shadow by now. It’s the dark magic that’s seeping into the world? You know, the monsters on the streets at night that have everybody shutting themselves inside their houses like it’s the Dark Ages?

Those things are real? I thought they were just a YouTube hoax.

Wraiths are real. I faced one just the other night before I put it out of its misery. Actually, I was the one in misery; those suckers don’t smell very good.

And they’re just the beginning of what’s to come. Think legend and fairy tale and myth, but colliding with all the biz of today. One day you might look up and see a dragon in the sky.

I don’t believe it.

<Shrugs> Eventually you will. It’s inevitable. Chocolate might help with the shock. Shadow is here to stay.

A mage, however, is someone born with Shadow in their blood, passed down through generations, like good bone structure or money. As I mentioned before, mages don’t have souls, but then souls are overrated anyway. These days mages are conquerors. They want the world and everyone in it under their control.

“They”? Aren’t you a mage? Don’t you want to conquer the world?

Truthfully, I want nice shoes and gorgeous clothes and I can pay for them myself with my own hard-earned money. Okay, not so hard-earned. But you get the point. I hate the politicking that goes on among the mage Houses.

Then why are you working with Jack Bastian in the first place?

Well, there’s that angel from before. I owe him something. Plus I’ve got a debt to settle with the people who tried to kill me when I was fifteen. Sent a wraith after me, which is how I got these scars. And why I have to hunt them.

And who sent the wraith after you?

Oh, no. <Waves hand> We mages do not name each other. Suffice to say, I was set to marry a great mage from a great House, and I refused. Apparently, they thought I had no choice in the matter. But I did. I’m alive today.

You were going to marry at fifteen?!

Not that uncommon. It was an arranged marriage and would have been politically very good for both our Houses. An ideal concentration of power and prestige among our kind. But I’ve got a romantic streak—don’t tell Bastian—and a temper—which he knows already. <Sly grin>

Magekind sounds positively medieval.

Yeah, well. Our families’ roots go back much farther than that. Once, long ago, we were like old-world gods among humanity. Magekind today intends to be the same again. The world is going dark, it can’t be helped. And even Bastian’s valiant efforts can’t stop the tide of Shadow. Magic is coming back into the world, beautiful, terrible magic. Everything is going to change.

What can a person do in this new terrible world that you speak of?

I hope that a decent or mostly-decent mage rises above the others to control the rest. But listen—humanity has angels like Bastian to protect it. He might be difficult and frustrating and you might want to catch him on fire every once in a while—no, wait, that’s me—but he is at least brave and stoic and selfless. <Ugh> And I’ll probably help him, against my better judgment, that is. At least I get to tweak his pride and drive him nuts while we’re at it, so that’s a bonus. He’s always watching me, poor man. I’m not sure he’d let me go even I wanted to part ways.
Fire Kissed
Amazon | B&N
Fae Fire
It is Kaye Brand’s power to wield. But outcast from her kind, she’s been selling herself to the highest bidder – money for her survival in exchange for a magic glimpse into the flames of the future.
Angel Ice
One of the angelic Order, Jack Bastian has no use for a female like Kaye, as provocative and unexpected as her blazing beauty. Yet he has no choice but to hire her to uncover the secrets of his sworn enemy and her former fiance, Ferrol Grey.
Magekind
War is inevitable between the defenders of the Order and the mage Houses who threaten to engulf the world in Shadow. For Jack, mage-born Kaye is off limits, no matter how hot the impossible attraction between them. But in the coming darkness, beset by danger and desire, everything is about to change…

Visit Erin on the web:

Erin’s website: www.ErinKellison.com.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ErinKellisonAuthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EKellison 

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Spotlight feature (& giveaway) of Stalking the Other by Jess Haines

Stalking the Others

(H&W Investigations #4)

