Review Big Sky by Kitty Thomas

Title: Big Sky
Author: Kitty Thomas
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Erotica/BDSM
Publisher:  Burlesque Press
Release Date: September 22 2012
Edition: Kindle
Source: Author In Exchange for Honest Review
Rating:4.5





Veronica Cason lives in a small apartment with no clear view of the sky. It’s uncertain which might crush her first: her debt or the buildings squeezed in so tight that they surround her like ominous sentinels. She can’t breathe in the city. Her success is a lie, and her debt is coming to collect her—unless someone else gets there first.

When a stranger offers her a job at a ranch, it feels like salvation, but it could also mean her death if his motives aren't pure. Which door has the tiger behind it? The claustrophobia of the city or ranch life under an open sky?

Review Angelina's Secret by Lisa Rogers

Title: Angelina's Secret
Author: Lisa Rogers
Series: Angelina's Secret #1
Genre: YA/Paranormal/Ghost
Publisher: Spencer Hill Press
Release Date: Feb 1 2012
Rating:

Synopsis:

As a child, Angelina spent years in counseling learning that Josie, her imaginary friend, wasn't real, but it turns out her childhood friend wasn't imaginary after all.Now Angelina has to accept she's either (A) crazy or (B) able to see ghosts. Wanting to believe in her sanity, she chooses (B) and welcomes Josie back into her life. But even Josie can't help her deal with Shelly, the spirit of a confused teenager, and things go very, very wrong.When Angelina finds herself in a psychiatric hospital, she faces a choice: she can spend the rest of her life pretending to be someone she isn't, or she can embrace who she is and take a chance that she may never get to go home.

Review Anna by Julia Crane

Title: Anna
Author: Julia Crane
Series: Keegan's Chronicles (Novella)
Genre: YA/Witches
Publisher: Valknut Press
Release Date: May 27 2012
Rating:  4.5

Synopsis:

Follow Anna from Keegan's Chronicles on her own adventure!

Seventeen-year-old Anna is an unskilled, natural witch still seeking a way to access her magick. When she moves to Seattle for college, she encounters two powerful witches who need her as much as she needs them. For the first time, Anna believes she's found someone who can help her explore her own magick.

Her dream quickly turns into a nightmare.

Creatures of the Light have gone missing, and the witches she admires so well are a part of the mystery.

Before she knows it, Anna is knee deep in the disappearances and trying to forge a relationship with a certain soldier named Tommy, all while trying to find her way. Will she have time to save the creatures of the light or will she become the next victim?

Cover Reveal & Sneak Peek Crimson Flames by Ashley Robertson

Title: Crimson Flames
Author: Ashley Robertson
Series: The Crimson Series (#2)
Genre: Paranormal/Vampires/Urban Fantasy



Half-vampire Abby Tate is determined to learn more about the sorceress powers that were awakened inside her when she was turned into a vampire—making her a whole new hybrid species. There’s a group of rogue vamps banding together and forming a Resistance against the vampire governing body, The Head Council, and Abby’s newly discovered powers are the key to the Council’s victory. Now the Resistance will do anything possible to remove the hybrid threat, and with no other options, Abby is forced to rely on the aid of the Council, yet can she trust the very vampires that hunt for her human lover? And even worse, can she fight the unwelcome attraction that’s growing between her and one of those ancient vampire rulers?

Release Day Blitz Without Consent Bev Irwin

What an exciting day! And a contest too!

Another release day. Today is the day my medical / police thriller, WITHOUT CONSENT, comes out. So thrilled, I’m doing the happy dance. Glad you could come and join me.

What type of dance would you do? Jive, polka, rumba, or would you be refined and do a graceful waltz?

I’m doing a rock and roll. This is the fifth book in just over a year to be published which leads me to the today’s topic.

What to do while you are waiting for the train to stop at your corner?

The first thing you need to do is decide where you are going?

Do you have a specific genre you love to write and read? Or are you like me and like to genre hop?

I guess it’s my ADD but I like to multitask and I also like to flit from one writing project to the next. Not the most effective way to get the job done but it does keep things interesting.

Usually, I have several projects in varying stages of completion. Right now, in the romance genre I have a contemporary, a medical, and a suspense manuscript nearing completion. Another medical thriller with the same characters in WITHOUT CONSENT is partially written. I have three young adult novels in progress, one of them a sequel to my paranormal young adult, GHOSTLY JUSTICE with Daria and ghost, Amanda.

