Saturday, June 29, 2013

Melissa Haag (Mis)Fortune Virtual Book Tour


Hopeless Cover Image - LargeOur world is being judged and we remain unaware. In a world filled with people, Gabby is uniquely alone. The tiny glowing sparks filling her mind that represent the people around her, confirm it as does the bizarre inexplicable draw she has on men.

Struggling to find an explanation for her sight while dodging unwanted male attention, Gabby meets Sam. The chance encounter leads to a startling revelation - werewolves are real.

Hoping the existence of something so extraordinary might lead to the answers she is seeking, Gabby enters into a hidden society where fur is optional. There she meets Clay, the werewolf delusional enough to think he has a chance with her. Gabby's plans for her future do not include a mate, but rather college, career, and then a huge 'we'll see'.

Gabby leaves the furry hidden society behind when she moves off to college, but trouble has a way of following and finding her. When other werewolves start stalking her, and anomalies in the sparks she sees begin to appear, she must count on Clay's help or risk loosing the chance to find the answers she searches for.


These books were both awesome. They are about wolf shifters and the few select women that can be mates to them. In the first book we see Gabby. She is a young woman who has lived her life in foster care and is looking for a place to call her own. She meets Sam, an old shifter, who turns out to be a great friend. Sam takes her in when she looses her comfortable home with her current foster family. Gabby works all through high school to save money for college and freedom. There is a catch in the whole system though, mating. She has to go to the wolf packs place once a month and let the males that want to sniff her. Now you should know that she has no interest in a mate, any mate. Now with only one weekend visit left before school she gets bombarded with eligible males who want a chance. Gabby is understandably pissed about this but lets each guy sniff her. With luck on her side she walks among them and her luck holds out with no mate. She walks back into the building happy and ready to leave only to walk head on into her "mate". This book is about her struggle to come to grips with going to college and being hounded by a stubborn wolf shifter who is determined that she is his. Ok now lets add some funny. This dude won't talk to her, at all, and shows up at her house. Catch in all of this, he shows up as a dog who is adopted by her roommate. Yeah you have to read this.
 
To add to your Goodreads shelf click here.
 
Misfortune Cover Image - Large
Our world is being judged and even they remain unaware.

Michelle, another young woman with an unexplainable gift, finds herself surrounded by the previously undiscovered werewolf society. Kept prisoner for the predictions that torment her, she meekly follows orders waiting for her opportunity to run. When her stepfather dies, she takes a chance and escapes.

After witnessing Blake, her captor, grow canines, she knows he will do anything to find her. She needs a place to hide and someone to listen to her predictions so her head doesn’t explode, but knows there’s nowhere she can hide forever, and no one who can protect her… unless she can find someone just like him.

Part of the fur wearing faction wants to use her, another part strives to keep her safe. The second book of the Judgment of the Six series will raise more questions about the purpose of these gifted few and Michelle will need to fight for answers. Will what she discovers be enough to help her keep those she loves safe from an emerging evil?

The second book introduces us to Michelle. She is a young woman who has been raised by a group of bad shifters. These guys are just straight jerks. She is kept a prisoner in her house due to her ability to predict the stock market. In order to keep her in line her two young brothers are beaten when she steps out of line. She is lucky enough to escape with them and is rescued by Emmitt who takes her home. His family turns out to have a secret of their own though, they are all wolf shifters. Emmitt makes it his mission to keep her and the kids safe as well as eliminate the threat to them. I can't say much about this book without giving away the ending of this book and a bit of the first one. Let me just say holy cow you have to read them. It looks like there will be a total of at least six books in this series. I laughed and cried with these characters and hope that you do the same.
 
To add to your Goodreads shelf click here.
 
Both get 5 stars and 3.5 flames. I would say they are new adult paranormal.


                                  AUTHOR BIO
Melissa Haag Author Photo
Melissa Haag currently resides in Wisconsin with her husband and three children. Touch is her first published novel. She is currently working on book three of a separate five book series.