Release day July 3, 2012
Vampires, werewolves, mages–the Others are very real, and wreaking havoc in Shiarra Waynest’s life. But now, she’s returning the favor…Once, she was one of the good guys–or as close as a New York P.I. can get. Then Shiarra Waynest was drawn into the world of the Others. Every faction has its own loyalties and agenda. And Shia’s recent betrayal by her ex-boyfriend means that she may be on the verge of becoming a rogue werewolf at the next full moon.Of course, with all the threats against her, Shia’s not sure she’ll live long enough to find out. The enigmatic vampire Royce wants her back in his clutches, as do two powerful werewolf packs, along with the police. Instead of going into hiding, Shia is enlisting the aid of her enchanted hunter’s belt and every dirty P.I. trick she knows. If she’s going down, she’ll take out as many of her enemies as she can–and hope that in the process, she keeps whatever humanity she has left

Excerpt:

“Shiarra, I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.  Not in daylight.”

I forced a thin smile.  “No need to worry about that. I’m not planning on turning into a walking corpse anytime soon.”  No, I just might turn into something else. Something worse.

“Why are you here?”

“I’m here to ask for your help.  There isn’t an easy way for me to say this, and I’m too tired for tact.  There’s a chance I might become a Were at the next full moon.”

Nikki stared.  Jack said nothing, a tic starting in his cheek.

“I came here because someone from my ex’s pack might have infected me.  I want to find him.  I want to make him and the rest of the Sunstrikers pay.”  I left out the part about what Chaz had done.  He might have been the alpha of the Sunstriker pack, but he was a poor decision maker, and I wanted cheating on me to be the last mistake he ever made.  “There are people after me, including police.  If I do turn into one of… into an Other at the end of the month, I know I can trust you to end it.  Until then, I need a place to stay, and someone to work with me to find where the Weres are hiding.  Will you help me?”

Nikki’s wide-eyed stare grew into a rather unbecoming gawp that made me want to walk over to shut her mouth, if only my feet didn’t hurt so much.

For his part, Jack wasn’t showing any emotion.  His only reaction was to lift one hand to rub at the pale stubble on his jaw.  I think it’s the first time I’d ever seen him anything but clean-shaven.

He edged around Nikki and rested both palms flat on the display case as he loomed over it.  The intensity of his gaze was a bit much, and I found I couldn’t meet his eyes directly as he examined me.

“You realize what you’re asking?  You know what we’ll do if you turn?”

That question gave me enough courage to meet his eyes again.  “Yes, I know.  I’m counting on it.”

His smile, white and shark-like, sent a shiver down my spine.  “Welcome to the White Hats.”

Want a chance to win the first three book in Jess Haines’ H&W Investigation Series?  

Please fill out the Rafflecopter from below. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway details {1 winner will get a copy of Hunting the Others, Taken by the Others, & Deceived by the Others.  US/Canada only, Kensington Publishing}

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Simmer by Kaitlyn Davis Blog Tour

 

Simmer
Midnight Fire #2
by Kaitlyn Davis
GoodReads
Order here: Amazon | B&N

“Slowly, like a whisper almost blown away in the wind, two words streaked across her mind: ‘Kiss me.'”
Kira may have survived the eclipse, but her troubles are far from over. She’s headed to Sonnyville with one goal in mind: to learn more about her parents. But with Luke and Tristan competing for her heart and Diana gunning for her head, time is running out on the search for her mother. And the closer Kira gets to answers, the more terrified she becomes. The conduits fear her, the vampires fear her, and Kira is starting to wonder if maybe they’re right…
Simmer is the second book in the thrilling Midnight Fire Series. It is approximately 65,000 words

Review:

First I have to say that this book was much better than the first in the series “Ignite” (see review below). The characters have more definition and the storyline which is pretty predictable is more interesting than in the first book.

It is obvious to me that the author took more time to write this book then she did the first. I would have no problem recommending this book to a young adult to read where with the first book I would not have thought of recommending it. Funny thing is because it is a continuing story I would not have to tell the young reader that they should read the first to understand the second.

Honestly I am still not fully taken with the characters. They never really jump out to me but then as I explained in the review for book one I am a couple decades past the intended age target. The books still makes me feel that the author was rewriting Twilight to how she would like it but it really starts to stand on its own a little bit more.