Now to just get them finished. But I have been so busy with edits and promotion for the books that came out this year that my writing time has been limited. I’m not complaining. It has been an amazing time. I’m so glad I’m ADD and had so many projects to pitch once the train stopped and let me get on.

So how did my journey begin?

It started with a pitch session with Savvy Authors in the summer of 2011. I pitched my medical romance, WHEN HEARTS COLLIDE to Debby at Soulmate Publishing and that book came out in December of the same year. At the same session, I pitched two books to Lauri at Black Opal Books and she contracted me for both of them! The first, my paranormal YA, GHOSTLY JUSTICE, was released in April, the second, a suspense with romantic elements, MISSING CLAYTON, came out in July.

Then, in October, Black Opal Books published IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS, a middle grade/ YA, adventure. This book is about a boy’s survival in Northern Ontario while he searches for his missing father.

And, now today, (I’m doing a drum roll) my medical / police thriller, WITHOUT CONSENT, is being released. Wow! What a ride it’s been.

Now to get back to writing and finishing all those other projects and pray that they also find homes.

But I’m digressing. The point I’m getting at is that while you are waiting for that first amazing contract, you need to be writing, revising, writing, revising... It’s always good when you get a contract to be able to say, “Well, if you like that one...I do have...”

And there you go, possibly not only published but multi-published.

You write, you write some more. Keep that pen moving. You take courses, learn your craft, join on-line groups, go to conferences, meet other authors, network.

Go to conferences in the genres you like to write in. There are a ton of them out there and at different prices and lengths. You can find some that are an afternoon, a day, or even a week. Remember they can be a tax right-off when you do get published.

For myself I really enjoy a good mystery or thriller so I tend to go to conferences like Bouchercon (for writers and readers), Sleuthfest, Book Passages.

Network at the conferences. You never know what will happen. For me one of the most thrilling thing was chatting with Lee Child and him offering to read my manuscript and giving me the book endorsement: “A fine medical thriller.” Now how cool is that?

I’ve met so many wonderful writers at these conferences. You don’t harass them, you chat about life and interests. Respect them and their privacy, but don’t be afraid to approach them and say how much you like their books or their characters.

Do all the prep work so that when the train stops you are ready to leap on board with your bags packed with a variety of the best you can write manuscripts.

And keep dancing. I know I hope to.

You can check out my other books and an excerpt of each one on my website:

Bev Irwin Website
Black Opal Books
Soul Mate Publishing

Without Consent Links

Amazon

Barnes and Noble 

Enter the Giveaway Below for a chance to win an eBook of your choice of one of my novels. 

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Release Blitz & Review In The Dark by Katie Salidas & Willsin Rowe

Title: In The Dark
Author/s: Salidas & Rowe
Series: Collage Interracial College Menage
Genre: Erotica
Publisher: Excessica
Release Date: January 25 2013
Edition: Kindle
Source: Authors in exchange for honest review.
Rating:





Cory Matthews is a handsome undergrad...with an embarrassing phobia. One that gets his heart pounding every single night. Achluophobia. Fear of the dark.
With finals all done and dusted, Cory swings by to pick up his girlfriend Hana, and her sexy roommate Maddy, for a big night of hitting the clubs and blowing off steam.
But before their night of fun can get started a summer monsoon knocks out the power for a whole city block, plunging Hana’s house into pitch blackness...kicking Cory’s fear into overdrive.
Though Hana sometimes teases Cory about his phobia, she knows it’s no laughing matter. And she’ll use whatever comes to hand – including Maddy – to take his mind off his troubles.
Together, these temptresses will show him that sometimes darkness can be far more revealing than light.

Bloggers LUV Bloggers Blog Tour Interview With Ann Snizek

I would love to welcome the lovely Ann to the blog today not only is she a blogger but she is also an author of young adult novels and she is here to tell us a little bit about herself. So grab a drink and sit back while we get to learn a little more about the lovely Ann Snizek.

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What are you like outside of blogging and reading?

 

Let's see... other than blogging and reading, I write (mostly YA fiction), I facilitate a local and online Creative Writing Club, and I volunteer as a tutor at the local Adult Learning center.  I also do writing workshops, I home school our two youngest kids, plus I try to spend time with my family - supporting them in their endeavors, I have a small herd of dairy goats.  I spend time with my grandchildren when I can.  I struggle with my health issues, promote my books, play with creative design and photography, watch movies, frequent Facebook, and occasionally sleep.  :)

Tell us about your blog. How did you come up with your blog title? Is there a story behind the title?