Website  Twitter  Facebook  Goodreads


 

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Out Of Reach Blog Tour

 BOOK SYNOPSIS

You can’t escape who you are, but no one ever stops to explain to you the cost of discovering such knowledge. By the time Gwen learns that her fiery red hair marks her as more than just a bad temper on two legs it’s too late to make a choice. Catapulted into a realm she doesn’t understand thanks to the actions of those around her, Gwen is forced to embrace an unknown legacy and rely on the word of an old friend who is more than he seems. Will the price of self-discovery prove too much for Gwen to bear? And how do you save the world when everything feels just out of reach.

This book was awesome. I have to say that I was a little confused in the begining. It starts out as girl in lab and they all of the sudden she is with someone. You will find out why that is funny when you read the book. She is working on trying to solve a science project at work and can't seem to figure it out. All she wants is for the stupid compound to stay in a solid shape and every time she touches it, it evaporates. She is convinced that she is a jinx. Turns out they are bad genies and her humor kicks in picturing Robin Williams popping out "What do you need". Well that is so not what these guys are. Add in a hot guy that has it bad for her, angel blood, and a mission to save the world and you have a story worth reading over and over again. 

Reviewed by Stacy
 Stars 4.5
Flames 2 (suggested not very graphic though) 


Out of Reach Blog Tour Schedule

April 7th

April 8th

April 9th

April 10th

April 11th

April 12th

April 13th

AUTHOR BIO

I'm a thoughtful, sarcastic, work-o-holic, mother of four. I must thrive on chaos because I've certainly built enough of it into my life already! I write during the stolen minutes of the day when the children are in bed or at school. When I'm not writing you can find me up to no good with my kiddos, or outside soaking up the sunshine.
AUTHOR LINKS
 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Timeless by Amy Richie blog tour and giveaway



Holy Wow.  This book had me guessing the whole time. Eva is a girl that was born into a world where vampires are everywhere. And to make things even funner the people that "saved" her want her to go back in time to kill a specific vampire. They have even been injecting her with vampire blood since she was four years old to make sure that she was strong enough. When she makes the jump things go screwy. She ends up stuck in the past with no memory and no way to get help. In comes Nickolas, the knight in shinning armor. He saves her and tries to help her. When she does get her memory back she explains to him what she is supposed to do and bears her soul to him about the man she was taught to hate. Now I'm jumpin back to the original time so I don't spoil anything and just saying, It Gets Better Still. I can't tell you anything else without ruining it so just read this book.

5 stars
1.5 flames

reviewed by Stacy

Blurb:

After the asteroid, Jewell, cripples the earth, vampires come to the aid of the survivors. Some only want to help, others merely want to protect their way of life, and some simply have to be stopped. Eva was created for one purpose … to kill notorious vampire Dominick Letrell. Neleh has devised a plan that cannot fail; travel back in time to when Dominick was his weakest and attack him there. Along with the help of David, the most intelligent vampire alive, the plan is set in motion. Unfortunately, everything goes wrong and Eva is trapped in the past with no memory of why or how she got there. What happens when all the rules change? Timeless is a story of betrayals, secrets, and a love that will change everything.



Excerpt #1

Don’t you miss your family?”
            I thought about his words carefully. No, I didn’t miss them; I was really starting to wonder if I ever had a family at all. “I don’t remember my family. Right now, you are the only person I know.” I shrugged.
            “And that doesn’t scare you?”
            My eyes narrowed with confusion. I rolled over on to my stomach so I could see his face. “Scare me? You don’t scare me.”
            “I’m not trying to.” He chuckled lightly.
            “Then what do you mean?”
            “I mean,” he widened his eyes, “aren’t you afraid that you might be all alone now?”
            “Oh.” I felt my shoulders deflate and my chin fell to rest on his ribs. “Well, I’ll … ” my words faltered, “I’ll just … ”
            He brought his hand up to stroke the back of my head. “I shouldn’t have said that,” he said very softly.
            “No, that’s fine.” I tried to sound indifferent. Realizing several things at once, I sat up quickly. He didn’t want me here. I was burdening him and he was letting me know as kindly as he could. I couldn’t let myself think he cared for me. He was being nice, that’s all. I would be on my own when he got me to the Colony. I had to keep things in perspective.
            Tears pricked my eyes when I realized that it was too late for me; I already loved him. And he didn’t love me back, he just wanted to protect me.