Am I head over heels for this book? No. However I can see why a young reader may enjoy it more than I did at my (cough) advanced age.

REVIEWED BY: Kimberly

Ignite
by Kaitlyn Davis
PUBLICATION DATE:   10/09/11
ORDER LINKS:  Amazon | B&N

BOOK SYNOPSIS:
“With one last look, one final search of the lines of his face for some sign, Kira turned and ran away from the sound of the man she loved laughing in the face of her death.”

When Kira Dawson moves to South Carolina, she meets Luke, a blond goofball who quickly becomes her best friend, and Tristan, a mysterious bad boy who sends shivers down her spine. Kira knows they’re keeping secrets, but when she discovers Tristan’s lust for blood and her own dormant mystical powers, Kira is forced to fight for her life and make the heartbreaking decision between the familiar comfort of friendship and the fiery passion of love.

REVIEW:
First let me say that this book is meant for a young reader and since I have not been young for a couple of decades now I might not be the best to review.  However….

I had a hard time with these characters. They never seem to warm up to the reader or for that matter to each other. I never figured out what they saw in each other. Some of the time it made me wonder how anyone could not think of these characters as mean and spiteful. I think they possibly could be a portrait of the teenagers of today with the feeling of entitlement.

I really felt like the author watched Twilight went to bed thinking how she would have done it different and then wrote it out on paper but just did not have the gift of writing behind her thoughts. Maybe some youth readers would enjoy it so I would not solely base the book on me but I can not say this is something that I enjoyed.

REVIEWED BY: Kimberly

 

Kaitlyn Davis’ Bio:

Kaitlyn Davis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars.  She’s been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to finally share her work with the world. She currently lives in New York City and dreams of having a cockapoo puppy of her own.

Want to learn more about Kaitlyn or her books? 

Check her out here

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Guest blogger: Molly Best Tinsley

The cover of my memoir Entering the Blue Stone features a photo of my parents soon after they were married, back in the 1940’s during the war. My father, the future general, looks a bit skinny in his lieutenant’s uniform; my mother shows no trace of the strain that the challenges of a nomadic military life would place on her.

They met during the summer at a resort in the Pennsylvania Poconos. My mother, the daughter of an immigrant from Spain, had finished her freshman year as a non-resident scholarship student at Barnard and was working for a vacationing family as a baby-sitter. My father, the son of a Brooklyn physician, was between his sophomore and junior years at Princeton, and staying in his family’s summerhouse. Somehow they struck up a conversation in a candy shop. Unfortunately, I never asked who spoke first and what they said. I do know my mother was considered a “go-getter”—one of those “most likely to succeed” types—whereas my father was shy; so I suspect she was the more vivacious and aggressive. Without question, they both fell head over heels in love.

Their courtship lasted three years—until my mother graduated from college. When my father showed up at the fifth-floor, walk-up apartment in Yonkers where my mother’s family lived, my grandfather would screen himself with the newspaper and grunt monosyllabic responses to my father’s polite overtures.

My mother hinted to me that their premarital romance was passionate but chaste—that she would have been amenable to complete physical intimacy, but my father wanted to do things right. That difference perfectly captures them—my mother, emotional, impulsive, and given to episodes of iconoclasm; my father, rational, deliberate, faithful, and playing by the rules. As happened in many relationships of that generation, the longer they were together and the more they merged, the more polarized they became—my mother doing the emotional and interpersonal work on behalf of both of them, my father keeping the finances, earning the living, and working hard to achieve advancement. Even when his 24/7 military responsibilities absorbed too much of him, the word was that he was doing it all for my mother, and the four children that came along at planned intervals.

Despite their diametric differences, my parents forged a powerful bond in the process of unmaking then remaking their home every couple years. Neither had strong friendships with other adults, and moving all over the world, we hardly ever saw members of our extended family. As Entering the Blue Stone shows, the family created its own world. Meanwhile, there was the constant pressure on all of us to present a flawless front. For if an officer can’t control his own family, how is he effectively going to lead his troops? Thus life became a performance—we acted out the drama of the perfect family. When Parkinson’s disease then Alzheimer’s struck my parents, it’s an understatement to say that no one had any idea what to do.

