Tuesday, January 29, 2013

~Book Review and Giveaway: Touching Evil~



With one touch, Leila can see it all.

Leila Marx is trying to put her life back together after her fiancé is murdered. When Detective Garrick Pearson enlists her help with a difficult case, she is thankful for the distraction and the opportunity to use her talents as a touch clairvoyant. Leila and Garrick delve into the mystery behind a series of missing teenage girls and mummified corpses while discovering their own growing attraction to each other.

Conner Hoffman is an intriguing lawyer and striking half-demon who enters Leila’s life unexpectedly. Although her visions are terrifying, she is fascinated by his charm and his legacy. When it becomes evident that the murders are linked to a paranormal event, Conner introduces Leila to a world unbeknownst to ordinary society. She suddenly finds herself immersed in supernatural politics, sorcery, and danger as she becomes the killer’s next target.

Staying alive will mean relying on friends, accepting the unbelievable, and trusting in her heart again.


MY REVIEW:
Leila Marx is slowly putting her life back together after the death of her fiance.  Leila is a clairvoyant and she spends her days illustrating children's books and doing some off the books work for the local police department.  Detective Derrick Pearson is investigating her fiance murder and in the process getting closer to Leila.  Sometimes Leila can "see" things just by touching a person or an object and Detective Garrick needs her help in a new case involving the disappearance of young girls.  How will they deal with their growing feelings toward each other?  Enter the fabulous and gorgeous Conner Hoffman who is also attracted to Leila.  With two men attracted to her, she finds herself in a love triangle.  One man is hiding a secret that will surprise and shock her.  When Leila learns that she may be the next target, she has to rely on the help of faes, werewolves, mediums, sorcerers, and a cambion in order to find the killer.

This is a very good paranormal mystery book.  I have been wanting to read this for some time and am happy I got the chance to participate in the blog tour.  There are so many strorylines that develop within the pages of this book.  From the death of Leila's fiance to the killer it is full of twist and surprises.  I loved the relationship development between Leila and Garrick and would like to see more between them.  What a wonderful first book in an exciting new series.  I look forward to reading many more books by Amber Garr.  I recommend this book for all.



About the Author

Amber Garr spends her days conducting scientific experiments and wondering if her next door neighbor is secretly a vampire.  Born in Pennsylvania, she lives in Florida with her husband and their furry kids.  Her childhood imaginary friend was a witch, Halloween is sacred, and she is certain that she has a supernatural sense of smell.  She writes both adult and young adult urban fantasies and when not obsessing over the unknown, she can be found dancing, reading, or enjoying a good movie.

Stalk Amber online at:

                                                    Twitter
                                             Goodreads

~GIVEAWAY~GIVEAWAY~GIVEAWAY~GIVEAWAY~
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Monday, January 28, 2013

~Book Review and Giveaway: Clayton Falls Blog Tour~



Derailed (Clayton Falls, #1)
Derailed (Clayton Falls, #1)
Alyssa Rose Ivy
September, 2012

When you're lost, sometimes the only place you can go is home.




Broken over the death of her fiancĂ©, Molly leaves law school to return to her childhood home in North Carolina. Expecting to lay low until she can figure out what else to do with her life, she finds herself in the arms of her high school sweetheart, the boy who represents everything from the past she tried to leave behind.


Looking for an escape, she instead finds a way back to the girl she almost forgot existed and a future she never dreamed possible.


FREE until the end of the tour on Kindle!

MY REVIEW:
Molly is coming home to Clayton Falls. North Carolina.  After dropping out of law school and leaving Boston behind she returns to her childhood home after six long years.  She is still grieving the death of her fiance and blames herself for all the bad things happening in her life.  She just wants a fresh start but that is hard to do in a small town where everyone knows you.  Her best friend Kelly refuses to let her sit around. Then there is Ben, the boy she left behind.  She could never resist him in the past.  What will happen when they meet up as adults?  Molly has to come to terms with a lot of baggage from her past from the death of her father to her estranged family.  What will happen when the past comes back to haunt her?  Will Ben be enough to keep her in Clayton Falls this time?

I enjoyed reading this book.  I have never read a book by Alyssa Rose Ivy and this will definitely not be my last series.  It is such a good, smooth book with great characters.  Something wonderful to get lost in for a couple of days.  I really liked Kelly.  She is the crazy best friend that can talk you into most anything.  I know we all have one of those.  I did like Molly even though she is too hard on herself.  I am glad that she sorted through most of her problems in this book.  A wonderful, sweet, emotional read that will leave you wanting more.  I recommend this book!