 
Blog Schedule
Feb 26 Review with http://paperrdolls.com/
Feb 28 Review with Bawakas-bookfair.blogspot.com
March 1 Promo post with http://www.delphinareadstoomuch.com/
March 4 Promo spot with http://beanieboo78.wordpress.com/




a Rafflecopter giveaway


 
Purchase links

Stalker Links

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Bad Blood Blog Tour

Book Synopsis
High school senior Victoria “Tori” Reeve has it pretty good. She’s rich, she’s smart, and she’s popular. What more could a girl ask for? Sure, she’s a little lonely, what with being single and her best friend going off to college and all, but she’s got her work at the Spaulding Crisis Center to keep her busy. When she gets a new boss in the very easy on the eyes form of Isaac Larsen, suddenly her volunteer work feels a lot less like work. Even if he does seem to cause Tori to break out into spontaneous fits of foot in mouth disease. Somehow in spite of her blunderitis, Isaac still seems to be interested in her in a more-than-employer or even more-than-friends kind of way.

So really she should have known that things would go sideways.

Trouble comes to Spaulding, and that trouble seems to be centered on Tori and the Crisis Center. Is she really the focus? Or does this all have to do with the new mysterious man in her life? In her efforts to find out, Tori stumbles across some secrets. Skeletons that might have been better off left in the closet. As it turns out, Spaulding is a hot spot for bad blood…

  This was a really good book. When I started reading it I thought that it was going to be more of a regular YA book. I knew that it was supposed to be paranormal, but it just didn't come off like that at first. I mean come on, great girl with a HOT boss and a super HOTT best friend. It just didn't lead off with anything out of the ordinary yet still sucks you in.
  Victoria is a level headed girl that is definately not an "easy" type of person. She is a senior in high school and works at one of those suicide hotline places. When her boss hires on some extra help and her new manager is a Larson and so drool worthy that it is funny she is happy to learn that he is interested. Her first real boyfriend and he is from a "religous" compound down the road. He is a true gentelman. Like walk you home and kiss your hand kind of guy. I won't ruin it, but let me say that things aren't always what they seem and I might just date him myself if given a chance. Then add her best friend Drew into the mix and it gets fun. Drew is the worlds hottest guy and her best friend, yet nothing fun has happened because they just aren't like that. Well when Isac Larson walks into the picture her best friend finally shows that he wants more. A whole lot more that would result in sweaty sheets and bad hair. The only thing that I didn't like about this book was that it ended. Now I have to wait to find out what happens and I can't really tell you what I'm waiting for without ruining it for you. Guess you'll just have to read the book and find out.

reviewed by Stacy
4.5 stars
2 flames
 



Bad Blood
By Ginny Lurcock
Urban Fantasy/Mature YA
Release Date: February 5, 2013

Links

Thursday, November 29, 2012

Tempted By Evil Blog Tour and Giveaway













a Rafflecopter giveaway


Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!

11/19/2012 Turning Pages
11/20/2012 Pretty in Fiction
11/21/2012 Urban Fantasy Investigations
11/21/2012 Page Flipperz
11/22/2012 The Book Vixen
11/23/2012 Debra's Book Café
11/24/2012 Reading and Writing Urban Fantasy 
11/25/2012 A Thousand Lives Book Blog
11/26/2012 Night Owl Reviews
11/27/2012 Promiscuous Diva
11/28/2012 Dear Restless Reader
11/29/2012 Pezz Rambles

12/1/2012 Book Lovin Mamas
12/2/2012 Pure Textuality
12/3/2012 My Hidden Bookshelf 



  "He eyed me wildly from the floor below, and I watched as an unmistakable shift occurred in his gaze―concern bled to ambivalence, then nothing at all. His expression was cold as stone. Within seconds I was sprawled on the floor, pressed heavily against it by the weight of his body.
Escape was futile.
I could not fight the Shadow away."


A sheltered girl.
The perfect boy.
A mysterious stranger.
Random messages delivering a sobering prophecy plague Aspen's existence. With every curious encounter, her sanity waivers further. Before long, Aspen finds herself balancing the fate of humanity on her shoulders, until a single act turns her world upside down. She finds herself alone, isolated from those she thought she could trust.
Alone to damn the world.