The Rambling Voices In My Head came in part from the A.D.D. that I deal with and partly from a satirical and dry sense of humor and the mental stability issues that have become mandatory for anyone functioning in our world.  ;)  I like playing on words and I think people view me as a bit corny, but I am what I am.  As long as I'm having fun and not hurting anyone, why not.... There are enough things in my life trying to drag me down and I don't need to add to them.

Has blogging changed your reading habits? Do you read books that you normally would not have read now that you have your own blog? 

It has.  I have found that I am much more aware of structure and style in things I read, and have ventured into other genres in an effort to learn from these varying styles and in doing so, I find that my communications and writing in general has improved.  Also, networking with other genre writers and viewing other blogs has introduced me to countless amazing people that I would otherwise never have met.  I try to help other new writers and aspiring writers as I am being helped myself.  Everything happens for a reason, even if we don't know what that reason is.

How has the blogging experience been for you? Any best book blogging moments so far? 

I am still very new at the blogging experience itself.  So, I haven't had too many to compare.  However, I do love feedback.  Just knowing that someone has read what I've put out there and is willing to interact with me is amazing.  I'm not the kind of person that has to conform to ideas just because.  In fact, there are times that I will say something controversial simply to have an interaction and "debate" going.  Usually, I see both sides of issues and try to keep open-minded.  I generally don't believe in absolutes. 

This question I know is a little unfair okay maybe a lot but here it goes. If you could choose only one book to own, which one would, you choose?

 

ONLY ONE!! Goodness, I am a book addict!  I am going through withdrawal panic at the thought.  LOL ... I won't pick my own because I can have those stories within me whenever I wish.  It would have to be an Anne McCaffrey book.  With so many to choose from I think (at least at this moment) that I would pick The Masterharper of Pern.  Although, I would want to sneak some Orson Scott Card in there too... LOL  This is just a cruel question... (my hair is turning grey at the terror of the thought of only having one book!)  My other option is a Thesaurus!!  But that is more a friend than a book.  ;)

Another unfair question I know I am being really mean sorry. If you could disappear into any book, which one would it be?

Definitely a Pern book.  I don't care which one as long as I get to be on Pern.  :)

If there is one fictional character that you could bring to life, who would it be and why? 

I think I would like to meet Ansset from The Songmaster by Orson Scott Card.  It is amazing how much he learned and how he communicated with the other characters.  He has an amazing talent and ability and I would love to have the chance to hear Mikail's Songbird sing his life's song!  Very moving, and although not the happiest of endings, a very fitting and noble ending for such an incredible book.  I couldn't imagine it any more fitting.

Name 3 books and 3 Authors that you Highly Recommend? That is 3 Indie/Self Published and 3 Traditional? So that is a Total of 6 Authors and Books.

Wow!  Another tough one.  Let's see.  I won't pick Anne McCaffrey, Orson Scott Card, or David Eddings... only because I can't decide which individual book to pick.  Since YA fiction is my favorite genre, I will pick some newer books that I have fallen in love with.  The Immortal Instruments: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare;  Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins; and Fallen by Lauren Kate for the "traditionally" published.  (I know all these books are in series, but once you read the first -- if you haven't already -- you will want to read the rest)

Indie/Self Published is just as difficult!  Many of the Indie books I have been exposed to I haven't had the chance to finish yet.  One book I would recommend hasn't actually been published yet. So, I'm not sure if it counts... The Peculiar Friendship by Jamie C. Ruff (I had the opportunity to help edit this book and it is out of my normal genre, but I think it is an amazing book);  I loved Haven by Justin Kemppainen (although I haven't gotten around to write a review for it... sorry); and A Faerie Fated Forever by Mary Anne Graham (again, I haven't gotten to writing a review YET).  However, I have just accumulated a large collection of new Indie books that I am dying to read!!!  I tend to be a sucker for series.

Which blog or blogger inspires you?

Again with the tough questions.. lol.  I'm glad that this has been emailed to me so that I can think about theses answers... and you can't see how many times I go back and change things. (hehehe)  Anyway, I think that I will have to go with...  Jodie Pierce.   www.jodiepierceauthor.blogspot.com and www.thevampirequeen1.blogspot.com   She has been of great assistance to me as I have started my professional writing career.  She has great enthusiasm and is a wonderful lady that I have the privilege to have met... and call friend.  It is difficult to narrow it down because there are so many blogs/bloggers out there that I am discovering daily. 