Veer (Clayton Falls, #2)
Alyssa Rose Ivy
November, 2012



Only when you let go can you learn to live.







Between the death of her mother and pushing through law school without her best friend, it's been a tough year for Becca. Needing a break from Boston, she moves to a tiny coastal North Carolina town for a relaxing summer. After bumping heads repeatedly with a local cop, she realizes her summer will be anything but quiet.




Three years after a career ending injury ruins his chance to play Major League Baseball, Gavin has a distrust of northerners and lately girls in general. He wants nothing to do with a girl who is only in town for the summer.



When the two give in to their impossible attraction, they realize that they may just have found the key to freeing themselves from the ghosts of their pasts.



Purchase:  AMAZON     BARNES & NOBLE

MY REVIEW:


The amazing second book in the Clayton Falls series.  This book starts out introducing us to Becca.  We learn a little about her in the first book.  She is Molly's best friend from Boston and she is coming to Clayton Falls to spend the summer and work at a local law firm.  Becca has had a tough year.  Her mother has recently died from cancer and with no other family there is nothing holding her to Boston.  She meets Gavin, and they instantly butt heads.  He is still hurting over his fiance leaving him three years ago but is smitten with Becca.   Becca has a lot of proposals with the local men in Clayton Falls.  They fall all over themselves to get Becca's attention but the only attention she wants is from Gavin.  When he hurts her, he has to answer to a lot of people, including her best friend Molly.  Now, that he realizes how much she means to him, he has to win her back at all cost.  Will it be worth it, after all she will be leaving when the summer is over?  Or will she have a better offer?  

I have to admit that I did not care for Gavin in the first book, Derailed.  He came off as a bit of a jerk and I was not crazy about the thought of him as a main character in this book.  I am glad that I was wrong.  You get to learn a lot more about his background and why he is so guarded.  He also has a sweet romantic side that you see when he is with Becca.   Even though he makes plenty of mistakes, he tries his best to make it up to Becca.  A great second book in this wonderful series.  I only have one question, when will we get to learn more about Jake?  This book is just as wonderful as the first one.  Read it!




  

Author Bio:
 
Alyssa Rose Ivy is a Young Adult and New Adult author who loves to weave stories with romance and a southern setting. Although raised in the New York area, she fell in love with the South after moving to New Orleans for college. After years as a perpetual student, she turned back to her creative side and decided to write. She lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young children, and she can usually be found with a cup of coffee in her hand.

--Author Website: http://www.alyssaroseivy.com/

GIVEAWAY:

Enter to win either an ebook of Veer or bookmark/postcard swag from the author.  Giveaway is open internationally.  Enter using the rafflecopter below.  Winner will be announced on February 8, 2013.

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Check out the rest of the tour:
January 28th
Bumbles and Fairy-Tales 
Abbey Ann's Bookland   
Chronicles of a Bookaholic   
Magical Manuscripts
Queendsheena  
Books With Bite
Infected Loser 
Oh, The Books You'll Read! 
***Singing and Reading in the Rain***  

January 29th
Nazish Reads   
BoundbyWords   
Alluring Reads   
Dear, Restless Reader   
Manhattan Reader   
Moosubi Reviews!   
My Escape   
In the Best Worlds 
My Home Away From Home 
Some Like It Paranormal   

January 30th
YA-Aholic 
My Escape 
A Reader's Devotion 
Books Books and More Books 
Reader Girls 
Book Briefs 
Book- Marks the Spot   
The Book Barbies 
Mostly YA Book Obsessed   
Full Moon Bites   
Book Loving Mom   

January 31st
Reading and Rising With the Sun 
The Bookmark Blog
Just Another Story 
Gabic Reads 
Wake Up at Seven
The Book Goddess 
Howling Books and Design   
The Solitary Bookworm 
Have Book Will Read 
Ed and Em's Reviews 

February 1st
I Talk Books! 
BookPics
Books Beside My Bed 
Sliced Open Reviews 
BookWormInBarrie 
Defiantly Deviant 
Alis Bookshelf

February 2nd 
My Crazy Book Obsession
Every Free Chance Book Reviews 
Cover2CoverBlog  
Anatea's Bookshelf
ParanormalOpin 
The Book Barbies 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

~Book Review: In The Band by Jean Haus~





New Adult
 In the Band
 Jean Haus
Date Published: 10/19/2012

When family problems push Riley Middleton into giving up a percussion scholarship in
another state and attending college from home, her friends push her to try out for a local
rock band. Of course, Riley makes the band. She rules at the drums.