  This is a story of a girl who is loosing her mind. At least she thinks she is. Aspen was raised by nuns in a convent and moves out when she turns 18. That would normally not be a big deal except she has no money, no job, and no place to live. Plus talk about a sheltered upbringing. Then along comes Julian (love the name) and she has her prince. He is a rich guy who gives her a place to stay, a job, and has a thing for her. Plus he does all of this without any hanky panky. Go figure, a real angle. Aspen thinks that all is great until Merrick comes along she starts getting told messages by crazy homeless people about being the one to bring about the end of mankind. She is sure she is loosing her mind. Turns out that she actually is very sane. She is the child of prophecy born of light and dark that could bring about the end of life as we know it depending on rather she chooses good or evil. 
       The end of this made me want to throw my kindle. Don't worry I refrained. It was one of those that you scream at the top of your lungs that they can't end it there. She was starting to make her choice. The good and evil had been revealed and then poof. End of book. I need more. Please hurry with book two. It isn't fair to not know what is happening next and have to wait. So go out and buy this book people. Don't rent it or borrow it just buy it. That way you can read it again right before book two comes out. 

5 Stars
0 Flames

reviewed by Stacy


Guest Post
 
I initially wrote this blog as a joke, reflecting on the various types of female leads within the paranormal genre. It then took on a life of its own.
This is my “Heroines decoded” breakdown. It made me laugh. I hope it does the same for you!