 

Entering the Blue Stone
ISBN: 9780984990818
Pages: 195
Release: May 2012
Price: $14.95 paperback, $9.99 ebook

Amazon paperback buy link | Amazon Kindle buy link | Fuze Publishing paperback buy link |Barnes&Noble.com Nook buy link

Summary:

What happens when one’s larger-than-life military parents–disciplined, distinguished, exacting–begin sliding out of control? The General struggles to maintain his invulnerable façade against Parkinson’s disease; his lovely wife manifests a bizarre dementia. Their three grown children, desperate to save the situation, convince themselves of the perfect solution: an upscale retirement community. But as soon as their parents have been resettled within its walls, the many imperfections of its system of care begin to appear.

Charting the line between comedy and pathos, Molly Best Tinsley’s memoir, Entering the Blue Stone dissects the chaos at the end of life and discovers what shines beneath: family bonds, the dignity of even an unsound mind, and the endurance of the heart.

Molly Best Tinsley’s Bio:

Air Force brat Molly Best Tinsley taught on the civilian faculty at the United States Naval Academy for twenty years and is the institution’s first professor emerita. Author of My Life with Darwin (Houghton Mifflin) and Throwing Knives (Ohio State University Press), she also co-authored Satan’s Chamber (Fuze Publishing) and the textbook, The Creative Process (St. Martin’s). Her fiction has earned two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Sandstone Prize, and the Oregon Book Award. Her plays have been read and produced nationwide. She lives in Oregon, where she divides her time between Ashland and Portland.

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Guest Blogger (& giveaway) with Sandra Sookoo

Never say never

Thanks for having me on your blog today.

In case you don’t know who I am, my name is Sandra Sookoo and I’m an author of romantic fiction spanning several genres and heat levels.  I like to say my stories are an emotional journey with strong characters who don’t fit into pre-conceived molds, and all end with a kiss.

Today, I’m here to tell you, it’s a good rule of thumb in life to never say never. Back in the day, before I ever became an author, I exclusively read Regency romance. I couldn’t get enough of it and would stalk the used bookstores and grocery stores looking for books I hadn’t read before. There was just something about that simpler time, the pretty gowns, the manners, etc., that appealed to me.

Years went by and my favorite authors didn’t write as fast as I read so I moved on to other genres and other sub-genres of romance.  Every once in a while I’d pick up a Regency but not with the frequency that I used to.

When I became an author, my strong suit was historical writing, but I never hoped to dabble in the Regency time period.  There are plenty of authors out there who write plenty of wonderful stories in this world. I could never hope to compete, and frankly, I was a bit intimidated by the whole prospect.

I resisted. I fought off ideas, kicking and screaming. I swore I’d never write a Regency romance.

Apparently, my muse didn’t get that memo and disregarded that vow, because this year, I did write a Regency romance, and another and I’m currently penning my third.  Maybe I wanted the challenge of it all, maybe I fell in love with the research or the possibilities.  Whatever happened, I’m now playing in this neighborhood, and what’s more, I’m really excited about it.

Of course, I had to put my own little spin on the much-written world of the Regency period.  Yes, my heroines are all strong in their own rights and don’t follow society dictates or rules overly much.  Besides, in my Scandal in Surrey series, it really is all about the scandal… and the path to love.

I hope you’ll all check out Lady Parker’s Grand Affair. It’s book one in the above mentioned series.  All the books are a little bit naughty, a little bit funny and a little bit heart-warming. You can find the book at Amazon, All Romance ebooks and Smashwords. Later it will be available on other digital outlets.

Here’s the blurb and a short excerpt:

Lady Parker’s Grand Affair

Order here:  Amazon | All Romance | Smashword

She wants an affair…Maggie, Lady Parker desires a man, but she’s not willing to leave freedom in Surrey to find scandal in London. Widowed for years, she wants to conduct a big enough scandal that a gentleman might come calling merely to see if the rumors about her are true.