Riley soon finds out rock bands have a different dynamic than marching bands, especially
when each of her male band mates has a major ego and is a major player. Two of them
relentlessly flirt with her. The other—a dark, sexy rock god she can’t help being attracted
to— is a total jerk and pushes her to quit. She becomes determined to ignore his rudeness
and his hotness. Even if she was interested in jerks, a hook up would probably get her
booted out of the ego-ridden band, and playing keeps her sane. Behind the drums, the
world and her family’s troubles evaporate.

If she wants to stay in the band, Riley just has to ignore the growing sparks between her
and her band enemy. But as she gets to know the man behind the stage persona, ignoring
him proves to be more difficult than flowing through a time sig shift.

*New Adult/Mature YA for language and sexual situations.

MY REVIEW:

Riley Middleton has recently graduated high school and is looking forward to going to college in another state on a percussion scholarship.  That is until she finds out her parents are divorcing.  Her dreams are shattered and she decides to attend the local college.  In order to help out her mother, she is instead taking care of her little sister and running the household.  Her mother is falling into deep depression and Riley is the only one holding them together.  She can't talk to her father because he has happily moved on with his much younger girlfriend.  Riley misses drumming and tries out to play with a local college band and makes it.  The guys seem okay except for Romeo (don't you love it) who is a major jerk to her.  He does everything to make her feel unwelcome.  As time passes the band comes to respect Riley as a fantastic drummer and Romeo's tough guy facade starts to fade.  As Riley's world starts to fall apart the only good thing in her life is Romeo but how can they make a relationship work?  

I really enjoyed reading this book.  It has such a good storyline and I loved the fact that Riley plays the drums.  I love books with a strong female lead.  Romeo is so hot in everything that he does.  The scenes between the two of them are smoking.  I was disappointed in some of the decisions Riley made.  I think she should have went to the college of her choice, even though she was helping out her mother, she was also enabling her to slip further into her depression.  She should have spoke up and voiced her opinions.  How hard it must be to give up your dreams for the ones you love.  Jean Haus has written a fabulous book.  It is a new adult fiction and has some sexual situations but I do recommend it.  Fantastic!





Excerpt 

“We’re going to get started.”

 I look up to find the guitar player standing in front of Marcus. He’s wearing a dark t-shirt and jeans. Nothing that screams hot. But he somehow does with that angle of hair across his face, the muscles noticeable under his shirt, and those full lips. My heart rate matches the jerking rhythm of my nerves. The guitarist nods toward me but his dark eyes stay on Marcus. “Sorry but your girlfriend can’t stay.”

Ah, bingo. He does think I’m a groupie. 

Marcus grins and pulls me closer until the side of my face is smashed against the Pinterest across his chest. “She’s trying out, not me.” 

An eyebrow arches. Otherwise, the angles of his face remain stoic. “Then I guess you need to leave.”
“Come on,” Marcus says. “I know Justin.”

His placid expression doesn’t change. “I don’t give a shit if you’re his long lost brother.”

Marcus’s lips form a tight line as the guitar player stares him down. Luckily, the singer comes over and gives Marcus a fist pump. “Dude, you trying out?” 
“I wish. But no.” He turns to me, smiling wide. “Justin, this is Riley.”

Justin looks me up and down. His gaze pauses two seconds too long on my cleavage. “You play?”

Marcus laughs. “She was supposed to play at—” 
I nudge him in the ribs and nod. 

“Cool.” Justin grins and dimples groove his cheeks. “We’ve never had anyone so hot audition before.” 

The guitar player’s eyes roll. “We’ve never had a girl audition so who exactly are you referring to?” 

Justin’s dimples disappear as he scowls at his band mate before looking back to me. “We’re waiting for at least one more guy, but we’re going to start without him.” 

The guitar player nails me with a narrowed look and crosses his arms over his plain t-shirt. “Why don’t you go first, Riley?” His tone is smooth but I catch the undertone of sarcasm in his voice. He doesn’t think I can play. Because I’m a girl?