1) The Only-Human-Chick-in-the-Crazy-Ass-World-of-Supernatural Heroine:
Queen of the inside scoop, this leading lady is the only one in creation who gets to be let in on all the finer points about things that go "bump" in the night.  Often smart, but unpopular, this brainy loner easily accepts her newfound reality, if for no other reason than to escape her old one.  She's driven primarily by external forces, exercising her own will as little as possible, especially if it puts her in mortal danger. Why do we love her still?  She gets the hotties, plain and simple.  And secretly, we kinda want to be her, too (don't lie, you know you do).
2) The Clueless Wonder/Damsel in Distress Protagonist:
Now, before I start, I should explain that I have an inexplicable soft spot for these girls.  Their "wandering into chaos" M.O. just does it for me even though it should annoy the piss out of me. The Clueless Wonder is the master of never knowing what's going on, even if it's blatantly apparent (like the building is on fire and she can't quite figure out why everyone is running out of it), which then leads to her other namesake: Damsel in Distress.  She's completely incapable of lifting a finger to save her own ass, but, luckily for her, someone is always willing to do the job for her.
Maybe I'm just a sucker for being rescued.  By a hot guy.  With great abs.  And tousled hair. Who's undoubtedly well endowed...
3) The Badass Without a Cause Heroine:
Probably my least favorite of all the heroine species, she's dangerous, but not in a good way. She's got all the right credentials: immortal/hard to kill, super strength, shady colleagues, looks killer in leather, and is always packing something illegal in her waistband. The problem arises when her lack of judgment leads to more problems than solutions. Throw shotguns and hand grenades into that equation and the death toll rises quickly.  If she were capable of packing as much brain power as she did ammo, she'd truly be a force to be reckoned with.
4) The Help Me, But Don't Help Me Heroine:
She's the Fickle Fanny of the bunch who just can't seem to decide if she wants to bear her burden alone or not.  She's a glory hog who can't acknowledge her team of minions (think Martha Stewart), who helped her get to the end of the journey. It's ALWAYS about her.  This character tends to make me insane because everything has to be on her terms.  She has an undying need to appear self-sufficient, but clearly lacks the tools to be.  She wants/needs the assistance of those more knowledgeable than her...right up until she doesn't.
Generally, this is the protagonist that I find myself wanting to punch in the face the most, but...when she gives into her moments of breakdown/weakness, I find myself begrudgingly cheering her on.  Until I want to slap her again.
5) The Bed Hopping Heroine:
Really...this one shouldn't require a whole lot of explanation.  She's the character that EVERYONE wants to sleep with, including, but not limited to: hot vampires, rugged werewolves, dark mages, sketchy sorcerers, questionable fae. your mailman, the creepy guy you always see at the coffee shop, and your Uncle Franklin.  ALL of them want to sleep with her because she's apparently the only woman in the world--and lucky for them, she's more than happy to oblige.  Don't get me wrong, there's always a reason involved as to why she needs to have sex with various sinister immortals.  In fact, the world's very existence may well be dependent on her ability to so.  We should really send her a fruit basket to thank her.
Maybe a candygram?
6) The Too-Torn-to-Function Heroine:
This girl (and yes, I mean girl), is the one who would get hit by a train as she straddled the track, trying to figure out which amazingly hot guy flanking her she should pick.  Her indecisiveness is all but paralyzing. What I really want to point out to her (being older and far more wise), is that she can't make a wrong choice.  Both boys are always stunningly beautiful, madly in love with her, AND willing to die for her.  Where's the problem here?  I'm happy if my guy is willing to unclog the toilet for me.
7) The Cannon Fodder Protagonist:
Unlike her cousin, The Clueless Wonder, Cannon Fodder takes a slightly different path.  Where CW seems to just happen upon chaos (and by happen, I mean land right in the middle of it), CF seems to genuinely try to NOT be what she is.  She often thinks she's doing everything right, only to find out that she's once again tightened the noose around her own neck.  I happen to really enjoy CF because her intentions are generally good or helpful, and she (usually) learns from her near death experiences.  The poor girl just can't catch a break.
8) The Dances With the Dark Protagonist:
Girl gone wild in all the wrong ways.  She's the one that you find yourself yelling out loud at in public places while you read because her "Warning: This man is likely to eat you" alarm is clearly broken.  She frolics in ominous alleys, willingly sleeps in creepy basements, and frequents nefarious establishments.  Why?  Because she's thinking with her heart (or not thinking at all).  She always falls for the baddest boy, or demon, in town.  The nice thing about D with the D is that she's redeemable, though it's usually a 50/50 split on that outcome.  I'll give her one thing...she always keeps it interesting.
9 )The Mercenary:
There's nothing heroine or protagonist about her.  She's an unbalanced cocktail of psychosis, rage, and vengeance, packaged up into one undoubtedly hot supernatural ticket.  She knows no rules but her own, and we all adore her for it. Willing to win at any cost, she mows down her adversaries without even breaking a sweat. Bad guys and good guys alike need to beware.  If you see the Mercenary coming, do yourself a favor and run.
10) The Girl I Wish I Was Heroine:
The perfect blend of flawed and fabulous, this leading lady knows how to milk emotion out of a reader, good or bad.  She's by far the most relatable character going, and one of the most interesting to watch grow over a novel or series. Believable, but fallible, she's the perfect blend of all the other heroines. 
The boys all love her, but don't want to do dirty things to her like the Bed Hopper. She has moments of Clueless Wonder behavior, but tends to pull it together when the chips are down.  Though equipped with an inner Badass in one way or another, she's far too aware of her shortcomings and wouldn't dream of wandering the streets with a sawed off, looking for trouble.  She'd probably shoot herself in the leg anyways.
She knows that she can't always go it alone, even if she dreams that she can, and though the sea of men that often surround her cause a temporary dilemma, she always manages to pick a team and stick to it.  Unlike D with the D, if her libido drives her to flirt with the dark side, her inner wisdom shines through...eventually.  CF is probably her greatest tendency, which usually reads as more endearing than annoying.  As for her inner mercenary... I think if you push ANY woman far enough, you'll see that crazy bitch pop out.  And you don't want none of that :)
No matter your favorite, these ladies bring a certain charm and entertainment to the page that keep us all wanting more.  I look forward to a day when my schedule is far more balanced, allowing me to reacquaint myself with the heroines that made me love the genre to start with.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Destine by Katherine Polillo

DestineMichelle Cross is an average, seventeen year old girl growing up in a small town in New Jersey. Up until her senior year, her life has consisted of a rather unglamorous existence, until a handsome new boy finds her at school. Little by little Michelle’s world is turned upside down. The new boy claims to be the Archangel Gabriel cast from heaven, her best friend falls for the Antichrist, and come to find out Michelle’s mother has seen it coming all along. So instead of being consumed with prom and graduation, Michelle finds herself battling the evils of Hell in her small town. Can Michelle stop the powers of Hell in time? Can love bridge the world between heaven and earth? Michelle and Gabriel find themselves the pawns in a very dangerous game between an ancient power with a mysterious message and Satan himself
Sometimes your Destiny finds you...