He wants a shot at Parliament…Stephen Tarkington is a self-professed rogue but if he had his way, he’d be a philanthropist.  The only thing prohibiting his dream is his lack of sponsorship for a spot in Parliament. Marrying Lady Parker’s niece could solve his problem.

Sometimes the heart wants more…Imagine his surprise when he meets the widow and she’s not an old bird he can charm. She’s vibrant, sharp-tongued and enchanting to boot. Passion flares between them, and Stephen gives up on his plan… in search of a more pleasurable gamble.

Maggie is immediately drawn to the charming, handsome gentleman, but will a simple affair fulfill her needs? A scrape with public scandal will toss them into a situation that may just satisfy both of their secret desires.

 

Excerpt:

“Amanda told me your husband died some time ago. Perhaps you’d be willing to put yourself on the market? I would imagine you’d catch more eyes than an untried girl just out of school.”

“Don’t be silly.” She laughed, thoroughly amused, and alternately on edge, by his antics. “I’m well past marriageable age, even if I wanted another husband.”

“Then you are not looking for another match?” Stephen moved behind the bench and paused with a hand resting near her shoulder.

“I didn’t say that.” She thought back over her union to Robert and stifled a giggle. Over the course of time, she’d learned to love him, even had a child with him, but had it been an all-consuming passion that made her forget everything else? No. It had been a staid, even-keeled romance that hadn’t challenged her.

“But you did not agree either.” His chuckle sent shivers over her skin, chilling her even though the sun bore down. “Women like you deserve a man’s regard or, at the very least, the thrill of being chased.”

Maggie tamped a shiver. “Perhaps, the next time, it won’t be me who is pursued. Perhaps I’ll do the chasing.”

“Are you offering?”

Was she? Though she’d talked flippantly with Alfie about having one grand affair that would set tongues wagging, her stomach trembled. Did Stephen Tarkington fit the bill? “I might, if you promise to leave Amanda alone.”

“Ah, a better deal, eh?” His rich chuckle loosed more tingles down her spine. “Is it adventure you crave, Maggie?” He drew a finger down one side of her neck, glided it along her skin where her shoulder met and rested his hand there, his fingers lightly trailing over her collarbone.

She closed her eyes. Goose flesh lingered everywhere he’d plied his fingers. Tingles danced down her spine. Warmth seeped between her thighs. It had been a long time since she’d had a man’s interest. “I wouldn’t mind a bit of spice.”

“Spice is fine, or is it the scandal you want?” Stephen rubbed a fingertip along her collarbone and then traced the lace edge of her bodice, his touch the veriest of whispers over the top of one breast.

Would he dare to go lower and caress her aching flesh? “Scandal has come to mind once or twice.” Her head lolled on the opposite shoulder from where he played. She kept her eyes closed in order to fully enjoy the situation, one moment more before she censured him. “I thought that if I found myself in a big enough tangle I’d attract the attention of a like-minded gentleman.” Why was she telling him this, when he was but a stranger?

“For what purpose? A fling, an affair, or are you searching for more?” His finger, hot against her skin, dipped beneath her bodice and her shift.

Maggie whimpered. The weak heat of the spring sun couldn’t compete with the flames Stephen had awakened inside her. Being here in the garden, with his hand on her, was highly inappropriate. They could both be in terrible trouble if caught. Her lips curved with a grin. But then, she did just admit she’d like the scandal. “I want a grand affair, something that will burn so bright the English gossips will talk about it for years.”

“Why, sweet Maggie? Are you lonely?”

“I’m not sure.” Her breath caught. It took all her willpower to remain still beneath his touch, but oh, how she wished he’d give her more relief.

“Too bad.” His finger slid lower and brushed her nipple. Back and forth he teased the puckered tip, pebbling it into a frenzy of need.

Find me around the web!

Website | Believing is Seeing blog   |  Twitter  | Facebook

 GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

Sandra is offering up some book swag plus a $5.00 gift card to Amazon or Starbucks.