What are your favorite/least favorite things about book blogging? 

My favorite things would be the variety.  There are so many new and not as new books and authors.  I love coming up with questions and topics that I hope are not necessarily "run of the mill", but lively, interactive, and fun.  The problem is that this is the most difficult part also.  I find so many books and ideas that I have to prioritize to get to, and I want to do justice to each of them.  Decisions, decisions!!

What are your goals for your blog in the future? 

I want my blog to be a site that provides my readers with entertainment, education, and a relaxed place to expand their horizons and see the value of literacy in all its many forms.  I want it to be inspirational, but not preachy; educational, but fun.  I also want it to be a place where I can learn along with my readers.

Just for Fun

Favorite New Release?

Okay, now I have to say that it is mine.  :P  Tunuftol's Fortress of Light (Tunuftol Book 1).  I know I'm biased, but what can I say... I am proud of my first publication.

Favorite Male Hero?

The twins (George and Fred Weesley) from the Harry Potter series.  They are inseparable and thus must be counted together despite any other outcome)  They are simply awesome!

Favorite Female Heroine?

Anne of Green Gables by L Montgomery.  She has such a spirit and spark that is both irritating and endearing.  

Favorite Genre?

YA Fantasy/Sci-Fi

Favorite Place to Read?

Anywhere it is quiet. :)

Hardcopy or Ebook?

I enjoy both.  Ebooks can go with me where ever I go -- even in the dark, but there is something about holding the book and turning actual pages that I still love.

Kindle or Nook?

 

I have a Nook, but I also have a Kindle app on my laptop.  :)

Male POV or Female POV? 

It depends on the story.  If it is well written, I like either.  I also like stories that switch back and forth... like Rick Riordan's Kane Chronicles and Thunderstorm by JM Schroder (which is among the seven books that I am reading now and haven't finished yet... I multi-task.)

Review Tasting Never by C.M. Stunich

Title: Tasting Never
Author: C.M Stunich
Series: Never Say Never #1
Genre: New Adult/Romance
Publisher: Sarian Royal
Release Date: Dec. 22 2012
Edition: Kindle
Rating: 4.5





"Never Ross wants to be loved.
It's that simple, but it's not that easy."

Never is a girl with a broken soul who doesn't date nice guys and can't seem to go to bed at night without crying herself to sleep. She doesn't need any complications in her life, especially not when they're attached to a man that could be her emotional twin.

Ty McCabe can't stand Never the first time he meets her. He's aware that the feeling's mutual and the two don't think they'll ever see each other again, but when fate takes a hand and puts them both in the wrong place at the wrong time, Ty and Never form a tentative friendship that opens the door on their dark sides and shows them what it's like to live in the light.

"Sometimes, the only way to go forward, is to take a few, careful steps back."

Giveaway & Book Spotlight The Forgotten Ones by Laura Howard

Title: The Forgotten Ones
Author: Laura Howard
Series: The Danaans
Genre: New Adult Paranormal
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Expected May 15 2013
Formats it will be available in: Print and Ebook

Allison O'Malley just graduated from college. Her life's plan is to get a job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She doesn't have room for friends or even Ethan, who clearly wants more.
When Allison's long-lost father shows up, he claims he can bring her mother back from the dark place her mind has sent her. He reveals legends of a race of people long forgotten, the Tuatha de Danaan, along with the truth about why he abandoned her mother.

Where did the inspiration for this story come from?  What is the story behind the story so to speak? 

Growing up I had a friend who had a sort of magnetism about her. People always flocked to her, whether she wanted them to or not. I always wondered what it was that people found so attractive about her. I daydreamed up the idea that maybe she had some fairy blood and thought that would make a great story. A lot of great books about fairies exist already, so I went deeper into Irish mythology and folklore and learned about the Tuatha de Danaan. The rest grew through different songs I’d heard and poems about Irish legends I’d read.

Tell us about the book cover. 

My cover started with a picture I found on Deviantart. My protagonist has “true dreams” and I liked the dreamy expression on the model’s face.

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

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Places to find Laura

Blog

Facebook

Goodreads

Twitter

Places to find The Forgotten Ones

Goodreads

Happy Endings Giveaway Hop

I love books with Happy Endings. So when asked to join this hop I was right on it. The book I am giving away is a Kindle Copy of No Remorse by MaryLynn Bast.

