Daily Archives: March 6, 2013

Awesome Giveaway and Review of sierra by taylor dean

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As I open the book, I can hardly wait to see what taylor dean has in store for me today. A pretty cover and the book blurb make me eager to begin.

Riveting from beginning to end. Be prepared to read straight through.

.SierraAdd To Goodreads

Adam was born when his Pa told him they had found their Eve at a rest stop in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

Alyssa’s life was changed forever at the same rest stop.

The saying, your life passes before your eyes, ran through her mind, as she thought of all the wonderful memories she had, until now. She felt her life had been perfect. She had married her wonderful husband and their beautiful son, Clay, had recently entered their life.

Pa drove deeper into the wilderness and Sam began to worry for them all, but especially for Alyssa. They stopped and separated Alyssa from Sam and Clay. She thought if she went willingly, maybe Pa would leave them alive in the woods.

Alyssa had a hard time keeping it together, so they knocked her out. She was so worried about Clay and Sam, she really didn’t care what they did to her.

Pa and Adam put a leash around her neck and led her like a dog. She couldn’t figure out what they wanted with her. They hadn’t done anything to her yet. When they told her why they had kidnapped her, she couldn’t help but laugh. She felt the idea was so ludicrous, they must be yanking her chain. She began to realize they were not joking around and became horrified, trying to think of a way out of the mess she was in.

The Glory of the Sierras Pictures, Images and Photos

Alex had lived alone in the mountains for three years. He was an only child and had wanted for nothing. He came from a family of doctors, but with his family gone, he changed his world dramatically. He isolated himself at his cabin and seemed quite content keeping his own company.  He had supplies brought in once a year and that was enough socializing for him.

Alyssa had been looking for an opportunity to escape. When it came, she ran for her life. Pa and Adam had taken her so deep in woods, she didn’t know which way to go, so she just ran as far away from them as she could.

They caught her easily, she ran right to them. Adam said she belonged to him and he would kill her before he would let her go.

Alyssa prayed. She didn’t want to die. She had to fight. They had to pay. She would not let them win.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos   5 STARS – Would Buy It For Them (lol)

I look at the cover and it conveys a feeling of peacefulness. I can picture myself in the warm, snug cabin, sitting in front of a cozy fire burning in the fireplace, with my feet up and a cup of hot chocolate (or a hot toddy)  in one hand and a book in the other. A deep quiet settles over the cabin as the snow floats softly to the ground. Well, if you think that is what this book is going to be like, you better brace yourself.

This was a hard review to write. By the time I got to page 20, I wanted to stop giving any clues as to what was to come. It was a kidnapping, but the cruelty went way beyond that. It was very intense and I feel you need to read it for yourself to get the full effect of the events.

Riveting from beginning to end. Be prepared to read straight through. I couldn’t put it down. It was hard to keep from skimming ahead. I just had to know what was coming. It was killing me waiting for it.

I thought Alyssa was an idiot, when she took off from Alex on her own. I hate when women are depicted as being so stupid. But then, Alex said, “sometimes you have to see and know for yourself how impossible something really is.” It made sense to me. The scene helped to develop the personalities of the characters.

A man and a woman alone in the woods, of course sex is going to be an issue. A knight in shining armor? Well, the armor might be a little tarnished, but a knight nonetheless. A woman with a family to go back to. A man who had felt such loss, he had isolated himself in the mountains, with human contact only once a year, when supplies were brought in.

I watch a lot of the Alaskan reality shows on TV. Some of those people are pretty far off the grid. If it wasn’t for friends checking on them and helping them out, who knows how long they could be dead before anyone found out. Some of them live in places that are almost inaccessible. Because of this, who knows if a story like this could be real or not.

But, it is a fantasy, a book. Just like in the movies, some things are put in to make it work the way the writer wants, or to make the reader (or watcher) become more involved in the story and up the level of intensity. And why not? It is fiction, not a true story. I want the story to take me to a place I would not otherwise go. To me, books are an escape. I want to be so engrossed in them, that the world around me is nonexistent. taylor dean seems to do that exceptionally well for me.

I received this book from the author in return for an honest and unbiased review.

My Favorite Quotes

“Everything that happens to us in life becomes a part of us and makes us who we are.”