Author Bio:
Jean Haus lives in Michigan with her wonderful husband and son who, other than cooking, have taken over homemaking duties since she started writing more. When Jean isn’t writing, she’s usually reading. Anything from young adult to historical fiction as long as there is a bit a romance, she’ll load it on her Kindle. She loves to cook, and someday she will create the world’s best potsticker. 



Check out the rest of the tour!


January 14 - Reading Addiction Blog Tours - Meet and Greet
January 15 - Coffee Books and Lipgloss - Review
January 16 - YA Reviews and News - Review
January 17 - Up All Night Reviews - Review
January 18 - My Devotional Thoughts - PROMO
January 19 - The College Crawl - Review
January 20 - TE Garden of Books - Review
January 21 - Mom With a Kindle - PROMO
January 22 - Diane Mulligan - PROMO
January 23 - For the Love of Film and Novels - Review
January 24 - Delirious About Books - PROMO
January 25 - Oh The Books That You'll Read - Review
January 26 - Tana Rae Reads - Review
January 27 - Reader Girls -Review
January 28 - Pretty in Fiction - Review
January 29 - Lauries Thoughts and Reviews - PROMO
January 30 - My Reading Addiction - PROMO
January 31 - Just A Booklover - Review
February 1 - A Date With a Book - Review
February 2 - Andi's YA Books - Review
February 3 - Rampant Readers - Review
February 4 - Book Lovin Mama's - PROMO
February 5 - My Bookmark Blog - Review
February 6 - Doodle's Book Blog - PROMO
February 7 - Bibliophile's Thoughts -PROMO
February 8 - The Cosy Dragon - Review
Frebruary 8 - RABT Reviews - Review





~Book Review and Giveaway: Rise Of The Fire Tamer~





Rise of the Fire Tamer by Kailin Gow
After winning a contest for a popular game called Wordwick Games, five teens Gemma, Sparks, Rio, Kat, and Jack, are invited to stay at Wordwick Games inventor Henry Word's mysterious castle and play the newest level of Workwick Games. Little do they know, the castle is the doorway to a wondrous world call Anachronia where words can be used as weapons, power, and commodity. There is unrest in Anachronia, and if the five teens can follow the rules of Wordwick Games and prove to be the best player, one of them will be crowned Ruler of Anachronia.



Purchase
                           Amazon * Barnes & Noble



Book Trailer





EXCERPT 1:
Gem recognized the voice instantly as that of Henry Word. After his online announcements, she was hardly going to forget. He must have come into the hallway through a side door. She turned to greet him with the others, expecting to look up into the already half-familiar face, and had to adjust the direction of her gaze when it turned out that Henry Word was sitting down.

He was sitting down because he was in a wheelchair.

It was quite a high tech wheelchair, obviously custom made and designed around Henry Word, but there was no escaping the fact that it was there. From the waist up, Mr. Word was dressed conservatively, even elegantly, in a suit and silk tie. From the waist down, his legs disappeared beneath a tartan blanket. They didn’t appear again on the other side.
“A small accident from my army days,” Henry word said, and Gem found herself wondering if he’d read her mind in the second it took to decide that the others probably looked just as surprised as she did. Gem realized that, in all the pictures she had seen of Henry Word either online or in magazines, not one had shown more than his head and shoulders.
Henry Word laughed then.
“I can see I’ve caught you all rather by surprise. Still, before I turn into the main topic of conversation, can I take a moment to welcome the five of you?’ his gaze flicked to each of them in turn, and Gem guessed that he was matching names to faces in his mind. “You are all here, of course, because you have turned out to be some of the biggest fans of my little game. Congratulations on that. For the next week, you’ll be staying in what I hope you’ll find to be extremely comfortable surroundings, and you’ll get the benefit of a very special surprise.”
“What surprise?” Rio asked from behind Gem. Henry Word chuckled again.
“Ah, Riordan Roberts, I take it? Well, there is nothing to be suspicious about. In fact, I think that as fans, you will all enjoy this particular surprise. I have simply decided to allow you access to the tenth level of my game while we are here.”
Gem felt her brow furrow.
“But Mr. Word, aren’t there only nine levels?”
“That’s true at the moment,” Henry Word answered. “Anachronia is rather new. You will be among the first to play it. Still, let’s not focus on that too much now, shall we? Chef has excelled himself in the Great Hall, and I’m sure you must all be hungry after your journeys.”