Read a book or have a coffee on me!

Please fill out the Rafflecopter form below for a chance to win.

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Spotlight Feature of Into The Web by Shonell Bacon

Into The Web

by Shonell Bacon

The minute twins and mystery novelists Jovan and Cheyenne Parham find their lives settlinginto a nice rhythm, all hell breaks loose – in their personal lives and in the latest crime they find themselves mixed up in. Jo is trying to build a relationship with Mark Brockman, but the deaths of her husband and Mark’s wife, and the sordid nature of their coming together keeps her from jumping into the relationship with both feet. Cheyenne is head over heels in love with former detective-now P.I. Ian Davenport, but unexpected news and Ian’s involvement in a new case causes Chey to second guess the deepness of their love. Trying to figure out their love lives becomes all the more complicated when Jo and Chey are thrust into a series of kidnappings and murders involving young girls who seem to make the wrong friends online. When a mayoral candidate’s daughter is kidnapped, Ian finds himself on the case, much to the chagrin of Chey considering he spends an awful lot of time holding and caring for the candidate’s wife. Bringing the girl home safely and finding the killer pushes the twins to the limits of their personal and professional lives. Going into a web of infidelity, lies, deception, and murder often leaves all involved in disarray. Will Jovan and Cheyenne find themselves, once again, trying to pick up the remaining fragments of their lives once this is all over?

  

About The Author

 Shonell Bacon is an author, doctoral candidate, editor, educator–everywoman. Shehas published both creatively and academically–novels, short stories, essays, and textbooks.
She has had an essay of hers developed as part of a live theatre documentary production. In addition to her love of writing and what the future holds in her literary life, she is also an editor who loves helping writers hone their literary craft. Since 2001, she has edited for hundreds of writers who have gone on to pursue self-publishing careers and have been published within the traditional publishing arena. Her love for helping writers also moved her to begin writing articles and commentaries regarding the writing life and craft, and she publishes these articles on various websites

She is an educator, having taught English and mass communication courses in addition to fiction writing and other courses related to creative writing. And while taking part in all of those things, Shonell also finds the time to pursue her Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric at Texas Tech University. Now a doctoral candidate, she is conducting research and writing her dissertation.
 

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Blog

 

Excerpt

One
 
October 21
 
Take down.
 
Those words rang in Jovan Parham’s mind as she danced around the ring, staring into the eyes of Derryck, her kickboxing trainer.
 
“Come on, Jo,” Derryck said while holding up his padded hands. “Pay attention. Jab left, cross right, jab right.”
 
“I’m doing it,” she said, her voice nearing a whine.
 
“You look lazy.” Derryck’s left hand made its way to Jovan’s headgear. She just managed to move, but heard the sound of his fist whizzing by her face. “I haven’t tagged your face in nearly four months.”
 
Jovan smiled and took two jabs to the side of Derryck’s face; the second one connected.
 
“And you didn’t get me this time either,” she replied.
 
The two continued to spar, sharing words and punches and kicks, but Jovan’s mind was still stuck on two words: take down.
 
She woke up in the middle of the night after a horrific nightmare, one she had almost every month since she moved into her new condo a year ago. The nightmare was always the same: she watching as a host of characters took part in killing her. She lay, shackled to a metal table, dressed in a white loose gown that had been ripped to shreds. Every few minutes, someone would come into the dimly lit room and cut her with a sharp, curved blade. No words were ever exchanged. She screamed with each flick of the blade, begged for her life, but it was all for naught. Cordell came in and took a chunk of her. As did his mother. As did his brother. Alisha took her share as well, as did Sarah, which broke Jovan’s heart more than Cordell wanting to kill her. She had thought Sarah was her best friend. Finding out she had slept with Cordell and carried his child tore at her heart. To know that even in her nightmares Sarah wanted to hurt her more nearly broke her.