#HEGIVEAWAY

Tell your happy ending story!

 

The Happy Endings Giveaway Hop was organized by Reading Romances!

[Read Between The Lines]

What you can win here: No Remorse by MaryLynn Bast

Number of winners: 1

Open to (INT, US or US/CAN): INT

How to enter: Rafflecopter 

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Release Day Blitz Raving Violet Valerie Gilbert

Title: Raving Violet
Author: Valerie Gilbert
Genre: Non Fiction/Humor
Publisher: Black Opal Books
Release Date: January 19 2013





Dead Mothers, Missing Husbands, Disgusting Dates, Perverted “Reverends,” Seductive Gurus, Infamous Ingrates and Cheese Thieves. These are a few of the cast of characters that pepper Valerie Gilbert’s true tales in “Raving Violet.”

Enter the world of a solitary but intrepid New Yorker. Orphaned since (relative) youth, this divorced, smartass metaphysician has sought solace and insight from philosophers, séances, channels and mediums, a path that has, inevitably, led her back to her formidable fortress within.

Join Valerie as she scales the castle walls on her journey for love, sex, sass, a chuckle, and really good chocolate.

Giveaway & Guest Post Release by M.R. Merrick

Title: Release
Author: M.R.Merrick
Series: The Protector (#3)
Genre: Paranormal/YA/Demons/Vampires/
Shifters/Witches
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Dec. 10, 2012



After uniting the shifters and calling in reinforcements, Chase has to face his toughest challenge yet: learning to control his emotions. But as tensions rise and his powers grow, controlling his emotions becomes the least of his problems.

Terrorized by a multi-shifter who is hell-bent on turning him, Chase questions just how far he’s willing to go to stop his father.  Meanwhile, Tiki’s virtuous nature has placed him in the middle of Vincent’s past, leaving Chase to oppose a senate of vampires and defend a demon he hates.

Trying to balance his friends, his enemies, and his inner demons, Chase is left searching for answers about the Mark, his destiny, and where he can find the next soul piece. Stopping Riley is his top priority, but as more obstacles arise, he finds himself doubting all the decisions he’s made - especially regarding Rayna.

One thing is for certain: Chase has finally realized that he doesn’t know anything. The light doesn’t always quell the darkness, the monsters don’t always stay in the shadows, and the past doesn’t always stay in the past - sometimes, the demons inside are the hardest to fight.

Teaser and New Cover Reveal Forever Fae by L.P. Dover

Title: Forever Fae
Author: L.P. Dover
Series: Forever Fae Series
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: Nov.3 2012
Formats Available In: Print & Ebook

He leans down, lips parted, and then our lips connect……….We didn’t know that this one kiss has FOREVER changed the Land of the Fae.

According to the Prophecy proclaimed many years ago, Princess Calista of the Summer Court is destined to change the Land of the Fae from the evil determined to destroy it.  Her powers are phenomenal, and she secretly trains for battle with her handsome warrior friend, Merrick, who unbeknownst to her protects her heart as well, in hopes of keeping it for himself.  At least, until the seductive Prince Ryder attends the Guardian Ceremony and instantly sends a fire burning through her veins and a connection so deep they both discover a love above anything imaginable.
No one knows how Calista is destined to change the kingdoms, but there is one that does.  He not only craves Calista’s power, but her body as well, and his goal is to steal her power, make her his Dark Queen, and take over the Land of the Fae.
Will the evil succeed in claiming Calista’s soul?  Or will the two men that fight for her heart save her from despair, and help her fulfill her destiny to become what she was meant to be.

Review The Mercenary's Marriage by Rachel Rossano

Title: The Mercenary's Marriage
Author: Rachel Rossano
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Lulu
Release Date: May 26 2006
Edition: Kindle
Source: BTS & Author for blog tour & exchange for honest review.
Rating:



Trained as a mercenary soldier, Darius Laris was a man of decisive action. He was also a man of compassion. Seeing a young slave woman about to become the spoils of war, he claimed her for his own. Marrying her before God and king, he made her a free and respectable soldier's wife. Brice Ashlyn was born a slave. Abused and beaten, she learned quickly to avoid being noticed and to stay away from men. When her master's walls fell to enemy forces, she ran, but not fast enough. In Darius' offer she found deliverance, but experience had taught her to fear power such as his. Could she trust in his protection, or had she traded one form of slavery for another?