EXCERPT 2:



“It’s very straightforward really. Your goal when playing it will be to win the crown of the kingdom of Anachronia, using all your wits, skills and talents. The people will only give the crown to someone who can do three things: end the threat of the three-headed dragon terrorizing the land, unite the two warring clans that live there, and help the people of Anachronia flourish. Is that clear?”


            Gem nodded. Several of the others did too.


            “It sounds simple,” Sparks said, beside her.


            “Oh, it’s not as easy as it sounds,” Henry Word continued, “which is why there are a few other things you should know. First, beware the Wickedly Woods where the dragon lives. It isn’t the only danger there. Second, remember that you can work together, even if only one of you can rule in the end. Third, and most importantly, remember that words have power in Anachronia, finding the right words, the Ruler Words, along the way will make your time far easier.”


MY REVIEW:


Congratulations the letters say.  You are a winner!  You have the opportunity to to stay at the Wordwick Castle and participate in an exciting new game.  Henry Word,  the inventor and creator has chosen five lucky young people Gem, Sparks, Rio, Jack and Kat to stay at his castle and compete in his new level of Anachronia.  Gem tells the story and leads us on an exciting journey with trolls and dragons.  Roadblocks are set up to deter them along the way but if they remember the rules they will surely succeed.  They can work together or separately but in the end there can only be one winner.  They soon come to learn that maybe this is not a game after all, maybe this is really happening.  With a shocking ending Kailin Gow has done it again.  This is the start of a wonderful new series. 

I am so excited to take part in this blog tour because I do love Kailin Gow's work.  She is a brilliant writer and I enjoy reading her books.  Her books cover a wide range of topics.  I also love words.  You will feel smarter just by reading this book, where words have power and can open doors or defeat you.  I am looking forward  to reading more in this series to find out where the storyline will go.  A great start to a wonderful new series!






Author Kailin Gow

Kailin Gow is the award-winning, international bestselling author of over 80 distinct books. 

Kailin Gow is also the President of a media company, a media personality, and has been writing full-time since she was first published. Holding a Masters in communications management and leadership positions in Fortune 500 corporations, she puts her leadership abilities, her experience, and desire to help others into her fiction books. As a result, she has written the forthcoming, Finding the Heroine in You book which is also a national tour. She is a mother and spends whatever spare time she has volunteering at the Red Cross, Battered Women's Shelters, and other organizations. 

Currently her Frost Series is in development for a major international MMO Game, and she has over 14,000 and growing Frosters on her facebook fan page. 




Links:




Tour Giveaway
$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 1/31/12



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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Tour Schedule


January 7th
Tour Kick Off - I Am A Reader, Not A Writer
A Dream Within A Dream * The Bunny's Review * The Book Diva's Reads * icefairy's Treasure Chest * Chapter By Chapter * Cuzinlogic * Nikki's Book Blog * Promiscuous Diva * Beck Valley Books * Blkosiner's Book Blog * Books, Books the Magical Fruit * Peace from Pieces * The Mod Podge Bookshelf * Julie Reece * Froze8's Blog

January 8th
Book Blast - Multiple Blogs

January 9th
Ever and Ever Sight - Review
Magical Manuscripts - Review

January 10th
Reviews by Martha's Bookshelf - Review
Of Thoughts and Words - Review

January 11th
Parsimonious Posh - Review
Read My Breath Away - Review

January 12th
A Bit of Dash - Review
Sher A Hart: My Written Art - Review

January 13th
The College Crawl - Review

January 14th
Bookworm Lisa - Review
Vonnie's Reading Corner - Review

January 15th
Always YA at Heart - Review
Getting Your Read On - Review

January 16th
StoreyBook Reviews - Review

January 17th
My Book Mark Blog - Review

January 18th
Hardcover Feedback - Review
3Ps in a Pod - Review

January 19th
Scribbler's Sojourn - Review
A.D. Duling's Diddley Doodle Dandy Writings - Review

January 20th
Pieces of Whimsy - Review

January 21st
GeoLibrarian - Review
A Casual Reader's Blog - Review

January 22nd
Mom with a Kindle - Review
Indie Author How-to - Review

January 23rd
Lovey Dovey Books - Review

January 24th
Oh the Books You'll Read - Review
Debbie's Inkspectations - Review

January 25th
Every Free Chance - Review
Fiction Prediction - Review