 
The last person to come in was always Linda Hayes. And unlike the others, who were more like automatons, coming to do their robotic bidding, Linda had a sparkle in her eyes, a curl of her lip, an extra dig of her cut when she took her swipe of Jovan. She had hoped that her time at the altar during service that morning, where she begged God, begged him to remove the nightmares, might give her a night of respite, but it wasn’t to be. If she actually took time to think about it, she’d realize that her continuous thinking about the nightmares would only create more of them.

 
When she woke up last night from the nightmare, Jovan rushed to her office—a place that held warm, soft thoughts for her as it was the place where words took to life. She reached for the small blue bible she kept on the desk and rifled through the pages before landing her finger on Luke 10:19, I have given you authority …to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.

 
The words brought her peace, but she had an even better way of using her authority to overcome her enemies. She took out a pad and pen, and spent a good hour creating a list of people she needed to take down.

 

Linda Hayes was at the top of that list. For going on two years, the Trés Chic head reporter-now executive producer had been relentless in her pursuit to find something bad to report about Jovan. Even after everyone else had put the murder of Jovan’s husband and the fallout of it behind them, Linda was determined to continue to bring up Jovan’s painful story: Cordell’s murder. Cordell’s affair with Alisha. Cordell’s affair with Sarah. The baby Sarah carried. The complex scheming and plotting that revealed Cordell’s drugged-out brother was supposed to kill Jovan but instead killed Cordell. Jovan’s reaching out to Mark, Sarah’s husband, in a time of need and the subsequent relationship that continued long after Cordell was buried. The justice (though not peace) that was brought to Jovan and her family.

 

In all parts of the world, Jovan’s soap opera of a life had come and gone as new, crazier stories unfolded. But in Baltimore, where she and her twin Cheyenne were deemed stars for their bestselling-authors status and their charities, Jovan’s story continued to live—mostly thanks to Linda Hayes.
 
And somehow, she had managed to overcome her anger at Linda and this ferocious, tenacious need Linda had to break her down.
 
But then yesterday arrived, and Jovan became undone.
 
She had tried to go about her day. She went to a speaking engagement for her solo inspirational non-fiction, Picking up the Pieces, a book that detailed the story of her life with Cordell and the aftermath. She met with Cheyenne to work on the outline of their next mystery, Vanishing Keys. She even got ready to meet Mark for a dinner date down at the Inner Harbor. Not once did anyone in her inner circle mention the significance of the day: the second anniversary of Cordell’s death. They knew it wasn’t needed. They knew Jovan would have stayed up the entire night prior, still crying over the loss, still angry over the betrayal, still unsteady on what to do with her life. She was still fragile from the coming and going of Cordell’s birthday nearly three weeks ago. She had spent that day in quiet reflection, wondering why, yet again, she couldn’t find out about Cordell’s lies before anyone had to die. She still felt like an idiot over believing Sarah was her friend. She had spent hours talking to Sarah, telling her about the decline in her marriage—never realizing that her supposed friend was sleeping with her husband.
 
Any normal person, knowing what she’d been through, would have given Jovan this day to grieve, to feel, to think in her own personal space.
 
But not Linda Hayes.
 
Jovan had expected to hear from her. After all, she saw commercials regarding Linda’s anniversary special. Linda had her assistant call her earlier in the month, trying to get her to talk about Cordell on the day of his birthday. Jovan had told her to “Go read Picking up the Pieces if you’re so damn interested in learning what I’m willing to say about Cordell. Other than that, leave me the hell alone, Miss Hayes.”
 
It was only a matter of time that Linda would call her again, trying to get some comment to use for her latest special.
 
Linda’s assistant called. Six, seven, eight times. Every time, Jovan would hang up.
 
On the ninth time, as she slipped her feet into her black stilettos, Jovan finally relented.
 
She picked up the phone and yelled, “Let me speak to Linda.” She quickly raced into the office and picked up her digital recorder, turning it on and setting her phone on speakerphone. Linda came on to the phone, her voice warm and soft as she said, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Jovan.”
 
“If you’re so sorry, why are you harassing me? Obviously, I have nothing to say to you.”