“Cold pizza is the best breakfast food ever” I can relate to that. My mother and I both think cold pizza is the breakfast of champions.

“It’s like I’ve tasted the bitter, and now the sweet’s so overwhelmingly good, I just want to bask in it.”

“…there’s one thing I’ve learned from all of this and that is, life is short, life is tender. It can be taken away in the blink of an eye. When you find love you grasp it, never let it go and enjoy each day you’ve been given to the fullest.”

 She slowly rocked him as she wept. Alex felt……weeping. 

The End

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Taylor Dean

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Taylor Dean lives in Texas and is the mother of four grown children. Upon finding herself with an empty nest, she began to write the stories that were always wandering around in her head, quickly finding that she had a passion for writing, specifically romance. Whether it’s paranormal, contemporary, or suspense-you’ll find all sub-genres of romance in her line-up.

To find out what Taylor Dean is up to, follow the links below:

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 To Purchase a copy of taylor dean’s books from Amazon, click on the cover below.

My Review of Lancaster House & The Middle Aisle

GIVEAWAY

taiwan flag smiley animated gif Pictures, Images and Photos

taylor dean is offering  for this awesome Giveaway:

US – 2 signed copies of Sierra packaged in gift bags

International – 2 ebooks

Easy entry as always, just leave your email address and answer the question:

Would you find living alone in the woods a cool thing to do, or do you crave the big city? 

Giveaway will run through 3/20/2013 .

To see all my Reviews, click HERE.

To see all my Giveaways, click HERE.

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Freebie and Giveaway – Time of Death by Ellis Vidler

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TIME OF DEATH is free for Kindle March 5 – 7.
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I am also having a Giveaway HERE. There is 1 print book and 1 ebook up for grabs. If you win, you can opt to trade it for another one of Ellis Vidler’s books. So, you can’t lose. Come on over and enter today.
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Time of DeathAlex, the artist. After a tree falls on her house, she joins her aunt on an unspoiled island, but something wakens her family psychic streak. She draws eerily accurate scenes of violence, but she knows nothing about them.
Connor, the prosecutor. He’s building a case against a drug lord one piece of evidence at a time. For him it’s personal, and he can’t risk a relationship with a witness, especially a psychic who’ll blow his case out of the water.
Rollins, the killer. He’s a cog in a much bigger wheel, and the witness to his acts of violence threatens his operation and his life. He’ll do anything to see that doesn’t happen.
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When violence is near, Alex is compelled to draw the scene. While she relaxes on an unspoiled island near Charleston, South Carolina, violence disrupts the tranquil scene when a dead man takes shape on her sketch pad. She knows nothing about the man, but the killer believes she witnessed the murder and sets his sights on Alex. After seeing her drawing, the police think she’s involved, and the prosecutor fears a psychic witness will destroy his case. Now, with danger at every turn, she must uncover a killer before he destroys her and her loved ones.
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EXCERPT
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Alex smoothed the paper on her board and took a number 2 stick of Payne’s gray from the box, gazing toward the water. The bleached skeleton of a tree lay on its side, smooth and ghostly in the fog. Thin light from the morning sun touched the trunk, giving it a shimmering, ethereal glow. She began drawing, selecting pastels without conscious thought. She worked steadily, intent on capturing the scene before her.
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When she was satisfied, she replaced the used sheet with a fresh one and shifted so she could see the old pier. The last wisps of mist hung there, creating the image of a translucent walkway floating above the water. The fog hid the broken board—senseless violence. She sketched without thought, her hand moving automatically over the paper. The pier faded from her vision as her fingers flew. A face, swollen and distorted, took shape under the charcoal.
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She blinked, startled by what she’d done. Not the mist-shrouded wooden structure, but a dead face. The face that belonged to yesterday’s body, so misshapen she couldn’t tell if she’d ever seen it. Shaken, she ripped the paper off her board and crammed it into her bag. Later she’d examine it, think about what she’d drawn. Now she wanted only to get away. She packed her materials and hurried from the cove, heading toward Chicora’s breezier ocean side to clear the images from her mind, to concentrate on happier things.
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You can also get your copy by clicking on the cover below.
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